One of the few silver linings of the pandemic has been the flexibility that airlines now offer. With the hectic logistic changes that COVID brought, many airlines decided to allow customers to change or cancel their plans for free, with many waiving their change fees permanently. When you combine this perk with many airlines’ price-match guarantee, you get yourself the security of not having to worry about whether it’s 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 perk. But the security of having the price guarantee can make the price jump from the basic fare worth it.
We’ve broken down each airline’s price-guarantee and change-fee policies, whether you get cash or a travel credit reimbursement, how long it takes to reach a human on average, and their customer service numbers.
Alaska Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Alaska Airlines eliminated their change fees for Main and First Class fares and offers price guarantee, but neither applies for their cheapest fares (Saver Fares).
Cash or travel credit?: Travel credit.
Customer service number: 1 (800) 252-7522.
Time to talk to a human: You don’t really need to wait to talk to a human to get your credit. You can get the difference in price by following these steps. Here are their terms and conditions.
American Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: American Airlines has no change fees for its Fully Flexible fares. It doesn’t price guarantee, but if you find a cheaper flight, you can change it online.
Cash or travel credit?: Travel credit with a year deadline.
Customer service number: 800-433-7300.
Time to talk to a human: about an hour.
Avelo Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Avelo doesn’t have a price guarantee policy, but you are able to change or cancel your flight for free and be completely refunded, according to their FAQ. However, they will charge a $20 fee if you do it through their Customer Support Center as opposed to online.
Cash or travel credit?: Travel credit.
Customer service number: (346) 616-9500.
Time to talk to a human: about 30 minutes.
Breeze Airways
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Breeze Airways doesn’t have a price-guarantee policy, but if you find a lower fare, you can change or cancel your flight “up to15 minutes before the scheduled departure” and be issued a credit of reusable BreezePoints for the ticket’s total price. You can do this whole process through the app or their website without talking to a human.
Cash or travel credit?: Travel credit that expires 24 months from the date of issuance, but it takes seven to 10 days to get it.
Customer service number: 501-273-3931, but they ask to chat on the website, email, or through Facebook.
Time to talk to a human: It’s probably not possible.
Delta Air Lines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Delta only price guarantees your flight for 24 hours with free cancelation. You can only keep those perks if you purchased a refundable fare, according to their FAQ. After 24 hours, you get free cancelation or changes if you bought tickets for the Main Cabin or above.
Cash or travel credit?: Original form of payment if done within the 24 hours. After that, a travel credit that expires in a year.
Customer service number: 1 (800) 221-1212.
Time to talk to a human: about 15 minutes.
Eastern Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Unless you bought their basic economy fare, you can change or cancel your flight for a lower fare for free. Otherwise, you’ll have to cough up $100 for either, according to their terms and conditions. They don’t have a price guarantee.
Cash or travel credit?: Credit.
Customer service number: (844) 867-1916 but the number doesn’t seem to be working at the time of this writing.
Time to talk to a human: N/A.
Frontier Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Frontier doesn’t have a price guarantee program. All tickets are nonrefundable except their “the Works” and “Flight Flexibility” fares, unless they’re still within 24 hours of purchase or are seven days or more prior to departure, according to their policy. You can see their change policy fees here and cancelation policy fees here for their basic economy fares.
Cash or travel credit?: Travel credit.
Customer service number: Must email or text.
Time to talk to a human: N/A.
Hawaiian Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Unless getting the Main Cabin Refundable fare, Hawaiian Airlines does not refund or credit any ticket changes that result in a fare less than the original fare paid, according to their terms and conditions. You can only cancel and be refunded if you do it within the first 24-hour window.
Cash or travel credit?: Travel credit.
Customer service number: 1-800-367-5320.
Time to talk to a human: 3o minutes.
JetBlue
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: JetBlue has a “Best Fare Guarantee” where they give you a $50 credit if you find a lower fare on the same day of purchase (although they can have a $75 fee for changing your flight within 24 hours of purchasing) and they refund you the difference in fare prices. Unless you have their basic economy fare (Blue Basic Fares), you can change your flight without a fee, according to their policy. The fee for changing the basic fare can go up to $200 for some international destinations. There is no refund if you cancel but you can get a travel credit. Canceling the basic economy fare will have a fee of $100 and up to $200 for some international flights.
Cash or travel credit?: Return to original form of payment (basic gets a travel credit with a fee).
Customer service number: 1 (800) 538-2583.
Time to talk to a human: About an hour.
Southwest Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Southwest doesn’t technically have a price-guarantee program, but they don’t charge for changing or canceling flights (as long as it’s more than 10 minutes before departure). They also don’t have a basic economy fare. This makes it the most friendly airline to shop for lower fare flights if you find one. Keep in mind the type of fare you get does determine how your refund is issued.
Cash or travel credit?: “Wanna Get Away” gets a flight credit. “Wanna Get Away Plus” gets a transferable flight credit for Rapid Rewards members. “Anytime” and “Business Select” both get refunds to your original form of payment.
Customer service number: 1 (800) 435-9792.
Time to talk to a human: very quick.
Spirit Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: There is no price-guarantee program from Spirit. They also don’t offer refundable fares. If you cancel or change your flight, you will be charged a fee, unless you do it with over 60 days of departure (you can see the fees here). However, you do receive a credit for the value of the flight, unless you’re within seven days of departure.
Cash or travel credit?: You get a refund if the flight is at least seven days from departure. Otherwise, it’s a credit valid for 90 days (for booking, not flying).
Customer service number: 855-728-3555.
Time to talk to a human: about 10 minutes.
Sun Country Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: Sun Country doesn’t have a price-guarantee policy. Their cancelations are non-refundable and have a fee, but there is no information on the amount on their website at the time of this writing. There is no change fee if the flight is more than 60 days before departure, otherwise, there is a fee ($39 if 14 to 59 days, and $79 if 0 to 13 days).
Cash or travel credit?: Flight voucher that must be used one year from the date of the original trip.
Customer service number: 651-905-2737.
Time to talk to a human: About five minutes.
United Airlines
Price guarantee and no-change fee policy: There is no price guarantee for the lowest fares from United. If you change or cancel your flight, there is no fee unless you bought a basic economy fare, in which case, you will be charged a $49 fee for each one-way ticket for domestic and $100 each way for international.
Cash or travel credit?: Flight voucher for the difference that is good for one year.
Customer service number: 1 (800) 864-8331.
Time to talk to a human: about 5 minutes.
Keep in mind that the U.S. Department of Transportation says that all airlines must allow passengers to cancel their flights and receive a full refund without penalty within the first 24 hours of purchase as long as the departure date is more than seven days away.
