Expedia offers FREE cancellation on flight tickets within 24 hours of booking. If your plans change or if you find a better deal, you can simply cancel your flight tickets within 24 hours of booking and get a full refund. You can book flight tickets with 24 hour FREE cancellation on Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Priceline.
Why book flight tickets with 24 hour FREE cancellation?
FREE cancellation within 24 hours of booking is very convenient if you are on the lookout for a perfect flight deal. Or, you just want to book something in case the prices go up. It is also the easiest and foolproof way for your onward or return flight proof.
Without further ado, here is the step-by-step guide on how to book flight tickets with 24 hour FREE cancellation on Expedia.
IMPORTANT
The 24-hour cancellation is not actually from Expedia instead, it’s a US Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation. It applies to all “premium” US airlines and their international partners. It DOES NOT apply to “budget” airlines.
***
Step 01. Browse to Expedia.com (not co.uk, not co.ph, etc)
- Go to the Expedia’s US website expedia.com (see picture above)
- If you are redirected to Expedia’s regional site (such as expedia.co.ph, etc), click on the US flag at the bottom of the homepage. It will take you to Expedia’s US site expedia.com (see picture above)
NOTE
24-hour FREE cancellation option is only available on Expedia’s US website (expedia.com) and not on any of Expedia’s regional websites such as expedia.co.uk, expedia.co.ph, etc.
***
Step 02. Search for flights
- Enter Flying From, Flying To, Departing, Travelers, etc.
- Click on the “Search” button
***
Step 03. Select a refundable flight
- On the next page, you will see a list of flights
- Look for a convenient or cheapest flight that has “Free cancel w/in 24 hrs“
- Make sure “Free cancel w/in 24 hrs” is indicated for the flight you want to select (see picture above)
- Click on the “Select” button for the flight you want to book
***
Step 04. Review your flight
- On the next page (named “Review your trip”), you will see the details of the flight you have selected
- Make sure there is “Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking!” next to the “Continue Booking” button
- Also, make sure there is “Tickets are non-refundable 24 hours after booking …” under the “Important Flight Information” section
- Click on the “Continue Booking” button
***
Step 05. Complete your flight booking
- On the next page (named “Secure booking – only takes a few minutes”), you will see the form to fill in the passenger and payment details
- Make sure there is “Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking!” on the top of the page
- Scroll down and make sure there is “Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking!” under the “Review and book your trip” section
- Fill in the passenger and payment details
- Click on the “Complete Booking” button
- You will be taken to the flight booking confirmation page
***
Step 06. Make a note of the date/time by which you must cancel your flight booking
- Click on “View My Itinerary” on the flight booking confirmation page
- You will be taken to the “My trip” page for the flight booking you have just made
- Click on the “Manage reservation” link
- The page will automatically scroll down to the “Manage reservation” section
- Check the date/time below the “Cancel flight” link
- It must be something like “Free until Thu, Jun 16, 11.59p PDT“
- Make sure to cancel your flight booking within this date/time to get a full refund
- Note: If you do not see the date/time yet, wait a few minutes and refresh the page.
IMPORTANT
There were incidents where the “date/time” by which you must cancel the flight booking was less than 24 hours. Therefore, as soon as you complete your booking, check the date/time by which you must cancel your booking. Make sure you cancel your flight booking within that “date/time”. If you fail to cancel within that “date/time”, you CANNOT cancel anymore and CANNOT get a refund.
***
Step 07. Check and retain your fight confirmation email
- Check your email for Expedia flight booking confirmation
- Make sure the email has a “Change or cancel this reservation” link in it (see picture above)
- Retain this email till you cancel your flight booking
NOTE
If you don’t see the “Change or cancel this reservation” link in your email, call Expedia customer service right away. This happened to me once. The booking can still be canceled for FREE within 24 hours, but you would need to call Expedia customer service for that.
