How to Get a Cash Refund, Even If You Already Accepted a Voucher (In Most Cases)

As airlines navigate the unfamiliar territory of mass flight cancellations during the pandemic, they’ve relied heavily on vouchers. But, as we’ve recommended, it’s better to let the airline cancel your flight first, then request (or demand) a cash refund via email or phone. But what if you’ve already accepted (or were automatically credited) a flight voucher because hold times made it virtually impossible to connect to a human being?

Related: Wait Before Canceling Your Flight

If the Airline Has Canceled Your Flight, You Can Get a Refund

“Airlines must refund canceled flight tickets. They can of course also offer a voucher but — and this is very important — only if the customer agrees to accept this.”

In the public enforcement notice, the DOT has specifically told airlines to contact customers who have been given vouchers for canceled flights to let them know that they have the option for a refund in order to avoid penalty.

How Do I Get My Voucher?

If the airline canceled your flight and you were given a voucher, reach out to the airline and tell them that you would like a cash refund instead of a voucher. However, even though the Department of Transportation has been clear in its position, several people have reported encountering less than helpful agents.

The best way to ensure that they comply is to use the term “original form of payment” in your request. E.g. “American has canceled my flight, and I’d like to have the ticket refunded to the original form of payment.”

They should comply within 7 days. If they do not, you have a few options:

• hang up and call again. Not all agents are as helpful as others. Before escalating the issue, it’s a good idea to reach out again. If that does not work…
• Tweet the airline to bring attention to the issue
• initiate a chargeback with your credit card issuer
• File a complaint with the Department of Transportation (and let the airline know that you are doing so)

And, if you have reached out to request cash instead of a voucher from a US airline, please let us know the outcome in the comments section.

If You Have Canceled Your Flight, Getting a Refund is More Difficult

If you didn’t wait for the airline to cancel your flight, canceled yourself and then accepted a voucher, you’ve locked yourself out of the cash refund option. In most cases.

However, now that the DOT has publicly ordered airlines to give out cash refunds for flights that they’ve canceled, you may have more standing to argue for cash instead.

A Few Slim Chances for a Quick Cash Refund

We have heard anecdotal evidence of some who called the airline shortly after receiving their vouchers and were able to negotiate a cash refund instead.

If you’ve passed the “shortly after” mark, it can’t hurt to request a refund in writing, via email. It should say something to the effect of “I couldn’t get through to/didn’t want to bother the call center handling emergency changes/the website made it difficult to get a cash refund so I accepted the voucher. However, if possible, I would like to request a cash refund instead.”

They may say “no,” but requesting now on the heels of recent news may be your best chance of getting a reversal.

If you’ve agreed to a voucher but haven’t received one yet, (these are complicated, busy times for airlines), some have reported success with requesting a cash refund in writing and receiving it that way.

The Long Game