24 Hour Refund Policy - Beware!
Jun 22, 2019, 1:18 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,689
To be honest I think SAS are very good at this - usually happens within two days or so for me. Contrary to BA which takes 6 weeks! 
Jun 22, 2019, 1:49 am
#17
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
My experience is that in general SK is pretty fast at doing the refunds, but over the last couple of years I've had like 10% of the refunds going past 1 weeks. There is no pattern in when it happens. I once had 3 planned trips which I had to cancel at the same time. 2 went straight through and was refunded on day 3. The last I had to chase 3 times before it was finally refunded and that was for the middle trip of the 3.
When I have a refund going beyond 1 weeks, I normally contact SK and chase them as it's often because the refund has got stuck somewhere in the process and manual intervention is required to move it forward. Once I was told the refund was picked out for random internal audit, and although the audit was completed days ago, for unknown reasons, the refund still wasn't visible in the refund payment queue. It's not good, but the explanation makes perfectly sense to me (used to work with finance systems).
When I have a refund going beyond 1 weeks, I normally contact SK and chase them as it's often because the refund has got stuck somewhere in the process and manual intervention is required to move it forward. Once I was told the refund was picked out for random internal audit, and although the audit was completed days ago, for unknown reasons, the refund still wasn't visible in the refund payment queue. It's not good, but the explanation makes perfectly sense to me (used to work with finance systems).
Jun 23, 2019, 11:25 am
#20
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Preferable @30.000 feet
Programs: More than one
Posts: 1,673
The flow I see when I cancel or make changes to a flight is as follow.
When I cancel or change a flight I normally get 3 or 4 e-mail's from SK.
- The first i a confirmation e-mail with an updated travel plan and cost change overview. Subject starts with something like "Your trip <date>...."
- The second is a receipt. This one also includes the new flights and information about the changes in costs but in a format which can be used for reimbursement. Subject starts with something like "Your Receipt from SAS for ........."
- The third is an updated itinerary. Again with more or less the same info as the first 2 but in yet a different format. Subject starts with something like "Electronic Ticket Itinerary and Receipt from SAS - Booking reference ........."
- The last e-mail is the refund notice. This one I only get if I'm due a refund. It's often a couple of hours late compared to the other 2 e-mails, but once I receive it the money is in the bank within 3-5 days. Subject starts with something like "SAS Refund Notice ........."
The refund notice is what get stuck in the audit process from time to time, and if you haven't received it within 1 week after you made changes or canceled a ticket and you are due a refund, you should chase SK as there is a good risk that the refund has gotten stuck in the process, and need manual intervention in order to move forward.
Jun 23, 2019, 11:29 am
#21
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: ARN
Programs: A3*G, SK*G
Posts: 336
The same here. To the extent that after some point I (perhaps imprudently, I acknowledge that...) stopped even checking. Anyway, after seeing this thread I got a bit worried and decided to check if the ticket I bought last Tuesday afternoon, and cancelled last Wednesday afternoon, had been refunded. Unsurprisingly enough it had been indeed refunded, the transaction dated on Thursday, less than 24 hours after cancellation. The ticket was bought on their Swedish website, paid via Internet banking (direct payment).
Jun 23, 2019, 12:57 pm
#22
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: FRA, JFK
Programs: BAEC GGL, A3*S, Bonvoy Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 1,001
The confirmation of your cancellation you should get immediately, incl. information about what you will be refunded etc. The refund notice often takes up to 24 hours. Once you receive the refund notice the money is normally in the bank within 3-5 days depending on your credit card company. If you still haven't received the refund notice I would chase SK again.
The first one I got right after the cancellation just stating that the reservation was cancelled. No information regarding the amount to be refunded or anything else.
Yesterday I then (finally) received the "SAS Refund Notice" with a PDF detailing the amount to be refunded.
I booked through the call center since it was an itinerary not bookable online.
Feb 8, 2024, 6:24 am
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA 1K (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
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I'm attempting to cancel an SAS trip I booked on their website less than 24 hours ago. When I go to "Cancel & Refund" it offers me a refund of only half my ticket! Of course their call center isn't even open yet but I'll call them before cancelling online and see what they have to say. Hoping I don't have to go the c/c chargeback route. Is this normal for them to display wrong/bad info on the website?
Edit: I called at 9am when the call center opened. The agent tried to tell me three times I was wrong and only eligible for half refund because I booked it the day before travel. After reading verbatim what the website says they went back & "typed some keys" and said they would cancel and refund the entire ticket. I got an email saying it's cancelled but no email (yet) saying what they are refunding. This may still need to go to the credit card company as a charge back but hopefully they did the refund correctly and for the full amount.
