What to Expect When Changing a Flight

So it’s time for you to take that well deserved vacation.  You can picture it in your mind.  You’ll be sitting on a beach with a drink in your hand soon or maybe warming up to a cup of coffee with nothing planned for the day.  But, as Sonia Gil from The Huffington Post mentions, life sometimes gets in the way.

You may find out that the date just won’t work for you to fly to your paradise and it must be changed.  The article written by Gil has plenty of tips that you should know if you end up having to change your plans.

Refundable Tickets

As Gil mentions these are exactly as they sound.  If your plans don’t necessarily stand on solid ground this is the safest way to go.  The problem with refundable tickets is you have to pay for your flexibility.  Tickets like these often cost double or triple from that of a normal flight.

Non-Refundable Tickets

Once again you are getting exactly what it sounds like here.  Of course these are locked in however.  If you for some reason cannot make your flight you will get nothing back.  Change the date on the ticket and you’ll also have to pay a penalty to switch.

What happens if you need to change a Non-Refundable Ticket?

The cost rises in this situation significantly.  Keep in mind that simply for changing the ticket you will have to pay a penalty anywhere from $50 to $200, Gil states, and that is only for domestic flights.  Change an international flight and you are looking at anywhere from $200 to $400 in penalties. 

Another thing, if the ticket you are changing to is somehow more expensive, you will be paying the difference in addition to the fee.  Be sure to run the numbers in your head.  Sometimes it is cheaper to purchase a brand new ticket.

So what can you do?

While fees change here and there (and you should check before you consider changing) there are a couple of things you can do.  First, you can compare airfares.  Comparing airfares doesn’t force you to buy a refundable ticket every time to feel flexible.  There are many offers available at any given time that will allow you to change the date and avoid the fee.

Vouchers

You can always purchase a ticket voucher.  This is especially handy if you’re not 100% sure of the dates you will need to be traveling.  Vouchers only cost the difference and fee once you have finally decided to leave.