At Points Advisor, we help Australians unlock the full value of their points to experience luxury travel around the world. One of the most often overlooked yet highly valuable benefits of frequent flyer redemptions is the customer-friendly cancellation policies offered by several frequent flyer programs.
In many cases, redemption bookings can be cancelled for a small fee, with points redeposited and taxes refunded. This creates a clear advantage over cash fares, where only the most expensive flexible tickets typically allow changes or cancellations without significant penalties.
Frequent flyer programs each handle flight cancellation requests in different ways, and the level of flexibility can vary significantly, when flexibility is a key requirement for a particular trip, selecting the right frequent flyer program is crucial and these are the areas to focus on:
- How close to departure you can cancel without penalty
- Whether cancellations can be made online or require contacting customer service. This is especially important when the flight cancellation deadline approaches and you don’t want to be sitting on hold.
- How much the cancellation penalty is, whether it’s charged in cash or points, and how long the refund takes to come through.
We’ve created a comprehensive ranking system that breaks popular Frequent Flyer Programs down into one of four categories:
| Elite Flexibility | Highly Flexible | Moderately Flexible | Poor Flexibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book Freely – Exceptional flexibility with minimal or no cost to change or cancel | Customer-friendly policies with relatively small cancellation fees | Middle-of-the-road flexibility, where penalties and restrictions begin to apply more noticeably | Strict rules with high cancellation penalties and limited refund options |
Frequent Flyer Programs with Elite Cancellation Flexibility Policies
United MileagePlus
United has one of the most generous award cancellation policies in the industry, allowing travellers to cancel award tickets up until departure with no penalty. All miles are redeposited and taxes are refunded which includes any United on Star Alliance flights booked.
American AAdvantage
American Airlines AAdvantage has one of the more flexible award cancellation policies among major airlines, allowing members to cancel award tickets before departure with no redeposit fee. Miles are returned to your account and taxes are refunded regardless of whether you book a flight with American Airlines or redeem your points through one of its many partner airlines.
Atmos Rewards
Atmos Rewards is home to Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines both part of the oneworld alliance, allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before flight departure, with all points and taxes refunded.
The only caveat to keep in mind is that the partner airline booking fee is not refundable, which is a minimal US$12.50 per person, per direction of travel. This is this a generous cancellation policy offered by a frequent flyer program.
The most flexible and customer-friendly frequent flyer programs are not always the easiest for Australians to earn points in. However, it is still very possible to build balances strategically and take full advantage of what these programs offer.
Join our Points Mastery course and learn how to become a points expert, making your rewards work harder for your travel plans across Australia and beyond.
Frequent Flyer Programs with Highly Flexibility Cancellation Policies
Delta SkyMiles
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles programs comes very close to being considered “Elite” in our rankings however its cancellation policy is largely geared toward its North American customer base.
For award tickets originating in the United States and Canada and travelling to destinations worldwide, SkyMiles and taxes are fully refunded if you cancel before departure. For all other travel award ticket rules can vary with some bookings not being able to cancel or may incur a change fee. Such details will be shown at the time of booking.
Additionally, if you redeem SkyMiles for a Basic Experience fare, miles are not refunded in the event of cancellation only government taxes are returned.
Qatar Privilege Club
When it comes to using your Avios for redemption, Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers one of the more flexible and lower-cost award cancellation policies.
If you cancel more than 24 hours before departure, a cancellation fee of US$25 per person applies, with all Avios and taxes refunded. If you cancel between 3 and 24 hours before departure, the fee increases to US$100 per person, but your Avios and taxes are still returned.
For cancellations made within 3 hours of departure, all Avios are forfeited, and only government taxes are refunded. As an added benefit, travellers with Privilege Club status of Gold or higher have all cancellations fees waived.
Emirates Skyward
Emirates offers several redemption fare levels for each award flight, with the Flex Plus option being the most flexible. It carries a $0 cancellation fee, though it comes at a higher points cost which could be valuable if flexibility is a high priority for your trip.
Its Skywards program allows all other redemption options to be cancelled, with fees ranging from US$25 to US$75, which is broadly in line with industry standards.
Air Canada Aeroplan
One of the key strengths of the Air Canada Aeroplan program is its combination of flexibility and scale, allowing cancellations up to 2 hours before departure with a full refund of both points and taxes, while offering access to one of the largest airline partner networks of any frequent flyer program, with over 50 airlines worldwide.
Similar to Emirates, Aeroplan also allows you to book selected flights using more points under its Flexible Rewards level, which comes with zero cancellation fees. If you choose lower-priced reward options, cancellation fees can be relatively high, around CAD $150 if cancelled online or CAD $175 if cancelled over the phone.
Frequent Flyer Programs with Moderately Flexibility Cancellation Policies
Qantas Frequent Flyer
Cancellation fees for any flight redemption with Qantas is a very straightforward 6,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points penalty per person when cancelling up to 24 hours before departure. Any remaining points and eligible taxes are then refunded back to your account, it’s known it can take some time for this to occur.
