See if you’ve heard this one before: Americans are worried about how a global pandemic will impact travel plans, so they are feverishly looking into cancellation policies at major airlines and hotel chains.
See: How Travel Cancellation Policies Are Changing With the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Explore: 10 Smart Things To Do With Your Canceled Vacation Budget
In another case of déjà vu all over again, that’s what’s happening now as the Delta variant continues its spread and threatens to wreak havoc on travel plans in much the same way that the original coronavirus did last year.
The Delta variant has already rattled consumer confidence in the United States. The University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index for early August fell by 13.5% from July to a level that was just below the April 2020 low of 71.8. When consumer confidence falls that sharply, it usually means Americans are having second thoughts about spending money — and worried whether the money they’ve already spent booking plane and hotel reservations will be returned in the event their travel plans get canceled.
The U.S. hasn’t announced plans to return to widespread lockdowns, at least as of yet. Still, you might be reconsidering your own upcoming travel plans.
More: Unexpected Travel Costs To Consider in Advance
The best policy is to contact your airline, hotel or cruise operator directly — and the sooner the better. However, here’s a quick primer on current cancellation policies at major carriers and hotels, as further detailed on travel site The Points Guy:
American Airlines
American Airlines is no longer charging fees to change or cancel domestic U.S. flights, short-haul international flights or select long-haul international flights. You’ll only have to pay the fare difference when changing flights. There is one exception, though: basic economy fares bought on or after April 1, 2021 for travel originating in the U.S. cannot be changed or canceled unless a…