flybie

Any airline out there that you can spend a lot on the ticket so that it's flexible and you can cancel anytime without too awful of penalty charge? Thx

daumueller

Every airline has that.

shuigao

All non-budget airlines have it. Even many buget airlines have it. It's called full flexi (or some variation thereof) and costs a LOT more than more restricted tickets.

Example: SIN-NRT on SQ return is s$420 (w/o taxes/surcharges) for 'super deals' fare and s$1,300 for the 'flexi' fare.

DavidDTW

Just be careful about what you buy. There are 1) refundable fares with no penalties, 2) refundable fares with a cancellation penalty but none for changes, and 3) refundable fares with penalties for either cancellation or changes.

MSPeconomist

Refundable means that all or part of the price can be returned to your original means of payment, such as a credit to the credit card used to purchase the flight, perhaps with a big service charge.

This is different from changeable, which means that all or part of the fare, often with a service charge, can be turned into a credit for a different ticket purchased from the same airline. There can be further restrictions in how the credit must be used.

If the ticket is not purchased directly from the airline, additional rules, fees, and hassles/delays can be added.

1kBill

part of the price can be returned
This is important! If looking for refundable fares, make sure you read the fine print and understand exactly what you are getting. For example, if you search on UA for refundable fares, you very often will get fares that give you a refund less a service charge. (IOW, not fully refundable, IMHO.)

nsx

Southwest's Rapid Rewards has 100% refundable tickets at points prices equivalent to the current non-refundable fare, provided that one of the 3 or so lowest nonrefundable fare classes is available. For domestic US travel this is hard to beat when you need to book a trip with a high probability of cancellation. If you cancel or even no-show, you get your points back and you can get the $5.60 security fee refunded too.

Avios bookings for US travel on AA or Alaska or US Airways are refundable in points if you cancel 24 hours or more before departure. You lose the security fee.

Southwest's senior fares (age 65, less than half off full fare) are fully refundable if you cancel at least 10 minutes before departure. Southwest's non-refundable fares are 100% reusable, for up to a year from original purchase date by the same passenger only, if you cancel at least 10 minutes before departure. If you don't have points yet, this is your best option to book a doubtful trip.

ronaldchionh

I think every articles should must have the facility of refund the ticket price for genuine or regionable situations.

LondonElite

Usually full Y, J, and F fares are fully-refundable and endorsable.

Often1

Generalized questions get generalized answers.

OP - The best answer is to read the fare rules for the specific ticket you propose to purchase. Fully refundable means just that. E.g., you get a refund to your original form of payment without any fees or penalties of any kind. If there are fees or penalties, what are they?

Also remember, that if you book through a third-party such as one of those websites that call themselves a TA, you are also subject to the third-party's rules over and above the carrier's. It is possible to purchase a fully refundable ticket through one of these third parties and have the third party impose fees.