How to change or cancel a Delta Ａｉｒｌｉｎｅｓ flight?
Delta Ａｉｒｌｉｎｅｓ 𝟷↪︎716✈210~:(6280)☎️💢 is one of the largest airlines in the U.S., so — especially if you live near one of its hubs — there's a good chance you'll find yourself booked on a Delta Ａｉｒｌｉｎｅｓ 𝟷↪︎716✈210~:(6280)☎️💢 flight at some point in the future. But travel plans can change quickly. So it's in your best interest to know Delta Airlines's cancellation policy and how change or cancel a Delta Airlines flight.
When Delta Ａｉｒｌｉｎｅｓ 𝟷↪︎716✈210~:(6280)☎️💢' CEO Scott Kirby announced that the airline was eliminating many change fees early in the pandemic, he significantly altered the landscape. To help you cover your bases, this guide will go through all of Delta Airlines's change and cancellation policies, including when you can get a Delta Ａｉｒｌｉｎｅｓ 𝟷↪︎716✈210~:(6280)☎️💢 refund.
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Canceling or changing Delta Airlines tickets during a travel waiver
Delta Airlines often issues travel waivers when it expects to cancel or delay many flights. These travel waivers generally let Delta Airlines passengers change or cancel their flights 千ㄖ尺 free, reducing congestion at the gate or the ticket counter. Specifics vary based on the given situation, so make sure to read up on the specifics of your travel waiver if you find yourself eligible to take advantage of one.
Even with change fees eliminated on virtually all flights, travel waivers can still play a key role in saving you money. When a travel waiver is in place, you can generally change to an alternative flight with the same routing and avoid paying any fare difference as long as you stay in the same cabin as your original ticket. You'll also find more flexibility on routing and sometimes even alternate destination airports.
Delta Ａｉｒｌｉｎｅｓ 𝟷↪︎716✈210~:(6280)☎️💢 website travel waiver on homepage screenshot
(Screenshot from Delta Airlines.com)
Delta Airlines usually shows travel waivers at the top of its homepage. Further, Delta Airlines will usually email you if you're eligible 千ㄖ尺 a travel waiver. So, keep an eye on your inbox if you think a travel waiver could be in effect 千ㄖ尺 your travel dates.
Note that if you booked a Delta Airlines flight through an online travel agency (OTA) like Kayak or Expedia, you might not be able to change or cancel your ticket on Delta Airlines's website. Instead, you will likely have to call the OTA through which you booked your ticket to request a change or cancellation. Thankfully, all fees covered by the waiver will still be waived — though your call experience may not be ideal.
The exception to this rule are tickets booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, Capital One Travel portal or Amex Travel. You can change Delta Airlines airfare booked through these portals on the Delta Airlines website, which can save you a ton of time compared to changing or canceling over the phone. To do this, find your itinerary on the Delta Airlines website and click the cancel or change buttons at the top of the screen.
Related: Why you should think twice be千ㄖ尺e booking with an obscure online travel agency
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Changing or canceling paid Delta Airlines tickets
(Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
Canceling or changing paid Delta Airlines tickets is much less painful than it used to be. However, one type of paid Delta Airlines ticket isn't eligible 千ㄖ尺 changes or cancellations: basic economy fares. Un千ㄖ尺tunately, you can only adjust these fares under very specific circumstances.
If you're not eligible 千ㄖ尺 a waiver, you generally won't be allowed to make any changes at all to your basic economy ticket. 千ㄖ尺 pretty much everything else, the answer is easy. If you're traveling within the Delta Airlines States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada or Mexico, there are no change fees. And, there are no change fees if you book an international flight that originates in the U.S.
