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No refunds for canceled tickets

Hey all.

We planned the flight a month ago and bought tickets for October to save money on it in advance. A week ago we found out that our plans were changing dramatically and so we canceled the tickets. We have requested a refund but the airline is not responding. What should we do?

Comments

  • cymruchris
    cymruchris Forumite Posts: 4,531
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    Hey all.

    We planned the flight a month ago and bought tickets for October to save money on it in advance. A week ago we found out that our plans were changing dramatically and so we canceled the tickets. We have requested a refund but the airline is not responding. What should we do?


    Were the original tickets refundable?
    An ex-bankrupt on a journey of recovery. Feel free to send me a DM reference credit building credit cards from the usual suspects :) Happy to help others going through what I've been through!
  • Caz3121
    Caz3121 Forumite Posts: 15,427
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    you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
    You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.
  • AndrewDerek
    AndrewDerek Forumite Posts: 8
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    Caz3121 said:
    you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
    You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.
    Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?


  • Alan_Bowen
    Alan_Bowen Forumite Posts: 4,794
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    Quite possibly, if you name the airline, route and fare paid, we can probably have a very good guess. The time to check is before you cancel, not afterwards!
  • cymruchris
    cymruchris Forumite Posts: 4,531
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    Caz3121 said:
    you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
    You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.
    Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?


    Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?
    An ex-bankrupt on a journey of recovery. Feel free to send me a DM reference credit building credit cards from the usual suspects :) Happy to help others going through what I've been through!
  • AndrewDerek
    AndrewDerek Forumite Posts: 8
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    Caz3121 said:
    you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
    You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.
    Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?


    Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?

    It was Easyjet.
  • cymruchris
    cymruchris Forumite Posts: 4,531
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Forumite
    Caz3121 said:
    you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
    You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.
    Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?


    Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?

    It was Easyjet.

    Then if it was a standard ticket - you'll not get a refund on the ticket, although eventually you'll be able to claim the tax you've paid back as part of the ticket price - as per their terms and conditions.

    By the sound of it you've already cancelled the flights? Is there not an option to move flights to another date and pay a fee for doing so (plus any flight price difference?) rather than losing most of your money?

    An ex-bankrupt on a journey of recovery. Feel free to send me a DM reference credit building credit cards from the usual suspects :) Happy to help others going through what I've been through!
  • AndrewDerek
    AndrewDerek Forumite Posts: 8
    Photogenic First Post
    Forumite
    Caz3121 said:
    you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
    You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.
    Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?


    Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?

    It was Easyjet.

    Then if it was a standard ticket - you'll not get a refund on the ticket, although eventually you'll be able to claim the tax you've paid back as part of the ticket price - as per their terms and conditions.

    By the sound of it you've already cancelled the flights? Is there not an option to move flights to another date and pay a fee for doing so (plus any flight price difference?) rather than losing most of your money?
     

    This decision was rushed. I realize that now. We'll be more vigilant next time. Thanks for putting me in the right frame of mind!

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