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For award travelers, award availability can force your hand. The flights you want might appear months before departure, disappear for a long stretch, and sometimes might reappear close to the flight — especially if you're trying to book business or first class. But if you’re trying to lock in a specific trip, waiting for the perfect timing can be risky.

That means many award travelers end up booking flights far in advance. And when there’s a long gap between booking and departure, plans can change. Maybe your dates shift, a better routing opens up, or the trip no longer works at all.

That’s where award ticket change and cancellation policies matter. Some programs make it easy to adjust or cancel an award and get your miles back. Others charge steep fees, limit what you can change, or have rules that can catch you off guard.

Below, we’ve rounded up the award change, cancellation, and redeposit policies for major airline loyalty programs, along with links to each airline’s official policy page so you can double-check the details before making a move.

Award Ticket Change and Cancellation Policies

Before we dig into the details, it’s important for you to note that each frequent flyer program features rules and exclusions unique to that program. A common way to avoid change and cancellation fees is to hold elite status, although this won't always save you from paying fees.

We've summarized the key change and cancellation policy terms but also linked to the official program terms for each airline if you need to investigate further.

Remember that these fees apply to voluntary changes. You are often entitled to a free change or ticket cancellation if the airline changes the schedule significantly or changes the aircraft/route.

Southwest 737 in-flight.
Southwest never has any change or cancellation fees. Credit: Brandon Karaca/Unsplash

Aeromexico Rewards

  • Change fees: 
    • Domestic itineraries: 700-1,000 MXN (~$39-55 USD)
    • International itineraries:
      • North America: $4,000 MXN (~$220 USD)
      • Asia: $5,400 MXN ($300 USD)
      • Europe: $5,400 MXN ($300 USD)
      • France/Netherlands: $3,600 MXN ($200 USD)
      • South America LH (Brazil, Argentina, Chile): $5,400 MXN ($300 USD)
      • South America SH (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru): $3,600 MXN ($200 USD)
      • Canada: $2,700 MXN ($150 USD)
      • Central America and the Caribbean: $3,600 MXN ($200 USD)
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • Free within 24 hours of booking
    • Domestic itineraries: 1,930 MXN (~$100 USD)
    • International itineraries: 2,900 MXN (~$150 USD)
  • Exceptions:
    • Change fee waived for Titanium elite members if the change is made 21+ days prior to departure.
  • Close-in fees:
    • No close-in booking fee.
  • Other fees:
    • Ticketing fees of ~$15–38 USD (charged in MXN), depending on the channel used.
  • Policy webpage

Aer Lingus Aer Club

  • Change fee:
    • €42.50 per ticket (~$50 USD)
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • €42.50 per ticket (~$50 USD)
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Other fees:
    • £15 fee for booking via chat or phone instead of online (~$17.50 USD)
  • Policy webpage

Air Canada Aeroplan

  • Change fees
    • Up to 2 hours before departure:
      • Standard tickets: CAD 75 (plus taxes) online, CAD 100 via phone. Per direction, per ticket (~$73 USD).
      • Flex and Latitude tickets: Free
    • You must change at least two hours before departure or the ticket is forfeited. Points from forfeited tickets cannot be reinstated.
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • Standard award: CAD 150 (plus taxes) online, CAD 175 via phone
    • Economy Flex award: CAD 75 (plus taxes) online, CAD 125 via phone
    • Latitude tickets: Free
    • You must cancel at least two hours before departure to avoid ticket forfeiture. Points from forfeited tickets cannot be reinstated.
  • Exceptions:
    • Change and cancellation fees are waived for Aeroplan Super Elite members
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Air France–KLM Flying Blue

  • Change fee:
    • €70 per ticket plus possible fare difference.
    • Light fares can't be changed.
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • €70 per ticket.
    • Light fares can't be redeposited.
  • Exceptions:
    • Platinum and Ultimate members
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Note:
  • Policy webpage
an Air France plane in flight
Credit: Air France

Air New Zealand Koru

  • Change fee:
    • Domestic:
      • Flexichange and flexirefund: $0
      • Other fare types: $60 NZD
      • Changes must be made prior to departure. Otherwise, a $50 refund fee applies to a refund made for a no-show domestic Flexirefund tickets.
    • International long haul:
      • Value: $100
      • Flexi and Business Class: $0
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Domestic:
      • Flexirefund: $0
      • Tickets are non-refundable for all other fare types
    • International long haul:
      • Value: Non-refundable
      • Flexi: $300 in Economy, $400 in Premium Economy
      • Business Class: $500
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

