Cancel half an award ticket
Apr 20, 2012, 8:24 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Premier Executive, Continental Platinum, SPG Gold, IHG Platinum, Velocity Gold, Alaskan MPV Gold.
Posts: 461
Cancel half an award ticket
What fees would I pay to cancel half of an award ticket? I know you can change for free the flights if the destination and origin are in the same place the original trip was booked but what happens if you do the change on the return but cancel the outbound because you found another better option on another airline/alliance? Will there still be $150 redeposit fee?
Apr 20, 2012, 8:29 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: STL
Programs: AA 2MM, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,966
What fees would I pay to cancel half of an award ticket? I know you can change for free the flights if the destination and origin are in the same place the original trip was booked but what happens if you do the change on the return but cancel the outbound because you found another better option on another airline/alliance? Will there still be $150 redeposit fee?
Apr 20, 2012, 8:58 am
#3
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
There is no such thing as "half an award" such as you attempt to describe it. You have two awards, which are one way, and you wish to cancel one of them. The fee is $150 for redeposting your miles if you wish to do that and not abandon those miles. (If you wished to cancel both award flights on one PNR, it would still cost you $150 - such a deal! 
)
)
Apr 20, 2012, 9:16 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: STL
Programs: AA, UA Gold, SPG, Marriott Gold
Posts: 120
I just went through this
I just went through this in February for March award.
If you booked 2 one-ways, its just $150 cancel 1 of the reservations and get your miles back. Or just cancel and forfeit the miles.
I had a round trip booked (a mistake I will not make again). I was fine just walking away from the 12,500 miles and wanted the outbound cancelled, but the return to stay as is (round trip was 25,000). I was told by 2 different call center people that the ONLY way to preserve the return flight was to cancel the whole thing (with $150 fee) and then they would rebook me 1-way on the return, but it would still be just 12,500 miles (even though 12,500 mile options were no longer available on that very popular flight).
If I didn't pay the fee, I'd be out the 25,000 miles (original round trip) and then have to rebook a 1 way for 25,000. So really it was $150 to preserve 37,500 miles. Though it should have been $150 to preserve 12,500 miles IMO. But again, I was told it doesn't work that way.
I hope that helps.
If you booked 2 one-ways, its just $150 cancel 1 of the reservations and get your miles back. Or just cancel and forfeit the miles.
I had a round trip booked (a mistake I will not make again). I was fine just walking away from the 12,500 miles and wanted the outbound cancelled, but the return to stay as is (round trip was 25,000). I was told by 2 different call center people that the ONLY way to preserve the return flight was to cancel the whole thing (with $150 fee) and then they would rebook me 1-way on the return, but it would still be just 12,500 miles (even though 12,500 mile options were no longer available on that very popular flight).
If I didn't pay the fee, I'd be out the 25,000 miles (original round trip) and then have to rebook a 1 way for 25,000. So really it was $150 to preserve 37,500 miles. Though it should have been $150 to preserve 12,500 miles IMO. But again, I was told it doesn't work that way.
I hope that helps.
Apr 20, 2012, 10:10 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 473
Surely there are pluses and minuses to both (2 oneways versus 1 roundtrip). In your example yes, it would have been better to have had separate outward and return, but in other circumstances a single roundtrip would have worked in your favour, eg if you had wanted to cancel the entire trip.
Apr 20, 2012, 10:26 am
#7
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Apr 20, 2012, 10:46 am
#8
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Mundelein, Il
Programs: Executive Platinum
Posts: 482
I just went through this in February for March award.
If you booked 2 one-ways, its just $150 cancel 1 of the reservations and get your miles back. Or just cancel and forfeit the miles.
I had a round trip booked (a mistake I will not make again). I was fine just walking away from the 12,500 miles and wanted the outbound cancelled, but the return to stay as is (round trip was 25,000). I was told by 2 different call center people that the ONLY way to preserve the return flight was to cancel the whole thing (with $150 fee) and then they would rebook me 1-way on the return, but it would still be just 12,500 miles (even though 12,500 mile options were no longer available on that very popular flight).
If I didn't pay the fee, I'd be out the 25,000 miles (original round trip) and then have to rebook a 1 way for 25,000. So really it was $150 to preserve 37,500 miles. Though it should have been $150 to preserve 12,500 miles IMO. But again, I was told it doesn't work that way.
I hope that helps.
If you booked 2 one-ways, its just $150 cancel 1 of the reservations and get your miles back. Or just cancel and forfeit the miles.
I had a round trip booked (a mistake I will not make again). I was fine just walking away from the 12,500 miles and wanted the outbound cancelled, but the return to stay as is (round trip was 25,000). I was told by 2 different call center people that the ONLY way to preserve the return flight was to cancel the whole thing (with $150 fee) and then they would rebook me 1-way on the return, but it would still be just 12,500 miles (even though 12,500 mile options were no longer available on that very popular flight).
If I didn't pay the fee, I'd be out the 25,000 miles (original round trip) and then have to rebook a 1 way for 25,000. So really it was $150 to preserve 37,500 miles. Though it should have been $150 to preserve 12,500 miles IMO. But again, I was told it doesn't work that way.
I hope that helps.
Apr 20, 2012, 10:49 am
#9
In Memoriam
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Location: dallas texas usa
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Posts: 14,828
Apr 20, 2012, 10:53 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Premier Executive, Continental Platinum, SPG Gold, IHG Platinum, Velocity Gold, Alaskan MPV Gold.
Posts: 461
I just purchased a one way award with miles I had and will cancel the whole original trip and have those miles redeposited into my account.
Apr 20, 2012, 12:02 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: STL
Programs: AA, UA Gold, SPG, Marriott Gold
Posts: 120
Apr 20, 2012, 12:05 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: STL
Programs: AA, UA Gold, SPG, Marriott Gold
Posts: 120
Surely there are pluses and minuses to both (2 oneways versus 1 roundtrip). In your example yes, it would have been better to have had separate outward and return, but in other circumstances a single roundtrip would have worked in your favour, eg if you had wanted to cancel the entire trip.
Apr 20, 2012, 12:36 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Washington D.C.
Programs: AA 1MM, AA Plat, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 448
so i am slightly confused....if you have two one ways, lets say ORD-HKG, HKG-ORD, wouldn't the country of origin be ORD for the outbound and HKG for the return? I guess I am just not familiar with this rule.
Apr 20, 2012, 4:29 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
I just went through this in February for March award.
........... deleted the beginning........
If I didn't pay the fee, I'd be out the 25,000 miles (original round trip) and then have to rebook a 1 way for 25,000. So really it was $150 to preserve 37,500 miles. Though it should have been $150 to preserve 12,500 miles IMO. But again, I was told it doesn't work that way.
I hope that helps.
........... deleted the beginning........
If I didn't pay the fee, I'd be out the 25,000 miles (original round trip) and then have to rebook a 1 way for 25,000. So really it was $150 to preserve 37,500 miles. Though it should have been $150 to preserve 12,500 miles IMO. But again, I was told it doesn't work that way.
I hope that helps.
Apr 20, 2012, 4:35 pm
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,861
Guys and girls, there are no round trip "oneworld and other airline" awards using AA miles. What this discussion is really about is whether it is advantageous for a single PNR (ticket) to include 1 or 2 awards.