HOW TO CALL EXPEDIA CUSTOMER SERVICE
- Go to Expedia Customer Service Portal
- Click on the “Contact US” button
- A popup will appear
- In the “Choose a topic” dropdown, select “Flights”
- In the “What can we help you with?” dropdown, select “Change & Cancel”
- You will see the phone numbers at the bottom of the popup
***
Step 08. Cancel your flight booking within 24 hours
When you decide to cancel your flight tickets within 24 hours, you can do so from your email or from “My Trips” on expedia.com
- Go to your Expedia booking confirmation email
- Click on the link “Cancel” in “Change or cancel this reservation“
- You will be taken to the “Cancel your flight” page on expedia.com
- Follow the prompts and cancel the ticket
My Trips on expedia.com
- Go to Expedia’s US site expedia.com
- Click on the “My Trips” link at the top of the page
- Click on “All purchases“
- You should see your flight booking under the “Coming up” section
- Click/select the flight booking that you want to cancel
- You will be taken to the flight reservation page of that booking
- Click on “Manage reservation“
- The page will automatically scroll down to the “Manage reservation” section
- Click on the “Cancel flight” link
- You will be taken to the “Cancel your flight” page
- Click on the “Cancel my flight” button
- You will be asked to confirm: “Are you sure you want to cancel your flight?“
- Click on the “Yes, cancel flight” button
- You will be taken to the cancellation confirmation page
- Verify that the page says “Your booking has been cancelled!“
***
Step 09. Verify if the flight booking has been cancelled
- Click on the “My Trips” link at the top of the page
- Click on “All purchases“
- Verify that the cancelled flight booking is now showing in the “Completed” section
- Click/select the flight booking that you have just canceled
- Verify that the flight reservation page says “Reservation Canceled“
- Also, verify that the “New Total” is now “$0.00“
- Check your email for the flight booking cancellation confirmation
- Verify that the email says “Your flight has been cancelled“
- Retain this email until you receive your refund
***
Step 10. Receive a full refund in a few days
- Most of the time, you will see the airline name in your credit card transactions instead of Expedia or expedia.com
- After the flight booking has been canceled, keep an eye on your credit card transactions
- You should receive a full refund of the flight booking in a few days
NOTE
Most times a hold on the funds will be placed on your credit card at the time of booking. It takes about 24-48 hours for the hold to turn into a confirmed transaction. If you cancel your booking within 24 hours, the hold is usually dropped and you will not see any transactions from Expedia on your credit card at all as if you have never made a payment on Expedia.
***
That’s it! The procedure to book flight tickets with 24 hour FREE cancellation on Expedia. The procedure is exactly the same on Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline as well.
Have you ever used Expedia’s 24-hour FREE cancellation feature? Let me know your experience in the comments below.
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Dave says
Hi Thirumal, I replied to another comment below, but I figured I would just make a post as it might help other people. I’m looking at a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Bogota, Colombia, but I don’t see any flights that have the text “Free cancel w/in 24 hrs” as you’ve shown in Step 3. However, I do see “Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking!” in Step 4/5. Does that mean these flights are refundable within 24 hours or not? Thanks for your help!
Thirumal Motati says
Hi Dave! That’s correct! Expedia changed the UI a bit. I’m yet to update this post. So, if it says “Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking” in step 4/5, that means yes, the flight is refundable within 24 hours. Sorry for the confusion.
Nelson says
Everything in this post is very accurate. Just before countries shut down their borders, I had to book two flights as proof of onward travel. Herewith is how it went for me.
Booking 1: Payment was posted to my credit card statement and was reversed a few days after. There was a Cancel button in the confirmation e-mail sent to me.
Booking 2: Payment was never posted to my credit card statement at all. There was no Cancel button in the confirmation e-mail sent to me! When I checked Expedia, however, the option to cancel was sitting happily there waiting to be clicked.
If you’ve read the entirety of this blog post, you’d know that both booking scenarios were discussed. It is also important to note that when you’re using a card that has a different currency than what you paid for, you might still end up paying some amount due to the obvious fluctuation of the currency exchange by the time your payment is reversed.
The trick here, as highlighted over and over again in the post, is to look out for the Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking! message all the way to the very end. I’m betting my balls that those who commented saying that they were unable to cancel their booking was oblivious of this message. Cancellation is possible until around midnight of the following day.
If, after all these, you’re still in doubt, you can also do what I did. Prior to paying for the booking, I checked the policies in the websites of the airlines involved in the booking if indeed they offer free cancellation within 24 hours. Such airlines are usually those which are not low-cost airlines.
