Flight Award Cancellation: Changes in Terms&Conditions
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: FRA
Programs: LH SEN**, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 669
Flight Award Cancellation: Changes in Terms&Conditions
Not sure when this was changed, but have a look at conditions for M&M Award Cancellations copied from the Terms and Conditions:
In the event of a cancellation, you can choose between the following two alternatives:
2.3.1 Alternative 1
With the first alternative, only the taxes and fees are refunded. Miles and airline surcharges are not refundable. You do not incur any additional costs. If you have paid the taxes, fees and airline surcharges at a flat rate using miles, the surcharges are equivalent to 10,000 miles. This means that in the event of cancellation the amount paid in miles for taxes, fees and airline surcharges are reimbursed less an amount of 10,000 miles.
2.3.2 Alternative 2
In the second alternative, the miles and airline surcharges are refunded in addition to the taxes and fees. In return, you will be charged €50 per person and cancellation (or the equivalent value in a foreign currency). This type of refund will be made only at your express request.
At present, flight awards booked online can only be cancelled or (where permitted) rebooked through your local Miles & More Team.
This means that I need to explicitly mention that I want my miles back and willing to pay 50 EUR cancellation fee the next time I cancel a flight award with M&M. Otherwise I might only get the taxes back ...
In the event of a cancellation, you can choose between the following two alternatives:
2.3.1 Alternative 1
With the first alternative, only the taxes and fees are refunded. Miles and airline surcharges are not refundable. You do not incur any additional costs. If you have paid the taxes, fees and airline surcharges at a flat rate using miles, the surcharges are equivalent to 10,000 miles. This means that in the event of cancellation the amount paid in miles for taxes, fees and airline surcharges are reimbursed less an amount of 10,000 miles.
2.3.2 Alternative 2
In the second alternative, the miles and airline surcharges are refunded in addition to the taxes and fees. In return, you will be charged €50 per person and cancellation (or the equivalent value in a foreign currency). This type of refund will be made only at your express request.
At present, flight awards booked online can only be cancelled or (where permitted) rebooked through your local Miles & More Team.
This means that I need to explicitly mention that I want my miles back and willing to pay 50 EUR cancellation fee the next time I cancel a flight award with M&M. Otherwise I might only get the taxes back ...
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
You must specify one or the other. Neither is the default. This largely clarifies a fairly standardized understanding, e.g. that there is what amounts to a redeposit fee for the miles, but not a cancellation fee.
#3
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: AGH
Posts: 5,978
Still, very mean! 50€ per person is quite expensive to cancel a award flight. If that is technically a cancellation fee, a penalty or miles desposit fee makes not difference for the pax.
Wonder what the reason is? Just milking the customers or preventing people tentative booking up award space?
Wonder what the reason is? Just milking the customers or preventing people tentative booking up award space?
#4
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between DM464 and DM463 on the NAPSA26 RNAV TRANS in EDDM
Programs: this and that
Posts: 1,731
Still, very mean! 50€ per person is quite expensive to cancel a award flight. If that is technically a cancellation fee, a penalty or miles desposit fee makes not difference for the pax.
Wonder what the reason is? Just milking the customers or preventing people tentative booking up award space?
Wonder what the reason is? Just milking the customers or preventing people tentative booking up award space?
#5
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: LH M&M, BA EC, DL SM
Posts: 5,731
Still, very mean! 50€ per person is quite expensive to cancel a award flight. If that is technically a cancellation fee, a penalty or miles desposit fee makes not difference for the pax.
Wonder what the reason is? Just milking the customers or preventing people tentative booking up award space?
Wonder what the reason is? Just milking the customers or preventing people tentative booking up award space?
For what it’s worth, I appreciate the flexibility of the awards and consider 50 Euros an acceptable fee for the convenience.
#7
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: BRU
Programs: LH Sen, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 159
Since one-way awards were introduced I have often preferred to book two singles rather than a return for long-haul C/F as it gives me flexibility in case of changing plans without having to cancel and rebook the entire itinerary with the risk of losing the leg on a non-LH flight. Also YQ charges on a single award back from some destinations are significantly less than having to pay double the European YQ on a return award. A small bonus is that the miles required are half that of a return, but rounded down if an odd number.
The 50 EUR cancellation fee has been around for as long as I can remember but agree with worldclubber that it is reasonable for the convenience.
The 50 EUR cancellation fee has been around for as long as I can remember but agree with worldclubber that it is reasonable for the convenience.
#8
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between DM464 and DM463 on the NAPSA26 RNAV TRANS in EDDM
Programs: this and that
Posts: 1,731
Since one-way awards were introduced I have often preferred to book two singles rather than a return for long-haul C/F as it gives me flexibility in case of changing plans without having to cancel and rebook the entire itinerary with the risk of losing the leg on a non-LH flight. Also YQ charges on a single award back from some destinations are significantly less than having to pay double the European YQ on a return award. A small bonus is that the miles required are half that of a return, but rounded down if an odd number.
The 50 EUR cancellation fee has been around for as long as I can remember but agree with worldclubber that it is reasonable for the convenience.
The 50 EUR cancellation fee has been around for as long as I can remember but agree with worldclubber that it is reasonable for the convenience.
1. no stopovers on O/W awards
2. The YQ situation can be both ways (low or no YQ for booking from some countries, horrible extra high YQ for booking from others, like US)
#9
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: BRU
Programs: LH Sen, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 159
Don't disagree, and have booked return awards when I wanted a stopover. However on my last couple of trips to Asia I was glad to have both the flexibility to change my return routing and savings on YQ. As I am flexible with dates, for the US Meilenschnäppchen usually work out best, despite the known restrictions.