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.
Cancellation Policies Due to COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, if you purchased a Saver fare between February 27, 2020, and April 30, 2021, you may cancel your trip without a fee and deposit the funds into your My Account wallet or receive a credit certificate for future travel.
If you purchase a nonrefundable first class, main, or award ticket between February 27, 2020, and April 30, 2021, you may:
- Change your trip without a fee (a fare difference may apply)
- Cancel your trip without a fee and deposit the funds into My Account wallet or receive a credit certificate for future travel.
As of May 1, 2021, change and cancellation fees have been permanently eliminated on main and first class fares. Saver fares may not be changed or canceled outside of the 24-hour cancellation policy.
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.
| Ticket Type | Cancellation Fee |
| Saver | Not permitted (outside of the 24-hour window) |
| Main cabin | $0 |
| First class | $0 |
| Award ticket | $0 |
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.
| Ticket Type | Change Fee |
| Saver | Not permitted |
| Main cabin | $0 |
| First class (non-refundable) | $0 |
| First class (refundable) | $0 |
| Award ticket | $125* |
| Same-day changes | $50* ($25 for flights within California) |
* Fee waived for MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, & MVP Gold 100k 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 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.
Image Credit: Alaska AirlinesStep 2: Once you’ve selected the trip you want to cancel, select Cancel. You can also change your ticket from this screen as well.
Image Credit: Alaska AirlinesStep 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.
