Need to cancel your flight on Alaska Airlines? You might be eligible for a refund, even if you purchased a nonrefundable ticket. This overview will help you navigate the Alaska Airlines refund process.

What is Alaska Airlines’ refund policy?

To receive a refund for a reservation, you must have a refundable ticket issued by Alaska Airlines.

Tickets that fall into the following categories aren't eligible for refunds by the airline:

Ineligible

Ticket was issued by a third party.

Saver fares (outside of 24 hours after booking).

Government fares.

Tickets older than one year from original purchase date.

Group or vacation bookings.

Unaccompanied minor bookings on partner airlines.

Tickets using currency other than U.S. dollars.

However, Alaska allows a full refund for any fare, including nonrefundable tickets, requested within 24 hours of the initial purchase. This offer doesn't apply if your flight is scheduled to depart within 24 hours of booking.

After 24 hours from booking, nonrefundable tickets are ineligible for refunds. However, you do have the option to receive a credit certificate for the amount of your flight, or Alaska will deposit the funds into your My Wallet account.

Saver fares will receive just 50% of their fare (plus full taxes and fees) back in travel credit if canceled between 24 hours after booking and 14 days prior to departure.

If you purchased a ticket from a third-party site, such as Travelocity or a travel agency, you'll need to contact it directly for refund assistance.

Which tickets are eligible for refunds on Alaska Airlines?

Currently, only refundable tickets purchased from Alaska Airlines are eligible for full refunds after the initial 24-hour period.

But here’s an exception that many people don’t know: If Alaska makes a one-hour or more schedule change to your flight, you're eligible to receive a full cash refund, even on nonrefundable tickets, if you decide not to take the flight.

If you need to cancel a nonrefundable ticket before a trip, you may want to hold off to see if Alaska will make changes to the schedule. If you voluntarily cancel your nonrefundable trip and receive a future credit before a schedule change, you won't be eligible for a refund.

How to request a refund

For tickets purchased in the past 24 hours, you can cancel the flight for a full refund online by visiting the Manage Reservations page.

If you purchased a refundable ticket and want to make an Alaska Airlines refund request, you have a couple of options. You can make the request online, and your refund will be automatically credited back to the original form of payment, or you can contact customer service.

If you need to cancel a nonrefundable ticket, you can do so online or through customer service. While you're ineligible for a refund in the truest sense, you can receive a credit certificate to use on a future Alaska flight.

Here are three ways to contact customer service:

Chat: On the Alaska Airlines site, go to the Help Center, then click "Start reservations chat."

Text: You also have the option to text your concern to 82008.

Call: The call center is open 24/7 at 800-252-7522.

How long will it take to get my refund?

All eligible tickets are refunded back to the original form of payment. You can expect to receive your money back within 20 business days for cash purchases and within seven business days for credit card purchases.

If you want to check on the status of your refund, contact the refund department by:

Phone: 206-392-7722.

Fax: 206-392-7587.

Email: [email protected].

Getting a refund on flights booked with points

Sometimes award flight refunds can be tricky, but Alaska Airlines makes it easy to get a refund for tickets purchased with points. After you cancel your flight, points will be refunded automatically and deposited back into your account within 24-48 hours.

If you don’t see your points after two days, get in touch with customer service.

Did you purchase travel insurance?

If you've purchased travel insurance, you may be eligible for reimbursement if you cancel or change your flight for a covered reason.

You may also qualify for travel protections if you booked your flight with a credit card that includes travel insurance as a built-in benefit.

Alaska Airlines refunds recapped

Although Alaska allows refunds only for purchased refundable tickets, it does offer an exception if it changes or cancels your flight. And if you need to cancel a nonrefundable ticket, the airline will allow you to use the cost of your unused ticket for future travel, as long as travel is booked within a year.

This policy gives you peace of mind if your trip gets canceled or you need to make other travel arrangements. And the good news: You can book upcoming travel without incurring the dreaded and costly change fees.