You booked a flight with miles, but now your plans have changed. Or maybe the trip is still on, but you found the same flight for fewer miles.
Can you cancel the award and get your miles back?
Usually, the answer is yes.
Most airline loyalty programs let members cancel award tickets and get their miles back. But whether that’s free, how close to departure it can be done, and what happens to any taxes and fees depends on the program.
Here’s what to know.
What Happens When You Cancel an Award Ticket?
When you cancel an eligible award ticket, the miles are typically returned or redeposited into the loyalty account they came from.
That’s different from what happens with many nonrefundable cash tickets, where canceling can leave you with a credit toward future travel or perhaps empty-handed.
With an award, you’re usually getting the airline’s loyalty currency back so you can use it again. But before canceling, there are four things to double-check:
Whether your miles will be returned
Whether there’s a cancellation or redeposit fee
What happens to the taxes and fees you paid
How long you have to cancel before departure
The answers depend on the loyalty program you used to book and sometimes the type of award you purchased.
The rules vary even among the major U.S. airlines. Some let you cancel most awards and get your miles back for free, while others have different rules for certain types of tickets.
Program
What to Know
Official Policy
American AAdvantage
Cancel before the first flight departs and your miles can be reinstated for free.
Most awards originating in the U.S. or Canada can be canceled without a redeposit fee. Delta Basic awards have different rules and can carry a fee in miles.
Cancel before the no-show deadline and the points are returned. On some fares, failing to cancel at least 10 minutes before departure can mean forfeiting the points.
Policies can change, and additional restrictions may apply. Check the airline’s current terms before canceling.
International Airline Award Cancellation Policies
Cancellation fees are more common among international loyalty programs, and some programs charge substantially more than others.
Program
What to Know
Official Policy
Air Canada Aeroplan
Cancel up to two hours before departure. Online cancellation fees range from C$0 to C$150 depending on the reward fare, while Contact Centre fees can be higher.
Cancel more than 24 hours before departure and your points are returned. The fee is £70 for UK-originating trips or $100 (or the local equivalent) for trips originating elsewhere.
This isn’t an exhaustive list. Other programs have their own deadlines, fees, and restrictions, so it’s worth checking the rules before making any changes.
The Program You Booked Through Matters
This is especially important with partner airlines.
The cancellation policy comes from the loyalty program whose miles or points were used, not necessarily the airline operating the flight.
For example, a United flight booked with Air Canada Aeroplan points is an Aeroplan award. If it’s canceled, Aeroplan’s rules apply.
That can be worth considering before booking, too. The same flight might be available through more than one loyalty program, but the cost to cancel it later could be very different.
What If the Award Gets Cheaper After You Book?
Cancellation policies aren’t only useful when plans change. Award prices change, too.
If the same flight later costs fewer miles, it may be possible to rebook at the lower price and get the difference back.
Before canceling anything, make sure the lower-priced award is still available and check whether the airline allows the existing ticket to be changed instead. That’s especially important with partner awards because a canceled seat isn’t guaranteed to return to award inventory.
American Airlines, for example, lets eligible AAdvantage awards be changed online. If the replacement costs fewer miles, the difference is returned without having to cancel the trip and start over.
Check the Rules Before You Cancel
For most award tickets, canceling doesn’t mean losing the miles. But the details can make a big difference.
Check the deadline, any redeposit fee, and what happens to the taxes and fees before making a change. And if the goal is simply to take advantage of a lower award price, see whether the existing ticket can be changed first.