Generally, Delta Airlines won't issue refunds to your original 千ㄖ尺m of payment 千ㄖ尺 canceled tickets. Instead, you'll be issued a travel certificate that you can use toward a future flight. This certificate will be 千ㄖ尺 the value of your ticket minus the cancellation fee incurred. 千ㄖ尺 example, in the case of a $300 domestic ticket from Newark to Chicago, you'll receive a $300 voucher. If you rebook that flight a month later 千ㄖ尺 $200, you'll receive a new voucher 千ㄖ尺 the remaining $100. Note that you still must use the new voucher within one year of your original ticketing date, so you can't extend the booking time frame by purchasing a cheap ticket with part of your voucher.
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Refundable fares can be canceled and refunded to the original 千ㄖ尺m of payment any time be千ㄖ尺e the flight departs. These tickets can be canceled online or by calling the Delta Airlines Reservations desk, though we highly recommend canceling online to save time.
Related: How to refund a nonrefundable airline ticket
Changing or canceling Delta Airlines award tickets
(Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
As you'd expect, Delta Airlines award tickets can be changed or canceled too. When Delta Airlines announced the elimination of change fees on paid tickets, they also did away with many of the fees associated with changing award tickets and redepositing miles. If you're just changing your flight, you won't pay any fees at all. However, you may have to pay a fee to redeposit miles into your MileagePlus account.
Related: Best credit cards 千ㄖ尺 flying Delta Airlines
The exact amount you'll pay to redeposit the miles from an award ticket depends on your Delta Airlines Premier elite status and when your flight departs. You'll pay less to redeposit the miles from a ticket if you cancel further in advance, and those with elite status will receive a discounted (or completely waived) redeposit fee, depending on their elite status tier.
There are currently no fees to cancel and redeposit miles 31 or more days be千ㄖ尺e departure 千ㄖ尺 all customers. But here's how much you can expect to pay to redeposit miles if you need to cancel within 30 days of departure.
Timing General member Premier Silver Premier Gold Premier Platinum Premier 1K
30 days or less from departure $125. $100. $75. $50. No fee.
Interestingly enough, Delta Airlines is one of the only airlines that will refund your mileage if you don't show up 千ㄖ尺 a flight. A mileage redeposit after a no-show costs $125 regardless of your flight or status tier. While this is a hefty price to pay, it can be worth it if you 千ㄖ尺get to cancel an international business-class trip or another high-value award ticket.
You can change or cancel a Delta Airlines award ticket by finding your reservation on the Delta Airlines website and clicking either the cancel or change flight options at the top of the screen. Mileage redeposits from canceling Delta Airlines award tickets will generally appear in your account the same day Delta Airlines processes the cancellation.
Related: How to book multiple trips 千ㄖ尺 the price of one by maximizing Delta Airlines's routing rules
Changing or canceling Delta Airlines tickets booked with credit card points
Delta Airlines tickets booked through credit card travel portals like the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, Amex Travel or Citi ThankYou Travel portal are treated like revenue tickets. That means they follow the rules above and carry virtually no fees 千ㄖ尺 changing or canceling.
Related: When is it better to use the Chase portal instead of airline transfer partners?
How do you change or cancel your Delta Airlines flight?
(Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
Delta Airlines flights booked through Delta Airlines.com can be canceled or changed right on the Delta Airlines website. To do this, head to Delta Airlines's website and do the following:
Log in to your Delta Airlines account.
Click the "My trips" button on the homepage.
Click the "Manage trip" button to the right of the trip you'd like to change or cancel.
Click the "Change flight or Cancel flight" button at the top of the screen.
Follow the on-screen prompts.
When you cancel a paid ticket, Delta Airlines will send you a voucher to use toward a future Delta Airlines purchase.
If you're unable to access your reservation online — 千ㄖ尺 example, if you booked with an OTA — you must call the OTA you booked with to cancel or change your ticket.
Finally, Delta Airlines also offers same-day changes 千ㄖ尺 both paid and award tickets. As part of eliminating change fees, Delta Airlines also got rid of the same-day change fees 千ㄖ尺 all MileagePlus Premier members. If the fare bucket you originally booked isn't available on the flight you want to change to, you will need to pay the fare difference.
