No-show vs cancellation: timing, fees and evidence

How is a no-show different from a cancellation?

Both begin with a booking the traveller does not use. A cancellation is an instruction given before the booking starts, telling the provider that the booking will not be used; a no-show is the absence of that instruction, so the booking is left in place and the traveller simply does not arrive.

Once a booking is cancelled, what comes back is decided by the rules attached to it rather than by the word itself. For United MileagePlus award tickets, United defers to the ticketed fare rules in force at the time and, where relevant, to the partner's rules: miles taken for an award that is cancelled or returned in line with those rules are redeposited into the member's account, subject to a service charge, and some awards are stated not to be eligible for redeposit of miles. [7] A service charge may also be imposed for each change or cancellation a member requests after an award ticket or other award has been issued. [7]

United's rules also set out what can follow when a member does not comply with published award rules for air travel: at United's discretion the member may be accommodated on a different flight than originally selected, seated in a lower class of service, denied ticketing or boarding, or subject to other action, and the member is not entitled to compensation in connection with that action. [7]

Why does the timing of a cancellation matter?

In a hotel programme the decisive deadline can be a points deadline rather than a stay date. Marriott Bonvoy's program rules say that awards redeemed before point forfeiture remain valid unless they are cancelled after the points expiration date, and that if an award is cancelled after that date while the member has not completed Qualifying Activity to extend it, the points used for the award will expire. [3] Qualifying Activity at least once every 24 months is what retains accumulated points, awards and other benefits. [3] The date of the cancellation, rather than the date of the stay, therefore decides whether those points survive under these terms. [3]

That is how a cancellation made before the relevant deadline can protect value even when cash is not coming back. Award tickets may be subject to departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other fees, charges or taxes, and the person using the award ticket is responsible for paying them [7], but the award currency itself can still be recovered: in United's rules an award cancelled or returned in line with the applicable rules has its miles redeposited, subject to a service charge [7], and accrued miles stay in the account until they are redeemed or otherwise forfeited under the programme rules, the Contract of Carriage or the fare rules. [7]

Timing runs the other way for earning. United states that neither mileage credit nor Premier Qualifying Credits are awarded for flight cancellations. [7]

What evidence do you need after a cancellation?

Where a member says credit was earned or should be adjusted, both programmes put the burden of proof on the member. United reserves the right to require proof, including copies of tickets, receipts or similar documentation verifying the transactions claimed. [7] Claims for mileage or Premier Qualifying Credits, with that proof, must reach United within twelve months after the date the credit was claimed to have been earned, and certain partners may operate different retro-credit claim periods. [7]

Marriott Bonvoy requires missing-credit requests within one year of the applicable activity, subject to posting timelines, request channels, documentation requirements and property- or programme-specific procedures. [3] Its rules also let the company correct, adjust, cancel or reconcile points, qualifying nights, status, benefits or transactions at any time, including where a benefit was issued in error or the member was not eligible. [3]

Because both sets of rules work from dated claims and documentary proof [7] [3], the record worth keeping after any cancellation or missed booking is the same: the booking reference, the fare or rate that applied, and the date the change was made, so a later claim can be matched to the rules in force on that date.

Exceptions and limits

• Scope. This comparison explains how the two events are serviced; it does not create a right to cancel or to a refund beyond what the fare or rate rules provide, and United's rules defer to the ticketed fare rules for award tickets. [7]
• Cancelling the account is not cancelling a booking. A Marriott Bonvoy member who cancels their account can no longer earn, redeem, transfer, convert or use points and related benefits, and unredeemed points, awards, achieved elite status and lifetime elite status are forfeited immediately and may not be reinstated or transferred, except as the company expressly permits or the law requires; pending or unused awards, free night awards, nightly upgrade awards, benefits and reservations may also be affected. [3]
• Award currency has no cash value. Marriott's rules state that points and awards have no cash value and may not be sold, bartered, transferred, assigned, exchanged or purchased except as the rules expressly permit. [3]
• Programme terms can change. Marriott may change, limit, suspend or cancel awards, redemption levels and award availability, and may amend the rules themselves with or without notice, even where a change affects the value of points. [3]
• Schedule changes are handled separately. United's rules state that award travel is valid only to destinations served both when the award ticket is issued and at departure, and that neither United nor its partners are liable for schedule changes that result in cancellation of service to a destination. [7]
• Miles can be lost without any cancellation. United lists forfeiture routes that include prohibited conduct, member-requested account closure, the member's death and failure to respond to repeated communications about the status of the account. [7]

Frequently asked questions

Does a cancelled flight still earn miles?

No. United's programme rules state that neither mileage credit nor Premier Qualifying Credits are awarded for flight cancellations. [7]

Do I get my miles back if I cancel a United award ticket?

If the award is cancelled or returned in line with the programme rules and the ticketed fare rules in force, the miles taken for it are redeposited into the member's account, subject to a service charge, although some awards state that they are not eligible for redeposit. [7]

Can cancelling a hotel award cost me the points?

Under Marriott Bonvoy's program rules, an award cancelled after the points expiration date loses the points used for it where the member has not completed Qualifying Activity to extend that date. [3]

How long do I have to claim missing credit?

United requires claims for mileage or Premier Qualifying Credits to be received within twelve months after the date the credit was claimed to have been earned, with some partners using different retro-credit periods [7]; Marriott requires missing-credit requests within one year of the applicable activity. [3]

Related pages

Read next: airline no-show and missed flight policy, hotel no-show and early departure charges, and the terms no-show, no-show fee and cancellation deadline. Browse the full frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers award bookings under the Marriott Bonvoy Program Rules and United MileagePlus Rules; other hotel programmes, including Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt, and other airline programmes, including Delta SkyMiles, American Airlines AAdvantage and the British Airways Club, are not covered here.

1. Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
2. United MileagePlus Rules, checked 18 October 2026