How to Get a Refund When Your Fare Drops After Purchase

Airfare prices are constantly fluctuating, and even if you snag a great price there’s always a chance the fare could drop even lower after you purchase. So what happens if you book a flight and the price decreases later? That all depends on what type of ticket you purchased and how long ago you bought it.

If the fare drops within 24 hours of booking

For all flights into or out of the US, airlines are required to abide by what’s known in the industry as the 24-hour rule. 

Under this US Department of Transportation policy, airlines must allow you to cancel or change the ticket within 24 hours of purchase without any fees (alternatively, they can allow you to lock in the price for 24 hours at no charge, but most opt for the 24-hour cancellation or both). The rule applies to any flight that originates or lands in the United States, is booked directly with the airline, and was booked at least a week in advance of departure. 

In other words, if you discover a lower fare and you’re within 24 hours of booking the first ticket:

• Double-check that you’re within the 24-hour window
• Book the new flight immediately to make sure you get that lower fare
• Cancel the original (higher-priced) ticket

Just make sure you book the new ticket before you cancel the old one. That way you won’t be left with no ticket at all if the price rises again. 

Note that some online travel agencies (OTAs) have their own version of the 24-hour rule; we’ve outlined the details of each in our guide about the 24-hour rule, but be warned that these rules often come with a bunch of caveats. Read carefully.

If the fare drops on a flight booked more than 24 hours ago

The policy here will vary by fare type. Most basic economy fares, for example, aren’t eligible for changes or refunds at all once the 24-hour window has passed. If you booked a main economy or higher fare, you may be able to cancel it and get money back to the original form of payment or in the form of a credit. 

Each airline has its own refund policy for price drops, so if you’re outside the 24-hour window (or your flight isn’t covered by the 24-hour rule in the first place) you need to find out what the specific policy is for the airline with which you booked—and for your specific fare class. 

In most cases, the fees associated with changing your reservation are likely to negate any savings you might have found with a lower ticket price, so be sure you understand the cancellation/change fees involved before you decide to make any adjustments to your itinerary.

Alaska Airlines ‍

Refund/change fee: 

• No change fee for main cabin and first class tickets (fare difference may apply)
• $25–$50 fee for same-day changes
• Saver tickets cannot be changed, though they are eligible for a 50% credit of the ticket value when canceled at least 14 days before departure of the first flight on the ticket

Refund form: To the original form of payment or a travel credit

Alaska’s price guarantee says that if you book a ticket on Alaska’s website and then find a lower price on another site within 24 hours, you can get a refund for the difference (as long as it’s more than $10). Outside that 24-hour window, however, Alaska’s refund policy is more strict. If you’re eligible for a refund (Saver fares aren’t), it’ll be issued to the original form of payment.

Learn more about Alaska’s change and cancellation policy. 

American Airlines

Refund/change fee: 

• No change fee for refundable fares (fare difference may apply)
• Fee starts at $60 for same-day changes
• Nonrefundable fares are not eligible for changes or cancellations
• If you are an AAdvantage® member and booked a basic economy fare, you can cancel to receive a travel credit, minus a $99 cancellation fee

Refund form: To the original form of payment or a travel credit

If you book a refundable ticket directly with American, you can get a refund that goes back to the original form of payment. If you bought a nonrefundable ticket (which includes basic economy), the circumstances under which you can request a refund are much more limited. If you voluntarily cancel a basic economy ticket before your first flight departs, AAdvantage® members will be charged $99 when traveling within the 50 US states.    

Some of the exceptions to the nonrefundable rule are the death of the passenger or a traveling companion, a change in military orders, a change made by the airline to your itinerary that’s more than four hours from the original flight time and you decide not to travel, or a schedule change of 90 minutes or more within 72 hours of your scheduled departure time and you decide not to travel. American’s ticketing fees vary considerably by flight class and change required.

Learn more about American’s change and cancellation policy. 

Delta Air Lines

Refund/change fee: 

• No change fee for main cabin and above (fare difference may apply)
• Nonrefundable fares can change their ticket for a $0–$400 change fee, plus the fare difference; they can cancel and request a refund for the flight for the remaining value of the ticket, minus a $0–$400 cancellation fee (issued as a travel credit)
• Basic economy is not eligible for changes but can request to cancel and receive a refund for the remaining value of the ticket, minus a $99–$199 cancellation fee (issued as a travel credit)

Refund form: To the original form of payment or a travel credit

Delta’s cancellation fee for basic economy and nonrefundable tickets is $99–$199 and $0–$400, respectively, which is deducted from the cost of the ticket. Whatever is left becomes an airline credit that you must use within one year of the original ticket purchase date. 