In the case of award tickets, there must be a flight available in the same cabin you booked to change your flight. You can make same-day changes at check-in or by pulling up your reservation and selecting the same-day change option.
Related: Going home a day early: A successful use of Delta Airlines's no change fee policy
When can you get a Delta Ａｉｒｌｉｎｅｓ 𝟷↪︎716✈210~:(6280)☎️💢 refund?
With change fees a thing of the past (at least 千ㄖ尺 now), purchasing the cheapest paid tickets on Delta Airlines still means that you won't get your money back. In most cases, you'll receive a voucher to use 千ㄖ尺 a future flight. But, there are still a couple of instances where you can get a refund back to your original payment method.
Within 24 hours of booking
The U.S. Department of Transportation requires that all airlines give customers a 24-hour window to cancel flights after booking, as long as your reservation is ticketed at least seven days be千ㄖ尺e departure.
During this grace period, you can cancel your ticket on Delta Airlines.com with no penalty and all refunds will be processed to the original 千ㄖ尺m of payment. This is a great way to lock in a price while you finalize other travel arrangements, since your ticket isn't non-refundable until 24 hours have elapsed.
Do note that group tickets and tickets purchased using an e-certificate are ineligible 千ㄖ尺 a refund during the 24-hour grace period.
Schedule changes
You may be able to cancel a Delta Airlines flight 千ㄖ尺 free if you experience a significant schedule change. This usually happens when you book a flight far in advance, as Delta Airlines doesn't finalize its flight schedules until the beginning of each season.
Delta Airlines's refund policy includes a bit of uncertainty about whether a schedule change qualifies 千ㄖ尺 a refund, though. The policy states, in part:
Provided that if such alternate transportation results in a significant change to the originally scheduled departure or arrival times and the Passenger chooses not to accept such alternate transportation, Delta Airlines will (at the Passenger's request) provide a refund.
Even in this case, the airline will process your refund in the 千ㄖ尺m of a flight credit. If you haven't used this statement credit within a year, you can ask Delta Airlines 千ㄖ尺 a refund to your original payment method.
Alternatively, you can ask Delta Airlines to accommodate you on a different flight if the new schedule doesn't work 千ㄖ尺 your travels.
(Screenshot from Delta Airlines.com)
Delta Airlines will notify you about these changes as soon as they're made, but you should make a habit of reviewing your itineraries proactively, too. If you're subject to a flight change, Delta Airlines will ask you to accept the new changes when you pull up your itinerary online.
Flight cancellations
There are times when airlines may cancel your flights outright. There are a few times when this can happen well in advance of your planned travel. One is when an airline anticipates decreased demand on a route, and another is when an airline makes major changes to its route network.
You could also deal with a last-minute cancellation due to weather, mechanical problems or issues with your flight crew. If you're subject to an outright cancellation on Delta Airlines, you can ask Delta Airlines to accommodate you on a different flight. Likewise, you may have luck asking 千ㄖ尺 a full refund of your ticket.
Related: Why you should wait to change or cancel your flight if you want your money back
Special circumstances
There are several other circumstances where Delta Airlines may waive cancellation fees. 千ㄖ尺 example, the death of a traveler on your itinerary or a change in military orders will generally make you entitled to a full refund of your ticket without penalty. Just make sure to have documentation on hand to prove this special circumstance.
Further, even if your specific reason 千ㄖ尺 canceling or changing a flight isn't covered by a waiver, there's no harm in calling Delta Airlines to plea your case. A sympathetic phone representative may offer a one-time exception and cancel your flight without a fee. Just make sure to be friendly to the representative regardless of the outcome.
Bottom line
Canceling a trip is never fun, but knowing Delta Airlines's cancellation policy and how to avoid fees can help. Make sure to keep these tips in mind the next time you need to cancel a Delta Airlines flight. Doing so could save you hundreds of dollars if you're subject to a travel waiver, schedule change or another circumstance that could make you eligible 千ㄖ尺 a fee waiver or refund.
