Jan 11, 2014, 10:36 am
Last edit by: TEDisgone
WARNING - The cancellation fee has been increased up to $200 for long haul premium awards as of Feb 2017 .
T&Cs here:
How to cancel a Lifemiles ticket:
Some agents have stated that the ticket can be cancelled even AFTER the flight dates, as long as the ticket is "open". Confirmed by FTers @ #334, 336, 371 and 445.
T&Cs here:
How to cancel a Lifemiles ticket:
- Lifemiles tickets cannot be canceled or changed online, you need to call the Avianca/TACA call center
(+1 800 284 2622)(number updated to +1 866 919 0081 as of February 2024). #2 for English, then enter your Lifemiles number, enter #3 for Lifemiles then #3 again for transactions. - The cancellation fee is variable, $50-200. The change-fee is $150. This is per passenger/ticket. If you cancel, you will not get back the $25 booking fee paid when the ticket was issued.
- The cancellation fee for Awards booked after 20th/2/2017: Award Tickets are reimbursable by paying a fee that varies depending on the redeemed route, the redemption channel and other circumstances, Accurate information of the reimbursement cost shall be informed at the time of redeeming the Award Ticket. If you cancel, you will not get back the $25 booking fee paid when the ticket was issued.
- You need to set-up a phone PIN to do any changes to tickets on lifemiles.com before or during the call. Do this before you call as doing this while calling can add a couple of minutes to the call
- Make sure your address and phone number are up to date in your lifemiles account. This will help immensely as spelling out everything letter-by-letter to the phone agent.
- Your credit card information is collected via an automated system on the phone and not by the agent. The system first asks you for your card number (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express), followed by the expiration month/year in MMYY format, then followed by the Security Code. Press * to correct mistakes in entering numbers.
- You need to enter/confirm credit card information for every ticket seperately. The process is simpler for remaining tickets as you only need to: first confirm the last 4 digits of the card (1 - Yes; 2 - No); followed by the expiration Month; followed by the expiration Year; followed by the Security code. For AMEX,(and sometimes for visa too ) the whole cared number has to be entered again
- Similarly if you have used credit cards before, the system keeps information about your credit cards, so even for the first ticket, the process is simpler as you only need to confirm the last four digits of credit card, then expiration month, then expiration year last two digits only followed by the security code
- Be prepared to spend between 20 minutes and 3 hours on the phone to get your changes / cancellation done, depending on the agent you get, or if you're really unlucky, you may spend days getting it sorted out.
- Avianca transactions may trigger fraud alerts on your credit card, you may need to contact your bank about this.
- Miles should be back in your account instantaneously, tax refund can take longer (2-3 weeks)
- Money paid for miles purchased as part of "more money/less miles" choice will NOT be refunded in cash but as miles.
- As soon as your flight is ticketed, the refund for a cash & miles booking will be only in miles
- BE PATIENT: some agents are very knowledgeable and fast, others take hours to get a simple cancellation done
- TAXES ARE REFUNDABLE: if an agent claims that taxes are non-refundable you may need to write an email to [email protected] to follow-up
- You should be able to see your cancellation receipts under "Your Lifemiles" - "Print receipts" (Only works with Internet Explorer!)
- NEW RULE - Ticket cannot be cancelled in the T-48 to T+24 window. Ticket can be cancelled after T+24 as long as ticket is valid, which is up to 365 days after issuance date (not travel date!)
Some agents have stated that the ticket can be cancelled even AFTER the flight dates, as long as the ticket is "open". Confirmed by FTers @ #334, 336, 371 and 445.
Cancellation of Lifemiles ticket
Jul 29, 2014, 12:33 pm
#317
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: FRA
Programs: A3 *G, HH Diamond
Posts: 99
Trying to cancel a ticket for three days now, 5 calls and 4+ hours later they are still unable to help, either pretend they cannot understand me or that a technical issues prevents entering the PIN and I should call back in 4/7/12 hours when this will be fixed... they are just hopeless
Jul 29, 2014, 11:57 pm
#318
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: SPG Plat 100, A3*G
Posts: 678
Trying to cancel a ticket for three days now, 5 calls and 4+ hours later they are still unable to help, either pretend they cannot understand me or that a technical issues prevents entering the PIN and I should call back in 4/7/12 hours when this will be fixed... they are just hopeless
After my 4 or 5 cancellations and numerous attempts, I have found that the following two things are what contributed to more efficient cancellations for me:
- calling early afternoon AV/LM time but certainly during "normal" business hours
- having a 100% clear line... any kind of static probably messes-up the PIN/CC entry system
Hope you get it fixed soon
Jul 30, 2014, 9:58 pm
#319
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SYD
Programs: QF Emerald EY Plat HH D
Posts: 1,270
I have been trying to cancel for 3 days now I have given them credit card for getting the points back 2 times now and still no help.
just about to call them again.
still no joy keep giving them a credit card and they rep saying it is not "going through" but the bank is telling me they ache not even tried to get an authorisation. the flight has already gone now.
this is ridiculous I won't be getting any more of these pts.
too stressful when u have to cancel.
just about to call them again.
still no joy keep giving them a credit card and they rep saying it is not "going through" but the bank is telling me they ache not even tried to get an authorisation. the flight has already gone now.
this is ridiculous I won't be getting any more of these pts.
too stressful when u have to cancel.