  • Change fee:
    • Alaska allows free changes, with two exceptions:
      • Saver fares cannot be changed.
      • Ticket must be changed prior to departure or it's forfeited.
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Alaska allows free cancellations and redeposits, with two exceptions:
      • Saver fares cannot be canceled outside of 24 hours from the time of booking.
      • Ticket must be cancelled prior to departure or it's forfeited.
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

American Airlines AAdvantage®

  • Change fee:
    • None (changes aren't possible)
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Free as long as you cancel before scheduled departure time.
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage
American Airlines A319 with a blue sky backdrop.
Credit: Forsaken Films/Unsplash

ANA Mileage Club

  • Change fee:
    • Free, but changes must be at least 96 hours before departure for partner awards (24 hours for ANA awards)
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Deduction of 3,000 miles or 3,000 yen (~$19)
    • Ticket must be canceled prior to the first flight on the itinerary
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Avianca LifeMiles

  • Change fee:
    • $210 — only date changes allowed
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • Single-region: $50
    • Multi-region: $200
    • Some awards are completely non-refundable
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Other fees:
    • $10–25 award ticketing fee on award tickets
  • Policy webpage

British Airways Avios

  • Change fee:
    • Forfeit the taxes paid on your award or pay $55 per ticket
    • Note: This means it only costs $5.60–$11.20 to change or cancel a domestic award in the U.S.
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Forfeit the taxes paid on your award or pay $55 per ticket
    • Must cancel minimum 24 hours prior to departure
  • Exceptions:
    • Service center fee of $25 applies if you do so over the phone. This fee is waived for Gold members.
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage
British Airways A320 taxiing.
Credit: Steve001/Pixabay

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

  • Change fees:
    • Online: $50 or 7,500 miles
    • Additional fees if changed through other channels or changing more than just a flight date
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • $120 USD or 17,000 Asia Miles — must submit request through an online form
    • Ticket must be completely unused to be eligible for miles redeposit
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Delta SkyMiles

  • Change fee:
    • Free for domestic itineraries and international itineraries originating in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean
    • Basic economy tickets, including awards, can be changed with a penalty assessed in SkyMiles
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Free for domestic itineraries and most international itineraries
    • Basic Economy tickets can be canceled for a penalty assessed in SkyMiles
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

EL AL Israel Matmid

  • Change fee:
    • Specified during the award ticket booking process and prior to its purchase
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Specified during the award ticket booking process and prior to its purchase
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Emirates Skywards

  • Change fee:
    • Classic Saver awards: One free date change, then $25. All other changes are $25.
    • Classic Flex Plus awards: Free
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Classic Saver awards: $75
    • Classic Flex Plus awards: Free
  • Exceptions:
    • Fees waived for infants and in case of passenger death.
      • Must use call center to obtain fee waiver.
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Etihad Guest

  • Change fee:
    • For date changes, AED 600 (~US$163) for Value tickets, AED 200 (~$54) for Comfort tickets, free for Deluxe tickets
    • Date changes are permitted more than 72 hours before departure
    • Route changes are not permitted; you must cancel and re-book
    • A $30 service fee applies to changes made through the call center.
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Value awards are nonrefundable
    • Comfort fares: 25% of fare forfeited. Read our full guide to Etihad award cancellation policy for the punitive way Etihad calculates this fee.
    • Deluxe fare have no cancellation fees
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage
Nose of an Etihad 787 Dreamliner.
Credit: Fabian Joy/Unsplash

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

  • Change fee:
    • Date/flight number change: Free
    • Route change/booking class change: $50 for Green card, free for Silver, Gold, and Diamond card members
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • Free online
    • $50 offline refund fee for Green members
  • Exceptions:
    • Award ticket change and cancellation fees waived for all elite members.
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Frontier Miles

  • Change fee:
    • $149 for Base Fare/Standard, 59 days or less prior to departure
    • Free for all other fare types
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • $149 for Base Fare/Standard
    • Free for all other fare types
  • Notes:
    • Changes or cancellations must be made prior to your flight’s scheduled departure time.
    • If your new itinerary is lower in value than your original itinerary, there will be no residual value available to you once you have made the change.
  • Policy webpage

Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles

  • Change fee:
    • 20% of award mileage
    • If change requires a reissued ticket, this costs another $20 through a Garuda sales office
    • Changes must be made prior to 4 hours before first flight departure
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • 20% of award miles deducted from total refund
    • Cancellation must be made prior to 4 hours before first flight departure
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Iberia Plus

