Booking flights during COVID can be tricky. Many travelers are on the fence about whether or not to take that trip and are paying extra attention to the various airlines’ cancellation policies.

Budget airlines, like Spirit Airlines, often have a bad reputation of nickel and dining their customers on things like checked bags and change fees. Canceling or modifying a flight can be a trying experience, which is why it is helpful to have a good understanding of how to cancel a flight on Spirit Airlines before you make your reservation. This way, you will be fully prepared if your plans suddenly change. 

Spirit Airlines COVID cancellation policies

In response to COVID, if you need to cancel your flight, Spirit Airlines is offering a credit equal to the full purchase price of your ticket for flights booked before February 28, 2021. They are also waiving change and cancellation fees. These changes can be made up to an hour before your flight is scheduled to depart, which should give confidence to those who are concerned that they might need to cancel at the last minute. Rest assured, if you do, you’ll still be able to apply the full value of your ticket to future travel on Spirit Airlines. 

Spirit Airlines 24-hour cancellation policy

Spirit Airlines’ standard cancellation policy is similar to many other airlines that you may already be familiar with. Regardless of the fare ticket type you’ve purchased, you have 24 hours to cancel a flight on Spirit Airlines without incurring any cancellation fees. During this window, Spirit will refund the full purchase of your fare as long as the flight that you purchased is more than seven days out from the departure date.

Spirit change policies by ticket type

Let’s say you’ve booked a flight to Tucson to see your aunt, but she’s suddenly unable to host you. Luckily, your friend in San Francisco has the weekend free, all you need to do is update your itinerary. If you are outside of the 24-hour window and wish to modify your ticket, Spirit Airlines has different change policies depending on the ticket type that you purchased.

Standard ticket

Much like the cancellation policy, if you’d like to make a change to your existing reservation you will need to pay the fee that ranges from $90 to $100 (depending on how and where you make these changes). You’ll also be responsible for paying the difference if your new fare is more expensive than the original one. 

Flight flex

The “flight flex” ticket is kind of flexible, but does not allow you to make unlimited changes, so that is important to point out. Adding flight flex to your ticket allows you to make one change to your itinerary without any fees. The nice thing about this option is that you can make changes up to 24 hours before your departure. If you want a little extra protection and flexibility, this might be a good option to consider. 

Award ticket

It costs a flat $110 to change a ticket that was booked with award miles if you’re outside of the 24-hour booking window. You will also need to pay any difference in fare. 

Spirit cancellation policies by ticket type

In the event that you need to cancel a flight, here is the breakdown of how that works and the associated fees for each class of ticket that Spirit offers. 

Standard

If looking to cancel a standard fare and you purchased the ticket more than 24 hour hours ago you’ll need to pay a cancellation fee. When you cancel a flight online through the Spirit Airlines website, the fee is $90. If you call customer support or go to the airport service counter to cancel your flight, the fee is $100. After the cancellation fee is deducted from the fare that you paid, the remainder of the balance will be issued as a credit that you can use toward future travel on Spirit. This credit must be used by the person who booked the ticket and can not be transferred to someone else. 

Flight flex

Although you can modify a flight flex ticket, cancellations still fall under the same category as Standard tickets. You can cancel a flight, pay a fee, and use the remainder of your fare towards future travel. 

Award ticket

For tickets that you have booked with your Spirit awards miles, the cancellation fee is $110 (unless you cancel within the first 24 hours of booking your reservation). Once you cancel your flight and pay the associated fee, the miles will be deposited back into your account so that you can use them when booking a future flight. You’ll need to call Spirit’s customer service line to cancel a flight that was booked with award miles, this can’t be done online. 

How to change or cancel your Spirit Airlines flight

Changing or canceling a flight on Spirit Airlines is really straightforward and can be done online at any time. In order to change or cancel a flight, follow these steps: 

Step 1

Go to “My Trips” on the homepage of the Spirit Airlines website and enter your last name and flight confirmation code. Once you enter this information, you should see your flight details. 

Step 2

On your flight summary page, select the flight that you want to modify and proceed through the prompts to change or cancel your reservation. Depending on when you are modifying your reservation, you will have the option to receive a refund or a credit towards a future travel reservation. 

Step 3

Once you make these changes, you will see a final page that shows you the total amount of money that you will be credited or refunded and any fees that have been deducted from this amount. 

If you are unable to access your trips online or feel more comfortable speaking with someone, you can call Spirit Airlines’ customer service directly at 855-728-3555. You can also cancel or change a flight when you are at the airport by speaking with a Spirit Airlines Guest Services Agent. 

Bottom line

At a time when plans can change quickly, it’s important to understand your airline’s cancellation policy. Spirit Airlines is attempting to address their customer’s concerns about flexible travel by offering a straightforward process to change or cancel a flight in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But once this COVID response policy expires, it’s back to normal with Spirit’s relatively strict cancellation and change policy. 

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