Airline Cancellation and Change Fees for Award Flight Bookings [In-Depth]

Every airline has its own set of fees and conditions for canceling or changing your award flights (or not — thank you, Southwest!).

We’ve outlined in detail fees and restrictions for canceling or changing award flights with many popular airlines. Below are the award cancellation and change fees you should know about, which are regularly updated.

Award Ticket Fees Tips and Info

Much like cash ticket cancellation and change fees, award ticket fees have varying costs and stipulations — which can be very confusing. Here are some tips and information to help you understand fees better when you book your next award flight.

• When you make a change, you may be required to pay the additional difference in mileage for the new route. However, you may not be refunded the mileage if it costs less.
• In most cases, you will be able to get the taxes and fees you originally paid for the ticket minus any fees to make a change. However, you may not always be refunded the mileage or may not get anything back.
• All fees are subject to change at any time and may depend on the type of fare you have booked. Always check your ticket’s terms and conditions when booking.
• Most rewards have a validity date of 1 year from the original purchase. Outside of this validity, no further changes or refunds can be made in most cases.
• Certain elite status tiers (in many cases) waive the award ticket fees.
• Some airlines allow you to make same-day changes to a different flight, confirmed or standby, for the same fee as a cash ticket. In some cases, these fees are cheaper than the change or cancellation fees.

Hot Tip: You might also be interested in our piece on how to get compensation for your flight when it’s delayed or canceled.

Credit Cards With Travel Insurance for Award Tickets

Do credit cards with travel insurance cover award tickets?

This is a tricky question. Cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card that provide trip insurance have lots of terms and conditions that must be met to claim the benefit.

The best advice here is to make sure you read the terms and conditions of your particular card and pay all taxes and fees with the card in question to be covered. If you’re not sure about coverage, contact your card’s issuer or benefits administrator.

Award Change and Cancellation Fees by Airline

We’ve made every effort to list below the specific award change and cancellation rules of each airline. Be sure to check your particular ticket, as rules and fees are constantly changing.

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AeroMexico

• Date or Destination Change Fees:
  • Domestic: Tickets booked on or after March 28, 2023
    • At least 8 days prior to flight departure: Mex$700
    • 7 days or less prior to flight departure: Mex$1,000
  • International (except the U.S.): Tickets booked on or after August 8, 2023
    • Asia: Mex$5,400 or $300
    • Europe (except France and the Netherlands): Mex$5,400 or $300
    • France/Netherlands: Mex$3,600 or $200
    • South America LH (Brazil, Argentina, Chile): Mex$5,400 or $300
    • South America SH (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru): Mex$3,600 or $200
    • Canada: Mex$2,700 or $150
    • Central America and the Caribbean: Mex$3,600 or $200
  • For award tickets from Mexico to the U.S. (single/round trip) issued on or after January 11, 2023: Mex$4,000 (~$223)
• Additional Administration Fee for Changes: 
  • Changed online: Mex$323 (~$18)
  • Changed via offline channels: Mex$640 (~$36)
• Cancellation: Award flights purchased exclusively in Mexico (domestic and international flights operated by Aeromexico) may be canceled within 24 hours of the booking. For other routes, or after this time has elapsed, cancellation fees are:
  • Domestic: Mex$1,930 (~$108)
  • International: Mex$2,900 (~$162)
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Aeromexico Rewards Titanium Members do not incur change fees, provided the change is made more than 21 days before the trip.
• Awards Program: Aeromexico Rewards
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Air Canada

Change and Cancellation Fees: 

• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Changes and cancellations can be made up to 2 hours before the scheduled flight, and fees are per direction, per ticket.
  • Fees for first change waived for elite status members
• Awards Program: Aeroplan
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Air France/KLM

• Date or Destination Change Fee: €50 + possible fare difference (before check-in closure)
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: €50 (before check-in closure)
• Exclusions/Waivers: Changes/cancellations must be made before the departure of the first flight.
• Awards Program: Flying Blue
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Air New Zealand

