walterD

I bought a ticket yesterday, if I modify it today before tonight (with no change fee), does it give me 24 additional hours to cancel it if need be?

MSPeconomist

My understanding would be no.

BTW, the guarantee is that you can cancel, not change, although some phone agents will kindly make changes for you. If you completely cancel and rebook, you're more likely to get another 24 hours to change or cancel.

Often1

There is no such thing as a "no change fee" modification unless you have purchased a fully flexible ticket. You may be thinking of a no fee cancellation. Here are the rules:

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...cellation.html

You may find that some agents may simply make a change and waive the change fee if you do so in a situation under the 24-hour policy, but that is an exception.

jdrtravel

Agreed, though it is an exception that every single agent has agreed to make when asked IME. So there may not technically be the right to a 24 no change fee, in practice this right exists.

In terms of your question, I have had the fee waived several times within 24 hours after making a change, and it seemed to me that the agent or the website thought that it was a new reservation ( I did not volunteer that it was not). IME, what a change does do is trigger your right to cancel again within 24 hours, so it makes sense that they would be willing to waive the fee within that period, unless the fare had gone up dramatically. I'm not sure if this is by the book true, but it seems to be how the DL system handles reservations.

MSPeconomist

If you change rather than cancel and book a new reservation, the ticket will show as exchanged for the old ticket number, so it will obvious that there was an earlier booking.

jdrtravel

One would think, but IME this is apparently not obvious to phone agents.

jrl767

if you're intent on extending the 24-hour period, it's far wiser to cancel and rebook

huskerchad

I believe allowing a change within 24 hours is Delta policy. You can even do this online; when you change the ticket, there is no change fee, just a fare difference (if any).

xliioper

NW used to let you change with no fee online within 24 hours, but in my experience, DL has always required a call.

TerryK

+1.^ Just cancel and rebook. A new PNR will reset clock for another 24 hours.

lamont2718

+1