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
Aug 11, 2019, 3:34 am
#721
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,408
Your travel insurance may cover the cancellation fee.
Aug 17, 2019, 7:14 pm
#722
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
just eat the $200 cancel fee (small amount in the bigger scheme of things). If you bought travel insurance, just charge this to your travel insurance.
Aug 31, 2019, 12:42 am
#723
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,257
Just saw business cabin award availability today and wondering if it is possible to just pay the difference in miles + $$ to upgrade if i call LM.
Is there any chance of upgrading a LM award flight without incurring change/cancellation fee?
Situation is the following:-
Award flight now is on avianca metal, economy cabin.
Want to change to avianca metal, business cabin
Same flight, same date, same routing
Just different cabin.
The DPs i have seen so far seems to indicate that one should just cancel, get miles redeposit (which may not be instant) and tax refund, and then rebook again.
If that's the case, i might just stay put since it requires $100 for miles redeposit...
On the other hand, I have a 15 min schedule change (flight got pushed back by 15 min recently).
Not sure if that's good enough excuse to cancel flight for free though I have seen success DP here but it takes 3 weeks to get back miles and am afraid the business cabin availability would be gone by then.
Is there any chance of upgrading a LM award flight without incurring change/cancellation fee?
Situation is the following:-
Award flight now is on avianca metal, economy cabin.
Want to change to avianca metal, business cabin
Same flight, same date, same routing
Just different cabin.
The DPs i have seen so far seems to indicate that one should just cancel, get miles redeposit (which may not be instant) and tax refund, and then rebook again.
If that's the case, i might just stay put since it requires $100 for miles redeposit...
On the other hand, I have a 15 min schedule change (flight got pushed back by 15 min recently).
Not sure if that's good enough excuse to cancel flight for free though I have seen success DP here but it takes 3 weeks to get back miles and am afraid the business cabin availability would be gone by then.
Sep 1, 2019, 11:00 pm
#724
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
On the other hand, I have a 15 min schedule change (flight got pushed back by 15 min recently).
Not sure if that's good enough excuse to cancel flight for free though I have seen success DP here but it takes 3 weeks to get back miles and am afraid the business cabin availability would be gone by then.
Not sure if that's good enough excuse to cancel flight for free though I have seen success DP here but it takes 3 weeks to get back miles and am afraid the business cabin availability would be gone by then.
Sep 1, 2019, 11:21 pm
#725
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,257
As you are on a wholly economy class cabin award (not a mixed cabin award with some flights in economy and others in business/first), it is a cancel with full refund and rebook. You will need to pay at least $125 ($100 to cancel, and another $25 to book new ticket).
[color=#333333] If the change is enough to cause a misconnect i.e the connection time is below the published minimum connection time for the connecting airport (*only applies to an itinerary with at least two legs and a connection somewhere), then you have recourse. Otherwise, it is not a cause for a free re-ticketing!
[color=#333333] If the change is enough to cause a misconnect i.e the connection time is below the published minimum connection time for the connecting airport (*only applies to an itinerary with at least two legs and a connection somewhere), then you have recourse. Otherwise, it is not a cause for a free re-ticketing!
I figured. Not sure if I want to pay the $100.7h redeye, followed by 3h regional the latter of which is inconsequential.
I never got charged the $25. I think it is bc my itinerary is fully Avianca metal?
Think I will just stay put where I am. Keeping fingers crossed that the cattle class is not packed
Sep 3, 2019, 3:49 am
#726
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
Sep 3, 2019, 3:37 pm
#727
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,257
so basically i paid
# miles required + <$20 for my ticket.
same thing - if i now go book another similar ticket, but business ticket, surcharges are also not exceeding $25.
Sep 3, 2019, 10:41 pm
#728
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
seems you just discovered another sweet spot with Lifemiles. That's new to me!
Oct 29, 2019, 5:24 pm
#729
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott/SPG Platinum
Posts: 496
called to cancel a reward booking...was told I can cancel it within 365 days after the booking, even if it is after the flight date. so I ended up not cancelling today....might call next year to change the flight date ( the flight was booked for flying this month).
Jan 20, 2020, 6:39 pm
#732
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 31
I was double charged for the same ticked
although I called LifeMiles immediately
I had 2 reservation when checking in at the CoPa counter
which is a security breach by today's standards
it took Over a Year of endless calls and Emails
with these LifeMiles and Avianca morons
to finally get my LifeMiles and my Taxes returned
I had to submit Bank and Credit Card information over and over
they still own me double charged $25.- Ticket Redemption Fees
claiming that not LifeMiles is pocketing these fees
LifeMiles website service is the worst in the entire industry
they ignore your problems and lie none stop
I guess they are broke - so stay off LifeMiles Spanglish website
avoid airlines like Avianca and CoPa if you want to be save
like to hear from you too ...
-sam-
Jan 20, 2020, 8:21 pm
#733
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
Miles back in your account have more value for future use, rather than miles still tied up to a ticket waiting to be cancelled.
Remember, the mileage refund is not instantaneous, and the cancellation may not go smoothly when you want to cancel urgently. (credit card system issues etc.)
I suggest you cancel at your earliest convenience and close that ticket without waiting to long.
Jan 20, 2020, 8:22 pm
#734
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
Jan 20, 2020, 8:25 pm
#735
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
because of a LifeMiles website glitch and there are so many I was double charged for the same ticked although I called LifeMiles immediately
I had 2 reservation when checking in at the CoPa counter which is a security breach by today's standards it took Over a Year of endless calls and Emails with these LifeMiles and Avianca morons to finally get my LifeMiles and my Taxes returned I had to submit Bank and Credit Card information over and over they still own me double charged $25.- Ticket Redemption Fees
claiming that not LifeMiles is pocketing these fees LifeMiles website service is the worst in the entire industry they ignore your problems and lie none stop I guess they are broke - so stay off LifeMiles Spanglish website avoid airlines like Avianca and CoPa if you want to be save like to hear from you too ...-sam-
I had 2 reservation when checking in at the CoPa counter which is a security breach by today's standards it took Over a Year of endless calls and Emails with these LifeMiles and Avianca morons to finally get my LifeMiles and my Taxes returned I had to submit Bank and Credit Card information over and over they still own me double charged $25.- Ticket Redemption Fees
claiming that not LifeMiles is pocketing these fees LifeMiles website service is the worst in the entire industry they ignore your problems and lie none stop I guess they are broke - so stay off LifeMiles Spanglish website avoid airlines like Avianca and CoPa if you want to be save like to hear from you too ...-sam-
It is a game, and sometime players get injured in the game.
Your issue is not surprising, and hardly even the worst of Lifemiles.
If the Lifemiles game is too rough for you, just tap out and move on to another program.
Cheers.