• Date or Destination Change Fee: Change fees depend on the fare type of the award ticket; please refer to Air New Zealand fare rules for more info.
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: Cancellation fees depend on the fare type of the award ticket; please refer to Air New Zealand fare rules for more info.
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • No date change fee for Star Alliance Round the World bookings, but a route change fee of $125 applies.
• Awards Program: Airpoints
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Alaska Airlines

• Date or Destination Change Fee: Free, possible fare difference applies (excluding Saver fares)
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: Free
• Awards Program: Mileage Plan
• Alliance: Oneworld; codeshare agreements with some SkyTeam members, as well as other airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

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American Airlines

• Date Change Fee: None, possible fare difference applies
• Destination Change Fee: None
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee: None (up to 1 year after the ticket issue date)
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Though you may have to pay the difference, there are no change fees for award tickets.
• Awards Program: AAdvantage
• Alliance: Oneworld
• Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

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ANA

• Date or Destination Change Fee: None (changes can be made up to 24 hours before the departure of their preferred flight)
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee: 3,000 miles
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Tickets with stopovers in multiple cities or those that were originally reserved via phone must be changed via phone.
  • Certain types of tickets may include fees; be sure to check your individual terms.
• Awards Program: Mileage Club
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Asiana Airlines

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • Domestic flights: None
  • International: $30 or 3,000 miles
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee:
  • Domestic: ₩5,000 (~$4) or 500 miles
  • International: $30 or 3,000 miles
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • International flight fee waived for cancellations made up to 91 days before the departure date
  • No-show fees: ₩5,000 (~$4) or 500 miles (Domestic); $50 or 5,000 miles (International)
  • No changes to the return route may be made.
  • Refunds requested 12 months after the ticket was issued incur a fee of 10,000 miles or $100.
  • 1 free change is permitted. If the ticket can be changed, the fare difference, tax difference, and fees may be incurred according to fare rules. Contact the point of purchase for further details.
• Awards Program: Asiana Club
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Avianca/TACA

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • Economy on sale: From $75
  • Economy: From $40
  • Business on Sale: From $40
  • Business: From $25
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee:
  • Economy on sale: From $30
  • Economy: From $30
  • Business on Sale: From $30
  • Business: From $30
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Change of name not permitted for awards flights
• Awards Program: LifeMiles
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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British Airways

• Date or Destination Change and Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee:
  • U.K.: £35 (~$43)
  • Ireland/Most of Europe: €42.50 (~$45)
  • USA: $55
  • Canada: CA$58
  • For other countries of departures, visit the British Airways site for specific costs.
  • Each change/cancellation comes with an additional $25 service center fee.
  • Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the flight.
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Change fees waived for Gold Priority Reward Bookings
• Awards Program: Executive Club
• Alliance: Oneworld
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Cathay Pacific

• Date Change Fee (Per Person, Per Sector):
  • $50 or 7,500 miles rebooking via the online form
  • $50 or 7,500 miles rebooking through other channels
  • Additional $40 or 6,000 miles service fee for change requests made via other channels
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee: $120 or 17,000 miles
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Some tickets can be changed within your Asia Miles account and may not incur a change fee.
• Awards Program: Asia Miles
• Alliance: Oneworld
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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China Eastern Airlines

• Date/Time Change Fee: Only the date and time of award tickets can be changed. China Eastern Airlines doesn’t list any change fees for award flights. For cash flights, change fees depend on your ticket.
• Destination Change Fee: Route changes are not permitted
• Cancellation/Refund of Miles Fee: Points for award tickets are not refunded for voluntary cancellations, but the airline may refund certain taxes and fees for unused flight segments. For involuntary cancellations, the airline refunds both redeemed points and applicable taxes for unused flight segments.
• Exclusions/Waivers: Award flights cannot be changed to a different class.
• Awards Program: Eastern Miles
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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China Southern Airlines

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • Domestic 24+ hours before departure: ¥50 (~$7)
  • Domestic 24 hours or less before departure: ¥100 (~$14)
  • International 24+ hours before departure: ¥100 (~$14)
  • International 24 hours or less before departure: ¥200 (~$28)
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: 50% of the unused mileage
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • SkyTeam award flights cannot change routes or names; flight number and date can be changed for ¥100 to ¥200 (~$14 to $28) depending on if it is domestic or international.
• Awards Program: Sky Pearl Club
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Delta

