How To Cancel an Alaska Airlines Flight [Points or Cash Ticket]

The process of canceling a flight, especially one you’ve been looking forward to, can be confusing, frustrating, and expensive — but luckily it doesn’t have to be! Doing a bit of research on potential cancellation fees in advance 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 Alaska 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.

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

All customers have 24 hours from the time of their original booking to cancel their reservation without being charged a cancellation fee, regardless of the fare selected.

Saver Ticket

If you purchase a Saver fare you can cancel within the 24-hour cancellation policy, but once it’s out of the 24-hour cancellation policy Alaska will no longer allow you to cancel a saver fare ticket.

Main Cabin Ticket

As of May 1, 2021, cancellation fees have been permanently eliminated on main cabin fares.

First Class Ticket

As of May 1, 2021, cancellation fees have been permanently eliminated on first class fares.

Award Ticket

As of May 1, 2021, cancellation fees have been permanently eliminated on award tickets.

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

Alaska’s Flight Change Policy

As with cancellations, all customers will have 24 hours from the time of their original booking to change their reservation without being charged a fee, regardless of the fare selected.

Saver Ticket

If you purchase a Saver fare, you cannot change your ticket, even within the 24-hour window from when your ticket was purchased. If less than 24 hours have passed, your best option would be to cancel the ticket and book a new one.

Main Cabin Ticket

If you need to make a change to your main cabin ticket you can do so without needing to pay any extra change fee. If you are changing your flight to a more expensive option, then you’ll need to pay that price difference as well.

First Class Ticket

First class tickets can be changed without incurring any change fees. If you are changing your flight to a more expensive option, then you’ll need to pay that price difference as well.

Award Ticket

Alaska no longer charges a change for award tickets.

Same-Day Changes

Same-day changes are $50 for all ticket types (not including Saver tickets), with the exception of those whose travel is entirely within the state of California, in which case the fee is $25. If you hold MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, or MVP Gold 100K status with Alaska Airlines, or your travel itinerary is wholly within the state of Alaska, the same-day change fee will be waived.

Keep in mind that same-day changes are subject to availability for seats in the same cabin. However, you will only be charged the fee if you get a seat. If there is no availability, you won’t be charged for being on same-day standby.

How To Cancel a Flight on Alaska

Step 1: Log into your account on Alaska’s homepage and select My Trips.

Step 2: Once you’ve selected the trip you want to cancel, select Cancel. You can also change your ticket from this screen as well.

Step 3: The next screen will ask you to confirm that you want to cancel your booking. After you click Confirm, your booking will officially be canceled and you’ll receive a confirmation containing your ticket number with any remaining funds after any potential cancellation fees.

If you prefer to have a customer service agent walk you through the cancellation process, you can do so by calling 800-252-7522.

How To Use an Alaska eCredit

After you receive your confirmation email containing your ticket number and the remaining funds associated with that ticket, you can log into your Alaska account and add them to My Wallet. All you need to do is log into your account, select My Wallet, and enter the ticket number. Those funds will be available for use on a future Alaska Airlines flight.

Final Thoughts

If you’re worried that you may need to cancel your flight and want to make sure you can receive a full refund without paying any cancellation fees, a first class refundable ticket is going to be your best option. If you have MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, or MVP Gold 100K status with Alaska, you can cancel or make changes to your flights without needing to worry about paying additional fees. Sometimes it does pay to be loyal to an airline!

Having to deal with canceling a flight can be difficult enough as it is, so consider adding a credit card that provides compensation! Be certain to review fare rules closely so that you know what your options are both at the time of booking and if you end up needing to cancel.