Award tickets play by their own rules. When you need to cancel a flight booked with miles or points, the question isn't usually about cash — it's about getting your miles back into your account and recovering any taxes and fees you paid. The good news: redepositing miles is often cheaper and easier than cancelling a paid fare. Here's how it works across the major programs.
Not sure of your program's rules? Call +1 (855) 302-0422 (24/7) and we'll check your award booking and handle the redeposit.
What happens when you cancel an award ticket
Two things were spent on your award booking, and both can usually come back:
- The miles or points — redeposited into the account they came from.
- The taxes and fees — the cash portion you paid at booking, refunded to your card.
Whether you pay a redeposit fee depends on your program, your elite status, and how far out you cancel.
The 24-hour rule applies here too
Award tickets booked directly with a U.S. airline are covered by the same 24-hour cancellation right as cash fares. Cancel within 24 hours of booking (7+ days before departure) and your miles are redeposited and your taxes refunded with no fee. It's the cleanest way to undo an award booking — see the 24-hour cancellation rule.
Redeposit fees vary by program
Policies change, but the general landscape looks like this. Always confirm your specific program before cancelling:
| Scenario | What typically happens |
|---|---|
| Cancel within 24h of booking (7+ days out) | Miles redeposited, taxes refunded, no fee |
| Many major U.S. programs, standard cancel | Often free redeposit for members |
| Some programs / basic membership tiers | A per-ticket redeposit fee may apply |
| Airline cancels the award flight | Miles and taxes returned in full, no fee |
| No-show on an award ticket | Miles often forfeited — cancel first |
How to cancel an award booking, step by step
- Log into the loyalty account that holds the booking, not just the airline app.
- Check the redeposit fee shown before you confirm — it should display any charge.
- Cancel before departure. A no-show usually forfeits the miles entirely; see how to cancel a flight without losing all your money.
- Confirm both refunds — miles back to the account, taxes back to your card.
- Watch the timing. Miles often post within a few days; the cash portion follows card-refund timelines in how long a flight refund takes.
If the airline cancels your award flight
When the airline cancels an award booking, you get the same protection as a paid ticket: full redeposit of miles, a refund of taxes and fees, and no redeposit charge — or free rebooking onto another flight. For the full playbook, see what to do if your flight is canceled by the airline.
Cancel and redeposit vs change the award
Just like with paid tickets, cancelling isn't always the smartest move on an award booking. If you still want to travel but on different dates, changing the award often costs less than cancelling and rebooking from scratch — and it locks in the same award price even if availability has since gotten worse. Weigh these before you cancel:
- Redeposit fee vs change fee. Many programs treat these differently; one may be free while the other isn't.
- Award availability. If saver-level award seats have dried up, rebooking later could cost far more miles. Changing preserves your original rate.
- Mileage expiration. Redeposited miles return with their original expiry — changing keeps them in play on a confirmed ticket.
Cash co-pays, taxes, and fees on award tickets
Award tickets are rarely "free" — you almost always pay taxes, carrier-imposed surcharges, or a small cash co-pay at booking. When you cancel, that cash portion is refunded separately from the miles, and it follows ordinary card-refund timelines. Two practical notes: first, confirm both refunds went through, since systems occasionally return the miles but stall the cash. Second, on international awards those surcharges can be substantial, so the cash refund may be the larger part of what you recover — don't overlook it.
Watch out for these award-ticket traps
- Partner-airline bookings can have stricter or slower cancellation rules than your home program.
- Mileage expiration — redeposited miles return with their original expiry, so use them before they lapse.
- Fees that erase the value — on a low-mileage award, a redeposit fee can cost more than the miles are worth.
Let an agent untangle it
Award rules differ by program, tier, and whether a partner airline is involved — it's easy to pay a fee you didn't need to. Call +1 (855) 302-0422, 24/7, and we'll review your award booking, confirm the redeposit cost, and process the cancellation so your miles and taxes come back cleanly. We can't change a program's posted fees, but we'll make sure you don't overpay. For paid tickets, see how to cancel a flight and get a refund.