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

BY 

Jarrod West

- UPDATED: October 6, 2020

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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 their cancellation policy and determine what policies apply to your situation.

Cancellation Policies Due to COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all tickets purchased on or before February 26, 2020, for travel between March 9, 2020, and May 31, 2020, cancellation and change fees will be waived. For tickets purchased between February 27, 2020, and April 30, 2020, for travel by February 28, 2021, change and cancellation fees will be waived

View the full policy here. If you booked via a third party, refer to your booking provider for its policies.

With cancellation policies due to COVID-19 being ever-changing, for the most up-to-date policies across all airlines, please refer to our COVID-19 Airline Cancellations article.

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.

* Fee waived for MVP Gold & MVP Gold 75K Members or if your travel itinerary is wholly within the state of Alaska
** Fee waived for MVP Gold & MVP Gold 75k Members

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

If you wish you cancel your main cabin ticket you must do so within the initial 24-hour window. Otherwise, you will be required to pay a $125 cancellation fee. This fee is waived for MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75k members, or those whose travel itinerary is wholly within the state of Alaska.

After you pay the cancellation fee, you can apply the unused value of your ticket toward a future trip with Alaska Airlines as long as your new trip begins no later than 1 year from the ticket’s original issue date. You also must have canceled the original ticket before the departure of the first flight.

First Class (Non-Refundable)

Just like with main cabin tickets, if you purchase a non-refundable first class ticket and do not cancel within the initial 24-hour window, your cancellation will be subject to a fee of $125. The unused value of your ticket, minus the $125 cancellation fee, can be applied toward a future trip with Alaska Airlines.

The cancellation fee will be waived if you hold MVP Gold or MVP Gold 75k status with Alaska Airlines, or your travel itinerary is wholly within the state of Alaska.

First Class (Refundable)

If you’ve purchased a first class refundable ticket, cancellations can be made anytime before the departure of your flight and the refund will be issued to your original credit card within 7 days (it should appear on your statement in 1-2 billing cycles).

Award Ticket

If you’ve booked a ticket with your Alaska miles and need to cancel it outside of the 24-hour window, canceling the ticket will cost $125 to have your miles redeposited back into your account. However, just like with the previous ticket types, these cancellation fees are waived for Alaska MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75k status holders.

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 fare selected.

* Fee waived for MVP Gold & MVP Gold 75k Members

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 Non-Refundable

First- Class Non-Redfundbale 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.

First Class Refundable

If you’ve purchased a refundable first class ticket you can make changes to your itinerary without needing to pay any additional fees. If you’re changing to a more expensive option, you will need to pay the difference in price. If you’re changing to a cheaper flight, the difference in fare will be refunded to your original method of payment.

Award Ticket

In order to make a change to your award ticket (outside of the 24-hour window), you will be required to pay $125. This fee is waived for Alaska MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75k status holders.

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 or MVP Gold 75k 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. Unless of course, you have MVP Gold or MVP Gold 75k status with Alaska, then 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.