How to Get a Refund When Flight Prices Drop After Booking
You booked a flight. A week later, the same fare costs $80 less. Most travelers shrug and move on — but you don't have to. Here's how to get money back when flight prices drop after booking.
The basics: how airline rebooking works
When a flight's price drops after you've booked, you generally have two options:
- Change your existing ticket to the lower fare and receive a credit for the difference
- Cancel your original flight, get a travel credit, and rebook at the new lower price
Which option is available depends on the airline and fare class. Either way, the difference is typically refunded as a travel credit, though some airlines refund to the original payment method.
The key is knowing when the price drops. Airlines don't notify you. You have to catch it yourself — or use a tool like Slipfare to monitor it automatically.
Airline-by-airline breakdown
United Airlines
United makes it easy. If your fare drops, you can cancel and rebook the same flight online. The difference is refunded as a travel credit to your MileagePlus account. No change fees on most fare classes (Basic Economy excluded for changes, but you can still cancel within 24 hours).
American Airlines
American eliminated change fees on Main Cabin and above. If the price drops, cancel and rebook. The residual value goes to a trip credit. Basic Economy tickets are non-changeable but can be canceled within 24 hours of purchase for a full refund.
Delta Air Lines
Delta removed change fees on Main Cabin and above. Cancel and rebook to get an eCredit for the price difference. Delta also occasionally reprices tickets automatically through their app if you booked directly.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest is the most generous. No change fees ever, on any fare. If the price drops, rebook online and the difference goes back to your travel funds instantly. This works unlimited times before departure.
Alaska Airlines
No change fees on Main and First Class. Cancel and rebook for an Alaska wallet credit. Saver fares are non-changeable but are covered by the 24-hour cancellation rule.
The 24-hour rule
U.S. DOT requires airlines to let you cancel any ticket within 24 hours of purchase for a full refund, as long as the flight is at least 7 days out. This applies to all fare classes, including Basic Economy. If you just booked and notice a price drop, cancel and rebook immediately.
How to automate price monitoring
The hard part isn't rebooking — it's knowing the price dropped in the first place. Checking manually every day is tedious and easy to forget.
Slipfare automates this. Forward your booking confirmation email to track@slipfare.com and it monitors the price for you. When the fare drops, you get an alert with a direct link to rebook.
After you change or rebook your flight, just forward the new confirmation email to track@slipfare.com again. Slipfare will update your tracked fare to the new price and keep monitoring — so if it drops even further, you'll know.
It works for both cash fares (via Google Flights) and award tickets booked with miles (via seats.aero). No app to install, no forms to fill out — just forward an email.
Is it worth rebooking?
Generally yes, if the savings are meaningful to you. A $20 drop might not be worth the 5 minutes, but a $100+ drop on a domestic flight or a 20,000-mile drop on an award ticket is real money. Slipfare only alerts you when the price drops below what you paid, so you won't get noise from small fluctuations.