Expedia charge $100 for cancel airline?

[sunnysky2k]

I should known better when I booked trip to Canada.
Airfare cost $320 but calcellation cost $100.
Anyone has experince of cancelling airline?
I have to call Expedia but anyone has better idea saving $$ instead of $100.
Thank you. Sue

[riverdees05]

Cheap tickets is $100+ USD to change tickets. That could be on top of what the airline charges. I like Southwest even more.

[camachinist]

Pretty typical change/cancel fee. UA international usually is 200.00. Residual value if cancelled before flight is usually good for a new ticket booked within a year. I don't buy tickets from online TA's but assume this is a pass-through charge. Check the fare rules on your ticket for more information.

Pat

[Timeshare Von]

NWA charges $100 and is administered the same way Pat says UA does it.

[camachinist]

Adding, if there's any remote doubt about being able to travel, be sure to print out the rate rules at the time of purchase, or better yet, take a screen shot of them which would time-stamp them.

I say this from recent experience with UA regarding an old credit where the rate desk had a very different looking fare rule than what I had (and I didn't have a time-stamped screenshot), to my detriment. It's a well-known "issue" with UA and ended up costing me a substantial amount of money. I'm still "extracting" my revenge

In such an instance, if one knows someone with GDS access who can look up old fares, it can be a godsend, as they can print out the Apollo code which the airline would be more compelled to accept under IATA rules. Of course, I didn't find out one of my wife's clients had such access until after the credit expired

Pat

[dougp26364]

Non-refundable tickets, and most of the low fare tickets are non-refundable, are just that, non-refundable. Almost every airline has a hefty change/cancelation fee and some won't even allow you to pay a fee to make a change. I once had to do some major arguing with UA to get a name changed on a ticket and that was even after I told them I'd pay the $100 change fee.

Now you can purchase refundable tickets but they're generally cost prohibitive as compared to the typical non-refundable fare.

[camachinist]

Review the rules and restrictions

* Tickets are nonrefundable.
* In addition to any penalties imposed by the airline, a processing fee of up to $30.00 per ticket will be charged by Expedia for any changes you make to the flights in this itinerary. This fee is waived for changes made online. tipMore info
* Tickets are nontransferable and name changes are not allowed.
* This price includes a nonrefundable $5.00 booking fee.
* Please read important information regarding airline liability limitations.

* Read an overview of all the rules and restrictions applicable to this fare.

* Read the complete penalty rules for changes and cancellations applicable to this fare.

1 Rules and restrictions
United
From: Fresno, CA (FAT-Fresno Air Terminal)
To: Vancouver, BC, Canada (YVR-All Airports)
(and return)
Fare Basis Code: TA14NR3

PENALTIES

CANCELLATIONS

TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
NOTE -
- A WHOLLY UNUSED NON-REFUNDABLE TICKET MAY BE
APPLIED TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF A NEW TICKET
PROVIDED NEW TICKET IS ISSUED NO LATER THAN
ONE YEAR FROM ORIGINAL TICKET ISSUE DATE.
- PASSENGER MUST CANCEL TICKETED FLIGHT
RESERVATION ON/BEFORE THE ORIGINAL TICKETED
DEPARTURE DATE OTHERWISE REBOOKING IS NOT
PERMITTED AND TICKET HAS NO VALUE.
- PASSENGERS TRAVELING ON COMPANION FARES MUST
PRESENT ALL TICKETS AT THE SAME TIME.

CHANGES

CHARGE USD 100.00/CAD 115.00 FOR REISSUE/UNTICKETED PTA.
NOTE -
ITINERARIES MAY BE REBOOKED UP TO ONE YEAR FROM
ORIGINAL TICKET ISSUE DATE PROVIDED THE PASSENGER
CANCELS THE TICKETED FLIGHT RESERVATION ON/BEFORE
TICKETED DAY OF DEPARTURE. IF NOT CANCELED
REBOOKING IS NOT PERMITTED AND TICKET HAS NO VALUE
IF MULTIPLE CHANGES ARE MADE AT THE SAME TIME ONLY
ONE CHANGE FEE WILL APPLY PER TICKET. IF FARES
WITH DIFFERENT CHANGE FEES ARE COMBINED ON THE
SAME TICKET THE HIGHEST FEE OF ALL CHANGED FARE
COMPONENTS WILL APPLY.
TICKETS MUST BE REISSUED WHEN ANY VOLUNTARY CHANGE
IS MADE.
-------------------------------------------------
GUARANTEED AIR FARE
IF A DECREASE IN FARE AMOUNT OCCURS AFTER THE
TICKET IS PURCHASED AND PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF
TRAVEL OR A NEW FARE FOR WHICH THE PASSENGER
QUALIFIES BECOMES EFFECTIVE THE DIFFERENCE IN FARE
WILL BE CREDITED/REFUNDED PROVIDED-
1. THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO ORIGIN/DESTINATION/STOP
OVER POINTS/FLIGHTS/DATES.
2. ALL PROVISIONS OF THE NEW/REDUCED FARE MUST BE
MET.
3. THE ORIGINAL TICKET DATE OF ISSUE MAY NOT BE
USED TO SATISFY THE ADVANCE RESERVATION AND
TICKETING REQUIREMENTS.
4. THE BOOKING CODE OF THE NEW/REDUCED FARE MAY
DIFFER FROM THE BOOKING CODE ON THE ORIGINAL
TICKET.
THE PASSENGER MAY CHOOSE FROM THE FOLLOWING
OPTIONS-
1. REFUND TO THE ORIGINAL FORM OF PAYMENT MINUS
A 100.00 USD /115.00CAD SERVICE CHARGE.
2. REFUND THE DIFFERENCE IN FARES WITHOUT A
SERVICE CHARGE TO A NON-REFUNDABLE UNITED MCO
WHICH CAN BE USED TOWARD FUTURE TRAVEL. THE UA
MCO MUST BE EXCHANGED FOR A UA TICKET WITHIN
ONE YEAR OF THE MCO ISSUE DATE.

Does this look familiar to the OP?

Very typical of what I see at Expedia. I just used a typical flight I might take as an example...


Edited to emphasize that Expedia does not charge a fee for cancelling, if done online. Further, the 100.00 fee does not apply unless one chooses to re-book within the proscribed parameters. One will just lose the value of the purchased ticket. Hence, always cancel before the reservation zero's out (meaning day of travel) even if not contemplating any future change/use. Airline policies differ, as do different fare codes, but this is a good rule of thumb. Another strategy is to watch for schedule changes and cancel without penalty (and get a refund). Takes a bit more work though.

Pat

[Cathyb]

Isn't it true that you can get the 'cost' on a site like Expedia then go to that airline's website and find the same thing minus the 'fee' imposed and book it there?

[camachinist]

Sometimes, Expedia (and other TA tix) book into buckets the airline doesn't sell publicly.

That said, I've always bought my tickets at the airline web site (or over the phone). As an airline elite, it's just a more seamless process. The (online) T/A's don't have access to premium seating nor an interface with the upgrade processes.

Pat