Ultimate guide to canceling a flight and getting a refund with major US airlines

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March 01, 2024

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18 min read

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Editor's Note

This post was updated with new information.

Most airlines now have favorable policies if you need to cancel your flight, especially if you booked using points or miles. If you book the right fare with an airline that has friendly cancellation policies, you may not be out hundreds of dollars — or be on the hook for astronomical fees — should your travel plans change.

However, with many different airlines and varying policies, it can be overwhelming to figure out each carrier's rules. To make it easier, we put together this guide about the cancellation and refund policies for the major U.S. airlines.

Can I cancel a flight and get a refund?

These days, all airlines allow you to cancel a flight, and most make it extremely easy to do so. You can usually cancel a flight online, and many carriers let you get a refund in some capacity.

For the most part, if you book a nonrefundable fare — the most common fare type — you'll receive a credit or voucher for a future flight. However, you'll find that some airlines charge a fee to cancel, and they might base the fee on how far in advance you cancel.

For example, Southwest Airlines has one of the most generous cancellation policies, regardless of the fare type. As long as you cancel at least 10 minutes before your flight's scheduled departure time, there is no fee to cancel your reservation, whether it is a paid fare or one booked on points. While you'll end up with a travel credit for the amount paid if you cancel a paid fare, Southwest won't deduct any fees from that voucher. Also, if you booked using Southwest points, the airline will immediately return them to your account with no fees.

Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and JetBlue Airways also have favorable cancellation policies — as long as you didn't book their least expensive basic economy fare.

On the other hand, Frontier Airlines will charge you a $75 fee when canceling a reservation booked on miles. Canceling a paid reservation will cost you even more.

Perhaps the least favorable airline is Allegiant Air, which requires you to cancel seven or more days in advance and charges a cancellation fee per segment (not round-trip).

So, when you wonder if you can cancel a flight and get a refund, the answer depends on many factors, including the airline, the fare type and how far in advance you cancel.

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How to cancel a flight with major airlines

Many airlines allow you to cancel a flight without hefty fees. Since every airline operates slightly differently, we've compiled the policies for each major airline and the associated fees so you can figure out how to cancel a flight. This information is for a regular passenger (not one with status) on a standard reservation.

If you booked under special circumstances, we've linked to our full guide for each respective airline, which goes into more detail about each one's policy. These guides also include the policies for changing a flight instead of fully canceling.

Alaska Airlines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid Alaska Airlines reservation

Alaska allows you to cancel all reservations within 24 hours of booking — for travel starting more than 24 hours from the time of purchase.

After the 24-hour mark, there are no cancellation fees, and all fare types are now eligible for some sort of credit. For Main and First Class fares, you'll receive the full amount paid as a certificate to use toward a future flight. For flights purchased on or after July 19, 2023, even Saver fares are eligible for a credit. However, you'll only receive a 50% credit of the ticket value, and the flight must be canceled at least 14 days prior to departure of the first flight on the ticket. (For flights purchased prior to this date, Saver fares will not receive any credit if canceled in advance.)

All certificates received when canceling a flight are valid for 12 months from the issue date of your original ticket or 30 days from the date of cancellation — whichever is greater.

The only way to receive a full refund is by purchasing a fully refundable fare during the booking process.

Canceling an Alaska reservation booked with miles

Passengers can cancel an award reservation by calling Alaska's reservation center. The airline will deposit the miles back into your account once you cancel your award flight, and you'll receive a refund for any taxes paid.

Allegiant Air's cancellation policy

Canceling a paid Allegiant reservation

Allegiant has one of the more strict policies when canceling a flight: You must cancel seven days before departure and will still have to pay a fee. Typically, the fee is $75 per segment (not for the entire reservation), but for a while now, Allegiant has reduced the fee to $25 per segment. When canceling, you'll receive a voucher for the amount paid (minus the total cancellation fee), valid for up to one year from the original booking date.

When canceling a flight within seven days, the airline won't issue a credit, and you'll lose the entire ticket value.

Canceling an Allegiant reservation booked with miles

Allegiant offers a unique policy regarding canceling an award booked with miles. You'll be charged the same fee per segment, and the flight must be canceled at least seven days in advance. The points redeemed will not be redeposited back into your account; you'll instead receive a voucher for the value of the ticket.

American Airlines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid American reservation

You can now cancel all American reservations, except American's basic economy fares, without a fee. However, some flights originating outside North and South America have slightly different policies.

