Award Ticket Change, Cancellation, and Hold Policies for 25+ Airlines!
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Folks in the miles & points hobby are usually diligent about planning their travels. But sometimes life happens and you have to change or cancel your plans.
In that case, what are the fees for changing an award ticket? And do any airlines allow you to hold an award reservation while you firm up your plans?
To help y’all out, I made a chart that shows the award ticket fees and policies for over 25 domestic and international airlines!

Let’s take a look!
Award Flight Change Fees
Using miles & points for Big Travel with Small Money is one of my favorite things, next to eating. But if you need to change or cancel your award ticket, the fees can add up fast.
The good news is, certain airlines charge less (or nothing at all!) for award ticket changes. So it helps to choose wisely when deciding which miles or points to use.
Here’s a chart showing award flight change fees for popular US airlines:
[table id=265 responsive=scroll responsive_breakpoint=phone /] And here are the fees for popular international airlines: [table id=266 responsive=scroll responsive_breakpoint=phone /]Looking for More Details?
Check out our Award Booking Guides under the “Resources” tab on the main page, where you’ll find information about airline award booking rules, routes, partners, and how to get the most value for your miles.
We have special series dedicated to earning & using miles with popular airlines like American Airlines, British Airways, United Airlines, and more!

Also, consider reading these posts for even more tips & tricks:
- When Is the Best Time to Book Award Flights?
- Is It Better to Book Round-Trip or One-Way Award Flights?
- Don’t Pay Fuel Surcharges, Save Money When You Book Award Tickets
- Cancellation Policies of Major US Airlines & Online Travel Agencies
And these posts for airline-specific information:
- Updated: United Airlines Trick to Save $75 on Close-In Ticketing Fees Still Works
- The Cheap Way to Cancel British Airways Award Tickets!
- When Should You Book Southwest Award Tickets?
- Why Are Fees on 1-Way Delta Award Tickets From Europe Higher Than Round-Trip Tickets From the US?
Bottom Line
To make it easier for folks to track down award ticket change & cancellation policies and fees, I made a handy chart that shows the fees for 25+ US and international airlines, including popular airlines like Delta, United Airlines, Southwest, British Airways, and Emirates.
And for more details about airline award booking rules and how to get the most value for your miles, check out our Award Booking Guides under the “Resources” tab on the main page. Along with posts about topics like how to save $75 on United Airlines’ close-in ticketing fee and the best time to book Southwest award tickets.
The more you know! 🙂
Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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