-RM
Edit: I called at 9am when the call center opened. The agent tried to tell me three times I was wrong and only eligible for half refund because I booked it the day before travel. After reading verbatim what the website says they went back & "typed some keys" and said they would cancel and refund the entire ticket. I got an email saying it's cancelled but no email (yet) saying what they are refunding. This may still need to go to the credit card company as a charge back but hopefully they did the refund correctly and for the full amount.
-RM
Last edited by RobOnLI; Feb 8, 2024 at 7:15 am
Feb 8, 2024, 3:46 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,102
I'm attempting to cancel an SAS trip I booked on their website less than 24 hours ago. When I go to "Cancel & Refund" it offers me a refund of only half my ticket! Of course their call center isn't even open yet but I'll call them before cancelling online and see what they have to say. Hoping I don't have to go the c/c chargeback route. Is this normal for them to display wrong/bad info on the website?
Edit: I called at 9am when the call center opened. The agent tried to tell me three times I was wrong and only eligible for half refund because I booked it the day before travel. After reading verbatim what the website says they went back & "typed some keys" and said they would cancel and refund the entire ticket. I got an email saying it's cancelled but no email (yet) saying what they are refunding. This may still need to go to the credit card company as a charge back but hopefully they did the refund correctly and for the full amount.
-RM
Edit: I called at 9am when the call center opened. The agent tried to tell me three times I was wrong and only eligible for half refund because I booked it the day before travel. After reading verbatim what the website says they went back & "typed some keys" and said they would cancel and refund the entire ticket. I got an email saying it's cancelled but no email (yet) saying what they are refunding. This may still need to go to the credit card company as a charge back but hopefully they did the refund correctly and for the full amount.
-RM
https://www.flysas.com/us-en/custome...ack-guarantee/
Feb 8, 2024, 4:00 pm
#25
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Join Date: Oct 2003
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If you booked less than 24 hours before travel, which may or may not have been the case the day before travel, then you have to cancel at least 12 hours before travel.
https://www.flysas.com/us-en/custome...ack-guarantee/
https://www.flysas.com/us-en/custome...ack-guarantee/
The policy says "24 hours before departure" and not "day of departure" so I know I'm right. We'll see what finally hits my credit card.
-RM
Feb 8, 2024, 4:44 pm
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
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Yes, thanks. That's the page I had to reference on the phone. I booked well ahead of 24 hours before travel (but still the calendar day before). They were only going to refund half.
The policy says "24 hours before departure" and not "day of departure" so I know I'm right. We'll see what finally hits my credit card.
-RM
The policy says "24 hours before departure" and not "day of departure" so I know I'm right. We'll see what finally hits my credit card.
-RM
Feb 8, 2024, 8:40 pm
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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I booked a EWR-originating ticket for travel to Europe.
-RM
Feb 9, 2024, 2:06 am
#28
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,132
Just for completeness: The 24h buyers remorse refund policy has been implemented by the airline to comply with US DOT rules. However it only applies to tickets purchased >7 days before departure.
https://www.transportation.gov/indiv...ection/refunds
https://www.transportation.gov/indiv...ection/refunds
Cancelling a Ticket Reservation or Purchase within 24 hours of Booking
- For airline tickets that are purchased at least seven days before a flight’s scheduled departure date and time, airlines are required to either:
- allow consumers to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund without a penalty for 24 hours, or
- allow consumers to reserve a ticket (place it on hold) at the quoted prices without paying for the ticket for 24 hours.
- allow consumers to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund without a penalty for 24 hours, or
- Airlines are not required to offer both a hold and a refund option. Check your airline’s policy before purchasing a ticket. However, if an airline accepts a reservation without payment, it must allow the consumer to cancel the reservation within 24 hours without penalty. If an airline requires payment with a reservation, it must allow the consumer to cancel the payment and reservation within 24 hours and receive a full refund.
- Although airlines must hold a reservation for 24 hours or provide a refund to consumers at their request within 24 hours of making a reservation, airlines are not required to make changes to a ticket free of charge (for example - change your ticket to a different date or correct a misspelled name on the reservation).
- In some cases, instead of paying for a change fee and a potential difference between the original ticket price and the current ticket price, it may be cheaper to request a refund for the ticket and rebook. However, please keep in mind that ticket prices can change quickly.
- In some cases, instead of paying for a change fee and a potential difference between the original ticket price and the current ticket price, it may be cheaper to request a refund for the ticket and rebook. However, please keep in mind that ticket prices can change quickly.
Feb 9, 2024, 6:41 am
#30
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SK's 24 hour cancellation policy has been around for years and years, not just for DOT influenced routes but for the global network.