  • Change fee:
    • €25 for Blue, Premium Economy, or Business Class; €0 for Full Fare Economy
    • Changes are only permitted on flights operated by Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, and British Airways and must be made 24 hours before departure
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • €25 for Blue, Premium Economy, or Business Class; €0 for Full Fare Economy
    • Basic awards cannot be refunded
    • Cancellations are only permitted on flights operated by Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, and British Airways and must be made 24 hours before departure
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

JAL MileageBank

  • Change fee:
    • None, changes not permitted
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • ¥3,100 (~$22 US)
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage
Two Japan Airlines Business Class seats on the A350-1000
Japan Airlines Business Class on the A350-1000. Credit: Shawn Gallagher / AwardWallet

JetBlue TrueBlue

  • Change fee:
    • $150 for Base awards
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • $150 for Base awards
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage
looking down the side of a JetBlue plane with the logo visible
Credit: stevodisposable/Unsplash

Korean Air SKYPASS

  • Change fee:
    • KRW 30,000 (~$23 US) for international flights
    • No change fees for changes to domestic Korean flights
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • If 91+ days from departure: Free
    • If 90 or fewer days from departure and within 12 months of ticketing: 3,000 miles
    • If beyond 12 months from ticket issuance (expired ticket): 10,000 miles
    • Reduced award ticket cancellation fees for Korea domestic flights
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Lufthansa Miles & More

  • Change fee:
    • Standard awards: €50 per person (applies only to date and time changes; other changes require cancellation)
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • €50 per ticket
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Qantas Frequent Flyer

  • Change fee:
    • 5,000 points
    • Change must be completed at least 24 hours prior to departure of the first flight
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • 6,000 points
    • Cancellation must be completed at least 24 hours prior to departure of the first flight
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Other fees:
    • Additional fees are assessed if changes are made via a Qantas call center
  • Policy webpage

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

  • Change fees:
    • More than 24 hours from departure: $25
    • Between 3 and 24 hours before departure: $100
    • Changes can't be made within 3 hours of departure; only taxes are refunded
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • More than 24 hours from departure: $25
    • Between 3 and 24 hours before departure: $100
    • Cancelations can't be made within 3 hours of departure; only taxes are refunded
  • Exceptions:
    • Fees waived for Gold & Platinum Elites for tickets in their name. Tickets of passengers on the same reservation as a Gold or Platinum elite will be charged the standard fees.
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

SAS EuroBonus

  • Change fees:
    • Domestic/Europe SAS Bonus tickets: €25/$25
    • Asia/North America SAS Bonus tickets (destinations outside Europe): €75/$75
    • Award flights must be changed at least 1 hour prior to departure
    • No fees for SAS Go Pro, SAS Plus Pro, and SAS Business Pro tickets
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees: 
    • Domestic/Europe SAS Bonus tickets: €25/$25
    • Asia/North America SAS Bonus tickets (destinations outside Europe): €75/$75
    • Full refund (no fees) for SAS Go Pro, SAS Plus Pro, and SAS Business Pro tickets
    • SAS award flights must be canceled at least 1 hour prior to departure
    •  SAS Plus Smart (only for flights within Europe) and SAS Bonus tickets can be refunded for a fee
  • Other fees:
    • Additional fees may apply if rebooking through other channels, depending on the change and your level of elite status
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines plane parked at a gate; this airline has a complex set of rules for award ticket change and cancellation fees
Credit: J.T. Genter/AwardWallet
  • Change fees:
    • Date change only (Singapore- and Silk Air-operated flights)
      • Saver: $25
      • Advantage: Free
      • Access: Free
    • Route, cabin class, or award type change fee (Singapore- & Silk Air-operated flights): $25
    • Partner-operated flight changes: $50
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • Saver: $75
    • Advantage: $50
    • Access: $50
  • Other fees:
    • If you no-show a flight, an additional charge to redeposit is levied:
      • Economy, per ticket: $100
      • Premium economy, per ticket: $200
      • Business or First, per ticket: $300
    • Service fee of $25 or 2,500 miles if booking via phone or in person
  • Close-in fee:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Starlux COSMILE

  • Change fee:
    • Route change: $60
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • First class within Asia: $120
    • Other cabins within Asia: $50
    • Long-haul first class: $200
    • Long-haul other cabins: $50
  • Note:
    • Cabin changes aren't allowed. No-show fee of $200 for first-class and $100 for all other cabin classes.
  • Close-in fee:
    • None
  • Policy webpage

Southwest Rapid Rewards

  • Change fee:
    • None
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • None
  • Note:
    • As a revenue-based program, you'll pay the award cost difference upon canceling and rebooking.
  • Policy webpage

