You Can Probably Get Reimbursed If the Price of Your Flight Drops
One of the few positive aspects of the pandemic has been the flexibility that airlines now offer. Due to the drastic changes in logistics caused by COVID, many airlines have chosen to allow customers to change or cancel their plans for free, with many of them waiving change fees forever . When you combine this perk with the price match guarantee of many airlines, you have the peace of mind that you don’t have to worry about whether now is the best time to buy your flight or not. The only downside is that most airlines don’t allow their most basic fares to take advantage of this privilege. But the security of a guaranteed price may justify a price hike over the base rate.
We’ve broken down each airline’s price guarantee and change fee policies, whether you’re getting cash or travel credit refunds, how long it takes on average to contact a person, and their customer support numbers.
Alaska Airlines
Price Guarantee and No Charge Policy : Alaska Airlines has waived change fees for Main Class and First Class fares and offers a Price Guarantee , but neither applies to their cheapest fares (economy fares).
Cash or travel credit? : Travel credit.
Support phone : 1 (800) 252-7522.
Time to talk to a person : You don’t have to wait to talk to a person to get a loan. You can get the price difference by doing the following . Here are their conditions .
american airlines
Price Guarantee and No Charge Policy : American Airlines charges no fees for fare changes with full flexibility. This does not guarantee the price, but if you find a cheaper flight, you can change it online .
Cash or travel credit? : Travel credit with a term of one year.
Support phone : 800-433-7300.
Time to talk to a person : about an hour.
Avelo Airlines
Price Guarantee and No Charge Policy : Avelo does not have a price guarantee policy, but you can change or cancel your flight for free and get a full refund, according to their FAQ . However, they will charge you a $20 fee if you do so through their Customer Support Center and not online.
Cash or travel credit? : Travel credit.
Support phone : (346) 616-9500.
Time to talk to a person : about 30 minutes.
Breeze Airways
Price Guarantee and No Charge Policy : Breeze Airways does not have a price guarantee policy, but if you find a lower fare , you can change or cancel your flight “up to 15 minutes before scheduled departure” and get credit. multi-use BreezePoints from the total ticket price. You can do this whole process through the app or their website without talking to a person.
Cash or travel credit? A: A travel credit that expires 24 months from the date of issue, but takes between seven and 10 days to be issued.
Support number : 501-273-3931, but they ask to communicate on the site, by email or via Facebook.
Time to talk to the person : This is probably not possible.
Delta Air Lines
Price Guarantee & No Charge Policy : Only Delta price guarantees your flight for 24 hours with free cancellation. You can only retain these privileges if you have purchased a refundable plan, per their FAQ . After 24 hours, you can cancel or make changes free of charge if you have purchased tickets to the main salon or higher.
Cash or travel credit? A: Original form of payment if done within 24 hours. After that, a travel credit that expires in a year.
Customer Service Phone : 1 (800) 221-1212.
Time to talk to a person : about 15 minutes.
Eastern Airlines
Price Guarantee and No Charge Policy : If you haven’t bought their base economy fare, you can change or cancel your flight to a lower fare free of charge. Otherwise, you’ll have to shell out $100 for any of them, per their terms and conditions . They don’t have a price guarantee.
Cash or travel credit? : Credit.
Customer Service Number : (844) 867-1916, but at the time of this writing, that number does not appear to be in service.
Time to talk to the person : N/A.
Frontier Airlines
Price Guarantee and No Fee Policy : Frontier does not have a price guarantee program. All tickets are non-refundable, except for “The Works” and “Flight Flexibility” fares, unless they are within 24 hours of purchase or seven or more days prior to departure, in accordance with their policy . You can see their policy change fees here and policy cancellation fees here for their basic economy fares.
Cash or travel credit? : Travel credit.
Customer Service Number : Must be sent via email or text message.
Time to talk to the person : N/A.
Hawaiian Airlines
Price Guarantee and Fixed Fee Policy . Except in the event of a refundable main cabin fare, Hawaiian Airlines will not refund or credit any ticket changes that result in a fare reduction from the original fare paid, subject to their terms and conditions . You can only cancel your subscription and receive a refund if you do so within the first 24 hours.
Cash or travel credit? : Travel credit.
Support phone : 1-800-367-5320.
Time of conversation with a person : 3o minutes.
jetblue
Price Guarantee and No Charge Policy : JetBlue has a ” Best Rate Guarantee ” where they give you a $50 credit if you find a lower rate on the same day of purchase (although they may charge you $75 for changing your flight within 24 days). hours from date of purchase) and they will refund you the difference in fare. If you don’t have their Blue Basic Fares, you can change your flight without a fee according to their policy . The base fare change fee can be up to $200 for some international destinations. In case of cancellation, the booking is non-refundable, but you can get a travel credit. There is a USD 100 cancellation fee for base economy fare cancellations and up to USD 200 for some international flights.
Cash or travel credit? : Return to the original form of payment (basic travel credit with commission).
Support phone : 1 (800) 538-2583.
Time to talk to a person : about an hour.
southwestern airlines
Price Guarantee and Fixed Fee Policy . Southwest doesn’t technically have a price guarantee program, but they don’t charge for changing or canceling flights (provided there’s more than 10 minutes left before departure). They also don’t have a basic economy fare. This makes it the most convenient airline to buy lower fare tickets if you can find them. Keep in mind that the type of fare you receive determines how you receive your refund.
Cash or travel credit? : “Wanna Get Away” gets flight credit. Wanna Get Away Plus members receive transferable flight credit for Rapid Rewards members. “Anytime” and “Business Choice” revert to the original form of payment.
Support phone : 1 (800) 435-9792.
Time to talk to a person : very quickly.
Spirit Airlines
Price Guarantee & No Fee Policy : Spirit does not have a guaranteed price program. They also do not offer return rates. If you cancel or change your flight, you will be charged unless you do so more than 60 days before departure (you can see the fees here ). However, you receive a credit for the cost of the flight if you fail within seven days of departure.
Cash or travel credit? : You will receive a refund if there are at least seven days left before the flight departure. Otherwise, it is a credit valid for 90 days (for a booking, not for a flight).
Support phone : 855-728-3555.
Time to talk to a person : about 10 minutes.
Sun Country Airlines
Price Guarantee and No Fee Policy : Sun Country does not have a price guarantee policy. Their cancellations are non-refundable and have a fee, but as of this writing, there is no information on the amount on their website . There is no change fee if the departure flight is more than 60 days prior to departure, otherwise a fee is charged ($39 if 14 to 59 days, and $79 if 0 to 13 days).
Cash or travel credit? : A flight voucher that must be used within one year of the original date of travel.
Customer Service Phone : 651-905-2737.
Time to talk to the person : About five minutes.
United Airlines
Price Guarantee and No Charge Policy : United’s lowest fares are not price guaranteed. If you change or cancel your flight, you will not be charged unless you have purchased a basic economy fare, in which case you will be charged $49 per domestic one-way ticket and $100 one way for international flights.
Cash or travel credit? : Flight difference voucher valid for one year.
Support phone : 1 (800) 864-8331.
Time to talk to a person : about 5 minutes.
Keep in mind that the U.S. Department of Transportation says all airlines must allow passengers to cancel their flights and receive a full refund without penalty within the first 24 hours of purchase if more than seven days remain before the departure date.