Lastly, thanks a ton for this post, man!
Thirumal says
Hi Nelson! I’m glad this post has helped you with your bookings. Thanks for stressing on looking out for the “Free cancellation within 24 hours” message all the way to the very end. This is super important and as you mentioned, many overlook this very important step and later wonder how come they couldn’t cancel. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience! I hope you made it to where you want to be before the border/flight shutdowns. Stay safe, man!
Elliott says
You stated, “you might still end up paying some amount due to the obvious fluctuation of the currency exchange by the time your payment is reversed”. In fact, even if you cancel 2 seconds after booking, and the currency exchange rate is still identical, you will lose between 2%-8%, which represents the “spread”, or the credit card’s “buy” vs. their “sell” rate for foreign currency transactions. Beware!
Thirumal says
Thanks Elliott! That’s definitely something to be aware of if using a credit card that has a different currency than USD.
Andre Marais says
I requested that they change my flights. I am still waiting as the Kazakhstan government shut the borders for us. I need to reschedule the flights. Please send me a mail address and contact person name. Please advise.
Thirumal says
Hi Andre! You will have to contact Expedia customer service for that. Please follow the below steps to contact Expedia.
– Go to Expedia Customer Service Portal
– Click on “Contact US” button
– A popup will appear
– In the “Choose a topic” dropdown, select “Flights”
– In the “What can we help you with?” dropdown, select “Change & Cancel”
– You will see the phone numbers at the bottom of the popup
Johanna says
Update from January 2020! I just successfully got reimbursed, and all went easily and very well. ^-^
I booked a VietJet Air flight from Japan to South Korea, with a European Mastercard while being myself still in Europe. I cancelled the flight within the 24h with the Expedia app, which was super convenient, and the money was back on my card 2 days after (there was the little ~2euro fee though, apparently the currency conversion?).
I just wanted to let everyone know who might be hesitating whether this still works, as I was a few weeks ago.
Thirumal says
Hi Johanna! Thanks for sharing your experience. It will definitely help our readers. Thanks again for updating all of us!
Chez Saez says
Hi, I’m so confused with (within 24 hrs cancellation). I’m based in NY and have 3 hrs difference from PDT it says that free until 11:59p PDT. My question is, do I need to complete the 24 hrs before I canceled it or I can cancel it may be tomorrow morning?
Thirumal says
Hi Chez! You MUST cancel your booking by 11.59 PM PDT. So Yes, cancel it tomorrow morning and don’t wait till 11.59 pm PDT. If you wait till 11.59 PM PDT and cancel after that, you CANNOT get a refund. So you must cancel your booking before 11.59 PM PDT.
Chez Saez says
Thank you so much for the tips. So now I’m waiting for my full refund after 7-10 business days.
Thirumal says
You’re welcome! The refund can be pretty quick, but sometimes it can take longer.
Richard says
Hey there Thirumal! I booked a flight with American Airlines on November 26th 2019, and I had to cancel it within 30 minutes after paying it because of an error on the passenger’s surname. It’s November 29th at the time of writing this and I still haven’t gotten my refund.
Some important points here: I used a debit Visa card to make the payment. The flight was Peru-USA. If I’m not wrong, yesterday was a non-business day (Thanksgiving in the US) so technically it’s been only 1 business day yet.
The flight also appears as cancelled on my Expedia account and the final amount says $0.00 as you mentioned, but I can’t see my refund yet. Should I call Expedia again?
Thirumal says
Hi Richard! Refunds usually take a little longer, a few days to a week. As long as your flight is canceled and you have received a confirmation that your flight has been canceled, you will receive your refund. And yes, weekends and holidays affect refunds. Give them a call on Monday just to make sure.
vikram says
Expedia told me that the 24 hours mean the end of the day. So at 12.00 AM the day ends and so does their “24 hours” offer. It does not mean 24 hours from the time you did the booking. So even if you book at 22.00 you need to cancel before that day ends at 23.59 hours. Is this true?
Thirumal says
Hi Vikram! As far as my knowledge and experience go, it’s the end of the “next” business day. You will be given until 11.59 CST next business day to cancel your flight to get a full refund. I have booked several flights from Expedia over the last few years that is what I have observed. The date and time by which you have to cancel to get a full refund will be clearly mentioned in the “Manage Reservation” section.
