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Have you booked a holiday package or accommodation with American Express and do you want to cancel it now? Are you wondering if you can receive a refund? Unfortunately, American Express only allows you to cancel if cancellation is allowed through the accommodation providers terms and conditions. So whether you can cancel your booking with American Express Travel will depend on who you booked it with. Generally, you have a higher likelihood to be able to cancel a hotel room, than a holiday package as holiday packages are composed of multiple suppliers which all have different terms and conditions and cancellation policies. Read the terms and conditions given to you in your confirmation email to see if you are able to cancel. If so, contact American Express directly to go forward with the cancellation process.
Can I receive a refund if I cancel my American Express Travel hotel booking?
It is important to know that cancelling may result in 100% cancellation charges by the provider along with additional cancellation fees charged by American Express. You are responsible for paying any charges that result from the cancellation from both American Express and the provider of your accommodation or holiday package. You must pay any insurance premiums and administration charges made before cancellation, along with any deposits paid for pre-booked items or services.
Whether you have booked a single accommodation or a holiday package American Express will charge cancellation charges which are outlined in the table below. You are responsible for paying these fees along with any fees charged by the travel providers. If the number of people in your party change the price of your booking may increase per person.
Cancellation of bookings
| Time cancellation notice received before departure | Accommodation Only Cancellation charge |
| More than 14 days before departure | £20 per person |
| 7 days or fewer | 100% of Accommodation cost |
Important Note: American Express negotiates special offer rates with accommodation providers and these exclusive rates may not permit cancellations or changes to accommodations and will result in 100% cancellation charges.
Does it seem unreasonably expensive to cancel or change your American Express booking? You are right, it is quite unfair! You may lose all of your money! Are you wondering if there is another option? Have you thought about selling your holiday or accommodation to someone else and receiving you refund this way? Read the section “How can I recover more money from my American Express reservation?” at the bottom of the article to find out how to sell your accommodations and receive your refund!
Can I make changes to my American Express Travel hotel booking?
American Express will do their best to accommodate any changes to your booking, however you should be aware that the rules about changes are set by the travel providers and their own terms & conditions.
If it is possible for American Express to meet your change requests, you are responsible for paying the associated amendment fees per person on top of any costs that arise from the supplier. These amendment fees can end up being extremely expensive. They are outlined in the table below. It is possible that changes to your booking could result in 100% cancellation charges. This is particularly common if you booked a flight or a holiday package with a flight in it.
Changes to bookings
| Accommodation | Notice given more than 8 days | Notice given 7 days or less |
| Name Changes | £20 per name change | £20 per name change |
| Changes of Accommodation | £20 per change per booking | £20 per change per booking |
| Change to arrival/departure date | £20 per change per booking | £20 per change per booking |
Important note: If you make a change the departure date, airport, transport, destination, accommodation, or length of holiday the change has to apply to all members of your booking.
Can I cancel or change the Flight I booked with American Express?
Most flight provider’s do not permit cancellation or changes to be made once the booking has been made. If you choose to cancel or change your flight it is likely that it will result in 100% cancellation charges, which you are responsible for paying. If you have to buy new tickets the cost of the new ticket may be greater than the cost of the original ticket.
It is important to note that changes such as name changes (including initial changes), destination and date changes may result in cancellation by Travel Provider forcing you to have to rebook your flight, pay 100% cancellation charges and American Expresses’ administration costs. These costs are outlined in the table below.
Summary of Changes/Cancellations You Make to Flights, or Cruises
| Transport Services (including flights, Cruises) | Travel Provider's Charges | American Express Charges |
| Any change including name changes, destination, date and time changes | Up to 100% of the ticket price of the transport Travel Provider | Up to £20 per person per change. |
Important Note: The ATOL regime requires American Express too pay an ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) (currently £2.50 per person) to the CAA. This cost may be passed on to you and if you choose to cancel your flight it is not refundable in any circumstances.
How can I recover more money from my American Express reservation?
Is your American Express flight non-cancellable or non-refundable? Are you not able to receive all the money you would like from your American Express reservation? Have you ever thought of selling your flight to another traveller and receiving your refund this way? All you need to do is change the names on your flight reservation to the person you are selling it to and pay the associated name change fees.
If you are based in the European Union, American Express is obligated to allow you to change the names of the travellers on a package holiday, thanks to the European Package Travel Directive. Sometimes they can do this for the whole booking, sometimes they may not be able to change the names for the flights – this will depend on your airline. You can check our list of airlines, which allow name changes to see if yours does.
If you have a package holiday but cannot change the name of the flight, you can still change the name on the hotel booking and at least sell that. It is still much better than paying 100% cancellation charges!
If you are allowed to change the passenger name for your flight, your airline will always charge you a name change fee. Hotels usually do not charge anything for name changes. You can change the passenger names by contacting American Express by phone or email. The price to change the name of a passenger on the booking will be shown to you before you process the request, so you will know exactly how much it will cost you.
I want to sell my American Express reservation and get a refund that way, but don’t know anyone that wants it!
Luckily, SpareFare.net is here for you! SpareFare is a secure online marketplace for buying and selling holidays, flights and hotel reservations. We are like eBay for travel with the added benefit of secure exchanges and expert customer support. Sell your travel bookings here on SpareFare.
If you have a flight, a hotel reservation or a holiday you can no longer use, you can sell your booking to other travellers.
