How to use points and miles to rebook after canceled flights

Let me paint the picture: You’re traveling with your mom for the weekend and on the day of departure, you wake up at 4 a.m. to read a text message that no one wants to receive from your airline: “We’re sorry your flight has been canceled.”

There I was, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago, trying to get back to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) with my mom after a weekend in the windy city. A strong storm system had moved through the night before and appeared to continue causing problems in Georgia.

I rubbed my tired eyes just to Make sure I understood it. Did my mom and I really have no way to get home?

Since I only had waiting options on Delta Air Lines all day, I changed the subject. It was time to immerse myself in transferable points balances and see what I could find.

Here’s what to do when your flight is canceled, including a guide on how to use points to return home the same day, even when your airline can’t rebook you.

How to use points and miles when your flight is canceled

In ideal situations, your airline will automatically rebook you to the next available option when your original flight is canceled.

However, when cancellations pile up, you may be left without automatic reservation change. This was the case for my mom and I when we tried to return to Atlanta on Delta from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).

Check your airline’s rebooking options

I checked the options in the app to confirm that rebooking was not an option. Everything I saw was on hold.

I didn’t feel comfortable relying on standby here, so I quickly stopped flying Delta back to ATL. I’m from South Carolina and my mom lives in North Georgia, so we met in Atlanta when we flew together.

Expand your search to nearby airports

I knew this was the type of situation where we needed to head back south, and I’m familiar enough with both Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) in South Carolina and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to be able to get us all the way to Atlanta, whether traveling with a loved one or renting a car.

Here’s my first tip: If you really need to get home, expand your flight search outside of your original airport. Consider flying to nearby cities and rent a car to get back to where you need to be. It’s not always convenient, but it’s better than getting really stuck.

Use transferable points to find last minute availability

The cash price of same-day flights can skyrocket, especially when nearby routes are cancelled. We didn’t want to shell out $600-$900 dollars per person just to get home, so points were the perfect place to turn.

This is where my transferable points They were a blessing.

The more flexible your rewards are, the more options you can unlock. I have a decent stash of American Express Membership Rewards Points, Bilt Points, Capital One miles and Chase Ultimate Rewards Pointskeeping it nice and diversified.

Book using a distance-based award table

If you know which programs use distance-based award tables instead of dynamic pricing for their award redemptions, you’ll know where to start your search when cash prices increase. My favorite shows with award tables based on location instead of price are Air Canada airplane, Atmos Rewards and British Airways Club.

This is where it is worth knowing the fixed prize tables.

I love Atmos Rewards for this purpose, as flights from ORD to ATL, GSP, or CLT were set at 4,500 points each way in economy and 9,000 points each way in first class, no matter how high the cash price goes.

But even if you don’t have this knowledge, free tools like Seats.aero They are perfect for this situation. You don’t need to be a paid subscriber to search for same-day flights on Seats.aero. You can also search for availability across multiple airports in a single search and you’ll be surprised at how many options you’ll find.

Of course, you can also limit your search on Seats.aero to programs and transfer partners that you can access.

The example above is a search performed the same day I wrote this article. But when I looked early that morning in Chicago, the only options were two first-class seats on a American Airlines flight to Greenville, booked through Oneworld partner Atmos Rewards.

I didn’t even wake up my mom to make arrangements. I acted quickly; There were only two seats left on the entire plane. I moved 18,000 Bilt points into Atmos Rewards, paid $36.20 in taxes and fees, downloaded our boarding passes, and went back to sleep knowing we would (hopefully) have a way to get home, or close to it.

Related: Why it pays to keep a reserve of emergency travel points

Book a backup flight

If you’re traveling on an unsettled day due to delays and cancellations, booking a backup flight with points is a great way to ensure you end up somewhere.

Once my mom and I arrived at ORD, we entered chaos.

Flights to Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina were still being canceled, and when our new AA flight to Greenville was delayed an hour, I started coming up with a backup Plan C to our Plan B.

in my case with Atmos rewardsI knew they would automatically refund me the full amount if I canceled my award ticket before departure time. So having two awards working for me at once gave me a better chance of getting home.

Fortunately, our plan B flight took off, albeit a little late. My mother and I were delighted to board. And as soon as I buckled up, I canceled my backup award. The Atmos Rewards points were back in my account in no time.

The most important factor here is to remember that transfers cannot be undone.

So when I moved an additional 10,000 Bilt points to Atmos Rewards for my plan C flight, I was able to request a refund from Atmos Rewards. But they couldn’t get back to Bilt. Since I love redeeming Atmos Rewards points anyway, this wasn’t a big deal for me.

However, if you’re booking a backup flight with an airline or program you don’t use frequently, know that you won’t be able to transfer it back to your transferable balance. And they will be subject to any expiration policies that the airline applies.

Related: 10 mistakes to avoid when redeeming airline points and miles

Why transferable points are better in cancellation situations

I mentioned earlier that transferable points were extremely helpful in this situation and I can’t emphasize that point enough.

I used the Bilt points earned with my Bilt Palladium Card (see rates and fees) to take me home in this situation.

If you want to increase your balance, I recommend checking out these cards that earn transferable points:

When you have the ability to transfer points or miles to multiple partner airlines, you are opening yourself up to a wide range of options.

Of course, I can’t forget to point it out. transfer times It could create some challenges when you’re in a hurry. While you can assume that most transfers are instant, there are some key outliers where delays could trip you up.

Related: Why points and transferable miles are worth more than other rewards

In a nutshell

I will never forget the look on my mother’s face when we finally boarded our plane to Greenville. She was very grateful that I took control of our stressful situation and I was glad to have the knowledge (and rewards) to get us where we needed to be.

That’s why I always recommend keeping a good reserve of transferable points and taking the time to learn about some of your favorites. transfer partners.

There’s no reason to be stuck with every partner, but having a few access options can save the day in a pinch.

Related: Flight canceled or delayed? Here’s what to do next