Teza says
I just tried doing it. They are making it very difficult to cancel. It won’t go to the cancelation page. Freedom taking such time and energy is kinda ironic. Will have to call them. Hope that works.
Thirumal says
Hi Teza! Sorry to hear that you had to call them to cancel. I guess people are exploiting the 24-hour cancellation policy and they have to be more strict about it.
Sunil says
Great informative article. I want to travel from a small airport in India to Dubai in the month of Nov 19. And none of the airlines have a 100% refund policy for international flights from there. Just wondering if I’ll still be able to get 100% refund on cancellation within 24 Hours of the flight booking?
Thirumal says
Hi Sunil! If the flight you are booking indicates “Free Cancel w/in 24hrs” (as shown in step 03), then you will be able to get a full refund if canceled within 24 hours of booking. If it doesn’t indicate so, then you cannot get a refund.
Josh says
I’m sorry to say this but this is no longer true. We attempted to cancel our flight 30 minutes after booking it and were told that as it was a low-cost airline (Air Asia) than no refund would be provided despite their being “free cancellation within 24 hours” next to the flight. I would really recommend that you change this post as I booked the flight based on the information in this post. Josh
Thirumal says
Hi Josh! Sorry to hear that. But I have never seen “free cancel w/in 24 hrs” for any AirAsia flights (and/or with any low-cost airlines in general) on Expedia. I did a quick search on Expedia for Bangkok (BKK)-Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and I still don’t see “fee cancel w/in 24 hrs” next to any of the AirAsia flights in the list. Could you please provide your route, dates and any screenshots if you have? I would like to verify myself before I warn others.
Ramprasath Ramamurthi says
Hi Thirumal,
Thanks for sharing about this feature on the Expedia US website.
I am planning to book a ticket on Expedia US website for Singapore to Chennai flight with the option of 24 hours free cancellation. How will it affect the refund process for booking the flight outside US boundary? Please advise.
Thirumal says
Hi Ramprasath! As far as I know, Expedia US website offers 24-hour free cancellation option irrespective of user’s location. I have heard one complaint that Expedia did not honor the 24-hour free cancellation. Other than that, all my readers (from every location) were able to get a full refund after cancellation.
hüsnü says
Hello there! The same cancellation right for our hotel + flight reservations? because the payment page says that the hotel fee cannot be canceled.
Thirumal says
Hi Hüsnü! I don’t know how a hotel plus flight package cancellations work on Expedia. If you have booked the hotel and flight individually, then you can cancel them separately and get a refund (if your bookings qualify for a refund).
Firas says
Hello Thirumal,
I’m a fan of your blogs, keep up the good work!
When using Expedia’s feature of free cancellation, embassies don’t have a way to verify that you did that if presented with an itinerary that’s actually been canceled?
Thirumal says
Hi Firas! An Expedia itinerary is only valid for Visa on Arrival or as a proof of onward travel. They are not applicable to visas that take longer than 24 hours to process.
Kate says
I have booked 2 tickets on June 10th and canceled it 3 hours after the booking. It was written that I will get my whole money back as I canceled it within 24 hours. 7 Days after I still did not get my money back. Why is that?
Thirumal says
Hi Kate! Yes, you will get a full refund if canceled within 24 hours of booking. But the refund may appear in your credit card transactions at a later date as it depends on how soon Expedia processes the refund.
Aly says
WARNING! I followed the exact procedure that this blog recommended (not the blog’s fault of course) and Expedia point blank REFUSED to honour the cancellation and refund even though it was confirmed TWICE on the phone.
I formally requested to hear a recording of the phone call and they refused to allow that. Simply it has come down to my word against theirs, and they will not budge.
I’ve spent a fortune in phone calls (calling from Thailand to the U.S), and I have a flight that I cannot use. Total scam. Will never use Expedia for anything again.
Thirumal says
Hi Aly! Thanks for letting us know! Expedia is a business and they have the right to change their policies anytime. Maybe the 24-hour cancellation policy is updated to not honor bookings originating outside the US? I will do some research on this and update everyone.
Question: If the flight was marked as “Free cancellation w/in 24-hours” then they have to honor it, correct? Then, what was the exact reason they gave you to NOT honor the 24-hour cancellation?