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • Domestic U.S. (including Puerto Rica and U.S. Virgin Islands) and Canada: Free (excluding Basic Economy fare), mileage difference applies
  • International flights from the U.S. and Canada: Free (excluding Basic Economy fare), mileage difference applies
  • For international flights originating outside of the U.S. and Canada, visit here.
  • Basic Economy award tickets cannot be changed. However, they can be canceled for a fee; see below.
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee:
  • Free for travel within the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), international flights originating from the U.S. and Canada, and flights between the Caribbean and the U.S. (excluding Basic Economy fare)
  • $150 per ticket for award tickets for travel originating outside of North America (excluding Basic Economy fare)
  • Basic Economy Award Travel: 9,900 miles for domestic travel (within the U.S. and Canada) and 19,900 miles for international travel
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • $75 same-day confirmed or standby charge for different flight time
  • Same-day changes waived for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members
• Awards Program: SkyMiles
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• Popular Domestic vs. International: U.S.

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EL AL

• Change/Cancellation/Redeposit Fees: Fee applies; check your fare rules while booking.
• Exclusion/Waivers: No cancellation or change fee are charged to Top Platinum members for tickets purchased by March 31, 2024.
• Awards Program: Matmid Club
• Alliance: Codeshare agreements with American, Iberia, JetBlue, and more; partners with AeroMexico, Alaska, and Qantas
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Emirates

• Date Change Fee:
  • Classic Flex Plus/Classic Flex: Free
  • Classic Saver: $25
• Destination Change Fee:
  • Flex Plus/Flex reward tickets: Free
  • All other reward tickets within the same destination zone: $25
  • Destination changes to a different zone may require a cancellation of the original award ticket (with miles credited back to the account minus any expired miles) and repurchase or reissue of a new ticket with a new validity period and destination.
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee:
  • Refunds before travel:
  • Classic Flex Plus: Free
  • Classic Saver: $75
  • Refunds after travel: Not permitted
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Fees waived for infants.
• Awards Program: Skywards
• Alliance: Codeshare agreements with some Oneworld and SkyTeam members, as well as other airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Etihad

• Date Change Fee: Changes can be made up to 24 hours before departure: AED 100 (~$27)
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee:
  • Up to 24 hours prior to departure, a flat refund fee of 10% of the total miles is required for the reward booking, excluding any applicable taxes and carrier charges.
• Awards Program: Etihad Guest
• Alliance: Codeshare agreements with many Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance members and other airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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EVA Air

• Date or Destination Change Fee and Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: $50
  • No-show fee:
    • America/Europe/Oceania routes: $100
    • Asia/Hong Kong and Macau: $50
• Exclusions/Waivers: Fees are waived for Silver, Gold, and Diamond members.
• Awards Program: Infinity MileageLands
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Frontier

• Change Fee:
  • $0 at 60+ days before departure
  • $49 at 59 to 7 days before departure
  • $99 within 6 days before departure
• Cancellation/Redeposit Fee: $75
• Exclusions/Waivers: N/A
• Awards Program: Frontier Miles
• Alliance: No current codesharing agreements with popular commercial airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: U.S.

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Garuda Indonesia

• Date Change Fee:
  • Changes can be made 4+ hours from departure.
  • Changes are subject to a penalty of 20% of total mileage.
• Destination/Name Change Change Fee: Not permitted
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: Only fully unused reward tickets can be redeposited.
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • If your account does not have the additional 20% mileage per the change penalty, a change cannot be made.
• Awards Program: GarudaMiles
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Hainan Airlines

• Change Fee: Rebooking fee of ¥100 for domestic flights and ¥200 for regional and international flights
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee:
  • Fortune Classic Awards: Miles are nonrefundable, but rebooking taxes and fees can be refunded if processed within the valid period.
  • Fortune Flex Awards: Depends on fare type and ticket price
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • For Fortune Classic Awards, changes can only be made within the same cabin class.
  • 10% discount on rebooking fees for Select Card members
  • Silver, Gold, and Platinum members are exempt from fees, but only on Fortune Classic Awards.
  • On valid Fortune Classic Award flights, members may change the flight date up to 2 hours before the departure with flights marketed and operated by Hong Kong Airlines.
• Awards Program: Fortune Wings Club
• Alliance: No major alliance; individually partnered with 11 airlines, including Etihad, Alaska, and Virgin Australia
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Hawaiian Airlines

