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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.
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Advertising Disclosure

LendingTree is an advertising-supported comparison service. The site features products from our partners as well as institutions which are not advertising partners. While we make an effort to include the best deals available to the general public, we make no warranty that such information represents all available products. We are compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order).

How Much Does It Cost to Change or Cancel a Flight in 2024?

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The cost to change or cancel a flight varies by airline, depending upon the specific details of an airline’s policy. We’ll break it down and offer some tips for avoiding change and cancellation fees altogether. In some cases, you can even make changes to your itinerary with no fee at all.

Airlines typically charge penalty fees to change or cancel an economy fare flight. The fees can range from as low as $25 on a domestic flight to more than $500 on an international flight.

CarrierDomestic changeInternational changeSame-day change
Alaska Airlines$0 (except Saver fares)N/A$25-$50
Allegiant$25Not specified

Not specified

American Airlines$0 (Fully Flexible fares only)

Not specified

Starting at $60


Delta Air Lines$0$0 to $400

$75
Frontier Airlines$0 to $99

$0 to $99

$0 to $99

Hawaiian Airlines$0 (excluding Main Cabin Basic fares)$0 (excluding Main Cabin Basic fares)Not specified
JetBlue$0 (excluding Blue Basic fares)

$0 (excluding Blue Basic fares)

$75 (waived for Mosaic customers)
Southwest Airlines$0$0$0
Spirit Airlines$0

$0

$0

United Airlines$0 (excluding Basic Economy)

$0 (excluding Basic Economy)

Up to $75 depending on status

Airline flight change fees – International airlines

Carrier
Change fee on flights to or from the United States


Same-day change

Air New ZealandNZD $0 to NZD $100

NZD $50

ANA

Up to $500$0 to $500
British Airways

$0 to $35$0 to $35

Cathay Pacific

$50 to $60

Not specified

easyJet

N/A*

£25 to £54

El Al

Not specified

Not specified
Emirates

Not specifiedNot specified
Etihad Airways

Not specifiedNot specified
Hainan Airlines

$0 to $250

Not specified
Korean Air

Not specifiedNot specified
Norwegian Air

0 EUR to 65 EUR

0 EUR to 65 EUR
Qatar Airways

Up to $25

Up to $25

Ryanair

N/A*

45 EUR to 60 EUR

Singapore Airlines

Not specifiedNot specified
Thai AirwaysNot specifiedNot specified
Turkish AirlinesNot specifiedNot specified
WestJet$100 to $500

$100 to $500
*Does not offer flights to the United States.

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Tip: Cancel in 24 hours to avoid fees

A simple way to change or cancel a flight without paying a fee is to do so within 24 hours of booking. After this window, the next option is to wait to see if the airline makes a change to the flight — like the departure time or the type of aircraft — which will automatically grant you a refund if you change or cancel. Otherwise, some airlines, like Southwest, let you cancel your flight at no cost, and you likely won’t be charged if you have proof of a family emergency or, in some cases, if you hold elite status with an airline.

United Airlines was the first major U.S. airline to permanently eliminate change and cancellation fees — other airlines quickly followed suit. But while there are still a few noteworthy exceptions, it’s now easier than ever to adjust your itinerary for little to no cost.

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Tip: Credit cards can help with flight changes

Credit cards can be a helpful tool when you need to change or cancel a flight. Research your credit card’s travel insurance benefits to see if they offer trip cancellation or interruption insurance. Get a full list of credit cards with trip interruption coverage in our travel insurance guide.

If you can’t get your money back by canceling a trip through an airline, you may be able to do so through your credit card company. Credit cards with travel insurance can be used to reimburse nonrefundable expenses on canceled trips. If you used a credit card with this perk to purchase any part of your trip, you might be eligible for a refund if your trip is a “covered loss.” Depending on the card, you may be refunded up to $20,000. For most card issuers, covered losses include injury, illness or death of a traveling partner or business partner, weather, terrorism and jury duty.

In general, trip cancellation and trip interruption are covered by credit cards with travel insurance. Both cardholders and immediate family members tend to be covered with credit card travel insurance, even if the primary cardholder isn’t traveling on a trip. However, card issuers typically don’t cover trips that last over a certain length, such as 60 days, or ones that are canceled because of a change in your plans or your personal finances.