– Is it the origin of your booking (Thailand)?
– Is it non-US flights?
– Is it over the 24-hour period?
– Is it a time zone related issue?
Yahaya says
Hello, please I booked a flight today and I found a better deal, I want to cancel it. I have the 24 hours period, and I used a debit MasterCard for the booking, how long do you think it will take for the refund to come to my account?
Thirumal says
Hi Yahaya! The refunds are pretty quick. Usually, within a few days. I usually get my refund within 3-4 working days.
G says
Hello! If I booked a flight at 5pm, so I can cancel up to 5 pm the next day or do I have only up to 12mn the same day. Just confused because some travel websites their 24hr policy is like that. Thanks!
Thirumal says
Hi G! In my experience, if you booked at 5pm CST, then you will have time till 11.59pm CST on the next day to cancel your ticket to get a full refund.
When you book a ticket that has free cancellation, you will receive a booking confirmation with date/time by which you can cancel to get a full refund. Just make sure you cancel within that date/time. In my experience, it was always 11.59pm CST the next day.
Ckell06 says
Hi,
I’ve followed the first two steps, but the “Free cancellation w/in 24 hours” label (highlighted in step 3) does not appear for any of the listed flights.
I’ve cancelled flights within 24-hours with Expedia before, but I’m wondering if their policies have recently chanced or something?
Thirumal says
Hi Ckell06! Probably there aren’t any flights that can be canceled within 24hours in that route. I still see them when I search for a random route. Try for a different route.
Rohit says
Hi Thirumal. Thanks for this informative website. I have fews doubts and I hope you can help me.
1. Suppose if we calling the Expedia customer care for this 24hr refund query then do we need to tell them that I am based in USA because this 24hr refund is only for US website?
2. On the US website, can i make payment with my Indian Debit Card and still get the 24hr refund on cancellation.
3. From my time of booking is 24hr added to that time for example if i book at 9pm Indian time on 1st of may then i can cancel it before 8.59pm Indian time on 2nd may? Or do I need to cancel it same day on 12 midnight 1st May.
4. If i book the Ticket while I am in India then can I cancel it next day after i reach Singapore or for that matter any other country.
Thanks for all your help
Thirumal says
Hi Rohit!
1. No. You don’t need to be a US resident.
This 24-hour cancellation is a US Department of Transportation (DOT) regulation. It applies to all major US airlines and their partners. As long as the airline is US-based or a partner of a US-based airline, you should be able to use this feature. You will see such airlines clearly marked with “free cancel w/in 24 hrs”.
2. Yes, you can make the payment with an Indian credit/debit card and still get the full refund if canceled within 24 hours of booking.
3. It’s not exactly 24 hours. You must cancel by 11.59 CST of the next business day. Usually, if booking from Asia, you will get almost 2 days to cancel because of the time difference.
For example: If you book at 9.00pm IST on Monday (8.30am CST on Monday), then you have till 12.29pm IST on Wednesday (11.59pm CST on Tuesday).
This is just an example, but you will see the exact date and time by which you must cancel in your email confirmation. Cancel before that date and time to get the full refund. Pay attention to the time zone (CST) in your email.
4. Yes, you can cancel before the given cancellation date and time in your email to get the full refund. If you are using it as an onward ticket proof, yes cancel it as soon as you reach your destination.
Joane says
Thanks for this!!! If I only knew I can cancel flight tickets through Expedia, I should have done it before.
Thirumal says
Hi Joane! Not just Expedia, but many booking sites and airlines offer this service. It’s mostly meant for US travelers but you can take advantage of it if using the US-based websites.
Jonny says
I’m trying to book a refundable flight as proof of onward travel. Do you think it would work to book the ticket and get the flight confirmation but cancel the ticket before using it as proof of onward travel?
I’m a bit worried I wont be able to cancel it within 24 hours otherwise.
Thirumal says
Hi Jonny! There may be serious consequences if the boarding airline or immigration staff check for the authenticity of your ticket. I advise against it. But if you have to do that, you are better off renting an onward ticket from an online travel agent such as the ones listed in this article. They cost about $10 USD.
