Expedia’s Cancellation Policies

ExpediaTravel Booking

By Corbin HartwickUpdated on March 14, 2022

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Expedia’s cancellation policies are a little bit different for each of the types of vacation services it provides. Generally, though, you will either need to sign in to your account (assuming that you have one) or call their customer service department directly in order to change or cancel a booking.

You may also want or need to call the travel service company directly, which we can teach you all about in our tutorial on how to contact Expedia customer service. You will also generally need an account to get a refund or travel credit on anything you change or cancel.

Expedia flight cancellations

In order to cancel a flight that you’ve booked with Expedia:

  1. Enter www.expedia.com into your web browser to visit the website.
  2. Sign in to your account.
  3. Click on the My Trips menu item.
  4. Click on the itinerary to select the item that contains the flight reservation that you wish to cancel.
  5. Click Manage Booking.
  6. Click Cancel Flight.

In order to change a flight that you’ve already booked with Expedia, contact its customer service department at 1-800-551-2534. You may also want to contact the airline directly, or contact its customer service department anyway.

Here are some notes to keep in mind when changing or cancelling an flight:

  • Generally, you can cancel a flight booked through Expedia within 24 hours for a full refund.
  • Generally, changing a flight will result in you being charged fees by the airline. There may also be other rules or restrictions, such as having to book the new flight with the same primary passenger on the same airline, and paying the difference in ticket costs, if the new ticket is more expensive than the old one.
  • Certain flights aren’t subject to refunds. Read the rules and restrictions as part of your itinerary to find out if yours is or not.
  • Even if a flight isn’t subject to a refund, you may be able to cancel it and still receive credit for a future flight from the airline. The earlier you act, the greater the chance that this might happen for you.
  • There are certain smaller airlines that you will need to contact directly if you wish to cancel flights.

Hotel cancellations on Expedia

In order to cancel a hotel booking made through Expedia:

  1. Visit www.expedia.com in your web browser of choice.
  2. Sign in to your account.
  3. Click on the My Trips menu item.
  4. Click on the travel itinerary you already booked which contains the hotel booking you wish to cancel, in order to select it.
  5. Click on Manage Booking.
  6. Click Cancel Room.

In order to change a hotel booking made through Expedia:

  1. Log into your account.
  2. Click on My Trips.
  3. Click on the itinerary that contains the hotel booking you wish to change, to select it.
  4. Click on Manage Booking.
  5. Click Edit next to any change you wish to make, and then make it.

You may also want to contact its customer service department at 1-800-551-2534, or contact the hotel directly. If you need more information, here some tips on cancelling or changing a hotel booking:

  • In most cases, whether or not you can get a refund for a cancelled hotel room depends on the rules and restrictions of the hotel, both in general and in relation to your specific room or type of room. These can be found at the bottom of your itinerary.
  • “Unpublished Rate” hotel rooms can never be changed or cancelled.
  • Though Expedia will not charge you any money for changing or cancelling a hotel room, the hotel itself may do so, in accordance with its own rules and restrictions. For example, many hotels charge a fee for changing or cancelling your booking within 48 hours of check-in. Acting early can help you avoid these kinds of “gotcha” fees.
  • While most things about a hotel room can be changed free of charge, certain changes, including to the room type, number of guests, and check-in or check-out dates may result in the hotel charging you change fees.
  • If changes are not available for a hotel room, you must cancel your booking and re-book it.

Expedia rental car cancellations

In order to cancel a rental car reservation that you’ve already booked:

  1. Visit www.expedia.com.
  2. Log in to your account.
  3. Click on My Trips.
  4. Click on the itinerary that contains the rental car reservation that you wish to cancel, to select it.
  5. Click Manage Booking.
  6. Click Cancel this Car.
  7. Review the verification notice you will receive on the next page to confirm.

You may also want to contact Expedia’s customer service department at-1-800-551-2534, or contact the rental car company directly. When cancelling a rental car reservation, keep in mind:

  • Most rental car reservations can be cancelled at any time without any sort of penalty.
  • You cannot change a rental car reservation after you book it, but you can cancel it and book a new reservation.

Cancelling a cruise on Expedia

In order to cancel a cruise booked with Expedia, you will need to contact their cruise division. They can be reached at 1-888-249-3978. You may also want to contact the specific cruise line that you’re booked with directly.

When you want to cancel a cruise booking, consider the following:

  • Most rules and restrictions for cancelling a cruise depend on the specific cruise line that you’re booked with. Read their policies for more information.
  • Generally, you can cancel a cruise reservation, without penalty, if you do so at least 91 days before you leave.
  • If you cancel a cruise within the 90-day period before you leave, you may be charged cancellation fees. These fees generally increase as you get closer to your departure date, so act early to avoid taking too big a hit to your bank account!

Cancelling your Expedia vacation

In order to cancel an entire vacation package, you will need to contact the customer service department directly at 1-800-551-2534. For cancelling or changing individual parts of your vacation, see the sections above.

If you’re cancelling a package, keep these tips in mind:

  • Though Expedia won’t charge you money to cancel a hotel, rental car, or activity as part of a vacation package, the companies that provide these services may charge you fees to change or cancel them, as per their rules and restrictions (which you can read in your itinerary). These fees are applied on a per-item basis, rather than on the whole general itinerary, so keep that in mind.
  • Though you won’t be charged any money to change or cancel a flight as part of a vacation package, the airline may charge you a fee to change it. This may apply if you use airline credit received from cancelling a non-refundable flight to book a new flight for the same primary passenger on the same airline (though you can change the dates, times, and departure/arrival locations).

Expedia Cancellation Insurance

There are certain travel protection plans sold by Expedia that can help you cover the fees associated with changing or cancelling your trip (or parts of it). Of course, these plans are subject to their own rules and regulations, so be sure to read those before you decide whether or not you want to purchase one of these plans. See our article on Expedia travel insurance for more information.

And that’s about all we can tell you about how to cancel or change bookings you’ve made with Expedia.