Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is an award change fee?
Award change fee (also called an award ticket change fee or reissue fee) is the charge a frequent flyer programme applies when a member alters an award ticket that has already been issued — a different date, a different flight or a different routing — rather than cancelling the award and returning the miles. United Airlines' MileagePlus rules state that after an award ticket or other award is issued, a service charge may be imposed for each change or cancellation requested by the member. [8]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- An award change fee attaches to an award ticket that has already been issued, and United's MileagePlus rules word it as a service charge that may be imposed for each change requested. [8]
- Changing and cancelling are handled in the same charging sentence, but only cancellation triggers a redeposit of miles back into the account. [8]
- Some awards cannot have their miles redeposited at all, and those awards are meant to say so. [8]
- Award tickets can also carry departure taxes, inspection fees and passenger facility charges, which are separate from the programme's service charge and fall on the traveller. [8] [9]
What does an award change fee cover?
An award ticket is a ticket paid for with miles instead of cash, and once it has been issued it behaves like a ticket: it carries terms, an operating carrier and a fare basis. A change fee is the programme's charge for a voluntary alteration after that point. It is distinct from the miles themselves, because an alteration can also move the mileage price of the award, so the total cost of a change is the charge plus any difference in miles, cash or co-pays.
United Airlines' MileagePlus programme states the principle directly in its programme rules: after an award ticket or other award is issued, a service charge may be imposed for each change or cancellation requested by the member. [8] Three details follow from that wording. The charge is expressed per request, so a member who alters the same ticket more than once meets the rule more than once. The verb is "may", which leaves the charge discretionary rather than automatic, and United states separately that it has the sole right to interpret and apply its rules. [8] And changes and cancellations sit in the same sentence, so one charging rule governs both even though the outcome for the miles is different.
That rule also sits inside a set of terms United can adjust. United reserves the right to withdraw, limit, modify or cancel any award, and to increase the mileage, cash required, applicable co-pays or number of certificates required for any award, with or without notice, even where the changes affect the value of benefits already accumulated. [8]
How does it differ from a cancellation or redeposit fee?
The charges that get confused here are not the same event. A change fee is charged for altering a ticket that survives the transaction. A cancellation or redeposit charge is charged for ending the award and putting the miles back into the member's account. A close-in fee is tied to the timing of the original booking — an award booked inside a defined window before departure — rather than to anything done to the ticket afterwards.
In MileagePlus the split is explicit. When an award is redeemed and then cancelled or returned in line with the programme's rules and/or the ticketed fare rules in force at that time — or, where applicable, the partner's rules — the miles taken for the award are redeposited into the member's account, subject to a service charge. [8] The rules add that some awards may not be eligible for redeposit of miles and will state so. [8] Where redeposit is unavailable, cancelling is not simply a more expensive version of changing: the miles do not come back.
| Charge | What triggers it | MileagePlus treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Change service charge | Altering an award ticket that has already been issued | A service charge may be imposed for each change requested by the member [8] |
| Cancellation and redeposit charge | Cancelling the award and returning the miles | Miles are redeposited subject to a service charge; some awards are not eligible for redeposit [8] |
| Taxes and airport charges | Travel on the award ticket | Departure taxes, inspection fees and passenger facility charges are payable by the person using the ticket [8] [9] |
Non-air awards add another layer: their redemption is subject to the additional terms attached to that award, including any terms set by the partner providing it. [8]
Why can the same itinerary produce different charges?
The charge is not a single number fixed to a route. United's rules state that MileagePlus award tickets may be subject to the taxes, fees, tariffs, Contract of Carriage, ticket terms and re-accommodation policies of the carrier on which travel is scheduled. [8] Two award itineraries that look alike in a search result can therefore sit under different operating carriers and different ticket terms, and those terms stay with the ticket when it is changed.
Timing matters as well. The redeposit wording points to the ticketed fare rules in force at the time of the cancellation or return, so the terms that apply when the member acts govern the transaction, not necessarily the terms in force when the award was first booked. [8] United also reserves the right to change its programme rules, awards and special offers at any time and without notice. [8]
Finally, the service charge is only one of the amounts that can move. Award tickets may attract applicable 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. [8] United's 2026 MileagePlus Premier Status Match Challenge terms state the same point from the member's side: taxes and fees related to award travel are the responsibility of the member. [9]
Exceptions and limits
- Redeposit can fail. United will not redeposit miles for redemptions made using the member's security credentials or password, and it states that it is not responsible for stolen credentials. [8]
- Breaking the award rules. If a member does not comply with published award rules for air travel, United may, at its sole discretion, accommodate them on a different flight than the one selected, seat them in a lower class of service, deny ticketing or boarding, or take other action, and the member is not entitled to compensation in connection with it. [8]
- Destination validity. Awards for travel are valid only to destinations served both when the award ticket is issued and when the member departs, and neither United nor its partners is liable for schedule changes that result in the cancellation of service to a destination. [8]
- Availability is not guaranteed. United may withdraw an award, impose restrictions on an award or its redemption, or prohibit award redemption for any member at its discretion or where the law requires. [8]
- Scope of this page. The rules described here are United Airlines MileagePlus rules for awards issued through that programme; they do not describe how other programmes treat changes to award tickets.
Frequently asked questions
Does it cost anything to change an award ticket?
With United Airlines, the MileagePlus rules say a service charge may be imposed for each change requested after an award ticket or other award has been issued. [8]
What happens to my miles if I cancel instead of changing?
If the award is cancelled or returned under the programme's rules and the ticketed fare rules in force at that time, the miles are redeposited subject to a service charge — unless the award is one that the rules list as not eligible for redeposit, in which case the miles are not returned. [8]
Do I still pay taxes and fees when I change an award ticket?
Award tickets may be subject to departure taxes, federal inspection fees, passenger facility charges and other charges, and the person using the ticket is responsible for them; United's 2026 status match terms put taxes and fees related to award travel on the member. [8] [9]
Why was my change charged differently from someone on the same route?
Because the applicable terms follow the ticket: award tickets may be subject to the ticket terms and re-accommodation policies of the carrier on which travel is scheduled, and non-air awards carry their provider's terms. [8] United also reserves the right to change its rules and awards, with or without notice. [8]
Can United refuse to change an award ticket?
United reserves the right to withdraw, limit, modify or cancel any award and to prohibit redemption for any member at its discretion. [8] Where a member does not comply with published award rules, United may also accommodate them on a different flight or deny boarding without compensation. [8]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. This page covers United Airlines' MileagePlus programme; other programmes, including American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, Air Canada Aeroplan and the British Airways Club, are not covered here and may treat changes to award tickets differently.
- United MileagePlus program rules, checked 18 October 2026
- MileagePlus Premier Status Match Challenge terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026