Booking a Basic Economy Fare — Reader Mistake Story
We often publish stories from readers that illustrate how points and miles can help you get where you want to go. However, it's important to learn from our mistakes as well as our successes, so I'm calling on you to send us your most epic travel failure stories. Email them to info@thepointsguy.com and put "Reader Mistake Story" in the subject line. Tell us how things went wrong, and (where applicable) how you made them right. Offer any wisdom you gained from the experience, and explain what the rest of us can do to avoid the same pitfalls. If we publish your story, we'll send you a gift to help jump-start your next adventure!
Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Bradley, who missed some key information about his fare class while booking flights through a travel portal. Here's what he had to say:
I booked a weekend trip to Atlanta through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, redeeming 13,626 points for a round-trip Delta flight from my home in Wisconsin. My job often requires me to travel at the last minute, but I figured if my travel plans changed, I could just change my tickets to fly into Atlanta from wherever I was working that week.
My work plans did end up changing, so I needed to fly from Denver instead of my home airport in Wisconsin, and I still needed to get home from Atlanta to Wisconsin at the end of the weekend. Upon calling Delta to change my itinerary, the agent I spoke with informed me that I had purchased a basic economy ticket, so no changes were allowed. I didn't catch any mention of this on the Chase website — I may have missed it, but I don't remember any warning.
I was also told that if I didn't show up for the first flight, then my second flight (home from Atlanta) would automatically be canceled. With my work schedule being inflexible, I didn't have much of a choice. My work covered a one-way ticket on American from Denver to Atlanta, but I had to pay $200 out of pocket to get home, and I lost the Ultimate Rewards points I had originally used to book my flight (although Chase is working with me to get some of those points back).
The moral of this story for me is to check your fare class when you buy airfare through a travel portal. The next time I book through Ultimate Rewards, I'll try to do it over the phone to make sure I'm buying the right ticket. I'll also be avoiding basic economy fares, because even if a ticket is nonrefundable, there may be other changes I can make to salvage its value.
One of the drawbacks of basic economy fares is that you can't make changes to your itinerary, even if you're willing to pay a change or cancellation fee. Once you're past the 24-hour cancellation window, your ticket becomes totally inflexible, so basic economy isn't a good idea if your plans aren't certain.
Delta, United and American do a good job of indicating basic economy fares on their own websites, but online travel agencies are inconsistent. Priceline doesn't specify basic economy in its search results — you only get a warning in fine print at the bottom of the screen after you select a specific itinerary. The Citi ThankYou travel portal lists several restrictions that apply, but doesn't list fare classes or otherwise identify fares as basic economy. Those warnings are easy to miss if you're not looking for them.
For its part, the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal is clear about basic economy fares. The fare class is specified in the search results, and upon selecting a basic economy flight, a pop-up window explains the various restrictions and requires your consent before you can proceed. Even if Bradley should have recognized what he was buying, his suggestion is a good one. Check your fare class, and if you want to avoid basic economy, then stay away from E on Delta, N on United, and B on American.
For more on basic economy fares, check out these posts:
- Is Basic Economy a Good Deal for Discount-Minded Travelers?
- How to Use Credit Cards to Defeat Basic Economy
- American Airlines Adds Basic Economy to New International Routes
I appreciate this story, and I hope it can help other readers avoid making the same mistake. To thank Bradley for sharing his experience (and for allowing me to post it online), I'm sending him a $200 Visa gift card to enjoy on future travels.
I'd like to do the same for you! If you've ever arrived at the airport without ID, booked a hotel room in the wrong city, missed out on a credit card sign-up bonus or made another memorable travel or rewards mistake, I want to hear about it. Please indulge me and the whole TPG team by sending us your own stories (see instructions above). I look forward to hearing from you, and until then, I wish you a safe and mistake-free journey!
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees