When booking award flights, timing is everything. Popular routes and premium cabins get booked up quickly, leaving travelers struggling to redeem miles for the flights they want. This is where award ticket holds come into play. Many airlines allow you to place award tickets on hold for 24 hours or longer while you finalize your travel plans and maybe top off your award balance.
Unfortunately, not all airlines offer this perk, and the exact hold times vary greatly. We’re here to help you navigate airline award holds and make the most of them.
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Why it’s helpful to put an award ticket on hold
Award holds can be invaluable in your travel planning strategy, allowing you more flexibility when planning trips and securing award seats. Some awards are hard to find, and if you come across them but aren’t quite sure about your travel plans, a hold can give you extra time to decide.
Award ticket holds are also a great way to secure an award if you’re waiting for a point transfer to go through. Not all point transfers are instant, so putting an award on hold ensures you won’t miss out on it while waiting for the miles to hit your account. Similarly, if you need a little more time to earn the miles needed for a flight, an award hold can provide this.
Lastly, not everyone has the freedom of a digital nomad to jet off on a whim. Most people have to make arrangements like requesting time off from work, which can take time to approve. The last thing you want is to lose out on that coveted award seat because your boss didn’t sign off on your vacation in time.
Which airlines allow award ticket holds?
Several airlines allow award ticket holds, spanning all three alliances. Most of these airlines have transfer partnerships with major rewards currencies like Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt, Capital One, Citi ThankYou, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Wells Fargo rewards. Here’s a list of these airlines that allow you to put award tickets on hold:
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Emirates Skywards
- Lufthansa Miles & More
- Singapore Krisflyer
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Complete list of airline award ticket hold policies
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Duration allowed: Up to 72 hours.
How to put a ticket on hold: Call customer service at 1-800-375-8723.
Cost: None.
Partner holds: Yes.
American Airlines AAdvantage
Duration allowed: Five days when booking 15-331 days before departure; one day when booking 1-14 days before departure; Up to 2 hours before departure when booking within 24 hours of departure.
How to put a ticket on hold: On aa.com or by calling customer service at 1-800-882-8880.
Cost: None.
Partner holds: Yes.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Duration allowed: Up to 72 hours.
How to put a ticket on hold: Call customer service at 1-833-933-2244.
Cost: $0 for Cathay Pacific flights; $39 for partner awards.
Partner holds: Yes.
Emirates Skywards
Duration allowed: Up to 24 hours.
How to put a ticket on hold: Call Skywards customer service at 1-800-777-3999.
Cost: None.
Partner holds: No.
Lufthansa Miles & More
Duration allowed: Up to five days.
How to put a ticket on hold: Call customer service at 1-800-581-6400.
Cost: $20 phone booking fee.
Partner holds: Yes, select partners.
Singapore Krisflyer
Duration allowed: Determined by a customer service agent.
How to put a ticket on hold: Call customer service at 1-833-727-0118.
Cost: $25 or 2,500 miles phone booking fee.
Partner holds: No.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Duration allowed: Up to 48 hours.
How to put a ticket on hold: Call customer service at 1-800-874-8875.
Cost: 12-500 TL phone booking fee.
Partner holds: Yes.
United MileagePlus
Duration allowed: 3-14 days.
How to put a ticket on hold: When booking online, proceed to the traveler info page and scroll down to the “Fare Lock” box.
Cost: $11.99 for three days, $17.99 for seven days, $26.99 for 14 days.
Partner holds: Fare Lock holds are not available on partner flights.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Duration allowed: Up to 48 hours.
How to put a ticket on hold: Call customer service at 1-800-862-8621.
Cost: None.
Partner holds: Yes.
How to put an award flight on hold
Several frequent flyer programs allow travelers to place award flights on hold, giving them time to finalize travel plans, secure points, or transfer miles. This generous policy gives consumers added flexibility in securing award space.
