Fee for Canceling Award Flight?
 

I'm sitting on a pile of Frontier miles right now that seem to losing value rather quickly so I want to use them before they become worthless. Now that the schedule has been extended I'm thinking about booking an award flight for late summer but because I don't know my work schedule yet for that period I may have to cancel. Is there an cancellation fee for award flights? Frontier's award ticket terms say:

"Unused and unexpired award tickets can be returned to the EarlyReturns® Service Center, and the miles will be re-deposited to the account from which the miles were originally withdrawn. Partially used award tickets can't be re-deposited. Frontier will impose a $75 fee to redeposit miles into a Member's account. You may request a redeposit of your miles by calling Frontier Reservations at 800-4321-FLY. This charge is waived for *Summit level members and traveling companions booked in the same reservation and for CHOICE and Last Seat Availability awards. Note that standard award tickets must be canceled prior to departure of the flight to retain their value."

This makes it sound like there's a $75 fee to redeposit the miles. But below this it also says:

"Any changes to award tickets made 8 or more days prior to travel will not incur a change fee if the class of service is available. There is up to a $75 change fee for any changes made to an award ticket within 7 days of travel."

So it sounds like I can continue to change the flights and even the destination without charge so long as I don't actually redeposit the miles. Is that the case?

I recently have gone through the effort of understanding this, so hopefully this can help:

There is a $75 fee to redeposit the miles. I'd discourage one to do that in a situation where an award has been claimed.

Better option:
One can change the award ticket flight to another award ticket flight without a $75 fee, if the flight that was originally booked is not within 8 days. The new flight can be within 8 days also. It's just the original one can't be within 7-8 days.

It can be different city pairs/route also. So, if I have a flight from TTN-TPA in two weeks that I know that I can't make, I'd just call the agent, and request that I want to convert that award to IAD-MCO for two days from now, assuming the award is available, and not have any fee to pay for it.

However, if it's today and I have a Standard Award ticket flight just 5 days from now, if I change it, there's a $75 fee.

However, I can also request the agent to cancel the flight and put the award on hold. I then have a year from the purchase date to use the award and can pay the $75 fee when I actually re-book it. I have one award reservation on hold in such manner.

It's obviously not as good as Southwest's no change fee, but it can be viewed as better than Delta's $150 award change fee where any type of change is $150. Of course, it's not apples/oranges, and Delta has a huge network and connection choices. Relative to Southwest, it's easier for me to find a 10,000 PHL/TTN-Florida ticket than it is to find a 10,000 point Southwest ticket out of PHL.

But the mileage program on Frontier is obviously becoming a weak point as Frontier's network dwindles.

I wonder if they will discontinue this FF program altogether to cut costs as there is an overhead of maintaining this FF program. Instead, it could just offer frequent fliers that fly maybe 20 segments, coupon codes for discounts that can be used on top of other codes maybe for even more discounted fares. I also think Classic Plus might be not necessary in the ULCC model, and an overhead to maintain two fare levels, but maybe it could change the change fee from a flat $75 to 20% off the fare, pleasing some pax that might otherwise not like the all the other changes.

From what I bolded,

It appears that Frontier is no longer honoring that policy. Now, if any change is requested to an award ticket (even if traveling date is beyond 7 days), Frontier has to re-deposit the miles and will charge a $75 redeposit fee.

According to a Frontier agent, this went into effect on the 7th and it's because of the new reservation system that can't handle changes to award tickets the way it was done prior. I called and waited 1hr.20mins to find out that a Standard Award ticket that I have two weeks from today cannot be changed without it being redeposited with a redeposit fee being paid out. And then, there is also a redemption fee to draw out the miles (as I cancelled the Frontier mastercard), so I decided it wasn't worth it.

Of course, Frontier gave no notice of this change. :(

It's website still lists (the bolded language) however:
http://content.flyfrontier.com/frequent-flyers

Perhaps, I have to call again and find another representative, and just find a flight to use to change the flight, instead of canceling it.

Well that's a bummer. I did the same thing as you and used all my points to book a family trip to Florida planning that if fares dropped on WN or another carrier, I would just change the Frontier award flight to another one later on. Fortunately (or unfortunately) there's been a 3 hour schedule change on each of my flights so I may be able to get them to redeposit for free. The downside to that of course would be that I no longer have the Frontier Mastercard so I'd have to pay to book another flight if its less than 6 months out (seems like a pretty stupid policy when their calendar only goes out for 5 months). Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah that sucks that Frontier didn't give any notice, it should have even though technically rules are subject to change at anytime. However many airlines charge to change award tickets regardless of when the flight is. About the Frontier Mastercard, you shouldn't have canceled it as the no annual fee card will still give you the waiver and in alot of cases canceling your credit card has a negative effect on your FICO score.

