Want to bail on your eclipse trip? Here's what to know about your refund prospects.

Zach Wichter and Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY
Updated ·9 min read

If you planned a trip to see the eclipse next week and are realizing the weather forecast might not be in your favor, you may be considering canceling your excursion and saving that money for some other adventure down the road.

Unfortunately, depending on when and how you booked, you may not be eligible for a refund.

Airlines, hotels and other travel companies sometimes have restrictive cancellation policies that limit the refunds you’re entitled to. Here’s what you need to know before pulling the plug:

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What happens if I have to cancel my flight to see the eclipse?

◾ American Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights. New travel must begin no more than one year from the original trip date. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket. Visit the airline's website to see the full terms. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online or app-based chat feature or email form, or by calling 800-433-7300.

◾ Delta Air Lines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, which is valid for one year from the date of issue. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket. Visit the airline's website to see the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online or app-based chat feature or email form, or by calling 800-221-1212.

◾ United Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, which is valid for one year from the date of issue. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket. Visit the airline's website to see the full terms. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online or app-based chat feature or email form, or by calling 800-864-8331.

◾ Southwest Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights. Flight credits on Southwest don’t expire, and the airline doesn’t charge change or cancellation fees. See the full terms on Southwest’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or contact customer service at 800-435-9792.

◾ JetBlue: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights. New travel must be booked more than one year from the original trip date. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket, or if you make changes over the phone rather than online. See the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service via online chat, iMessage, Google Business, or Whatsapp, or by calling 800-538-2583. JetBlue charges $50 per ticket per person when an agent handles itinerary changes, rather than passengers using self-service options.

◾ Alaska Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights for main cabin or first class fares. The credit will be valid for 12 months from the original issue date of the ticket. Saver fares are only eligible for 50% credit of the original ticket value. See the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, or by calling 800-252-7522.

◾ Spirit Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee that ranges from $0 to $119 per person, depending on how far out your flight is. New travel must be booked no more than 90 days from the date of the credit being issued. See the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, by texting 48763, messaging 855-728-3555 on WhatsApp, or calling that number on the phone. Spirit may charge a fee for customer service assistance.

◾ Frontier Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking unless you purchased a refundability add-on. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee that ranges from $0 to $99 per passenger per segment, depending on how far out your flight is. New travel must be booked no more than 90 days from the date of the credit being issued. See the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, by messaging the carrier on WhatsApp at 720-902-3969, or by sending an email through the online customer service form. Frontier may charge a fee for customer service assistance.

◾ Allegiant Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking unless you purchased a refundability add-on. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee of $25 per person per segment and any other related carrier charges and booking fees. New travel must be completed within one year of the date of the initial reservation. See the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, by texting the carrier at 866-432-6165, or by sending an email through the online customer service form. Allegiant may charge a fee for customer service assistance.

◾ Sun Country: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking unless you purchased a refundability add-on. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee that ranges from $0 to $99 per person per segment, depending on how far out your flight is. New travel must be booked no more than 90 days from the date of the credit being issued. See the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by calling customer service at 651-905-2737.

How do I cancel my hotel booking for my eclipse trip?

◾ Expedia: Cancellation policies are set by the hotel, not Expedia. Thankfully, most hotels refund your entire payment if you cancel before their cancellation deadline, but some hotel rooms are nonrefundable. You can find cancellation and refund policy information on your itinerary in the app, according to Expedia Group. If you used points to pay for your booking and you’re charged a cancellation fee, that will come out of your points balance. Travelers can contact an Expedia agent at any time through its online chat feature on the website’s Help Center.

◾ KAYAK: If you booked your hotel reservations through KAYAK, you can go to your bookings page for more information on 24/7 support. Since KAYAK is a search engine and not a seller, travelers need to get in touch with their hotel directly. Travelers can contact KAYAK via the chat feature on the website’s Help Center.

◾ Hotels.com: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking. However, some bookings are completely nonrefundable. When you cancel, you won’t get any money back. Other hotels or vacation rentals may charge a cancellation fee. Travelers can chat with a Hotels.com agent using the virtual chat feature on the website’s Help Center.

  • ◾ Booking.com: Cancellation policies are property-specific, meaning you might not qualify for a complete refund or face a cancellation fee. Check your confirmation email for details on the cancellation policy associated with your booking. If your booking is nonrefundable, you won't be able to cancel or modify it. Travelers can contact Booking.com’s customer service 24/7 by calling 1-888-850-3958 or logging into Booking.com and sending a message.

People observe a partial solar eclipse on a paper through a telescope in Ankara, on October 25, 2022.
People observe a partial solar eclipse on a paper through a telescope in Ankara, on October 25, 2022.

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Can I cancel my Airbnb, Vrbo on my eclipse trip?

◾ Vrbo: Cancellation policies are set by the host, and refunds are issued according to the cancellation policy, according to Expedia Group, which owns Vrbo. If you would like to cancel or make changes to your booking outside of the cancellation policy, you should contact the host directly. Travelers can contact Vrbo’s customer service by calling 1-877-202-9331.

◾ Airbnb: Cancellation policies are set by the host and based on the local time zone of the listing. You can see your confirmed reservation’s cancellation policy under reservation details. Airbnb announced an update to its Major Disruptive Events Policy, which includes natural disasters and declared public health emergencies, but not a cloudy eclipse day. If you’ve purchased insurance for your reservation, you can get your full payment reimbursed if you cancel within 10 days of booking (unless you’ve already started your trip.) Travelers can contact Airbnb’s customer service by calling 1-844-234-2500 or messaging Airbnb support via its website.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will airlines, hotels refund you if you cancel your eclipse trip?