No, You Don't Have to Pay Delta Change Fees - Here's How

Many of us make airline reservations well in advance. Perhaps you wish to fly somewhere for a holiday or a summer vacation months away. Yet John Lennon's popular saying may impact your travel arrangements: "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." What if you need to switch to another date or cancel altogether?

Sadly, most airlines in these cases – or prohibit changes completely.

You may attempt to appeal these charges on your own, but DoNotPay offers a quick, simple way to handle the details for you.

How Much Does Delta Charge for Changing Flight?

generally penalizes ticket holders by charging a fee when they change flights.

Change Ticket Reservation Within 24 Hours of Ticket Purchase

In this case, Delta will not charge a fee to modify your flight plans. Regardless of the ticket type, you will only have to pay if your newer ticket costs more than the price of the original flight.

Modify Flight Reservation After 24 Hours From Ticket Purchase

For any qualifying eTicket that originates in the United States:

Basic Economy Ticket	Not Permitted
Non-refundable Ticket	Change fee ranging from $0 to $500 plus any price difference
Refundable/Flex Ticket	Charge only for any price difference

Change Flight Reservation Within 24 Hours of Flight Departure

Basic Economy Ticket	Not Permitted
Non-refundable Ticket	Starting at $75 when available
Refundable/Flex Ticket	Starting at $75 when available

How to Change Flights?

Search your email for "Your Flight Receipt"
Locate the confirmation number near the top of the email, below the Delta logo
Visit My Trips  and locate your trip using your name and confirmation number (or using your credit/debit card number or ticket number from your Flight Receipt email)
Once you have located your trip on the Trip Details page, click "Modify Flight"

What if You Need to Cancel Your Trip?

Delta ticket cancellation usually results in :

Cancel Ticket Reservation Within 24 Hours of Ticket Purchase

Should you cancel within this timeframe, you will not be charged a fee, regardless of the ticket type. This applies to qualifying eTickets originating in the U.S.

Cancel Ticket More Than 24 Hours After Purchase

Basic Economy Ticket	You will receive the remaining value of your ticket minus a fee ranging between $99 and $199. A refund will be issued as an eCredit.
Non-refundable Ticket	You will be issued the remaining value of your ticket minus a fee ranging between $0 and $500. A refund will be issued as an eCredit.
Refundable/Flex Ticket	Full refund

Cancel Within 24 Hours of Flight Departure

Basic Economy Ticket	You will be given the remaining value of your ticket minus a fee ranging between $99 and $199. A refund will be issued as an eCredit.
Non-refundable Ticket	Remaining value of your ticket will be issued to you minus a fee ranging between $0 and $500. A refund will be issued as an eCredit.
Refundable/Flex Ticket	Full refund

To Cancel a Delta Flight:

Visit Find Your Trip
Or Log In and click My Trips
Choose the trip you need to cancel
Select 'Cancel Flight' and follow the steps listed
Receive a full refund, which will be automatically issued to your original form of payment

How to Fight These Fees on Your Own

Look for Schedule Changes

There are times when an airline modifies its flight schedule, particularly if the flight is scheduled several months after you have purchased your ticket. You might get a reduced or waived fee if you work this situation to your advantage.

You likely will not have luck if the change only inconveniences you by 15 minutes unless you can prove it's a serious impediment to your plans. Changes of an hour or more may give you more leverage.

Consider a Same-Day Change

If you decide to make a change within 24 hours of your departure time, starting at $75. This may save you money compared to other flight change fees. A same-day modification may allow you to catch some extra sleep or squeeze in the extra family visiting time.

Basic Economy and international fares do not qualify for same-day changes.

Bereavement Fare Policy

Delta does provide flexibility when dealing with a death in your immediate family. To waive service fees and obtain cheaper fares for bereavement reasons:

Call 800-221-1212 for domestic flights or 800-241-4141 for international flights
Explain your situation
Be prepared to provide documentation

How Can You Appeal Delta Change Fees in Some Simpler Way?

Waiving airline fees can be a tedious effort with many steps to follow. A handy alternative is DoNotPay. Our product can simplify the entire process, and we are confident you will find it to be:

Quick - You will not need to spend hours attempting to solve this problem
Easy - No struggling to fill out long, tedious forms or keep track of multiple steps
Successful - You may rest assured we will make the best case for you

Here’s How You Can Use DoNotPay to Appeal Fees:

Search "appeal fees" on DoNotPay, choose the Fight and Waive Fees product, and select the type of fee you want to appeal.
Select the merchant you want to appeal fees for and enter the details of your transaction, including an associated account if you have one.
Submit your case! DoNotPay will generate the best argument for your case and make sure your fee waiver request gets sent to the merchant for processing.

Take a look at these related articles for areas in which we can provide help:

DoNotPay can give you an easy, automated way to help with a wide list of problems. We offer many additional products to help simplify your life, including (but not limited to):

Our products can hand you easy, automated ways to deal with unwanted airline fees, and they can certainly help with other tedious and annoying tasks we encounter in life. Let DoNotPay help!