Booking a flight on discount carriers can save you a lot of money. But, before booking with Allegiant Air, you should understand the Allegiant cancellation policy.
Despite other airlines virtually eliminating change and cancellation fees during the pandemic, Allegiant still has very restrictive policies. Here's some helpful information to help avoid unnecessary fees.
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Allegiant refund policy
Since all of Allegiant's flights take off or arrive at an airport in the United States, the airline must offer you a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of booking and it's more than seven days before your departure.
But, outside of that, Allegiant policy does not allow for any refunds.
Related: 6 ways to improve your low-cost flight experience
Allegiant cancellation policy
You can still recover some value if you need to cancel an Allegiant flight, though. Based on the Allegiant Air cancellation policy, customers who cancel an Allegiant flight can receive a voucher to use toward a future flight. However, you must cancel more than seven days before departure and pay a fee to obtain a voucher.
Flights are normally subject to a $75 fee per segment (not per passenger) to make changes or cancellations. However, Allegiant has temporarily decreased this fee to $25 per segment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even so, you'll still incur two cancellation fees to cancel a round-trip flight on Allegiant. And the voucher you receive is only valid for travel for up to one year from your original booking date.
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Related: Allegiant announces Allways Rewards, a brand new loyalty program for leisure travelers
Avoid change and cancellation fees with Allegiant's Trip Flex
As noted above, you'll normally need to pay a change fee of up to $75 per person each way to change or cancel an Allegiant flight more than seven days before departure.
But, if you purchase Trip Flex when booking your flight, you can change or cancel your reservation once without any fees (up to one hour before departure).
Trip Flex is available as part of bundles that Allegiant sells along with your ticket, but you can also purchase it as a stand-alone option during the booking process.
Based on the typical Allegiant fare and the fee per segment to cancel, you'll want to determine whether Trip Flex makes sense for you. If you need to purchase other add-ons such as a personal item or a seat selection, then the additional cost to purchase a package with Trip Flex may be minimal.
Related: Allegiant used to love flying used planes; now it's betting big on new jets
Trip Flex allows you one free change to your trip. That means you should be able to change both segments of a round-trip flight, but you'd need to change both at the same time. Trip Flex could save you up to $150 on a round-trip flight if the airline returns to the $75 per segment price to change a flight.
One other item to be aware of is that Allegiant notes in its terms and conditions that all bundle purchases are nonrefundable. In addition, changing flights may require you to repurchase portions of your bundle.
Finally, keep in mind that the policies are different if you buy a vacation package itinerary. In particular, you'll typically need to change or cancel at least 72 hours before your scheduled departure, even if you'd purchased Trip Flex. If you change, you'll need to pay any increase in airfare, hotel and auto rental rates.
Related: Allegiant grows in Austin and Nashville with route expansion
Bottom line
The Allegiant refund policy is simple; the airline only offers refunds if you meet the requirements within 24 hours of booking. And the Allegiant cancellation policy isn't much better. The average Allegiant fare is generally under $100. So, a $75 cancellation or change fee per segment would wipe out most, if not all, of the value of your ticket.
If you think you may need to change or cancel an Allegiant flight, purchasing Trip Flex or a bundle when booking may be in your best interest. Before the pandemic, a change fee of less than $100 seemed like a deal. Now, these are some of the highest cancellation fees out there.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
