Etihad Miles Take Flight: How to Easily Cancel and Refund Award Tickets

Etihad Miles Take Flight: How to Easily Cancel and Refund Award Tickets - The Ins and Outs of Etihad Miles Refund Process

Cancelling an award ticket booked with Etihad Guest miles can seem daunting, but the process is actually quite straightforward. When you cancel an award ticket, the miles will be redeposited back into your account, and any taxes and fees paid can be refunded to your original form of payment. Here's what you need to know about getting your miles and money back after cancellation:

The first step is to cancel your award ticket through the Etihad Guest contact centre. You can reach them online, on the phone, or via social media. The agents can cancel the booking and initiate the refund process right away. Make sure to have your reservation details on hand.

Once cancelled, the miles will be returned to your Etihad Guest account automatically. The timeframe varies, but is usually within 48 hours. You'll see the miles back in your account ready to be used on your next booking. One thing to note is that if you booked a one-way award, the miles will be redeposited based on the one-way cost, not roundtrip.

Getting refunded for taxes and fees takes a little longer, but Etihad is fairly quick about processing refunds. You can expect the money back in your account within 4 weeks in most cases. The refund will go back to the original form of payment used to book the ticket. So if you paid with a credit card, the money will credit back to that same card.

Etihad does not charge change or cancellation fees on award tickets, as long as you cancel more than 2 hours before departure. This provides great flexibility if your plans change. You can even make changes like adjusting your flight dates or routing without fees on award tickets. The miles and money will be redeposited if you make a change that results in a lower amount due.

The key is giving yourself enough lead time before departure. Cancelling within 2 hours of departure results in the miles being forfeited. So avoid waiting until the last minute if you need to cancel an Etihad award ticket.