How to change or cancel a JetBlue flight

If you like booking a flight knowing that you'll be protected if your plans change, JetBlue is a great option. But, you'll need to pay attention to the fare class booked. Although JetBlue eliminated its change and cancellation fees back in 2021, the flexible policy doesn't apply for their lowest-fare class, Blue Basic.

But, it doesn't usually cost too much more to book the next fare above Blue Basic and you can't book a Blue Basic award ticket. So, as long as you don't book a Blue Basic fare, you'll have some peace of mind with JetBlue if you need to change or cancel a flight.

Before you make your next JetBlue flight, or if you find yourself in a situation where your plans changed, here's everything you need to know about changing or canceling a JetBlue flight.

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JetBlue cancellation policy

JetBlue's cancellation policy makes it incredibly easy for flyers to cancel a JetBlue flight if the situation should arise. Unless you book a Blue Basic fare, the process is fairly similar for reservations made with cash or points. You'll also find that even if you're a Mosaic member — JetBlue's elite status — the same policies apply, even for the lowest fare class.

Canceling a paid JetBlue reservation

When booking a JetBlue flight, there are up to five different fare options (depending on the route): Blue Basic, Blue, Blue Extra, Blue Plus and Mint. For the latter four — everything except Blue Basic reservations — there's no fee to cancel your JetBlue reservation before departure.

If your plans change with these four fare classes and you need to cancel your flight, you'll receive the entire amount paid for the reservation back as a JetBlue Travel Bank credit — unless you purchase the "refundable" add-on option. Credits expire 12 months from when the credit is deposited into your account. And although you can't transfer credits from one travel bank to another, you can use them toward another passenger's future reservation. But, if you used credits to pay for the flight you are canceling, that will not extend the expiration date. The credits will still carry the same original expiration date.

And while you can cancel Blue Basic reservations, you'll be charged a $100 to $200 fee. For routes in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Central America, the fee is $100 per person. For all other routes, the fee is $200 per person. You'll then receive a credit, minus the fee, as a travel credit in your JetBlue Travel Bank — with the same policies as above. However, there are no fees to cancel your reservation if you booked a Blue Basic flight before June 7, 2021, or between Aug. 25 and Oct. 31, 2021.

Additionally, if you purchased any add-ons to your flight (such as Even More Space seats or baggage fees), you'll receive a travel credit for the extra amount paid when canceling your JetBlue flight, thanks to JetBlue's refund policy.

You'll only receive a full refund one of two ways: if you cancel your reservation within 24 hours of booking (and only if you booked your flight at least seven days before departure) or if you purchase the "refundable' add-on option during checkout. With the latter, you'll be charged a set premium — on top of your price price — that is directly tied to the cost of the ticket. Once you select your flight, you'll be notified of the charge to make your flight fully refundable. This means, if you need to cancel your flight, you'll receive the amount paid directly back to your method of payment — without ending up with a travel credit.

For example, with this example below, the cost to make the trip fully refundable is $30, which is almost 50% of the total fare price. The more expensive the flight, the higher amount you'll have to pay to make your flight refundable. This option is not available with Blue Basic fares, flights booked with points or flights operated by American Airlines.

Related: JetBlue to ‘evolve’ TrueBlue frequent flyer program under new loyalty chief

Canceling a JetBlue reservation booked with points

There's no option to book a Blue Basic award when booking a JetBlue flight with points. So, you can easily cancel any JetBlue award — regardless of the fare class booked — with no fees.

If you cancel your award, the points you redeemed will go back into the account you originally redeemed from, but you'll get a credit for the taxes and fees paid. While this is only $5.60 per flight for domestic flights, international flights can be upward of $100. The credits follow the typical rules, meaning they'll expire after 12 months and you can use them for other passengers.

Unlike Southwest awards, where you can speculatively book and cancel with no ramifications, with JetBlue you will end up with a flight credit.

Related: How to redeem points with the JetBlue TrueBlue program

How to cancel a JetBlue flight

You can see all of your upcoming flights in Manage Trips within your JetBlue account. You'll be able to cancel your flight from the blue 'Manage flight' button.

All of your flight information will be listed. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see many ways to manage your flight, including the option to cancel your itinerary. If the buttons are grayed out (which can happen for many reasons), you'll need to call JetBlue to proceed with the cancellation.

