In a few ways, traveling is like investing. You watch for the price trends, anticipate future prices, and then eventually you lock in your price by buying your tickets.
Well, not really. Most people just remember, hey I forgot to buy plane tickets, so they jump online and buy the tickets.
One of the worst feelings when you book travel is buying an airline ticket and then finding out that the price has dropped.
How Do You Get A Refund For Airline Tickets?
When purchasing plane tickets, you need to go ahead and add a value to your ticket purchase price depending on the refund policy of each individual airline.
In other words, some airlines are a better deal simply because they have a better cancellation policy.
For example, in the States, Southwest Airlines has one of the best airline policies. When you buy a ticket on Southwest, if they drop the price on that ticket you can simply cancel your first itinerary and repurchase it at the lower price. You will then end up with a travel voucher for the difference in price. That voucher can be applied to future air tickets.
Even if you decide not to take your trip and you cancel your flight, that money will be changed into a voucher that you can use for an upcoming flight.
When my wife and I have had unpredictable travel plans (i.e. flying only days after the birth of our son), we have purchased via Southwest because we could cancel if our plans did not work according to schedule.
Here’s a helpful list provided by Yapta for airlines with the best policies in terms of price drops:
Airlines that offer refunds for any price drop = Alaska Airlines and Jet Blue Airlines
Airlines that offer a compensation for a price drop of $75 or more = AirTran and Virgin America
Airlines that offer a money back for a price drop of $100 or more = Haawian Airlines and Midwest Airlines
Airlines that offer it for a price drop of $150 or more = American, Delta, Continental, US Airways, and United.
Here is a full list of airline rebooking fees for both domestic and international travel.
Of course, another way to get a refund for airline tickets is to purchase travel insurance or trip cancellation insurance.
While your travel insurance won’t cover changes in price, they will refund airline tickets if you are forced to cancel your trip for a qualifying reason.
Your ticket class impacts your ability to get a refund.
Typically, the cheaper your ticket, the less likely you are to get a refund. Most airlines do have a ticket class that is fully refundable. Just remember, you are going to pay 2-3 trips cost just to get the one ticket that is refundable.
Yapta.com Can Help You Get A Refund On Airline Tickets
Anytime you purchase a plane ticket, sign into your Yapta account and enter your flight information. Yapta will then monitor the pricing of that flight. If the fare drops, you will be contacted so that you can get your refund (if you purchase through an airline with a qualifying refund policy).
Even if you don’t get a refund, by entering your ticket information it can help you track trends for future travel. Over time, you will notice a pattern of when your destinations seem to go on sale.
Have you ever had to get a refund on airline tickets? What other refund airline tickets tips do you have?
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