• Date or Destination Change Fee: No additional fee
• Cancellation/Refund/Redeposit Fee: No additional fee (not allowed for partially used tickets)
• Awards Program: Hawaiian Miles
• Alliance: No alliance, but airline partners include China Airlines, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International and domestic

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Iberia

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • Blue Class/Premium Economy/Business Class: €25 (~$27) up to 24 hours before the flight departure
  • Full Economy: Free
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee: €25 (~$27) up to 24 hours before the flight departure
• Exclusions/Waivers: Iberia allows 1 change 15 days or less before the flight departure, with some restrictions.
• Awards Program: Iberia Plus
• Alliance: Oneworld
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Japan Airlines

• Date Change Fee: Not permitted (flight must be canceled and a new ticket issued)
• Destination Change Fee: Not permitted
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee: ¥3,100 (~$21) for international award tickets, ¥1,000 (~$7) for domestic award tickets
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Changes or cancellations may be made online up to 20 minutes before a domestic flight and until 3 hours before departure time for international flights.
  • Changes made by phone are subject to a $50 ticketing fee
• Awards Program: Mileage Bank/FLY ON
• Alliance: Oneworld
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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JetBlue

• Change Fee: There are no change or cancellation fees on most fares except Blue Basic.
• Blue Basic fares are subject to a change/cancel fee of $100 per person for travel within North America, Central America, or the Caribbean, or $200 per person for all other routes. Fare difference and fare rules on date of change apply.
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: Free except for Blue Basic
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Same-day changes may be made to seats on different flights to the same destination for $75.
  • Same-day change fees are waived for Mosaic members and Blue Extra fares.
  • Changes or cancellations made over the phone incur a $25 service fee.
• Awards Program: TrueBlue
• Alliance: Codeshare agreements with many Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance members and other airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

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Korean Air

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • Domestic: None
  • International: ₩30,000 (~$23), CA$30 for departures from Canada, and IDR 350,000 for departures from Indonesia
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee:
  • Domestic flights:
    • Before ticket expiration date: 500 miles
    • After ticket expiration date: 3,000 miles
  • International flights:
    • More than 91 days to departure: Free
    • Within 90 days of departure: 3,000 miles
    • After ticket expiration date: 10,000 miles
• No-Show Penalty:
  • Long-haul (North America/Europe/Middle East/Oceania): 12,000 miles
  • Medium-haul (Southeast Asia/Southwest Asia/Tashkent): 7,000 miles
  • Short-haul (Korea/Japan/China/Hong Kong/Taipei/Mongolia/Vladivostok/Irkutsk): 5,000 miles
  • Domestic: 500 miles
• Awards Program: SKYPASS
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Lufthansa

• Date Change Fee: €50 (~$53)
• Destination Change Fee: Not permitted
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee:
  • Standard cancellation fee for unused tickets: €50 (~$53)
  • Reduced Flight Awards: No refund permitted
• Exclusions/Waivers: 
  • Tickets for Fly Smart award and mileage bargains cannot be changed once issued.
• Awards Program: Miles & More
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Norwegian Air

Note that Norwegian Air doesn’t publish guidance on changing award flights. The following is the airline’s policy for cash fares, which may or may not apply to award flights.

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • LowFare and LowFare+: €65 (~$70)
  • Flex: Free
  • Changes can be made up to 30 minutes before departure.
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: 
  • LowFare and LowFare+: Non-refundable (after 24 hours of booking)
  • Flex: Refundable
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • €25 (~$27) per person, each-way service charge for any changes or cancellations made by phone or at the airport
• Awards Program: Norwegian Reward
• Alliance: Airlines for Europe (A4E), but no other major alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic/Europe

