One of the best benefits of being a Delta Platinum Medallion member is the ability to cancel award and redeposit the miles for no fee. The cancellation process is simple and before you know it, your miles will be back in your account and taxes refunded to your credit card. But the process doesn’t always go as planned. With Delta’s upgrade to a new system, things can and do go wrong with award ticket redeposits from time to time.
For example, I just cancelled two Business Class awards for Mrs Weekly Flyer and I worth a total of 270,000 Delta SkyMiles. Yes, it required that many SkyMiles to go to Hawaii on our desired dates and flights. Each ticket cost a total of 135,000 Delta SkyMiles and would have taken us through LAX in Flat Bed Business Class seats on Delta’s 777 and then on to Hawaii in Delta’s domestic configured 757 in First Class. When I went to cancel the award ticket, the agent confirmed the tickets were cancelled and the miles were redeposited into my account and the fees were credited back to my credit card. But after a quick check I noticed that only 135,000 miles were put back into my account. What could have happened?
In this post we’ll share a few simple steps to help ensure your award ticket cancellation is successful. You can avoid or at least catch issues as they occur by following these simple steps. In addition, you can read Delta points advice on what to do when a schedule change occurs which you can read about here.
Simple Steps When Canceling Award Ticket
1. Always Call
I always, always call to cancel any award. Whether an airline ticket, hotel award or car reservation, I always call to cancel. I want to have it on record and the phone call gives me more assurance the process will go as planned.
2. Verify Award And Fee Redeposit
After you cancel your award, make sure you verify the miles were re-deposit into your account. With Delta, this will require you to log out of your account. Log back in to verify the miles were posted correctly. In our case, only 1/2 of the miles were put back into my account.
3. Call Back As Needed
I got off the phone after I canceled the award but before I verified the miles were put back into my account. So I called Delta back and gave them the confirmation # to inquire what happened. They were able to diagnose the issue and after a few moments the entire 270,000 SkyMiles were put back into my account. Never wait to call back if you are missing miles that are rightfully owed to you.
Bottom Line
Following a few simple steps and being diligent when you cancel an award can save you thousands of miles. Next time you are canceling an award, follow these simple steps to ensure your award cancellation goes smoothly.
Have you ever had a canceled award not get redeposited into your account? It would be great to hear what the situation was and how it got resolved?
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The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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I was told to wait a couple of days (twice) on the redeposit (after cancelling a trip and paying $150 to do so)… the redeposit never happened. Called today after your post. Got the miles deposited after five minutes from a more helpful agent. thanks for the post.
I recently cancelled two sets of trans-atlantic business class tickets; one for 100k each, and one for 130k each. I did the cancellations online, and the miles appears almost instantly back into my account. I had never even thought about calling, the online process seemed so easy. In hindsight I probably could have taken some screen shots, or print screen, so that I’d have a record in case anything went wrong.
Hi Tri – Thanks, glad I could help. With the new system it is supposed to be instant redeposit, but that appears to not always be the case. Safer to call and then verify the redeposit.
Hi Jim A – Yes the online process is slick and fast. But you never know…until your miles don’t post and you are out of luck. I go with the safe option and usually call when I’m idle during travel.
I need 8000 SPG points for my trip anyone.
Late to the party here, but thought I’d see if you can answer. Also, thanks for the advice!
If I book award travel on one reservation for Mr Kat and me(Platinum Medallion) and then cancel my portion of the ticket later, will it affect his reservation?
Hi Kat – Make sure you book the awards using the Platinum member’s account (Mrs Kat). Delta allows changes to either ticket as a Platinum member with no redeposit fees.