# Alaska ends fare-drop credits and requires cancel-and-rebook

_Oct 9 12:04_

Tags: Alaska Airlines, policy change, airline, service policy change

Type: Program change

## Summary

Alaska Airlines stopped issuing a credit when fares drop and now tells customers with main and first class tickets to cancel and book again, a change View from the Wing dates to October 7. The $125 change fee on those tickets was dropped in 2020, which let passengers lock in a ticket and still recapture a later drop. Saver fares were already excluded.

A reader who called about a cheaper Kauai trip learned the prior reprice process had ended the day before. Wallet funds could not be applied to a Companion Fare after the cancel. A second call produced a refund to the original form of payment. Seat fees land in Wallet, but Wallet cannot buy those seats on the new ticket. A Companion Fare code that expired after the original booking can be lost, and seats may be gone once the reservation is canceled.

American still allows eligible tickets to be changed or repriced, with leftover value kept as credit. Confirm Wallet will cover the new ticket, including any Companion Fare or paid seat, before canceling an Alaska booking to recapture a drop, or request a refund to the original card.

## Key facts

- **Starts**: Oct 7, 2026
- **Numbers**:
  - 125 USD: former change fee dropped in 2020 for non-Saver tickets
- **Who qualifies**: Main and first class tickets; Saver fares were already excluded from no-change-fee treatment
- **Takeaway**: Before canceling an Alaska ticket to recapture a lower fare, confirm Wallet can pay for the new booking—especially Companion Fares and paid seats—or ask for a refund to the original card.

## Sources cited

- [View from the Wing](https://viewfromthewing.com/alaska-airlines-now-makes-you-cancel-and-rebook-to-get-a-lower-fare-but-may-not-let-you-pay-with-your-credit) — Alaska Airlines Now Makes You Cancel And Rebook To Get A Lower Fare—But May Not Let You Pay With Your Credit

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