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Delta Award Travel Cancelations results in forced choice
Dear Lucky,
I had booked two one-way award tickets from BOS to MCI for my 15-year old and myself for 8,000 skymiles each. Due to a change in plans we cannot make the trip. My attempt to cancel the ticket resulted in a forced choice: (a) cancel flight: a $150 fee per Award ticket to redeposit the miles (=$300); (b) change flight: a 150$ change fee will apply per ticket (=$300). Am I overreacting? At 1.2 cents per Skymile, 16,000 miles = $192. So, in order to redeposit or apply the miles to a future flight (a value of $192), I have to pay $300. This seems like an unethical and beyond scrupulous punishment and I find this outrageous! Either way, Delta wins! Amy I over-reacting?
That, unfortunately is the policy! You’ll have to decide what is more valuable to you – having the $300 or having the 16,000 miles…
Ben values Delta miles at 1.2 cents each so the cost of those 8000 points is $96. I’d just let ’em go.
And to be fair, you’re not listing the third choice, flying the tickets you booked. That’s certainly a choice you are making. But if you can’t fly what [USER=184]@MidSouth Skier[/USER] suggests is what makes sense. Had to do the same with a B6 booking recently when our plans changed.
Assuming your flight is a bit away, you can also wait to make your decisions. If Delta has a schedule change (which is relatively likely – if your trip is more than several months away), and the timing of your flight changes by more than an hour, you typically could cancel for free.
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