I probably shouldn't have cancelled the credit card.

I decided to call again since the website still states original policy (that I bolded above). And, the good news is after a phone call, I was able to change my flight without a fee. I just chose a new flight. I requested a change this time rather than a cancel.

I suppose it's just cancel and expect a one-year hold that is no longer permitted for award tickets, where then a redeposit is needed.

The wait times are little less now than two days ago, but it still takes awhile over the phone to process a change.

Thanks, forgot about that. Great option.

I had some difficulties the other day changing a few other award tickets.

When using the IVR, I have to choose "Early Returns Program" rather than "Existing Reservation". And choosing "Early Returns" results in multiple responses needed
"Award Travel",
(Is award travel for a flight), "Yes"
(Do you already have a reservation?" , "Yes"
(award using your own account", "Yes"
Enter early returns #:
Enter zip code:
Reservation code:
(Is this flight from origin to destination?) "Yes"
Last Name
(confirming last name) "Yes"
(change or purchase this ticket?) "Yes"

that are asked before getting to an agent. One time the call dropped for no reason. It took several attempts.

So like I was predicting and like rtalk25's experience, WN fares dropped so I tried to call change my itinerary to another flight to TPA in October. I was told that they couldn't do that without redepositing the points (for free because of a schedule change) and that I would then have to pay the less than 180 days award fee to book the new award flight :mad:. Their own website clearly says itinerary changes >7 days are free if the class of service is still available. Per the agent I was talking to they can change the itinerary but only between the same pair of cities. It looks like what I'll end up doing is booking my award flight for the farthest out I can when they extend the schedule for the city pair I want, and then request a change to within the 180 days. If it worked for United it should work for Frontier.

I had to change an award ticket again more recently. Using the IVR, I didn't choose Early Returns (because it's takes too much time) but just chose Existing Reservation.

The agent tried to make me pay a $75 change fee, but I claimed it was an award ticket not within 7 days. She called a Help Desk, and the Help Desk specialist was able to inform her that I should not be charged a change fee.

She changed my award ticket to another flight without a fee.

However I forgot to pay attention to seat assignment which I had paid for, and I lost my seat assignment when getting my flight moved. Usually the agent or myself is observant of the seat (if paid) and the agent is able to find the same seat or similar one on the next flight. I realized this mistake after I hung up the phone. It was just a $3 aisle seat selection not a Stretch Seat.

Atleast I didn't have to pay a change fee, but I may get stuck in a middle seat.

Sad to think of all the improperly charged fees airlines collect from uninformed passengers. :(

For what it's worth, on April 3 I changed reward travel origin city (keeping save travel dates) on flyfrontier.com and was not charged a change fee. I don't know whether this was an IT glitch, but as I have completed travel now, the ticket was definitely valid.

Frontier has gone downhill in the last year, even though last year it was a ULCC.

Higher seat selection fees, customer service agents unfamiliar with standard award ticket rules, longer hold times, inability to hold a canceled reservation like before, service cuts in the TTN/ILG area, are just a few downgrades.

I think redepositing the points for Standard tickets is mostly a money losing proposition.

1. The points take 48-72 hours to redeposit, while they take the $75 redeposit fee immediately.
2. If one doesn't have the Frontier credit card, there will be a redemption fee again. And 180 days for no redemption fee might seem possible, but Frontier's booking isn't servicing late October. So, add another $15 for a flight.



That said, sometimes it's difficult to know when to change a ticket if another flight asn't been decided. And, if it's within 7 days, it might be worthwhile to consider points again, especially as a $133 Economy ticket can still have 10,000 points award availability, and thus $75+15 (or about $90 out of pocket).

There is roulette with customer service agents, with majority of the time, someone from the Phillipines picks up.

On another note, I've booked a Classic Plus ticket (not an award) which is fully refundable as the IVR guy boasts. But, Frontier makes it difficult to get the refund using just the website. They want to keep it as a credit. In order to get a refund, one must call. It's not like Southwest which makes refunds to refundable tickets easy to process through the website.

What is latest on FREE changing award seat over 7 days out to later date?
(is there now secondary within-72hrs-of-first award seat reservation rule?)
Must meet both requirements to avoid $99 change fee?
Thanks in advance.