 

 

The following cards offer travel insurance, in the form of trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance:

CardTrip Interruption/Trip Cancellation InsuranceAnnual Fee
Chase Sapphire Reserve®Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip$550
Chase Freedom Flex℠Up to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip$0
Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardUp to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip$95
United Club℠ Infinite CardUp to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip$525
United℠ Explorer CardUp to $1,500 per person and $6,000 per trip$0 Intro for the First Year, then $95
World of Hyatt Credit CardUp to $5,000 per person and $10,000 per trip$95

In a few circumstances, airlines allow travelers to cancel or change their nonrefundable tickets for free. The most common cancellations for which airlines waive change fees are:

  • Cases of personal injury or illness
  • Jury duty
  • Natural disasters
  • Family death
  • Military deployment

In all of these cases, you should call the airline’s customer service line to explain your situation. Be prepared to provide proof of the reason for the requested change or cancellation, as most airlines will require you to submit supporting documentation.

Depending on the airline and your situation, you’ll either receive a travel credit or a monetary refund after your change is approved. Airlines will usually waive the change fee and grant a travel credit that can be used within a year of the original booking date.

If you booked your tickets with credit card points, you’ll likely still have to pay a change or cancellation fee. Several major airlines charge fees for changing your award travel or you must cancel and redeposit your miles.

It’s important to note that the rules for awards programs vary from airline to airline. In addition, there may be different rules depending on whether you transferred points from your credit card’s general rewards program. If you’re unsure about the rules of your particular program or airline, it’s best to call the customer service number and speak with a representative about your options.

Related article Learn more about our picks for the best rewards credit cards.

There are some general ways you can cancel or change your flight without needing to pay any fees at all, or at least mitigate the cost of your change/cancellation fees:

1. Change or cancel your ticket within 24 hours of booking

The primary way to avoid paying a change fee on an airplane ticket is to change or cancel the ticket within a day of booking your trip. The Department of Transportation has a long-standing policy that requires airlines to provide free changes to consumers within 24 hours of purchasing, so long as a ticket is bought at least seven days before a flight. Once the 24-hour grace period ends, your options for modifying your itinerary for free depend on what type of ticket you have.

2. Wait to see if the airline changes or cancels your flight

Outside the 24-hour post-booking window, basic economy fares are often nonrefundable. Your best chance at changing your basic economy ticket for free is to wait and see if the airline changes some aspect of the flight. If the airline moves the flight time by a significant margin or changes the type of aircraft, then you might be eligible for a refund.

3. Make smaller changes

Round-trip fares are likely to incur greater change/cancellation fees than one-way fares. If you purchased a round-trip flight and need to change the first leg to a different day, your best bet will likely be to pay the change fee and book a new flight. If you only need to change the return portion of a round trip, however, it may be cheaper to book a new one-way flight than to pay the cancellation fee.

If your ticket is one-way rather than round-trip, the most affordable way to change your flight may be to skip the current ticket and buy a new fare, depending on the cancellation fee charged by your airline. In some cases, the cancellation fee alone can cost more than booking a new flight altogether. Plus, airlines charge the difference in fare when you purchase a new ticket — so if you bought your ticket at $150, for example, and the current price for that fare is $275, you’d need to pay $125 on top of any cancellation fee.

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Tip: Most airlines cancel the entire round trip if you miss the first leg

While skipping a flight and buying a new one can be less expensive than paying a modification fee, it’s important to note that most airlines will cancel your entire itinerary if you miss the first leg of a round trip. As such, this strategy should be used only on one-way flight reservations and return legs of round trips. If you do pursue this option, it’s advisable to compare fares at different airlines to find the cheapest one-way flight from your origin to destination.

4. Consider standby

For those looking to move their flight time to earlier or later in the day, airlines offer two different options — standby and same-day confirmed change — which usually cost $100 or less. With a same-day confirmed change, you forfeit your current ticket and pay a fee to get a guaranteed seat on another flight. With standby, you pay a fee to be placed on a waiting list for the next available flight to your destination, and you get to keep your current reservation.

Interested in a travel card with no annual fee?

 

Yes, most airlines allow you to cancel a flight within 24 hours of booking it without cost. However, understand your airline’s policy before you book your flight to avoid any surprises or lost funds.

Yes, you can reschedule or cancel a flight. However, you may need to pay a change or cancellation fee depending on the airline you booked with and the fare class of your ticket. Luckily since COVID-19, many airlines have reduced change fees or even waived them altogether.

The cost of changing a flight will depend on the particular airline you’re booked with and which fare class you purchased. Many airlines have waived change fees for economy fares and higher, but still require change fees for basic economy fares. These fees can range from $25 to $500 (or even higher), depending on the airline’s policy.

Much like with change fees, many airlines have reduced the cost of or eliminated cancellation fees altogether. To determine the cost of canceling your flight, you will need to check with your airline directly.

Many airlines have eliminated change fees, including Delta, United and American, to name a few.

The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.

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