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Qantas

• Date or Destination Change Fee: 5,000 Qantas points
  • Changes that require a ticket to be reissued are not permitted within 24 hours of departure or once travel has commenced.
  • Changes are not permitted on any Classic Flight Rewards flight paper ticket booking once travel has commenced.
• Cancellations: 6,000 Qantas points
• Reinstated Fee: 5,000 Qantas points
• Change/Cancellation Service Fees: 
  • Domestic Australia or New Zealand: 4,500 Qantas points
  • Trans Tasman: 4,500 Qantas points
  • International Flights: 7,700 Qantas points
• Awards Program: Frequent Flyer
• Alliance: Oneworld
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Singapore Airlines

• Date Change Fee:
  • Singapore Airlines: $25 (Saver fares); $0 (Advantage fares)
  • Partner Airlines: $50
• Destination Change Fee:
  • Singapore Airlines: $25 (regardless of fare)
  • Partner Airlines: $50
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee:
  • KrisFlyer: $75 (Saver fares); $50 (Advantage fares)
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • A no-show fee of $100 to $300 will be applied depending on your class. If you wish to refund and you are a no-show, you will pay both fees.
  • A $25 service fee applies for making any amendments offline.
  • 1 change free of charge
• Awards Program: KrisFlyer
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Southwest Airlines

• Date Change Fee: Free
• Destination Change Fee: Free
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund of Miles Fee: Free
• Exclusions/Waivers: Changes may be subject to a difference in points, but there are no additional fees.
• Awards Program: Rapid Rewards
• Alliance: No current codesharing agreements with popular commercial airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

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Spirit Airlines

• Change/Cancellation Fees:
  • Standard or Award Ticket
    • 0 to 6 days from departure — $119
    • 7 to 30 days from departure — $99
    • 31 to 59 days from departure — $69
    • 60+ days from departure — Free
  • Flight Flex
    • Up to 24 hours before departure — Free
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Changes can be made up to an hour before the flight departure.
• Awards Program: Free Spirit
• Alliance: No current codesharing agreements with popular commercial airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

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Thai Airways

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • THAI Award: 
    • Domestic: ฿500 (~$16)
    • International:
      • Economy Class/Premium Economy: ฿2,500 (~$85)
      • Royal Silk Class/Royal First Class: ฿3,500 (~$120)
  • Star Alliance Air Award (All Classes of Service): ฿3,750 (~$125)
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee:
  • Within Thailand: ฿1,800 (~$60)
  • Regional/International: ฿3,750 (~$125)/10,000 miles
  • Intercontinental: ฿5,700 (~$190)/15,000 miles
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Stopover fee of ฿2,850 (~$95)
• Awards Program: Royal Orchid Plus
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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Turkish Airlines

• Date or Destination Change Fee:
  • Domestic flights: ₺150 (~$6)
  • International flights: $70
  • International change fees apply even if changes are only made to the domestic leg of a domestic-international connection.
• Preflight Cancellation Refund Fee: 
  • Domestic flights: ₺150 (~$6)
  • International flights: $70
• No-Show Reissuing Fee:
  • Domestic flights: ₺200 (~$7)
  • International flights: $150
• Awards Program: Miles&Smiles
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

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United Airlines

• Change Fees: No additional fee
• Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee: No additional fee
  • $125 redeposit fee for no-shows, regardless of elite status
• Exclusions/Waivers:
  • Additional fee for booking award ticket by phone: $25 (General, Premier Silver, and Premier Gold)
• Awards Program: MileagePlus
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Popular Domestic vs. International: Domestic U.S.

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Virgin Atlantic

• Date or Destination Change Fee and Cancellation/Redeposit/Refund Fee:
  • International Originating in the U.K.: £30 (~$37)
  • International Originating in the U.S.: $50
  • International Originating in any other region: Local currency equivalent of $50
• Exclusions/Waivers: The terms to change your booking depend on your type of ticket.
• Awards Program: Flying Club
• Alliance: Codeshare agreements with many Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance members and other airlines
• Popular Domestic vs. International: International

Final Thoughts

As you can see, most airlines have varying fees when it comes to changing or canceling reward flights. Keep in mind that when changing a flight, you always need to pay the fare difference in cash or miles if the new flight is more expensive. Some airlines have terms and fees relating to specific fare types, so it’s always best to check at the point of booking to avoid any surprises.