What To Know Before Cancelling a Trip

Understand what cancelling actually returns

Depending on the fare, cancelling might return money, might return a credit for future travel, or might return nothing at all beyond certain taxes. These are very different outcomes and the wording in fare rules is not always obvious.

Find out which of the three applies to your ticket before you decide anything else.

Check whether a change is cheaper than a cancellation

On many tickets a date change costs less than cancelling and rebooking. If there is any chance you will make the trip later, compare the two paths rather than assuming cancelling is the default.

Some airlines also allow the ticket value to be kept for a period, which is effectively a change without deciding the new date yet.

• What is returned: money, credit, or taxes only
• Does a credit have an expiry date
• Is the credit tied to the same passenger name
• Is a change cheaper than cancelling and rebooking

Check who else is on the booking

On a multi passenger booking, cancelling one traveler can change the price for the others, particularly if a fare was based on the number of passengers.

Ask specifically what happens to the remaining passengers before cancelling anyone.

Look at everything attached to the flight

Seats, bags, meals, lounge access and insurance are often separate purchases and they do not always cancel together with the flight. Some are refundable, some are not.

Hotels and car hire may have their own deadlines, which are frequently earlier than the airline's.

Insurance and payment routes

If the reason for cancelling is medical, work related or otherwise covered, check your travel insurance policy before cancelling, because some policies require notification first.

Keep every confirmation. If a refund is due, the reference numbers are what make the follow up straightforward.