What happens if I cancel my Spirit flight?

No matter what ticket you’ve purchased, you have 24 hours to cancel from the time you booked for no charge, provided that the flight departure is more than 7 days away. If you cancel within that window, you get a refund back to your original method of payment. If you cancel outside that window, you still get a full refund, but it in the form of a travel credit. These vouchers are good for 1 year from the date they are issued and must be used by the original passenger.

Can I cancel a Spirit flight within 24 hours?

Yes, all customers have 24 hours from the time of their original booking to cancel their reservation and receive a refund in the form of payment, as long as it was purchased more than 7 days in advance of the flight.

Can I change my Spirit flight for free?

Spirit does not charge a fee to change your flight, but you are responsible for any difference in fare. This applies both to cash bookings as well as to award redemptions booked using Spirit points.

When do Spirit flight credits expire?

Spirit flight credits expire 1 year from the day they were issued.

Does Spirit charge same-day change fees?

In most cases, Spirit does not charge a same-day change fee. You can stand by for an earlier flight the same day for free, and if you want to confirm a seat on an earlier flight, you only pay the fare difference.

How To Cancel a Spirit Airlines Flight [Points or Cash Ticket]

Updated: February 4, 2025, 5:57pm CST

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Key Takeaways
Spirit’s Cancellation Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points
Spirit’s Change Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points
How To Cancel a Spirit Ticket
How To Use a Spirit Flight Credit
Final Thoughts

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Key Takeaways

Spirit no longer has any change or cancellation fees.
When you book a ticket with Spirit’s Free Spirit points, there are no cancellation fees, but cancellations must be made over the phone. Your miles are redeposited into your account.

Canceling a flight can be a very frustrating and expensive experience. Knowing the ins and outs of the airline’s cancellation policy can save you quite a bit of time and money if you do end up needing to cancel.

If you happened to book your flight or are planning to book a flight with Spirit Airlines, you’re in the right place! Here’s all the information you need to navigate its cancellation policy and determine what policies apply to your situation.

Spirit’s Cancellation Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points

Spirit no longer charges cancellation fees. Spirit used to have fairly draconian change fees, but it removed all change and cancellation fees in May 2024. Spirit now offers several ways to change or cancel your reservation.

Standard Ticket

If you cancel your reservation within 24 hours of booking it and the flight is at least 7 days away, you will receive a full refund to your original method of payment. Otherwise, you will receive a future travel credit that can only be used with Spirit Airlines and only for the passenger to whom the credit was issued.

Award Ticket

If you’ve booked a ticket with your Free Spirit points, there are also now no cancellation fees. However, you can only cancel over the phone. Your points will be redeposited into your account.

Hot Tip: Looking for even more information about canceling award tickets? Explore our guide on canceling award tickets, which includes information on over 30 carriers.

Spirit’s Change Policy: Flights Paid With Cash or Points

As with cancellations, Spirit no longer charges change fees. However, that doesn’t mean you can select any new flight without having to pay more. If you change to a more expensive flight, you have to pay the difference in the cost of the fare, as well as any difference in the taxes and fees.

Here are the current change charges:

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Ticket Type	Days From Departure	Fee Amount
Standard or award ticket	Any	There’s no change fee, but you must pay the difference in fare.
Same-day changes confirmed for earlier flight	Same day	There’s no change fee, but you must pay the difference in fare.
Same-day changes on standby for earlier flight	Same day	There’s no change fee, but the fare difference may apply, depending on availability. (If there’s no availability on the earlier flight, you pay nothing in addition to the original fare.)

Standard or Award Ticket

If you need to make a change to your standard or award ticket, you can do so up to 1 hour before the scheduled departure time of the first flight on your ticket. Any changes you make are subject to the fare difference, including both the cost in points and any taxes or fees. You can change just about everything about your award ticket, including the origin, destination, stopover city, flight, and class of service.

Same-Day Change

If you’re planning to make a same-day change to your flight, you have a few options. If you arrive at the airport and want to try to take an earlier flight on the same day that has no availability, you can attempt to stand by for free. If you want to change to an earlier flight that has availability, you can move to the earlier flight with a confirmed seat by paying the difference in fare, if applicable. Both of those options come with no additional change fees.

How To Cancel a Spirit Ticket

Step 1: Log in to your account and select My Trips. Then enter your last name and flight confirmation code.

Spirit Airlines My Trips — Image Credit: Spirit Airlines

Step 2: This brings up your reservation summary page. Click Cancel Reservation to cancel your itinerary and get a travel credit or refund.

Step 3: The final page shows you how much you’ve been refunded in money or points.

How To Use a Spirit Flight Credit

To redeem your flight credit, simply look for the Redeem a Voucher or Credit drop-down on the flight purchase page, enter the 17-digit code you received when you canceled your ticket, and hit Go. Vouchers must be applied to a reservation at the time of booking.

Future travel credits with Spirit can only be used by the passenger they were issued to and are only valid for a single use, with no remaining value after that use. That means that if you have a $120 travel credit and apply it to a $90 flight, you will not be able to use the remaining $30 on a future flight.

Spirit travel credits have use restrictions during government holidays, so be sure to check whether your dates are eligible. Spirit credits formerly came with a requirement to be used within 60 days of being issued, but flight credits issued after May 12, 2024, are valid for 1 year from the date they are issued.

Final Thoughts

Spirit used to have some of the highest and most punitive change and cancellation fees in the industry. Now, however, there are no change or cancellation fees in most circumstances. If you cancel within 24 hours of booking the flight, you get a refund back in your original form of payment. If not, you get a travel credit good for future travel on Spirit that is good for 1 year.

Canceling a flight can be a real pain, so consider purchasing your flight with a credit card that provides coverage. That gives you the most flexibility if your plans happen to change and you need to change or cancel your Spirit Airlines flight.