On the next screen — and before you finalize the cancellation — you'll be given a breakdown of how you'll receive your refund. For example, in the screenshot below, the flight I canceled was an international flight on points. It shows the number of points refunded and my Travel Bank credit.

You'll then have to finalize the cancellation at the bottom of the page with the yellow 'Cancel Flight' button.

Related: Is JetBlue about to launch its long-awaited London-Boston route?

Changing a JetBlue flight

Changing a JetBlue flight follows the same fee structure as canceling a paid or award flight. There's no advantage to changing a flight versus canceling and rebooking.

Changing a paid JetBlue reservation

Like canceling a JetBlue reservation, you can change any Blue, Blue Extra, Blue Plus or Mint reservation for no fee. On the other hand, Blue Basic fares will incur a $100 per person fee for routes in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Central America and a $200 per person fee for all other routes.

However, you'll still be on the hook for paying the price difference if there is one. If you are changing to a flight that costs more, you'll be required to pay the difference. However, if you're changing to a less expensive flight, you'll receive a credit awarded to your Travel Bank for the difference. This credit is valid for 12 months and you can use it for a future flight for any passenger.

You don't have to worry about a fare difference if you're looking to switch your flight to another flight on the same day. Starting at midnight on the day of travel, you can change to another JetBlue flight that same day as long as you travel on the same route (or to a nearby airport). However, for all fare classes (except Blue Extra), you'll need to pay a $75 fee. Blue Extra reservations can switch to another flight for no fee. Additionally, those who have JetBlue Mosaic status can confirm a same-day flight change with the fee waived within 24-hours of the originally scheduled flight — they don't need to wait until midnight.

Related: Watch us fly JetBlue 2 different ways: Mint Studio vs. economy

Changing a JetBlue reservation booked with points

Since you can't book a Blue Basic fare with JetBlue points, there are no fees for changing a JetBlue award reservation. However, if your new flight costs more in points, you'll have to pay the difference in points. Alternatively, if the new flight costs fewer points, you'll receive the difference back into your JetBlue account.

Similar to paid reservations, you can also change your flight on the day of travel without worrying about a fare difference. However, the change fee applies similarly to how it would for paid fares.

How to change a JetBlue flight

To change your upcoming JetBlue flight, you'll have to select the 'Change Itinerary' option within your flight's reservation details.

You'll then have to enter your new itinerary details. Both the departure and arrival flights will be listed for a round-trip itinerary. You'll need to select which flight you want to change (you can opt to change both flights).

Once you select your new flight, you'll see your new and old fares on the right-hand side. You'll also see the difference in price that you'll be charged (or refunded). From there, you can pick your new seats and add on any extras — as you normally would with booking a new flight.

Repricing a JetBlue flight

Since there's no fee to change or cancel a flight with most fares (except Blue Basic fares), if your upcoming reservation happens to go down in price — paid or points — you can usually reprice your flight at no cost. It used to be that this option was only available for Mosaic members, but now everyone is eligible to keep an eye on their flight and get the best price possible.

To do this, you'll need to cancel your flight and then rebook. Unfortunately, you can't simply 'change' your flight to the same flight you originally booked. You'll ultimately end up with the difference in the fare cost back into your account — either in points or travel credits, depending on how you booked. JetBlue representatives can no longer reprice the fare for you on the back end (like they used to be able to do) to keep your reservation number intact.

Even if you booked a Blue Basic fare, it still might make sense to cancel and rebook if the price difference is over $100 or $200 (depending on where you are traveling).

Related: Save big by catching hotel and airline price drops

Bottom line

Fortunately, changing and canceling a JetBlue flight is incredibly easy with JetBlue's cancellation policies. As long as you don't book a Blue Basic fare, you can change or cancel your flight with no fee. However, if you're certain of your plans, booking a Blue Basic fare might make sense.

While JetBlue's refund policy requires you to receive a credit back into your Travel Bank — for non-refundable paid reservations or the taxes and fees on award bookings — using your credits is incredibly easy. Even if you have no plans to fly within the next 12 months, you can easily use the credits on a friend or family member's reservation to ensure the credits do not go unused.

Even so, if you have a very expensive flight you are looking to book and there's a decent chance you'll have to cancel, purchasing the add-on "refundable" option may make sense.