How to handle Airpoints booking changes and refunds

Service fees for bookings and changes

The Air New Zealand fee chart applies to members anywhere other than Australia, and Australian members are directed to a separate program fee chart. [1] The chart separates the fee paid through a service center from the fee paid online. [1] For Air New Zealand bookings, the service-center fee is NZD 30 per one-way journey for New Zealand domestic travel, NZD 35 for short-haul travel, and NZD 60 for international long-haul travel; booking online carries no fee. [1] Short-haul covers Tasman and Pacific services between New Zealand and Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. [1]

Change fees follow a similar pattern for Air New Zealand flights: NZD 30 for New Zealand domestic, NZD 35 for international short haul and NZD 60 for international long haul when handled through a service center, with no fee online. [1] Star Alliance and partner airline bookings are different: a change costs NZD 60 per booking through a service center and is not available online. [1] A Star Alliance Round the World ticket has no change fee, and changing it on the Star Alliance website carries no fee. [1] Change fees are charged in addition to any extra fare collection, which must be paid in cash, and the amount may vary depending on the origin of the flight or where it is collected outside New Zealand. [1]

Cancellation fees depend on the booking type. [1] Canceling an Air New Zealand New Zealand domestic or international booking follows the applicable fare rules, while canceling a Star Alliance or partner airline booking costs NZD 100 per booking and cannot be done online. [1] The chart also notes that fees may be waived depending on the terms of a particular Airpoints Direct credit card or product, for New Zealand residents only. [1]

Flexipay changes

Airpoints Flexipay lets a member pay for a booking with a combination of Airpoints and an approved debit or credit card or internet banking through Poli; a UATP Travelcard is not an eligible form of payment. [3] It is available for new flight bookings only, on all Air New Zealand marketed and operated flights and all Air New Zealand ticketed, partner-operated flights, for airfares over NZD 9 or AUD 9, depending on the booking site. [3] Airpoints must cover at least 20% and no more than 90% of the Flexipay payment, and those percentages are subject to change. [3] There is also a cost to use Flexipay, payable in Airpoints only, based on the route flown and displayed at the time of payment. [3]

A booking paid with Flexipay can be changed or canceled only through the Air New Zealand contact center, not online. [3] Passengers on the booking may earn Airpoints and Status Points at 20% of the standard earn rates that apply to Air New Zealand and partner airline bookings. [3] Airpoints for Business members cannot use their Airpoints for Business balance to pay for a Flexipay booking, and bookings for other passengers are allowed only when those passengers are listed on the Gifting Register of the person making the booking. [3]

Refunds and points reversal

Flexipay defines a ticket paid with Flexipay as an Airpoints redemption ticket. [3] If that ticket is eligible for a refund, the fare is returned to the original forms of payment: Airpoints first, then the Flexipay cost. [3] Any Airpoints and Status Points earned on the booking are also reversed. [3] The Flexipay cost itself is refundable only if the whole ticket is fully refundable, and no partial refunds of the Flexipay cost are made once travel has commenced. [3] If a product bought with Flexipay is refunded, the refund uses the same proportion of Airpoints and New Zealand dollars applied at purchase; where only part of a transaction is refunded, the same portion of the Flexipay fee is refunded, and rounding may be applied to that fee depending on the number of items in the order. [3]

For Air New Zealand fares generally, refunds are available only when the fare conditions allow it, when local legislation requires a refund for a flight canceled by the operating airline, or when the booking is canceled or delayed for reasons within Air New Zealand’s control and the case meets its Conditions of Carriage. [2] A partial refund may be granted for an unexpected critical medical emergency or a bereavement with a compassionate fare. [2] A non-refundable ticket remains non-refundable unless local law requires otherwise, and passengers who booked through a travel agent must request the refund through that agent. [2] Air New Zealand aims to complete each refund within two weeks, but says some cases require extra time. [2]

Exceptions and limits

• The fee chart applies to members outside Australia; Australian members use a separate program fee chart. [1]
• An online Airpoints account is available only to members residing in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and the Pacific Islands. [1]
• The Star Alliance Round the World change rule is the exception to the Star Alliance change fee: there is no change fee, and changing through the Star Alliance website carries no fee. [1]
• Airpoints for Business balances cannot be used for a Flexipay booking. [3]
• On a ticket, the Flexipay cost is refundable only if the whole ticket is fully refundable, and no partial Flexipay cost refund is made after travel starts. [3]

Common questions

Can I change a Flexipay booking online?

No. Changes and cancellations for Airpoints Flexipay bookings are permitted only through the Air New Zealand contact center and cannot be made online. [3]

What happens to Airpoints and Status Points when a Flexipay ticket is refunded?

Any Airpoints and Status Points earned on the booking are reversed, and the fare refund returns Airpoints first and then the Flexipay cost. [3]

Is every Air New Zealand reward cancellation refundable?

No single rule covers every fare. Air New Zealand cancellations follow the applicable fare rules, and a fare is refundable only when its conditions, local legislation or an eligible disruption require it. [1] [2]

What does it cost to change a Star Alliance booking?

A change costs NZD 60 per booking through a service center, and the change cannot be made online. [1]

Related terms

See the Frequent Flyer Encyclopedia terms index for Airpoints, redemption ticket, service fee and fare rules. [1] [2] [3]

Sources

Sources checked on 22 October 2026. This page reports no account test.

1. Air New Zealand Airpoints programme fee chart, checked 22 October 2026
2. Air New Zealand flight refunds and eligibility, checked 22 October 2026
3. Airpoints Flexipay terms and conditions, checked 22 October 2026