Job Loss - cancel award flights or change flights to next year?
 

DH lost his job this week and we have two trips booked this year, 5 tickets, and 170K points tied up in them.

It appears it will cost $75/passenger to cancel and redeposit, right? Is there a time limit when I need to cancel? The website just says before the "expiration date" - whatever that is??

Or, since I have free changes to the itineries up to 21 days in advance, could I just keep pushing the dates out? Is there a limit to this? These are both trips that we still eventually want to take and are flexible when.

I also have a new platinum amex and haven't picked my airline yet. Could I do continental, even though these flights are on a couple different airlines, and have the cancellation fees covered by the $200 airline credit?

Any other recommended strategies?

The tickets are only good up to 1 year from when they were originally ticketed (and not the departure date!). I've lost a lot of miles using the "free changes" trick you describe above in the past -- should've just eaten the $150 to redeposit.