Richard says
Hello, I just looked on the Expedia US site for a ticket from Detroit to Medellin and I got hit with this info:
Important Flight Information
See more
Tickets are non-refundable and non transferable. A fee of $225.00 per ticket is charged for itinerary changes. Name changes are not allowed.
Fare Rules and Restrictions:
Pay to choose your seat
Pay to bring a carry-on bag
Pay to check your bags
Cancellations are not permitted
Bring a personal item
So this doesn’t look like a free cancellation policy to me. Please clarify if there’s something I’m missing coz I’m definitely not paying that huge fee if I have to cancel or change my dates.
Thirumal says
Hi Richard! There is a cancellation policy from the airline side which may incur a fee. This cancellation is applicable until the date of the departure. Whereas the cancellation policy from Expedia is only for the first 24 hours.
If you see the text “Free cancel w/in 24 hrs” in Step 3 and “Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking!” in Step 4/5, then it’s definitely refundable within 24 hours of booking. I have seen a few cases like that and they were still completely refundable within 24 hours of booking.
Ken says
Please consider adding a comment plugin that allows us to subscribe to replies/comments so we see when someone replies to us. Otherwise nobody will ever remember to check the site after they leave a comment.
Thirumal says
Great suggestion, Ken! Thanks a lot! I’ll look into adding the option to be notified. Thanks again!
Rakefet says
Very informative and accurate until this stage.
Expedia says in the confirmation mail “ticket in progress” and it may take up to 24 hours.
How can I cancel the booking without being charged?
Thirumal says
Hi Rakefet! If your email says “ticket in progress”, go to Expedia and check the status there. It usually takes only a few minutes to get the ticket issued and confirmed. Sometimes the email notification goes out before the ticket is issued. But you will see confirmation and the date/time by which you would need to cancel within “my trips” on Expedia.
Problem says
I have the same problem. Waiting for a few hours already on my e-ticket. The e-mail and “my trips” say “ticket
in progress”. When i go to manage my reservation on the website i can only change the flight, but not cancel it…
Thirumal says
In my experience, it only takes a few minutes to issue the ticket. If it is taking too long, I would suggest calling Expedia. Either way, let us know your experience here so it can help others.
Holland says
Hi, Thanks for your info!
But I try to find refundable tickets from San Jose (Costa Rica), but none of them have the “Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking”. At the important flight information stays: Cancellations are permitted, fee may apply. This is not the same right?
Do you know if some airports / airline companies at airports don’t offer this option?
Thirumal says
I see quite a few tickets from San Jose (Costa Rica). What destinations are your searching for?
togo says
Hi, do you think “Step 02. Search for refundable flights” is necessary?
If you ‘Select “Refundable flight” option’ then you get a lot more expensive hits then without selecting the “Refundable flight” option. And they are also indicated with “Free Cancel w/in 24 hrs”.
I guess actually there are two types of refundable flights. One is refundable only for 24 hours, the other is refundable practically unrestricted in time. The selectable option influences only the latter, so it is unnecessary to select, in my opinion.
In my concrete case with the option you get flights from $650, while without it (but still getting the 24 hrs cancellation period) you get flights from $81, which makes a difference.
Thanks for your informative post.
Thirumal says
Hi Tugo! You are absolutely correct. Without selecting the “Refundable flight” option, I see many cheaper options still with free cancellation within 24 hours. Thanks for letting me know! I will update the article.
Thanks again! Very helpful.
Hanna Söderquist says
I LOVE YOU
Thirumal says
Haha, thanks!
Olga Kalacheva says
Me too! Lol
Thirumal says
:-)
Olga Kalacheva says
Hi, if the booking is made outside the US, would the cancellation within 24 hours, provided I follow your helpful instructions, still apply?
Thirumal says
Hi Olga! Yes, the booking can be made from outside the US. But, the website must be Expedia’s US website.
Olga Kalacheva says
Thanks a lot for what you do, Thirumal!
Olga Kalacheva says
I booked from outside the US, and the booking was cancelled, no problem at, all with the confirmations sent as it should be. Thank you!
Thirumal says
Awesome! You’re welcome!