Velocity
Virgin Australia Velocity uses a two-tier cancellation structure for reward bookings and allows you to choose how you pay the cancellation penalty, either in points or cash.
For domestic flights, the cancellation fee is 4,500 Velocity Points or $35 AUD per booking. For international reward bookings, the fee is 7,500 Velocity Points or $60 AUD per booking.
Not all bookings can be cancelled online, and in some cases you’ll need to call to request cancellation, with all cancellations required at least 24 hours before departure. To Virgin’s credit, the cancellation fee remains the same whether you cancel online or over the phone.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic allows redemption flights to be cancell more than 24 hours before departure and you’ll receive all of your Virgin Points back, along with taxes and carrier charges, minus a cancellation fee of £70 for flights originating in the UK, US$100 for flights originating in the US, or the local currency equivalent elsewhere.
Cancel within 24 hours of departure and things become far less flexible, your points and carrier charges are forfeited, with only taxes and government fees refunded.
British Airways – Executive Club
Booking redemption flights using Avios with British Airways allows cancellations up to 24 hours before departure. Cancellation fees vary depending on the currency used for carrier charges and taxes, with £35 per person per booking being a good reference point.
Bookings can be cancelled online, and if you hold Gold status or above with British Airways cancellation fees are waived which is a nice gesture.
Cathay Pacific – Asia Miles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles sits at the higher end when it comes to redemption cancellation fees and is a less attractive option if flexibility is a key requirement for your trip. Asia Miles allows you to pay the cancellation penalty either as US$120 or 17,000 Asia Miles when cancelling online.
Frequent Flyer Programs with Poor Flexibility Cancellation Policies
Finnair Plus – Avios
Finnair allows redemption flights to be cancelled up to three hours before departure online, with a €50 per ticket, per person cancellation fee.
Their cancellation fee is broadly in line with industry standards; however, the main drawback of the Finnair Plus program is the inconsistency in refund processing. While Avios and taxes are sometimes refunded quickly, other times it can take several weeks. In addition, customer service can be slow and difficult to reach, with limited options to expedite refund requests.
Iberia Plus
Avios bookings with Iberia Plus program flying with Iberia, Iberia Express, or Iberia Regional Air Nostrum can be cancelled up to 24 hours before departure for a €25 cancellation fee per passenger, with Avios and eligible taxes refunded.
The main disadvantage comes with partner airline bookings made through Iberia, where cancellation rules can be significantly restrictive and, in some cases, Avios and taxes may not be refund even when requesting a cancellation. These conditions are only displayed during the booking process and can become especially complex when multiple airlines are combined on a single itinerary.
All Vueling Avios redemptions are strictly non-refundable. Overall, it’s worth considering more flexible programs such as Qatar Airways or British Airways when booking complex or multi-carrier itineraries, where cancellation policies are more customer-friendly.
Etihad Guest
Etihad Airways Etihad Guest program has one of the strictest cancellation policies among frequent flyer programs for redemption flights, making it less suitable for travellers who value flexibility.
If you cancel within 72 hours of departure, all Etihad Guest Miles and carrier charges are forfeited, although taxes are typically refunded.
Even when cancelling more than 72 hours in advance, refunds are not guaranteed and depend on the reward type booked. Value redemptions are non-cancellable with no miles returned, Comfort rewards usually incur a 25% miles penalty, while Deluxe rewards allow a full refund of miles. All cancellations must be made at least 72 hours before departure.
Air New Zealand – Koru
Using Airpoints for flight redemptions on Air New Zealand typically works as a discount on the cash airfare, rather than a traditional points-based award ticket. With Air New Zealand, cancellation fees will depend on the fare type purchased, it’s important to check the specific ticket conditions at the time of booking.
For partner airline reward bookings, a flat cancellation fee of NZD $100 applies. Overall, there are limited advantages in terms of redemption flexibility within the Air New Zealand Koru programme, making it difficult to get excited about the value and flexibility it offers.
While booking redemption flights with your hard-earned points is always a great moment, it’s worth considering how flexible the frequent flyer program really is if your plans change. This is especially true for programs that sit at the stricter end of the spectrum, where points can be heavily restricted or even forfeited.
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Award Cancellations FAQs
Typically not. Once travel has commenced, most frequent flyer programs will not refund points or taxes for flown segments. We recommend contacting the frequent flyer program directly to understand what options are available for your booking as in some cases government taxes may be refundable.
In many cases, yes. Airlines can often split a booking, allowing you to cancel or change only selected passengers. These requests usually need to be processed by an agent over the phone or via customer service.
Not usually. Points + Cash bookings are typically treated as paid fares rather than pure award redemptions, so cancellation rules depend on the fare conditions attached to the ticket. It’s important to review the specific terms at the time of booking.
