Can you reschedule a flight if you paid with points?

If you booked your tickets with credit card points, you'll likely still have to pay a change or cancellation fee. Several major airlines require fees for changing your award travel or or you must cancel and redeposit your miles.



Yes, in 2026, you can generally reschedule a flight paid with points, though the flexibility depends on the airline's specific "Award Ticket" rules. Most major carriers like Delta, United, and American Airlines have eliminated change fees for award tickets on most routes, allowing you to move your flight as long as there is "award seat" availability on the new date. If the new flight requires more points than your original booking, you will have to pay the difference; conversely, many airlines will refund the difference if the new flight is cheaper. It is important to check if your points have an expiration date that might be affected by the cancellation of the original ticket. In 2026, most digital platforms allow you to make these changes directly through the app, but "Basic Economy" equivalent award tickets may still carry significant restrictions or be completely non-changeable, so always read the fare brand details before confirming.

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Check to see if there's a change fee. There's always an option to reschedule your flight instead of canceling it entirely, so check out your airline's policies ahead of time. For example, Southwest doesn't charge a change fee, so you could postpone the trip to a later date.

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Every major U.S. airline (except Southwest Airlines) typically charges penalty fees to change or cancel an economy fare flight. The fees, however, can vary from as low as $75 on a domestic flight to more than $400 on an international flight.

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If you want to change a ticket, you only have to pay the difference in fare. Refunds on canceled flights are given as a travel credit, which can typically be used within one year of the booking date. If you're looking for a same-day flight change, it will depend on the original ticket purchased.

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Covered reasons for Trip Cancellation
  • Medical reasons (unforeseen ailment, injury or death in the family)
  • Inclement weather or natural disasters (tropical storms, hurricanes, etc.)
  • Terrorist attack (in or around where you're planning to visit)
  • Financial default (of a carrier)
  • Involuntary layoff or termination.


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Southwest is one of the best airlines if you need to cancel your flight. You can cancel a Southwest flight for free if you do so at least 10 minutes before departure. For Wanna Get Away and Wanna Get Away Plus fares — the two least expensive fare types — you'll receive a credit for the amount paid.

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Canceling a nonrefundable fare will result in an eCredit for the full amount paid (minus any cancellation fees, depending on fare type and route). However, if you cancel a refundable ticket, you'll get the amount paid refunded back to your original form of payment.

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While skiplagging isn't illegal, American Airlines filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month against Skiplagged.com, accusing the company of unauthorized and deceptive ticketing practices and tricking customers into believing they've gained access to a secret loophole.

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Is there a limit on how many changes I can make? No, you can change your flight as many times as you want, but you will be asked to pay a fare difference if the flight you're changing to costs more than your previous itinerary.

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