“Non-refundable” Airline Ticket?
Jun 9, 2022, 8:25 am
#1
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“Non-refundable” Airline Ticket?
To me “non-refundable” means I cannot get my money back upon returning a product. For commercial air travel that would be canceling (returning) a purchased airline ticket (product). Whether the refund is credited back to the original form of payment or store/airline credit or gift card or cash or check seems to be a (often times minor) detail.
Many non-refundable airline tickets can be cancelled with return of the amount paid in the form of an airline credit, sometimes with an associated fee but sometimes can get back 100% of the amount paid. To me, absent a fee higher than the amount paid, it’s still a refund.
Curious how others see it. Thank you.
Many non-refundable airline tickets can be cancelled with return of the amount paid in the form of an airline credit, sometimes with an associated fee but sometimes can get back 100% of the amount paid. To me, absent a fee higher than the amount paid, it’s still a refund.
Curious how others see it. Thank you.
Jun 12, 2022, 5:41 am
#2
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It is not a refund. Definitions of the term include a mention of money. What you get with a non-refundable airline ticket if you don't take the flight is a "store credit."
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/di...english/refund
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dic...english/refund
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/di...english/refund
A refund is a sum of money which is returned to you,
an amount of money that is given back to you,
Last edited by Badenoch; Jun 12, 2022 at 5:48 am
Jun 13, 2022, 11:00 am
#3
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Quite. It's not refunded if it's a credit. However, if you expect to use that airline again and, particularly, if you regularly use that airline, then a credit is for the most part equivalent.
Jun 19, 2022, 5:27 pm
#4
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It depends. Different airlines use the term differently. Nonrefundable can mean that the ticket loses all value (except in IROPs) if not flown exactly as written; any voluntary changes require the purchase of a new ticket. (This seems standard for airlines based in most regions outside of the USA and often applies to business class tickets as well except for FULL fares.) Some refundable tickets are only refundable for a huge fee; if the fee is greater than the ticket cost, it's effectively nonrefundable, not even for airline credit. PreCOVID-19, most nonrefundable tickets issued by major full service USA carriers were changeable for a fee, often $200 for a domestic ticket and $250-$500 for international, with no re-pricing if the changes were made after the outbound flights of a RT had been flown. Now the same carriers are generally giving full airline credit (with no fees) on such tickets, but not refunds to the original means of payment.