Last edited by aussielori; Jul 30, 2014 at 10:39 pm
Jul 31, 2014, 1:37 am
#320
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Melbourne/Bangkok
Programs: A3*G, QF PLATINUM, BA GOLD, VA GOLD, HH DIAMOND
Posts: 2,245
You should really just book when you are ABSOLUTELY firm with your travel plans. Obviously things can happen which require cancellation but it's best to only use LM when you are quite certain you will fly.
Jul 31, 2014, 8:12 am
#322
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: Delta Gold Medallion
Posts: 449
I managed to cancel a ticket like a week ago, but it was an excruciatingly painful process. I tried using several different credit cards, but they kept saying the payment didn't go through. I actually saw pending charges on the banks' websites, and when I called the banks they said everything looked fine on their side.
When I called back and tried again, the representative kept insisting that maybe I made some mistake in entering the credit card details and to contact the bank. My explanaions that I already contacted multiple banks and that I actually saw pending charges on my credit cards fell on deaf ears. I was begging him to try taking the credit card details manually, but he said that the billing department didn't let him. Then I was begging him to transfer me to a supervisor, which he also refused, saying that I will get the same result with a supervisor and there is no way that a supervisor might have any more success than him. Then at some point he suggested I might try going to an Avianca physical office (!) but he wasn't sure whether they were allowed to take payments for Lifemiles fees. FINALLY after maybe two hours, he agreed to forward my case to some "other" department and took my contact info. Later that day I received a call from Avianca and someone took the payment manually, and voila, the payment went through.
When I called back and tried again, the representative kept insisting that maybe I made some mistake in entering the credit card details and to contact the bank. My explanaions that I already contacted multiple banks and that I actually saw pending charges on my credit cards fell on deaf ears. I was begging him to try taking the credit card details manually, but he said that the billing department didn't let him. Then I was begging him to transfer me to a supervisor, which he also refused, saying that I will get the same result with a supervisor and there is no way that a supervisor might have any more success than him. Then at some point he suggested I might try going to an Avianca physical office (!) but he wasn't sure whether they were allowed to take payments for Lifemiles fees. FINALLY after maybe two hours, he agreed to forward my case to some "other" department and took my contact info. Later that day I received a call from Avianca and someone took the payment manually, and voila, the payment went through.
Jul 31, 2014, 6:36 pm
#323
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: FRA
Programs: A3 *G, HH Diamond
Posts: 99
Seems a lot like the story I just went through. After already trying a few days (see above) I eventually got it done yesterday, it took me 5 calls on that day, a total of 4 hours, I was transferred 10 times and spoke to 11 different people or representatives.
The rep I spent most of the time with (Marco) stayed with me on the phone for 1:47h during which I had to give him the standard details (booking code, address, bank name) as well as my passport number (why would they need that, it would be in the profile anyways) which he keyed in after I spelled every information 2-4 times. Annoying but he stayed on the phone and did not try end the call as I had seen from other reps before (claiming they can't understand you). When I had to enter the credit card details a second time about 1:30h into the call (the first one was successful but his system lost all data) a message came up saying 'you have exceeded the maximum number of tries'. Marco explained that whilst the credit card information was correct, every agent has only a certain number of cancellations/credit card bookings he or she could do and his limit was full (a very strange story but in the end this is LM, so who am I to doubt it). So he suggested to call back in 2 hours or visit an Avianca office in person.
I not even tried to remain calm now, and after a discussion with one of his supervisors he agreed another department could take the credit card details from me and process the booking of the cancellation fee manually. This took another 23mins, after which I was assured the miles would be back in 24 hours. And indeed, after 20 hours I had them back and was able to book the flights I saw! luckily these had not disappeared in the meantime.
The rep I spent most of the time with (Marco) stayed with me on the phone for 1:47h during which I had to give him the standard details (booking code, address, bank name) as well as my passport number (why would they need that, it would be in the profile anyways) which he keyed in after I spelled every information 2-4 times. Annoying but he stayed on the phone and did not try end the call as I had seen from other reps before (claiming they can't understand you). When I had to enter the credit card details a second time about 1:30h into the call (the first one was successful but his system lost all data) a message came up saying 'you have exceeded the maximum number of tries'. Marco explained that whilst the credit card information was correct, every agent has only a certain number of cancellations/credit card bookings he or she could do and his limit was full (a very strange story but in the end this is LM, so who am I to doubt it). So he suggested to call back in 2 hours or visit an Avianca office in person.
