Just an update on this from a recent experience I had:

tldr: It appears that the T&Cs on cancelling EI reward flights have changed, specifically in relation to refunds due in case of cancellation of reward flights both outside of 24h and within 24h. T&Cs quoted in reward booking confirmation emails (possibly language from when Avios.com was used) are misleading and no longer up to date, and do not reflect the EI T&Cs nor how refunds for cancelled reward flight are treated by the AerClub rewards team.

Below is an excerpt of the T&Cs included still to this day in the reward booking confirmation email from [email protected], which is reflective of the rules around cancellations as they have been applied historically (at least in my experience and certainly when flight rewards were booked via avios.com):


Applying the above to the two possible scenarios for reward flight booking cancellations outside of 24h:

• Scenario A: Avios only + taxes and charges paid in cash. Avios refunded in full in all instances. If taxes and charges > EUR 42.50, then the difference is refunded along with full avios amount. If < EUR 42.50, then no refund due and no cash or avios clawback to make up the difference.
• Scenario B: 'Avios & Money' + taxes and charges paid in cash. 'Avios & Money' refunded in full in all instances. If taxes and charges > EUR 42.50, then the difference is refunded along with full 'avios & money' amount. If < EUR 42.50, then no refund due and no clawback from any part of the 'Avios & Money' portion to make up the difference.

From my experience this week, what has changed appears to be:
1. The above excerpt (which is still included in reward booking emails to this day) does not feature anywhere in the full terms & conditions , which are linked therein. The language in the full T&Cs is markedly different and it makes no reference neither to 'Avios and Money', nor to EUR 42.50 as a cancellation fee (instead it refers to £35 which is approximately ~ EUR 41.35.), however a EUR 42.50 cancellation fee is still charged.


2. There is no longer any distinction between cash paid as part of 'Avios & Money' and cash to cover taxes and charges. It's all pooled together and subject to a GBP 35 deduction in case of cancellation. Case in point:



3. Finally, also worth noting that for cancellations within 24h, it appears that no refund is due - neither points, nor taxes and charges (the exception for this being a force majeure event, whereby avios may be refunded, subject to a GBP 35 fee - presumably not deduced from your taxes and charges, but outright charged to you). This is very different to the stipulation in the reward bookings email, which stipulates that taxes and charges are fully refundable and no cancellation fee is charged.

Excuse the length of the post, but just thought I'd share in case anyone had further insights.