Dave says
I’m trying to find a refundable flight between Bangkok and any nearby city. All of the airlines (Thai, Cathay,etc) have refundable tickets but have a cancellation fee. If you check carefully the wording on Expedia it says there are no fees from Expedia itself, but fees from the airline will be passed on. How do I ensure if I need to refund that I won’t get a cancellation fee, even when Expedia says free cancellation within 24 hrs? Virtually all flights from Bangkok with “free cancellation” have a footnote saying “cancellations are permitted, fee may apply”. Thanks.
Thirumal says
Hi Dave! The 24-hour free cancellation is actually a US Department of Transportation’s regulation. All airlines are required to follow this regulation if the booking originates from the US. If you are using Expedia’s US website, then you are allowed to cancel the tickets within 24 hours of purchase and receive a full refund.
The fine print on the airline cancellation fee is different from the 24-hour cancellation policy. The airline cancellation fee is applicable after the 24 hours has passed. Since these are non-refundable tickets, there may be a fee (after 24hrs passed) associated with changes/cancellation. This is normal with any booking site. They themselves will not charge any change/cancellation fee (again after 24hrs passed) but the airline will charge a fee.
If you want to ensure the tickets you are about to purchase are completely refundable within 24 hours of your purchase, give a quick call to Expedia customer service. That’s the only way to ensure that you will not be charged a fee in case you cancel your tickets within 24 hours of your purchase.
Dave says
Thanks! Since the travel doesn’t originate in the US and is a non_US airline, it’s possible there will be a cancellation fee even if within Expedia’s 24 hour limit. I’ll call and find out.
Thirumal says
Hi Dave! Yeah, the best bet is call up Expedia and find out. I have booked quite a few non-US airlines myself. I have canceled some within 24hrs due to personal reasons. I wasn’t charged any cancellation fee. This included airlines such as Thai, Philippines and Malaysian airlines.
Dave says
It seems to be different getting cancellable flights between foreign cities. For example I try to get a refundable flight between Bangkok and Hong Kong. Many of the airlines, such as Thai, Cathay, etc, have refundable tickets which are more expensive but always involve a cancellation fee which can be a few hundred dollars. If you check carefully the wording on Expedia, it says there are no fees from Expedia itself, but fees from the airline will be passed on. How do I make sure if I need to refund that I won’t get such a cancellation fee, even when Expedia says free cancellation within 24 hrs? Thanks.
Thirumal says
Especially between foreign cities, there are premium airlines and budget airlines. For example, between cities in South East Asia, there are premium airlines such as Thai, Malaysian, Cathay, etc and budget airlines such as AirAsia, Scoot, Cebu, etc. The fare on premium airlines is higher than the budget airlines. Only premium airlines follow the 24 hr cancellation regulation. Therefore, the tickets on Expedia with 24 hours free cancellation will be expensive (premium airlines).
I explained the airline cancellation fee in the above comment. If you want to make sure you will not be charged a cancellation fee within 24 hrs of booking, call and confirm with the Expedia customer service. That’s the only way to ensure that you will be not charged a fee in case you cancel within 24 hours of booking.
L says
Hi Thirumal – this is a great article, thanks so much for these helpful tips!
Can I check that it’s actually 24 hours that these types of Expedia flights are refundable for? So – if I booked one the evening before I need to be at the airport, and then cancelled it the next day (within the 24 hour window), would that be ok?
Or does it need to be within the same day?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Thirumal says
Yes, that would be ok. It is still within the 24-hour window, therefore the tickets are fully refundable.
Yael says
Hello thank you for the information.
I’ve got 2 questions:
1) My friend booked a refundable flight and when he wanted to cancel it they told him his reason is not good enough and they didn’t payed him back (it was in the 24h window). Have you heard of this and is there anything that he can do about it?
2) the airline can take additional fee for cancellations regardless to Expedia?
Thank you
Thirumal says
1) I have never heard anything like that. It’s a policy and they have to refund if the cancellation is within that 24-hour window. You change your mind or find a cheaper fare somewhere, you can always cancel and get the refund within 24hrs of booking. Do you know his reason for cancellation?
2) No. Not during the 24 hours window.
J. says
What about travel insurance? I booked and found a better deal. I already see the return of the flight on my credit card but not the insurance?