Here’s how to hold an award flight on hold, step-by-step:
Step 1: Check your airline’s award flight hold policy
Not all airlines allow award flight holds, while others have varying policies. You’ll want to familiarize yourself with your airline’s hold policy to ensure it aligns with your needs. For example, American AAdvantage allows you to hold an award for 1 day if the flight departs within the next 14 days. But if your departure date is 15 or more days out, you can hold the flight for 5 days.
Knowing the airline’s exact policy can help you plan your redemption and point transfers.
Step 2: Search and put your award ticket on hold
The obvious next step is to search for award availability for the date/flight you’re interested in. Some airlines allow you to put the award on hold during the booking process. For example, United’s Fare Lock option appears on the traveler info page. On most airlines that allow online award holds you’ll see this option right on or before the payment step.
If your airline of choice doesn’t allow online award holds, you’ll need to call customer service. Remember to call the actual loyalty program’s customer service line as opposed to the airline’s general number. This will reduce the number of steps before you’re connected to a service agent.
Have your frequent flyer number, travel dates, and flight number handy to speed up the process.
Sometimes, airlines display phantom award space, which isn’t actually bookable. The customer service agent will let you know if this is the case. It might be worth having a backup flight picked out if your first choice isn’t available.
Step 3: Set a reminder
Most programs allow you to hold an award flight for 24-72 hours, though some go as long as 14 days. The last thing you want to do is miss this cut-off and let your award hold expire. You can avoid this fate by setting a reminder on your calendar.
In fact, we recommend you set two reminders: One halfway through the hold expiration date and one a few hours before. This should provide ample opportunity to finalize your plans and avoid missing the deadline.
Step 4: Transfer points, if necessary
If you’re putting an award ticket on hold because you don’t have enough miles, then you’ll want to initiate a transfer once your flight is on hold. Most credit card points transfer to airline miles instantly, though there are exceptions. For example, Amex Membership Rewards transfers to Iberia Plus can take up to 24 hours, while Chase transfers to Singapore KrisFlyer can take up to 48 hours.
The sooner you start the point transfer, the more you’ll increase the odds that the miles will hit your account before the award hold expires.
Step 5: Finalize your award booking
After acquiring the necessary miles or finalizing your travel plans, it’s time to book your award ticket. Some programs, like American Airlines AAdvantage, allow you to finalize award ticket holds online. Others will require a call to customer service. Either way, make sure to book your award before the hold period expires.
If the airline doesn’t allow holds, what else can you do?
If the airline doesn’t allow holds, you can try redeeming points with a partner airline that does allow holds. For example, if you want to book an Alaska Airlines flight but Mileage Plan doesn’t allow holds, you can hold the award with American AAdvantage miles instead.
If you simply don’t have enough miles for an award ticket, you can try pooling your points with family members or friends to make up the difference. You can also try transferring credit card points, focusing on a program with instant transfer times.
You can book a paid flight and take advantage of the 24-hour cancelation rule. That way, if award availability opens up through a different program or your mileage transfer comes through, you can cancel without incurring a fee. And if no award space opens up, at least you’ve secured a ticket before prices increase further.
Frequently asked questions about award ticket holds
Several airlines allow award ticket holds, including Air France and KLM Flying Blue, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. The hold times vary by airline, ranging from 24 hours to 14 days.
You can typically hold an award ticket for 24-72 hours, though some airlines let you hold awards for five days or longer. In the case of Singapore Krisflyer, award ticket holds are determined by the customer service agent you’re dealing with. You might be able to negotiate a longer hold period, depending on how amenable the agent is and how far out your travel date is.
The cost of putting an award ticket on hold varies by airline. Most airlines won’t charge you a fee for putting an award ticket on hold, but they will charge you a $14-$25 phone booking fee if you finalize the reservation. The exceptions are Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, which charges a $39 fee for partner award holds, and United MileagePlus, which charges between $11.99 and $26.99 for Fare Lock holds of 3-14 days.
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