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go

  • Change fees:
    • Domestic flights with no change to departure date: 25 EUR/USD
    • Domestic flights: 50 EUR/USD
    • Continental flights : 50 EUR/USD
    • Intercontinental Flights: 75 EUR/USD
    • Partner Flights: 150 EUR/USD
    • Upgrades with miles: 50 EUR/USD
    • Gold and Navigator members are exempt from change fees.
  • No-show fee:
    • Domestic flights: 130 EUR/USD
    • Continental and Intercontinental flights: 130 EUR/USD
    • Partner flights: 150 EUR/USD
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • Continental and Intercontinental flights: 75 EUR/USD
    • Upgrade with miles on TAP and partner flights: 75 EUR/USD
    • Partner flights: 100 EUR/USD
    • Gold members pay 50 EUR/USD when canceling continental/intercontinental flights and partner flights; Navigator members are exempt from fees.
  • Policy webpage

Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles

  • Change Fees:
    • Türkiye domestic flights: TRY 450 (~$9)
    • International itineraries: $70 USD
    • Must change prior to departure.
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    •  Türkiye domestic flights: TRY 450 (~$9)
      • If you no-show: TRY 1,050 (~$21)
    • International itineraries: $70 USD
      • If you no-show: $170 USD
    • Note that some awards seem to still have lower change fees through the call center (e.g., $50 for domestic United awards booked with Miles & Smiles)
  • Policy webpage

United Airlines MileagePlus

  • Change fee:
    • None
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Note:
    • If you no-show, you can redeposit miles for a $125 fee. Phone and ticket office fees apply for bookings not made online.
  • Policy webpage

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

  • Change fee: 
    • £70 for flights departing the U.K. and $100 for flights departing the U.S./other international locations
  • Cancellation and redeposit fee:
    • £70 for flights departing the U.K. and $100 for flights departing the U.S./other international locations
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Policy webpage
Virgin Atlantic 787 taking off.
Credit: Jimmy/Pexels

Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer

  • Change fees: 
    • Virgin Australia domestic flights
      • Must be 24 hours prior to scheduled departure of the flight segment
      • 4,500 points or $35 per passenger; fare differences may apply
    • Partner Reward seats, Virgin Australia international flights
      • Must be 24 hours prior to scheduled departure of the flight segment
      • 7,500 points or $60 per passenger; fare differences may apply
  • Cancellation and redeposit fees:
    • Virgin Australia domestic flights
      • Must be 24 hours prior to commencement of the first flight in the reservation
      • 4,500 points or $35 per passenger
      • Refund amount excludes booking- and credit-card fees
      • Guests who check in but do not fly are not eligible for a refund or credit
    • Partner Reward seats, Virgin Australia international flights
      • Must be 24 hours prior to commencement of the first flight in the reservation
      • 7,500 points or $60 per passenger; refund amount excludes booking- and credit-card fees
      • Guests who check in but do not fly are not eligible for a refund or credit
  • Close-in fees:
    • None
  • Note:
    • Fares that combine a Reward Seat (saver award) with an Any Seat (more expensive awards with last-seat availability) will be subject to the most restrictive change and cancellation rules of the two fare types
  • Policy webpage

Before You Cancel:

Comparing the North American airline award ticket change and cancellation policies with those from the rest of the world, U.S. carriers have surprisingly become some of the most consumer-friendly.

There are only a handful of carriers that will really stick it to you if you need to change or cancel an award, with Etihad Guest and Avianca LifeMiles being two of the worst programs if you need to modify or cancel an award ticket.

Before you cancel, it's a good idea to take a step back and consider your options. Remember that if you have transferred credit card points to a loyalty program, those are, in most cases, irreversible. Consider some programs and their strict mileage expiration policies as well. If you cancel and get your miles back, but don't have plans to fly that airline within the next couple of years, you may end up forfeiting those miles after all.

If you miss the award change cutoff and it looks like you’ll be out of pocket, check the travel coverage on the credit card you used to pay the award ticket's taxes and fees. Importantly, you may already be covered under your card’s complimentary travel insurance. Worst case, you should look to use the best credit card for incidental travel fees. This is because it could be the fastest way for you to minimize the hit to your wallet.

If you have any questions about the policies above or want to see another program's award ticket change and cancellation policies added to the list, reach out via the comments below.

Tip of The Day
Did you know that if someone else accesses your AwardWallet account, you will see an alert at the bottom of the page? Clicking that alert will show you all the current sessions accessing your account. If you see something that doesn’t make sense, you can log the other sessions out and change your AwardWallet password. We highly recommend enabling two-factor authentication on your account for increased security.
Screenshot showing AwardWallet account login activity details

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