With basic economy fares, you'll be charged a $99 fee, which is taken out of the value of your ticket. This policy only applies to AAdvantage members for flights within the 50 states.

When canceling a reservation, AAdvantage members will receive a trip credit that expires one year from the date of issue of the original ticket. For trip credits issued on or after March 11, 2024, nonmembers, unfortunately, only have six months to use the credit. But since membership is free, this is a solid reason to enroll in the AAdvantage program.

Canceling an American reservation booked with miles

American allows you to cancel award flights for free. There are no redeposit fees, and your miles will immediately return to your account. Since you can't book a basic economy fare with miles, there's no need to worry about this more restrictive fare type. However, from personal experience, you'll want to make sure that the taxes and fees paid are refunded back to the form of payment (such as a credit card) and do not get issued as a trip credit.

Delta Air Lines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid Delta reservation

Most Delta fare types for flights originating in the U.S. and Canada (except Delta basic economy tickets) will allow you to cancel your flight without a fee. Flights originating outside of these two destinations carry different rules and up to $400 in fees.

When canceling a basic economy fare for travel originating in the U.S. or Canada for travel to the Caribbean, Central America or Mexico, the fee is $99. For all other routes, the cancellation fee is twice the amount, at $199. Unfortunately, basic economy flights originating in Mexico cannot be canceled.

Canceling a nonrefundable fare will result in an e-credit for the full amount paid (minus any cancellation fees, depending on fare type and route). However, if you cancel a refundable ticket, you'll get the amount paid refunded back to your original form of payment. Currently, e-credits expire a year from the original ticketing date; that is just the book by date, and you don't have to actually travel by the expiration date.

Canceling a Delta reservation booked with miles

Similar to a paid reservation, as long as you book a fare type other than basic economy, you can cancel your flight, and Delta will redeposit the miles back into your account with no fee. Additionally, Delta will refund any taxes and fees to the original form of payment.

For reservations booked as basic economy (for domestic travel within the U.S. and Canada), you can still cancel your flight. However, Delta will deduct between 9,900 and 19,900 miles from the amount it redeposits into your account when you cancel.

Frontier Airlines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid Frontier reservation

Frontier Airlines is unfortunately no longer as customer-friendly as it used to be. If you cancel your flight, you'll be charged a $99 fee per direction. When cancelling a flight, you'll receive a credit for the price paid minus the cancellation fee, and you'll need to use this credit within 90 days of receiving it. Again, this is a "book by" date, and you can travel post the expiration date.

One way around the fee is by changing your flight instead of canceling. This only comes in handy if you know of another Frontier flight you're looking to book. This is because there's no change fee when making a change on a Frontier reservation 60 days or more before your flight. However, within the 60-day window, you'll be charged a fee (per direction): $49 for flights 59 to seven days prior to departure and $99 for flights six days or less prior to departure.

Canceling a Frontier reservation booked with miles

Unlike many other airlines, Frontier charges a cancellation fee even if you booked with miles. Regardless of how far in advance you cancel, you'll need to pay a $75 redeposit fee.

Hawaiian Airlines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid Hawaiian reservation

Similar to most other airlines, you can cancel a Hawaiian Airlines flight within 24 hours of booking for a full refund — as long as the flight was booked at least seven days in advance.

After 24 hours have lapsed, you can cancel main cabin, first-class and business-class fares on Hawaiian without a fee — but there's a catch. While you'll receive a flight credit for the amount paid, you'll lose any remaining value associated with your credit when you book a new flight if the new flight is less expensive than the previous flight. Main cabin basic fares can be canceled, but you will not receive any credit back.

Additionally, fully refundable fares are slightly deceiving. To receive the refund back to your original form of payment, Hawaiian charges a $25 to $100 fee — depending on the route. You can always avoid this fee by taking a travel credit instead, but it negates the concept of purchasing a refundable fare.

Credits received from canceling a flight can be booked up to one year from the date the credit is issued.

Canceling a Hawaiian reservation booked with miles

For tickets purchased with HawaiianMiles, there's no fee to cancel and redeposit your miles.

JetBlue Airways' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid JetBlue reservation

For all fare types, except for Blue Basic fares, there's no fee to cancel your reservation before departure.

For all nonrefundable fares, you'll receive the entire amount paid back as a JetBlue Travel Bank credit, which expires 12 months from the original booking date. These credits are nontransferable, but you can use a credit to book for another passenger from within your JetBlue account.

