How to get a Ryanair cash refund - COVID flight cancellation

georgec_b

Dear MoneySaving friends,

Short version: type 'cash refund' into the Ryanair ChatBot, found on Ryanair's 'contact us' webpage. 

Long version:

I was one of the many unhappy Ryanair customers who had their flight cancelled due to COVID. I dutifully completed their 'refund application form' in the hope of getting my money back, only to be sent an email offering me vouchers instead. (What the hell is the 'refund application form' about, by the way? They take your money and then make you apply for it back after failing to give you what you paid for! God, I hate Ryanair.)

Ryanair’s email helpfully (I use the word in only the loosest possible sense) explained that, if I wanted a cash refund instead of vouchers, all I needed to do was contact them and request one.

Anyone who's tried contacting Ryanair recently will know it's impossible. After countless failed attempts to reach Ryanair customer service, in desperation I typed ‘cash refund’ into the Ryanair ChatBot on Ryanair's 'contact us' webpage, and was helpfully asked by the ChatBot for my booking reference number and passenger name(s). The ChatBot then informed me that my refund had been placed in the queue for processing.

On 21st June I received an email from Ryanair saying that my refund had been processed and would be paid out in the next 7 days (this was approximately 2-3 weeks after the ChatBot telling me that my refund was in the queue).

On 24th June the money had landed (pardon the pun) in my account.

They don’t mention anywhere in their communications (or on their website as far as I can tell) that by typing ‘cash refund’ into the Ryanair Chatbot, it’s possible to quickly get put in the cash refund queue.

I had tried typing ‘refund’ into the ChatBot many times before, only to get sent round in circles and placed in queues for customer service agents (who never answered). But it is ‘cash refund’ that seems to be the magic phrase the ChatBot needs to unlock the doors to the Ryanair vault and allows us to reclaim the money that they never should have kept from us in the first place.

Was anyone else aware of this? Hopefully it works for others as well!

Best wishes,

George

Ladybird2

Thank you for this very useful tip georgec_b. I have just tried this and indeed cash refund is the magic phrase to get through.
The automatic response was "Your booking refund request is now in the cash refund queue and will be processed in the next 4 - 6 weeks....."

Not sure how hopeful I am though as I had an email from Ryanair back at the beginning of April saying much the same thing.

In the meantime I started a chargeback back in the middle of May and that hasn't been processed yet.

Hopefully one of these options will eventually result in my money back.

georgec_b

Best of luck Ladybird2 - We live in hope! Hopefully one of the avenues you've tried bears fruit. I hope the CMA/CAA come down hard on them once this is all over, although I doubt it will change anything. Ryanair's like an abusive boy/girlfriend: we don't want to fly with them but they're so cheap that we can't resist coming back for more punishment!

JollyPotter33

Hoping someone can advise please...I have had a part refund from the travel company (ATOL CERT) for their portion of the Holiday (Package deal) which was cancelled in March (19th) to Malta. Since then I have repeatedly chased the Travel company for the rest of my refund which was 'due to them from RYAN AIR'. This was so say passed to them on the 11th June and we were told that it may take a few weeks as they had to get a clear statement of funds from the Ryan Air refund into the Travel company's bank, before they refunded us the rest...6 weeks on and chases every week.. still no remainder of the refund. I have all the traffic saved and have now lodged an official complaint with the Travel company about their lack of response? Is there any more I can do to get my money back?
Many thanks, C.

Janfriel

I am due to travel to Tenerife on 27 July for 1 week. I don't feel comfortable flying at this time and the only option I am being offered is to change dates which will cost a further £260 & change the passenger name which is another £110. Can you please advise 

eskbanker

Janfriel said:

I am due to travel to Tenerife on 27 July for 1 week. I don't feel comfortable flying at this time and the only option I am being offered is to change dates which will cost a further £260 & change the passenger name which is another £110. Can you please advise 

If the flights operate but you choose not to board then that's regarded as 'disclination to travel' and essentially means you don't have a leg to stand on, with no legal entitlement to a refund, etc.  Ryanair can make discretionary concessions to their usual policies, as they have here, but you're not in a position to negotiate so it's 'take it or leave it'....

rooster7

I don't think the Australian rail operator Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions (JBRE), formerly known until last year as Great Southern Rail(GSR), has yet featured in the forums (although I'm willing to be corrected).  I wonder if there are others like me battling to get a refund from the company for a cancelled rail journey.

Short story - my booking last September was for a journey on the Ghan between Adelaide and Darwin, due to start 5 April 2020, cancelled by the company on 23 March. The company claim they did not cancel but 'suspended' the service because of Govt restrictions; have imposed a 100% cancellation penalty because of the short period between cancellation and start of journey; have offered credit of 110% of booked value valid to 31 December 2022; and have flatly refused to entertain refunds.
Whilst the credit offer is ostensibly reasonable, it is clearly more so for the locals than for the likes of us 12,000 miles away.  And who knows what air travel arrangements and costs, as well as rail journey costs, are likely to be one and two years into the future.
The Ghan is, and is marketed as, primarily a tourist train and is likely to be patronised by a sizeable proportion of overseas passengers. Has anybody else fallen victim to this company's attitude and is willing/able to share their experience?

 

Barny1979

I got my refund back via a Paypal Dispute.

Dvnfermling

georgec_b said:

Today I received an email from Ryanair saying that my refund has been processed and will be paid out in the next 7 days.

I got the same email yesterday and the money was credited back to my credit card today, it's now showing as a credit on my account.

wes123

I applied for a refund from Ryanair as they gave me this as an option for changing my flight time by 10 hours. A week later they tried to 'sell' me the benefits of a Voucher refund. I wanted a refund in cash. I did not pay in vouchers so to me a refund should be just that ; a refund of what & how I paid.  I then proceeded to take the cash refund option only to find that it consistently trys to push you down the voucher refund path. I am now in the CASH refund queue But Ryanair have deliberately made it very difficult .

sunnyz

Well like most waited months for a refund, how ever not the full amount that was paid !
Booked a flight from UK to Spain at a cost 62.30 euro (£49.84) which was taken from my Spanish account I have only been refunded 52.62 euro which is showing in my Spanish account, on talking to the customer service they quoted they sent full amount back and to contact my bank ! If you pay 62.30 you expect 62.30 returned, so more hassle now to go into bank.
Never ends does it!