Can You Get a Refund If Your Airline Lowers the Price After You’ve Booked?

The Points Guy recently wrote a helpful article called “Which Airlines Offer a Price Guarantee?“ It reminded me that I’ve never made a tip out of the subject (an important one), even though I’ve been talking about it for years at travel shows (as I will in Chicago coming up).

If you book a ticket on one of the U.S. legacy carriers (American, Delta and United) and the price drops after you’ve paid, it’s most likely not going to help you get a refund or credit unless the price changes $200 or more. That’s because the big three airlines charge between $200 and $750 to change a ticket.

However, a few airlines—like Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines—will rebook your flight at the lower price and either refund the difference or give you a credit to use within one year. That’s why I highly recommend you track your fares like I do using Google Flights. Not only do they email you when they think the price will change but also when the price does change so if it’s goes down you know to immediately jump on the phone and call your airline.

Keep in mind: You do need to purchase your ticket directly with the airlines, and JetBlue charges a $50 fee on Blue and Blue Plus fares (JetBlue Mosaic members are exempt) and requires the price decreases (and refund requests) be within 14 days of the original booking date. And thanks to DOT regulations, as the post notes, “all airline tickets involving a US city can be canceled without penalty within 24 hours of booking.”

For the rest, check out the full post.

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