Can I get a refund if my flight price goes down?
Did your flight price drop? You can usually get a refund. Here is how to reprice tickets on American, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
Did your flight price drop? You can usually get a refund. Here is how to reprice tickets on American, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.
Yes, you can get a refund when flight prices drop. The catch? What you get back depends on when you booked and what type of ticket you have.
Airlines don't automatically notify you when prices drop. You need to monitor the prices yourself or use a tracking service to catch these opportunities.
If you booked your flight less than 24 hours ago, you're in luck. You can get actual cash back to your original payment method.
Here's how it works:
If you're past the 24-hour window and you have a refundable ticket, you can still cancel at any time for a full cash refund to your original form of payment and rebook at the lower price. If you purchased a non-refundable ticket, the airline will issue your savings in the form of credit to use on your next trip. Think of it as store credit rather than a refund to your card.
This credit goes by different names depending on the airline:
Despite the different names, they all work the same way: the credit stays in your airline account for future bookings.
Whether you can reprice your reservation depends on what fare class you booked. Check your ticket type to see if you're eligible.
Since airlines like American, Delta, and United dropped change fees, you can reprice your reservation at a lower price and pocket the difference as credit. There are no fees for repricing standard tickets on Alaska, American, Delta Air Lines, Southwest, and United.
If you booked the cheapest, most restrictive fare, your options are limited:
If you are past the 24-hour window, check your ticket type.
If you booked the cheapest, most restrictive fare, your options are limited.
Since airlines like American, Delta, and United dropped change fees, you can reprice your reservation at the lower price and pocket the difference as savings.
Most airline websites won't show you the lower price if you simply click Change Flight and select the same itinerary. Here's what you need to do:
The Manual Price Match Process:
Now that you know the process, here are your options for tracking price drops:
You can set up price alerts on flights.google.com for every round-trip reservation you book. This approach is free, but it requires you to constantly monitor your inbox for airfare drops and rebook immediately before the price jumps back up. Prices fluctuate hourly, and you might miss the window.
Additionally, Google Flights doesn't track prices for every cabin, so you might miss out on alerting you for your exact cabin type.
Autopilot simplifies the process by handling the tracking and repricing for you:
Manual tracking is free but tedious. Autopilot saves you time and ensures you don't miss repricing opportunities.
Every airline handles price drops differently. Here is the breakdown of Basic Ticket Repricing.
*Note on 24-Hour Refunds: Legally, airlines only have to refund you if the flight was booked at least 7 days prior to departure. However, American, Delta, and United frequently honor the 24-hour window even for last-minute bookings as a customer service courtesy.
Q: Is there a fee to reprice a Main Cabin ticket?
A: No. For Alaska, American, Delta Air Lines, Southwest, and United, there are no change fees for standard Main Cabin tickets. If the price drops, you can rebook at the lower fare for free and keep the difference as savings.
Q: Will I get cash back if the price drops after 24 hours?
A: It depends on if you booked a refundable fare. If the fare is refundable, yes, you'll get a refund to your original form of payment. If your reservation was nonrefundable, you'll get a savings in the form of airline credit (eCredit, Future Flight Credit, or Trip Credit) for future travel with the airline instead of cash.
Q: Do I need to buy a refundable ticket to save money on my flights?
A: No. You do not need a fully refundable ticket. Standard Main Cabin or General tickets are eligible for savings issued as credit when prices drop. Only Basic tickets are typically excluded or restricted. However, if you do have a refundable ticket, you can get a full cash refund at any time.
Q: What is the easiest way to price match airfare when the price drops after booking?
A: Autopilot is by far, the easiest way to reprice flight reservations when the price drops after booking. Once you add a reservation into Autopilot, they track the fare and will get you the savings without you having to do anything.
Disclaimer: Autopilot is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with any airline, hotel, or travel provider. Airline policies and availability can change, always check the provider’s official terms.
