What is Refund?

A refund is the repayment of the fare when a flight is cancelled or the passenger no longer wants to travel after a disruption.

Also called: Fare refund.

How it works#

What is repaid is the price of the unused part of the journey, and on connecting itineraries also the flight back to the starting point when the trip has lost its purpose. Even on non-refundable fares, taxes and flight-dependent charges generally remain refundable if the flight was not taken. The issuing party, airline or agency, handles it.

Not to be confused with#

A refund is not the same as compensation: a refund returns money already paid, compensation is an additional statutory entitlement.

In German#

The German term is Erstattung. German version of this term

Related terms#

• Travel voucher: A travel voucher is credit with the airline offered instead of a repayment, redeemable only against that airline’s own services.
• Cancellation: A cancellation is the withdrawal of a scheduled flight; a diversion or substantial rescheduling can legally count as one too.
• Chargeback: A chargeback is the reversal of a card payment through your own bank when a paid-for service was not delivered or not delivered as agreed.

Articles that use this term#

• When do you get money back for a flight you didn’t take?
• Do you have to accept a voucher instead of cash?
• What is a chargeback and when does it apply?
• What is a point actually worth, and how do you work it out yourself?
• Why you get turned away from a lounge you have access to
• What do you do first when your flight is cancelled?