Update: In March 2016, American announced that it was phasing out the hold option and transitioning to the 24-hour cancellation window option.

Did you just make travel plans and suddenly need to change your plans? Not knowing whether your airline allows you to cancel a reservation within 24 hours can leave you on the hook for hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars for a flight you can no longer take.

We’ve seen travelers on both domestic and international flights losing significant amounts money because they weren’t aware that their airline did not give passengers the option of canceling tickets in that one-day window.

That’s why we looked at the policies for the largest U.S. carriers and more than a dozen of the biggest international airlines that do business in the states.  Below are sortable tables (data is current as of Feb. 1, 2016) that show you which of the following options each carrier offers:

• 24-Hour Hold: The airline allows you to book a reservation without paying for it right away. If you don’t pay within the one-day period, your reservation is canceled and you haven’t spent anything. But if you don’t notice this option and pay when you make the reservation, the hold option is no longer available to you.

• 24-Hour Cancel: The airline allows you to cancel your reservation within 24 hours of booking without any financial penalty. If you cancel or change your reservation after this one-day period, you’re subject to whatever fees the airline states in its terms.

In either situation, you have to make the reservation at least seven days before the scheduled departure of the first flight. Last-minute reservations are not subject to these hold/cancellation rules.

Domestic Airlines:

AIRLINE	24-HOUR HOLD?	24-HOUR CANCEL?	POLICY DETAILS
Alaska Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
Allegiant Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
American Airlines	N	Y	UPDATED: American will phase out the option of 24-hour hold, making the switch to 24-hour free cancellation.
Delta Air Lines	N	Y	Provides a full refund if cancellation is made by midnight the day after purchase of most flights
Frontier Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
JetBlue	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
Southwest Airlines	N	Y	No fee for cancellation, customers receive full credit toward future flight
Spirit Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
United Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation

 

International Carriers:

An important note on international airlines — these rules only apply to flights involving travel to and from the U.S. Some airlines’ websites will not have these policies built into their sites for customers in other countries. So if a carrier has country-specific reservation portals, be sure to use the one for U.S. customers.

Some international carriers offer both the hold option and cancellation. Be sure you know which one you’re choosing when booking your flight.

Airline	24-Hour Hold?	24-Hour Cancel?	Policy Details
Air Canada	N	Y	Passengers can receive a refund of the price of their ticket or cancel the transaction within 24 hours.
Air France	N	Y	Travelers can request your refund within 24 hours of purchase.
Air India	N	Y	Air India allows you to cancel reservation without penalty and receive 100% refund if you cancel within 24 hours of purchase.
Avianca	N	Y	Travel booked through Avianca’s U.S. ticketing locations, U.S. telephone reservations line, or U.S. website can be canceled without penalty and refunded within 24 hours of purchase, if the reservation is made one week or more prior to scheduled departure date.
British Airways	N	Y	You may cancel a reservation made on ba.com or through the British Airways call center within 24 hours of ticketing for a full refund by calling British Airways, as long as the booked travel is one week or more from the date of purchase.
Cathay Pacific Airways	N	Y	Bookings made at least one week before departure via Cathay’s U.S. site, involving itineraries to/from U.S., can be canceled within 24 hours after purchase for full refund.
Emirates	N	Y	For itineraries booked on Emirate’s U.S. website involving flights to or from the U.S., where the booking is made at least a week before departure, you may request a refund within 24 hours of booking without penalty.
Japan Air	N	Y	Tickets can be refunded without penalty for online reservations if requested within 24 hours after completing the reservation.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines	N	Y	You can apply for a refund if you want to cancel your ticket within 24 hours after booking.
LAN/TAM	Y	Y	LATAM will allow reservations to be held at the quoted fare without payment, or if purchased, cancelled without penalty, for at least 24 hours after the reservation is made if the reservation is made one week or more prior to the flight’s scheduled departure.
Lufthansa	Y	Y	Customers can hold a telephone reservation made directly with Lufthansa’s telephone reservation center without payment for up to 24 hours. Or, customers can cancel their reservation without penalty, for at least 24 hours after the reservation is made (on the phone or online), if the reservation was made at least seven days prior to departure.
Qantas	N	Y	Customers who purchase a ticket in the U.S. may cancel their reservations and obtain a ticket refund without charge within 24 hours of ticketing when purchase is one week or more prior to departure of the first flight in the itinerary.
Singapore Airlines	Y	Y	Consumers can cancel a reservation made using the Singapore Airlines website without penalty for 24 hours after the reservation is made. Or the airline will hold a reservation for 24 hours without payment. In either case, the reservation must be made at least one week prior to the scheduled departure.
Turkish Airways	Y	N	Reservations can be held for 24 hours at a quoted fare, as long as the booking to/from the U.S. is one week or more prior to your flight.
Virgin Atlantic	Y	Y	Passengers can hold a telephone reservation at the quoted fare without payment, or they can cancel a website booking without penalty for a maximum of 24 hours after the reservation is made, as long as that reservation is made one week or more prior to scheduled departure.

 

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