How to cancel your Capital One Travel booking online

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If you recently applied for the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, you’re probably considering redeeming the fantastic sign-up bonus through Capital One Travel. This portal makes it easy to redeem points for flights, hotels and car rentals without blackout dates or worrying about award space. But when it’s time to cancel or change a ticket, the Capital One process isn’t as easy as if you booked airfare directly with the airline or a hotel. This is especially true if you’re covered by a travel waiver issued because of the global coronavirus outbreak.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to cancel airfare, hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel.

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First, check your carrier’s website for information

It’s important to understand your airline, hotel or rental car company’s cancellation policies before you start the process. If you’re canceling during the coronavirus outbreak, you’re likely eligible for a travel waiver that will be honored by Capital One Travel.

These waivers are issued when an airline or other travel company expects to cancel lots of reservations. More often than not, they let you change or cancel tickets for free. Any travel not covered by a travel waiver will be subject to the airline, hotel or rental car company’s standard cancellation fees.

Capital One is listing all of the major airline travel waivers on the coronavirus advisory page. Additionally, we’ve covered many of the major airline and hotel group’s coronavirus cancellation policies:

Canceling a Capital One Travel booking

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At this time, you can cancel flights booked with specific U.S. airlines that have departure dates more than five days away through the Capital One website. These airlines include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines.

To cancel a ticket online, head to the Capital One Travel website and sign in to your account. Then, head to the My Trips page, select the reservation you’d like to cancel and follow the on-screen prompts to cancel. According to the Capital One Travel website, you’ll receive a cancellation confirmation via email and Capital One will work with the airline to cancel your ticket as fast as possible.

To cancel airfare operated by another carrier or a ticket that’s set to depart in the next five days, call Capital One Travel at 844-527-6779. Note that Capital One Travel is experiencing high call volume, so you may experience long wait times when you call in.

Make sure to have a copy of your reservation and any applicable travel waivers in hand when you call Capital One Travel to cancel a trip. You can use this information to ensure that you’re being refunded the proper amount for your reservation.

Related: How to cancel your Amex Travel booking online

How will my refund be issued?

Capital One’s website notes that all refunds will be “processed based on the airline’s policy.” So the amount you’ll be refunded depends on the airline’s travel waiver and other applicable policies. In some cases, nonrefundable airfare is not eligible for a refund to the original form of payment. In this case, you will likely be issued an airline travel certificate that can be used toward a future trip.

There are some exceptions to this rule, however. For example, if you’re canceling travel within 24 hours of booking, you are entitled to a refund to your original payment form, per Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. All bookings eligible for a full refund will have said refund credited to the original form of payment (points or cash).

Make sure to ask how and when your refund will be issued while you’re on the phone with a Capital One Travel representative. This will clarify any confusion upfront and ensure that you don’t need to call back when it’s time to use your travel credit.

What if I want to change my flight instead of canceling?

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Capital One Travel’s phone representatives can help you change a reservation too. Many travel waivers issued by U.S. and international carriers are allowing free changes and cancellation. So if your waiver allows for it, you should be able to change a reservation via phone per your carrier’s travel waiver.

If you’re not covered by a waiver, you will likely be charged a change fee. This can be over $200, depending on the airline you booked with, so check your airline’s change policy for more info.

Related: Complete guide to changing and canceling award tickets

Canceling a hotel or rental car reservation

To cancel hotel and car rental reservations, navigate to the My Trips section on the Capital One Travel website and select the itinerary you’d like to cancel. Then follow the on-screen prompts to cancel.

During the coronavirus outbreak, Capital One Travel has stated that customers who are not due a refund for a hotel or car rental reservation should call to see if the cancellation fee can be waived. We recommend doing this at least 24 hours before your departure date.

Will I be refunded in points or as a statement credit?

Capital One told TPG that customers eligible for a refund will have the refund applied to their original form of payment. So if you paid with Capital One miles, your miles will be credited back to your Capital One account.

Again, please keep in mind that most flights will be refunded in the form of a flight credit. In this case, it’s not possible to receive a statement credit or points refund for canceled flights unless you’re canceling within 24 hours of booking or due to a schedule change.

Related: How to cancel or change a ticket booked through the Amex or Chase Travel Portal

Bottom line

That’s all there is to it. Capital One Travel may not be the most user-friendly when it comes to cancellations, but their staff is ready to help. Make sure to cancel your hotel and car rental bookings online and be patient if you need to call to cancel airfare.

Once you have your airline voucher or refund in your account, stay tuned to TPG and keep up on the CDC’s travel guidelines as you decide when it’s right for you to travel again. Stay safe out there!

TPG resources

Here at TPG, we want to make sure our readers are up to date on how the coronavirus outbreak is changing the travel industry. We’ve put together a series of news stories, guides and articles of advice covering what’s going on and how it impacts you. Check out our coronavirus hub page for all of our content related to the outbreak.

Don’t know where to start? Here are a few guides that might help you if you’re considering changing or canceling travel due to the coronavirus:

Featured photo by @criene via Twenty20.