Change or Cancel

Cancel or Refund Your Flight


If your travel plans change, you may cancel your ticket for a refund or an eCredit depending on your ticket type and circumstances for cancellation. Cancel your trip or learn more about Delta’s cancellation and refund policies below.

Cancellation and Refund Options


Review step-by-step guidance to help you cancel your trip and request a refund or eCredit based on your ticket type and situation below.

A cancellation fee will apply in most cases, unless you’ve purchased a refundable ticket type or are experiencing a significant schedule change or delay or a flight cancellation. Tickets not changed or canceled prior to departure will have no remaining value.

If your plans change and you booked a non-refundable ticket, you can cancel your ticket for an eCredit minus any applicable cancellation fees. Please be sure to cancel your flight prior to departure. Non-refundable tickets not changed or canceled prior to departure will have no remaining value.

How to Cancel a Non-Refundable Ticket

  1. Visit My Trips on delta.com and select "Need to Cancel?"  
  2. Choose "Start Flight Cancellation"
  3. Follow the remaining steps through the cancellation process

Some ticket types don’t have cancellation fees, such as:

  • Delta Main Cabin and above for travel within the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands
  • Delta Main Cabin and above for travel originating in the US and Canada to anywhere in the world (including flights operated by joint venture and codeshare partners)
  • Basic Economy tickets are excluded

Cancellation fees will be deducted from your ticket value, and you'll receive the remainder as an eCredit. Your eCredit will expire 1 year from purchase date, unless your ticket terms state otherwise.

View applicable fees for your specific route on our Baggage & Travel Fees page.

 

If you've purchased a refundable ticket but your plans change, you can cancel before your flight for a full refund.

How to Cancel a Refundable Ticket

  1. Go to My Trips on delta.com  
  2. Select your flight 
  3. Select "Need to Cancel?" 
  4. Choose "Start Flight Cancellation"  
  5. Follow the steps to complete your cancellation

Your refund will be processed automatically to your original form of payment method.

If you've already canceled your refundable ticket or requested a refund that hasn't arrived yet, you can check your refund status for updates.

If your flight was canceled or impacted by a significant delay or significant schedule change  (departure or arrival 3 hours or more earlier or later for domestic itineraries, or 6 hours or more for international itineraries), we automatically try to rebook you.

If you’re not satisfied with your rebooked flight, you can:

  • Search for alternative flight options in Fly Delta or  My Trips, or 
  • Cancel your rebooked flight for a refund of the unflown portion of your ticket and any pre-paid seat upgrade or Preferred Seat (and checked bag fees), or an eCredit valid for 5 years from issuance

If we can’t rebook you and you take no action within 24 hours, we’ll automatically refund you to your original payment method.

Request a Refund

Other Refund or eCredit Request Reasons

Complete the Travel Resolution Form for refund or eCredit requests such as:

  • Cancellation due to a Serious Communicable Disease
  • eCredit appeals
  • Fare difference for alternative flight to accommodate wheelchair or scooter
  • Fare difference for seat downgrade

If you’ve already submitted a refund request, you can check your refund status.

Refund Restrictions

Please note, we cannot issue refunds for:

 

If your doctor advises against travel due to a Serious Communicable Disease, you may qualify for:

  • A transferable travel credit valid for 5 years, or
  • In Delta’s discretion, a refund to your original form of payment

A $100 processing fee will be deducted. We require health documentation from your attending medical professional to process your request.

If you choose not to submit a Serious Communicable Disease eCredit or refund request, but instead do not wish to travel, you can still voluntarily cancel your ticket and receive an eCredit valid for 1 year from the date of issuance minus any applicable cancellation fees.

Review Eligibility

A Serious Communicable Disease is defined as a disease that can: 

  • Cause serious health consequences (e.g., breathing problems, organ damage, neurological difficulties, or death)
  • Be easily transmitted by casual contact (e.g., by sitting next to or talking to someone, shaking hands, or touching communal surfaces)

You may be eligible to cancel if:

  • You have or might have contracted a Serious Communicable Disease, and a medical professional recommends you should not travel around others via public transit; or
  • There is a public health emergency at the origin or destination of your itinerary, and you should not travel to protect your health from a Serious Communicable Disease

How to Request an eCredit or a Refund for a Serious Communicable Disease

  1. Download the Medical Professional Attestation of Serious Communicable Disease PDF, opens in a new window
  2. Review eligibility details listed on the form
  3. Have your attending medical professional complete and sign the form
  4. Submit your completed attestation form to Delta for review

If your flight was canceled or significantly delayed by 3 hours or more because of an issue caused by Delta (within our control), please submit a reimbursement request for reasonable meal expenses or for any reasonable hotel and transportation to/from the hotel if you were inconvenienced overnight while away from your home or destination. Once submitted, we’ll review your request, determine eligibility* and update you on the status.

Please note, we are unable to reimburse any expenses for the following:

  • Expenses incurred due to air traffic control delays
  • Expenses incurred due to weather delays 
  • Prepaid expenses 
  • Hotel expenses for stays in your home city or your destination city 
  • Alternative transportation to your final destination 
  • Lost wages 
  • Ticket costs for missed connections on other airlines 
  • Child or pet care
  • Delta Sky Club® or other lounge fees

If you need to request reimbursement for a delayed, lost or damaged bag, visit our Delayed, Lost or Damaged Bags page.

