Originally Posted by
Aeschylus
I am aware that the OP is in the US.
However, here is the UK.
Perhaps we are just more used to the fact that non refundable means just that, and also don't expect to have our hands held to protect us from our own stupidity.
Actually no. ""Here" non-refundable in this context means no refund and no credit. In the US it means no refund.
There is a difference between getting your money back on whatever payment means you used and having credit towards a future purchase. In the UK the two have been conflated for airfares, but it doesn't mean the US more literal meaning is stupid for an American.