For Blue Basic fares, the cancellation fee is either $100 or $200, depending on the route. For routes in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, the fee is $100 per person. For all other routes, the fee is $200 per person. You'll still receive a travel credit (minus the fee) for these reservations.

Canceling a JetBlue reservation booked with miles

You can cancel any JetBlue flight booked with points without a fee. When canceling, the points redeemed will go back into your account. However, the taxes and fees paid will go into your JetBlue Travel Bank credit — not back to your original form of payment (which is the policy for most other airlines). Again, the credits received expire 12 months from the original booking date.

Southwest Airlines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid Southwest reservation

Southwest is one of the best airlines if you need to cancel your flight. You can cancel a Southwest flight for free if you do so at least 10 minutes before departure.

For Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares — the two least expensive fare types — you'll receive a credit for the amount paid. For Wanna Get Away fares, the credit isn't transferable, and only the original passenger can use the credit. If you booked a Wanna Get Away Plus fare, any individual can use the credit.

Anytime and Business Select fares, however, are fully refundable. If you need to cancel one of these fares, you'll receive a full refund for the amount paid back to your original form of payment.

Canceling a Southwest reservation booked with miles

Similar to a paid reservation, when you cancel a flight booked with miles at least 10 minutes before departure, Southwest will return the points to the account used to book the award without charging any fees. The taxes and fees paid for the award will return to the original payment form.

Spirit Airlines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid Spirit reservation

Spirit allows you to cancel a flight but charges a fee based on when you cancel the flight. If you cancel, you'll receive a credit for the amount paid minus the fee. However, the credit isn't transferable and expires 90 days from when you receive it.

Here's what you can expect to pay in fees when you cancel a paid Spirit reservation:

Days before departure	Fee
60 or more days	Free
31 to 59 days	$69
7 to 30 days	$99
0 to 6 days	$119

Canceling a Spirit reservation booked with miles

When canceling a Spirit flight you reserved with miles, the same cancellation policy applies as if it were a paid reservation. Spirit will charge you a $69-$119 fee to redeposit your miles if you cancel within 59 days of your flight. It won't charge a fee if you cancel 60 days or more before your flight.

United Airlines' cancellation policy

Canceling a paid United reservation

For almost all United flights, except those booked in basic economy, you can cancel for free if you are traveling within the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada, Mexico or on an international flight that originates in the U.S. For United basic economy tickets, if your plans change, you'll ultimately lose the value of the ticket entirely.

Unless you book a refundable fare (or a basic economy fare), you'll receive a flight credit for the value of the price paid when you cancel. These credits expire one year from the date the credit was issued.

Canceling a United reservation booked with miles

United no longer charges fees for canceling award flights; your miles will be redeposited after you cancel your flights. However, United charges a $125 fee, regardless of status, for redepositing miles if you're a no-show to your award flight.

Can you cancel plane tickets?

Many people book flights a year in advance and hope their vacation plans stay intact. However, plans can change. Fortunately, many airlines offer more friendly cancellation policies than we once saw, so you don't have to wonder whether you can cancel a plane ticket.

Whether you book with miles or as a paid reservation, you can always cancel a plane ticket, but the refund policy varies from one airline to the next. You must be comfortable with how you'll receive your money or miles back. For the most part, you'll receive the money back as a credit and the miles back into your account. For lower-cost airlines, though, there's typically an associated fee.

Can you refund plane tickets?

Whether you can get a refund for plane tickets depends on the fare type purchased and what you are looking for in terms of a refund. No airline offers full refunds back to the form of payment for every ticket purchased. Instead, you must purchase a more flexible fare type or a refundable ticket if you want this privilege.

While not all airlines offer refundable fare options, some airlines allow you to purchase an add-on to your ticket. This add-on may make your reservation fully refundable if you need to cancel.

For example, Frontier offers "The Works" package, where one of the benefits is that your fare is fully refundable.

Some airlines do not allow refunds on their most basic fare types. For instance, if you purchase a basic economy fare on United, you can't get a refund on a plane ticket. If your plans change and you must cancel, you'll lose your entire ticket value.

Bottom line

Before purchasing your next plane ticket, it's smart to be well-versed in the airline's policy. You always hope that your intended travel plans go off without a hitch. However, life happens, and there are times when you might need to cancel a flight.

If you're not confident of your plans when booking your flight, booking with a more favorable airline or purchasing a fare class with more flexibility may be your best bet.

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Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.