I not even tried to remain calm now, and after a discussion with one of his supervisors he agreed another department could take the credit card details from me and process the booking of the cancellation fee manually. This took another 23mins, after which I was assured the miles would be back in 24 hours. And indeed, after 20 hours I had them back and was able to book the flights I saw! luckily these had not disappeared in the meantime.
Jul 31, 2014, 10:05 pm
#324
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 58
Just finished canceling two tickets over the phone. It took four calls before I actually was connected to the person in the right department without the call being dropped. On the fifth call, I finally got through, and the first ticket was canceled successfully at 19 minutes into the call. The second ticket only took six minutes after that. The miles were reposted to my accounted immediately.
Before hanging up, I asked the agent to confirm that the taxes I had paid for the reservations would be refunded to my credit card. She went away to confirm this with her supervisor for a few seconds. When she came back, she said that the taxes were refunded to me as miles which I know isn't the case. However, I didn't press on this any further with her.
Is the refund process automatic? Should I wait to see if the refund would happen automatically or should I write to the e-mail address in the wiki right away?
Before hanging up, I asked the agent to confirm that the taxes I had paid for the reservations would be refunded to my credit card. She went away to confirm this with her supervisor for a few seconds. When she came back, she said that the taxes were refunded to me as miles which I know isn't the case. However, I didn't press on this any further with her.
Is the refund process automatic? Should I wait to see if the refund would happen automatically or should I write to the e-mail address in the wiki right away?
Aug 1, 2014, 12:10 pm
#325
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Saigon/Hanoi/San Francisco
Posts: 1,779
I managed to cancel a ticket like a week ago, but it was an excruciatingly painful process. I tried using several different credit cards, but they kept saying the payment didn't go through. I actually saw pending charges on the banks' websites, and when I called the banks they said everything looked fine on their side.
Aug 1, 2014, 1:20 pm
#326
Join Date: Feb 2011
Programs: Delta Gold Medallion
Posts: 449
I used Citi and Chase but probably so do like 70% of the people here...
Aug 1, 2014, 3:50 pm
#327
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 394
After all my cards "didn't go through", the BOA security guy gave me the authorization code that said it had cleared, and the problem was in AV's system, but he also gave me a better tip, which was to get a Walmart money card. No intermediary banks, just Visa directly.
I put $100 on that, and my $50 cancel fee went through first try. I'm keeping that active just in case I need to do another cancel, but I think there's a monthly drain on it, $3 maybe?
I put $100 on that, and my $50 cancel fee went through first try. I'm keeping that active just in case I need to do another cancel, but I think there's a monthly drain on it, $3 maybe?
Aug 4, 2014, 8:30 am
#328
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: IAH
Programs: SPG Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, IHG Gold Ambassador, Marriott Gold
Posts: 519
Spent about 35 minutes on Friday night (about 8 pm CST); took multiple phone calls and mis-transfers until I got the correct person but he couldn't help me because Lifemiles system was down (even web site wasn't working).
Completely different experience on Saturday (~ 1:30 pm CST). Connected to the right person immediately (chose Lifemiles option in the main menu) and was done in 12 minutes. Paid using Amex Plat with no issues. Miles posted to my account immediately.
Anyhow, I really wish they'd make cancellation available online. Current process is not very efficient to say the least.
Completely different experience on Saturday (~ 1:30 pm CST). Connected to the right person immediately (chose Lifemiles option in the main menu) and was done in 12 minutes. Paid using Amex Plat with no issues. Miles posted to my account immediately.
Anyhow, I really wish they'd make cancellation available online. Current process is not very efficient to say the least.
Aug 4, 2014, 9:41 pm
#329
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: SPG Plat 100, A3*G
Posts: 678
So... caught in the LifeMiles Cancellation FunZone again 
Have an award ticket for August 6th SFO-PVR... but found and booked a much better connection for me: IAH-PVR.
And now want to do a cancellation of the first ticket.
The system is currently down, lady said she suggests I call back in 12 hours.
But she also said that if I can't cancel today, I have 1 year to request the miles back.
I know this was already mentioned in this thread but can't remember if anyone actually did this already (successfully of course) and if it's really true that you can get miles back for a missed flight?
Have an award ticket for August 6th SFO-PVR... but found and booked a much better connection for me: IAH-PVR.
And now want to do a cancellation of the first ticket.
The system is currently down, lady said she suggests I call back in 12 hours.
But she also said that if I can't cancel today, I have 1 year to request the miles back.
I know this was already mentioned in this thread but can't remember if anyone actually did this already (successfully of course
) and if it's really true that you can get miles back for a missed flight?
Aug 5, 2014, 12:04 pm
#330
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Saigon/Hanoi/San Francisco
Posts: 1,779