Originally Posted by
pinniped
I have an award flight in March - ATH-MUC-EWR-MCI.
Award seats are available at the same mileage level and taxes on ATH-MUC-IAD-MCI arriving four hours earlier. However, I cannot change my existing award. When I try to change, it shows zero availability at any mileage level on any date. (I'm confident that's not correct and that the main search screen showing multiple available flights is correct.)
Anyone know why I can't change it? I'm well over 31 days in advance of the flight. It would be a complete wash on both miles and cash.
If I cancel the first itin, approximation how long does it typically take for the miles to get dumped back into my account do I can book the 2nd one?
I canceled awards online not too long ago...maybe 3 weeks, and miles went back into my account instantly. That's typical, IME, although there have been some reports of this not always happening. YMMV, I guess. If you are looking for the specific line depositing it back, it can be a bit tricky to find, as it typically dates back to the same date the award was initially redeemed.
Do you have enough miles to cover the new award without canceling the existing? If so, I'd try booking the new award first, waiting for it to confirm/ticket, and then cancel the old. If not, can always see if a phone agent can help, or perhaps try clearing your browser cookies and/or using a different browser and completing the change first. Maybe it's just me, but I'd be a bit weary of canceling something workable but not the most ideal before booking the ideal replacement, in case of error on the new one, and then you have nothing. Especially when it involves partner inventory, which isn't always 100% reliable.