Changing a reservation with a nonrefundable ticket also incurs a fee of $0–$400 (plus the price difference) depending on the destination. Basic economy tickets cannot be changed at all.

Learn more about Delta’s change and cancellation policy. 

Frontier Airlines

Refund/change fee: 

• To change their flight, basic and standard fares: don’t have to pay a fee when the flight is changed 60 or more days before departure; pay a $49 fee when changed 7–59 days before departure; or pay a $99 fee when changed 6 days or less prior to departure (including same-day changes). Fare difference may apply.
• To cancel their flight, basic and standard fares pay a $99 fee no matter when they cancel. 
• Economy, premium, and business bundles, as well as Bizfare tickets, pay no fees to change or cancel their flight.  

Refund form: Travel credit

As long as you’re changing a flight 60 days or more before the departure date, Frontier won’t charge a change fee. Basic and standard fares do have to pay a $99 fee to cancel, even if you’re canceling at least 60 days before the departure date, while bundled fares do not have a cancellation fee. In most cases, fees range depending on when you’re trying to make the change or cancellation.

Learn more about Frontier’s change and cancellation policy. 

JetBlue‍

Refund/change fee: 

• No change or cancellation fees for Blue fares and above (fare difference may apply)
• For Blue Basic fares, changes are not allowed, though you are allowed to cancel your flight for a $100 fee (North America, Central America, Caribbean) or $200 fee (other routes)

Refund form: Travel credit

With JetBlue’s Best Fare Guarantee, if you find a better deal anywhere other than the airline’s official website on the same day you bought the ticket, not only will you get a refund of the fare difference but you’ll also get a $50 credit toward another JetBlue flight. Thankfully, you won’t have to pay a change fee even after that same-day policy for most fares, though you’ll miss out on the extra credit. 

Learn more about JetBlue’s change and cancellation policy. 

Southwest

Refund/change fee:

• No fee to change your flight for any fare class. Fare difference may apply.
• Anytime fares and Business select fares are refundable when canceled at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled departure. Refunds are applied to the original form of payment.
• Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away+ fares are nonrefundable. When canceled at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure, the value of your unused funds will be given as a travel credit. 

Refund form: To the original form of payment or a travel credit

Southwest doesn’t charge a fee to change a reservation, even if it’s outside the first 24 hours after purchase. Additionally, depending on the fare class of the ticket you bought, you may be eligible to receive either a refund of the difference or a travel credit in the amount of the difference if the fare drops.

Learn more about Southwest’s change and cancellation policy. 

Sun Country

Refund/change fee:

• All fares are nonrefundable
• The cost of change fees depend on how far in advance of travel the flight is changed: free for 60 or more days, $49 for 14–59 days, and $99 for 0–13 days. Fare difference may apply.

Refund form: Travel credit 

For any changes made to a trip 60 or more days before the departure date, Sun Country won’t charge a change fee. After that, fees range from $49–$99 (per person, per direction) depending on when you’re trying to make the change. If the new ticket is cheaper than the original one, you get the difference in the form of a credit that you must use within one year of the original ticket purchase date.

Learn more about Sun Country’s change and cancellation policy. 

United Airlines

Refund/change fee: 

• No change fees for economy class and above (fare difference may apply)
• Basic economy fares cannot be changed
• United’s refund policy states that all refunds requested more than 24 hours after booking are subject to approval by the company. You’re only able to get a refund to the original form of payment due to unplanned events, including death of the traveler, travel companions, or an immediate family member; jury duty; certain illnesses; or military orders.

Refund form: To the original form of payment or travel credit 

United doesn’t have many details in their published refund policy, but based on the accounts of other travelers, the airline may have an “unofficial” refund policy if the fare on a ticket drops (except for basic economy tickets, which cannot be canceled or changed). You’ll have to call United’s reservations desk directly, and a change fee will likely still apply.

Learn more about United's change policy. 

Other airlines

When it comes to other airlines, policies vary. If you’re outside the 24-hour window and the fare drops by a significant amount, it’s worth checking out the airline’s policies, but remember that in most cases, the fees you’ll incur changing a nonrefundable fare might negate your potential savings. 

You can hedge your bets a bit when searching on Google Flights, which will indicate whether the price you have found is high, low, or average compared to the usual prices. If Google Flights indicates the price is low compared to average, you can book knowing it’s fairly unlikely the fare would drop a significant amount. 

The bottom line

‍If you’re within 24 hours of booking and the price drops, book the new fare and then cancel the older, more expensive one. After 24 hours, particularly if you’ve booked a basic economy fare, it’s unlikely you can change your ticket without incurring large fees that would cancel out any savings.

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