Cancelling a Plane Ticket

What you are holding

The fare decides the answer decides the answer

Before anything else, it matters which of these you bought. The difference is worth hundreds of dollars and it is printed in the fare rules, not on the booking page.

US DOT rule

Within 24 hours of booking

For flights to or from the United States booked at least seven days before departure, airlines must let you cancel within 24 hours without penalty. It is a rule, not a courtesy.

Cancel any time

A refundable fare

The expensive option when you bought it, and the reason it was expensive. Cancel before departure and the money comes back, sometimes less an airline fee.

Most cheap tickets

A non-refundable fare

Most discounted tickets. Cancelling usually returns a credit toward a future flight rather than money, and often less a cancellation fee. Taxes are frequently refundable even when the fare is not.

How it works

Before you cancel anything cancel anything

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Do not cancel online until you know what you get
A self-service cancellation is quick and frequently final. Once it is done, the option of changing the ticket instead may have gone with it.
We read the fare rules on your ticket
Refund, credit or nothing; what fee applies; whether the taxes come back separately. All of it sits in the rules attached to your fare.
We price the alternative at the same time
Changing the date is often cheaper than cancelling and rebooking. You should see both numbers before you choose, not one of them.
You decide, then we process it
Nothing is cancelled until you say so. Once it is, we confirm in writing what was refunded, what was credited and when to expect it.

Why ask us

The cost of getting this wrong is real is real

Cancelling is often irreversible

A cancelled ticket cannot usually be reinstated. The decision deserves the fare rules in front of you, not after.

Taxes are a separate question

Government taxes and some charges are frequently refundable even on a non-refundable fare. They are not always returned unless they are asked for.

A change may beat a cancellation

On many fares the change fee is smaller than the value you lose by cancelling. It is worth knowing which way round it is for yours.

In detail

What "non-refundable" really means

Non-refundable almost never means you lose everything. It means the fare does not come back as money. What happens to the rest of what you paid, and to the value of the fare itself, depends on rules that are specific to your ticket.

Three amounts are worth separating:

The fare. On a non-refundable ticket this usually becomes a credit toward a future booking, often with an expiry date and often after a cancellation fee is taken from it.
Taxes and government charges. These are collected on behalf of somebody else and are frequently refundable even when the fare is not, because the flight is not being taken.
Optional extras. Seats, bags and meals bought separately follow their own rules and are not automatically included in whatever the ticket returns.

The 24-hour rule is stronger than most people realise

The US Department of Transportation requires airlines to hold a reservation at the quoted fare for 24 hours without payment, or to allow a booking to be cancelled within 24 hours for a full refund, where the booking was made at least seven days before departure. It applies to flights to and from the United States.

If you have just booked and something has changed, this is the single most valuable day of the ticket's life. It is also the one most often spent waiting to see what happens.

When the airline cancels, the rules are different

Everything above is about you cancelling. If the airline cancels the flight, or changes it significantly, you are generally entitled to a refund to the original form of payment rather than a credit — and that is true even on a non-refundable ticket. Being offered a voucher does not remove the entitlement to ask for the refund instead.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Q1. Can I cancel a plane ticket and get a full refund?

Yes, in two common situations: within 24 hours of booking, where the flight touches the United States and you booked at least seven days before departure; and on a refundable fare. Outside those, what comes back depends on your ticket's own rules, which we can read for you.

Q2. What happens to the taxes on a non-refundable ticket?

Government taxes and certain charges are often refundable even when the fare is not, because the flight has not been taken. They are not always returned automatically, which is a good reason to have someone ask for them.

Q3. Is it cheaper to change my flight than to cancel it?

Frequently, yes. On many fares the change fee plus any fare difference costs less than losing the fare value to a cancellation. We price both and tell you which is lower for your ticket.

Q4. The airline cancelled my flight and offered a voucher. Do I have to take it?

When the airline cancels or significantly changes a flight, a refund to your original payment method is generally the entitlement, including on a non-refundable ticket. A voucher is an option you may accept, not one you are obliged to.

Q5. How long does a refund take?

It varies by airline and payment method, and the honest answer is weeks rather than days in many cases. We confirm in writing what was requested and when it was requested, so there is something to chase with.

Still have a question?A consultant can talk it through with you.⁦(888) 887-4348⁩

Not sure what cancelling would actually return?

Send us the booking reference before you cancel anything. We will read the fare rules and tell you what comes back, and what changing the date would cost instead.

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