Request Reimbursement

If you’ve already submitted a reimbursement request you can check the status of your request using your last name and case number.  

*Eligibility for refund and reimbursement requests through the Refund or Reimbursement Request form are limited to residents of the US and Canada only, for flight disruptions caused by factors within Delta’s control. For residents of countries other than the US and Canada, or for flights departing from an airport within the European Union, please submit requests through our Comment and Complaint form. All terms and conditions in Section 12 of the Customer Service Plan apply to reimbursement eligibility.

As part of our Customer Commitment for customers who book direct on delta.com or the Fly Delta app, Risk-Free Cancellation means that after you’ve purchased a qualifying eTicket, you have up to 24 hours after booking to cancel it for any reason and receive a full refund with no fees.

How to Cancel Risk-Free

  1. Find Your Trip or Log In and go to My Trips 
  2. Select the trip you need to cancel 
  3. Click the "Need to Cancel?" button 
  4. Select "Start Flight Cancellation" and follow the steps 
  5. Receive a full refund, which will be automatically issued to your original form of payment

Delta will process the refund of your ticket when canceled within 24 hours of purchase, however, some banks or credit card issuers may initiate a hold of funds on your credit or debit card. We encourage you to contact your card issuer for their specific policies.

Cancel Risk-Free

 

Terms & Conditions

Cancellation requests must be made by midnight of the day after the eTicket is purchased or midnight of the departure date of the first flight, whichever comes first. Cancellation request must be made before travel commences for the first flight. Available only for eTickets purchased at the time of reservation through Delta ticket offices and airport ticket counters, Reservation Sales, or at delta.com.ket offices and airport ticket counters, Reservation Sales, or at delta.com.

If you wish to pay for your ticket with cash, you may make the reservation over the phone, which will guarantee the fare for 24 hours. Your ticket must be purchased at a Delta ticketing location by midnight of the following day, or your reservation will be canceled. Once purchased, these tickets will not be eligible for cancellation under the Risk-Free Cancellation policy.

Does not apply to travel agency tickets and bookings, paper tickets, or partially-flown reissued tickets. For SkyMiles Award Tickets, please call Delta Reservations to request cancellation.

For tickets purchased with Miles + Cash option, miles will be re-deposited, and cash will be returned in equivalent miles

Miscellaneous

Cancellation request does not need to go through the same area in which the eTicket was purchased. For example, if you purchase via Reservations, you can cancel through delta.com.

Fares, offers and rules are subject to change without notice.

No Show Policy 

We understand that plans change. If they do, please cancel or make changes in My Trips or the Fly Delta app before your flight departs to maintain the value of your ticket. Customers who do not show up for a flight without changing or canceling their reservation prior to departure will lose the value of their ticket, and we will cancel all remaining flights in the itinerary. As a reminder, Basic Economy tickets are non-changeable. Exception: If a flight cancellation or significant delay occurs and you miss your significantly delayed or rebooked flight, you may be eligible to rebook or request a refund.

Trip Protection Cancellation Policy

For a full refund of your premium, you must cancel your trip protection plan within 15 days of your plan purchase (or as determined by your state of residence) and must not have filed a claim or departed on your trip. Premiums are non-refundable after this period.


Frequently Asked Questions


The estimated processing time for eligible refund requests will vary depending on your method of payment for your ticket:

  • Credit or debit card purchases are typically processed within 7 business days and may take up to 2 billing cycles to appear on your statement
  • Purchases made with checks, cash or other forms of payment are typically processed within 20 calendar days

Cash will be refunded in the form of a check to the person named as the customer on the ticket, while other forms of payment will be refunded to the original form of payment.

Please note, international refunds may take longer due to local banking procedures.

You can check the refund status online or if you have questions about the amount refunded you can call 800-847-0578 within the US and Canada.

To request a refund for a refundable or unrestricted eTicket purchased with a credit card, call Delta Reservation Sales at 800-847-0578 within the U.S. or Canada. For all other countries, see worldwide reservations numbers to find a number in your area.

You can submit your unused flight coupons/paper tickets by mail to the Delta Passenger Refunds Department at the following addresses:

Via U.S. Postal Service
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Passenger Refunds
P.O. Box 20537
Atlanta, GA 30320-2537

Via Courier Service
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Passenger Refunds, 4th Floor
700 South Central Avenue
Hapeville, GA 30354

Yes, see ticket office locations for a list of addresses.

Even if your ticket is non-refundable, you still have options. If you cancel your trip, you can:

  • Use the full ticket value (minus any cancellation or change fees) toward future travel
  • Book new travel within 1 year of your original ticket issue date

For domestic travel, tickets must be reissued and travel completed within one year of the original ticket date, subject to any applicable waivers that may extend this expiration date.

For international travel, tickets must be reissued to the same or another international destination, and travel must begin within one year of the original ticket date, subject to any applicable waivers that may extend this expiration date.  

Exception: The death of the passenger, immediate family member, or traveling companion. In this case, you will be required to forward a copy of the death certificate to the Passenger Refunds Department mailing address.

Note: Customers who purchase Basic Economy (E booking class) will not be able to change or refund their ticket after the Risk-Free Cancellation period.