How to change or cancel a Frontier Airlines flight
Booking far ahead and not sure whether the flight will actually work for you? Frontier Airlines offers relatively flexible policies that may be of help.
As your travel date gets closer, the cost to change or cancel your flight will go up. But, even in a last-minute situation, you'll always have the option to change your plans. And while you might be on the hook to pay some fees, they are generally less than many other big-name airlines.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need to change or cancel a Frontier Alines flight, you might be pleased with the choices. Here's what you should know.
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Frontier's cancellation policy
Canceling a paid Frontier reservation
When canceling a paid Frontier reservation, you'll want to cancel your flight as early as possible. The cancellation fees get more expensive as your travel date nears. If you're able to cancel 60 or more days before your flight, there is no fee. This is a better policy than many other airlines and doesn't require you to purchase a special (or more expensive) fare type.
If you need to cancel between 59 and seven days before departure, you'll be charged $49. And if you need to cancel six days or less before departure, there's a $79 fee.
With Frontier's refund policy, you'll receive a credit for the price paid (minus the fee incurred) if you cancel a Frontier flight. The credit is valid for 90 days, but you only need to book a flight by the expiration date; you don't need to fly by this date. However, the credit is non-transferable and is only good for one-time use. So, if your new flight is less than the total credit amount, you'll forgo the remaining value.
The fee structure is slightly different if you purchased your flight before July 26, 2021. For flights booked between April 1 and July 26, 2021, if you cancel 59 to seven days before departure, you'll only be charged $39. And if you cancel six days or less before departure, you'll be charged $59. If you happened to book a flight before March 31, 2021, all fees are waived, but you must cancel at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure for domestic flights and 60 minutes prior for international flights.
Additionally, if you cancel a paid reservation within 24 hours of booking the flight, you can get a full refund (as long as you booked your flight at least seven days before travel). Flights booked within the seven-day window will carry the same cancellation fees as noted above.
Related: Everything you should know before flying Frontier Airlines
Canceling a Frontier reservation booked with miles
Many other airlines waive the cost of redepositing miles when canceling a flight booked on miles, but in this case you'll be charged a fee for doing so under Frontier's cancellation policy. To cancel your ticket and redeposit your Frontier miles back into your account, you'll have to pay a $75 redeposit fee. It doesn't matter how far in advance you cancel, but you must cancel before your flight's departure time.
Since there's no benefit to canceling early, you're better off waiting to see if Frontier Airlines cancels the flight or makes a significant change to your flight. A change or cancellation by Frontier might let you cancel or change your flight for free.
Additionally, if you happened to book a Last Seat Award (which is only available to elites), Frontier will waive the redeposit fee.
Related: Why you should wait to change or cancel your flight if you want your money back
How to cancel a Frontier flight
Fortunately, Frontier makes canceling a flight pretty easy straight from its website. Once you log into your account, all your trips will appear in your profile. Click on the "View booking" button for the trip you want to cancel.
From there, you'll want to click on the "Cancel Booking" link and follow the prompts to confirm your cancellation goes through.
Related: Why I no longer avoid flying with Spirit, Frontier and other budget carriers
Changing a Frontier flight
Changing a paid Frontier reservation
Frontier follows the same fee structure for changing a paid fare as canceling the reservation. So, if you change your flight 59 to seven days before departure, you'll have to pay $49. And within six days, it'll cost you $79. However, there is no additional cost if you change your flight 60 days or more before departure.
If you booked your flight before July 26, 2021, the fees are slightly less (the same as noted above for canceling).
Regardless of when you change your flight, you'll have to pay the fare increase if your flight has gone up in price. However, unlike Southwest Airlines, you won't receive the difference back if your flight has gone down in price.
Related: A combined Spirit and Frontier Airlines frequent flyer program could be interesting — here's why
When you purchase a new flight, you may see the option to pay an add-on fee of $15 per person per direction to give you more flexibility. This Flight Flexibility option gives you one free date or time change fee-free, up to 24 hours before the departure of your flight.
If you select this option, you'll have to pay the fee for all passengers on your itinerary, and do so both ways if booking a round trip flight. Note: This option is different from purchasing "The Works Bundle" add-on option, which I'll discuss below.
Changing a Frontier reservation booked with miles
Booking a flight with Frontier miles is one of the least expensive ways to change a flight. There's no associated fee as long as you change your award ticket eight or more days before your departure date.
However, if you end up canceling last minute — which to Frontier is seven days or less before your flight departs — you'll be charged a $99 fee. Also, if your new flight costs more miles, you'll be charged the difference.
If you booked an award flight before March 31, 2021, Frontier will waive the $99 fee if you need to cancel within the seven-day window.
Related: 7 takeaways from my first Frontier Airlines flight in over 4 years
How to change a Frontier flight
To change a Frontier flight, log in to your Frontier account and find the trip within your profile. From there, click on the "Change Flights" link.
Your original reservation date and time will be listed and you'll have the option to select a new date. You will not be able to select a new departing or arrival city, just a date or time change.
From there, select the new flight that works for you and go through the same process of booking a flight, including picking a seat assignment, baggage options and more. Your difference in fare will appear in the upper right-hand corner next to the cart icon. Clicking your cart will give you a breakdown of the total fare.
Related: Why I (sometimes) choose to fly a budget airline over a full-service carrier
Booking 'The Works Bundle' to avoid change and cancellation fees
When you purchase a Frontier flight, you can add a few different bundle options. One of the options is "The Works Bundle." This package offers many perks, including the ability to change or cancel your flight without a fee (although you'll still have to pay the fare difference). Of course, this add-on will increase the price of your ticket. But for certain situations, you might find the bundle to be worth it if there's a good chance you'll need to alter your plans last minute.
Note that the ticket price will not automatically go back to the credit card used to pay for the reservation if you cancel your flight. Instead, you'll end up with a credit for the amount paid, valid for one year from the date you purchased the ticket. Like credits received from purchasing a flight without the added-on bundle, the credits are non-transferable and only good for one use. So, you may want to fill out Frontier's Online Refund Form to have the refund go back to your credit card.
Finally, travelers with Frontier's Elite 100K status will automatically receive "The Works Bundle" on every flight they book. If you don't want to (or can't) earn Frontier elite status organically, know that Frontier occasionally offers status matches from other airlines.
Related: 3 things I hope will stick around with the merged Frontier, Spirit
Bottom line
Although it seems like you might need a flow chart to understand the policy in place for your exact situation, it is nice to know that as long as you cancel or change a paid reservation at least 60 days ahead of your flight's departure you won't pay any fees. However, you'll get a credit that comes with a decent amount of rules.
Changing a flight booked with miles — as long as it's done at least eight days in advance — also carries no fees. If you aren't 100% certain which day you want to travel, you can always book an award ticket and then change it to another day, if needed. But, if you're looking to cancel a flight booked with Frontier miles, the redeposit fees can quickly add up.