Thirumal says
I’m not quite familiar with the cancellation policy of insurance. Insurance is mostly useful to get a full refund if you have to cancel the flight after the initial 24 hours due to reasons such as natural disasters, family emergency, etc. I believe it is separate from the flight ticket and therefore it’s non-refundable. Your best bet is to call Expedia and check what their policy on the insurance is.
Augusto says
Hi. I saw that on step 5 there was this “taxes and fee” amounting for $51.92. Is this also refunded after cancellation? Thanks!
Thirumal says
Yes, taxes and fee are also refunded after cancellation.
Liz Moore says
Hi. I”m about to do this for a friend who is traveling and needs a ticket to proof he is exiting the country. Do you have a number that you use to contact Expedia? I want to call them before I book just to make sure that I am booking a refundable ticket, but I’m never sure the best way to get ahold of companies like that. If you’ve got a number you can share, that would be great. I’ll be calling from Costa Rica!
Thirumal says
Here are the steps to contact Expedia
– Go to https://www.expedia.com/service/#/articles/397/34/12324
– Scroll down to “Still need help?”
– Click on “If you need assistance with canceling your flight, please contact us”
– A popup will appear and you will see the phone numbers at the bottom
Sarah says
Hi Thirumal,
thank you for this helpful information! I want to try this out but I´m afraid to lose a lot of money if in the end the free cancellation doesn´t apply. For example in Step 4:
Also, make sure there is “Tickets are non-refundable 24 hours after booking …” under “Important Flight Information” section…
In my case it shows:
Tickets are refundable. Cancellations are permitted, fee may apply…
Do you think this makes a difference or will it still be a free cancellation?
Thank you
Thirumal says
If you want to make sure a particular ticket can be cancelled within 24 hrs, give a call to Expedia to confirm. The wordings can be slightly different in different situations. But in doubt, calling and verifying with Expedia is the best bet.
Kalina Bhagwandin says
I cancelled my tickets within 24hrs. When I checked ‘my trips’ it says that it’s cancelled, the amount is NOT zero – it still shows the amount for the tickets?
Thirumal says
Hi Kalina! In that case, give Expedia a call to check on your cancellation. In my opinion, you should still receive the refund since your cancellation was within your 24 hours window.
Lisa says
I am British, by paying in dollars do you know if I would be charged a conversion fee? I contacted expedia, but they said I should use .co.uk and not .com – not helpful.
Thirumal says
Hi Lisa! Yes, your bank will charge a “foreign transaction fee” since you will be paying in dollars. There is no work around that. But, more and more banks are offering credit cards with “no foreign transaction fee” these days. It would probably be helpful to get one for your travels.
Janica says
Hello! How many days till they fully refunded the amount if I am to use a debit card to pay? Thanks! Great info!
Thirumal says
Hi Janica! I have always received my refunds within 1-2 business days. There might sometimes be a delay from the bank’s side but from Expedia side, the refund is processed in just 1-2 business days.
Robert says
Thanks for the info… what about a person who cancels often fights with expedia (because ia a nomad or whatever) is there a chance it could be banned or something?
Thirumal says
I haven’t heard any issues like those. In my opinion, booking and canceling tickets every few months is perfectly fine. If you mix that with actual flight and hotel bookings, you will not have any issues at all.
Chas says
Hi,
Do you know if any ‘admin fee’ or ‘booking fee’ is charged and not refunded or is the total amount fully refunded?
Thanks
Chas
Thirumal says
Hi Chas! There is no “admin fee” or “booking fee”. Your full amount will be refunded provided you cancel within 24 hrs or the date/time mentioned in your booking confirmation. Refer to Step 07 above. You should see a date/time under “cancel” link. You must cancel before this date/time.
Masood Mir says
Very informative as usual, one thing I would like to ask.
3 days ago I was looking for flights within US cities.
Today when I was trying to make bookings the fares are almost double!!
Please advise what happened or any particular reason for this?
Thanks.
Thirumal says
If you are booking tickets last minute, the prices fluctuate drastically.
That being said, if you are booking tickets far ahead and you still see the prices change every day, it could be that the airlines are raising their prices on purpose. They use cookies and when they see that you are searching a lot, they raise their prices. In that case, you should try clearing your cookies or use Incognito mode in your browser.