So you finally decide to push the "buy now" button for your plane ticket. You've found what you believe to be the best discount airfare, you've inhaled deeply, and you've make the click. But then your biggest fear – you see a lower fare on another website or you see the price of your ticket drop on your current website. What now?
Here are some general details about refunds on airplane tickets. Keep in mind that each travel website and each airline sets their own policy so these are generalities - your mileage may vary...
If your fare drops within 24 hours, your airline might very well refund the difference.
Several major airlines offer what they call a low-fare guarantee: If, for example, you see your flight advertised for less on another website within 24 hours of originally booking your airfare, your airline might refund the difference in price and also reward you with a travel voucher. The lower fare needs to meet some precise conditions in order to qualify, but it is definitely worth looking into.
On American and United Airlines for example, the lower airfare must match your original airfare itinerary, cabin classification (economy, business, or first) and letter designation. The letter designation is usually the hardest of all criteria to match because there can be a dozen or more letter designations within a single cabin. For Continental and Northwest Airlines, the lower airfare must match the original airfare cabin classification, itinerary and flight.
If you book your ticket through the Orbitz travel website, you’re eligible for a voucher under their low-fare guarantee if you find a lower fare on a different website. You might also receive a cash credit through their separate "price assurance policy" if another Orbitz website customer books your same itinerary at a lower price. Again, the class and itinerary for the two tickets must be exactly the same in order to qualify.
If the price drops after 24 hours, you might get a flight voucher.
If you purchased your ticket from the airline and your price drops, the airline may award you a voucher for the price difference toward your next ticket. You'll only get that voucher however if the amount of the price drop is more than the rebooking fee that the airline charges.
For example, let's say that you found a disount airfare to Los Angeles International for $429 that has since dropped to $374. If the rebooking fee on your airline is $125, your fare would need to drop below $304 (yourr original $429 minus the $125) before you would see any type of an award voucher. If you want to get in the business of chasing vouchers and catching them, call your airline before you book to see if they have a rebooking fee (the flight tracking site Yapta maintains a chart of rebooking fees at major airlines) and book your ticket as far in advance as possible.
Persist, and you might get more than one travel voucher.
Like Travelocity and most of the other online travel agencies, Yapta searches for the best discount airfare for your planned itinerary. For the voucher-minded traveler however, Yapta only returns airfares that can be booked through the airline directly. After you buy your ticket, Yapta monitors your airfare and sends you an e-mail when the price rises or falls.
If your airfare drops to a point where you qualify for an award voucher but you don’t want to deal with the airline yourself, Yapta will do it for a $15 service fee.
Recommended Reading:
"Save on Airfare Secrets is the BEST material for both casual and business air travelers - all in one place for easy access too!"
- airfare-now.com
Posts
2 comments:
Very nice to learn that the airlines will give you a little reassurance if their is a flight that is cheaper than yours. However, that guideline is really strict and it must be hard because the price often falls after the 24 hour window. I guess you just have to hope for the best. I have seen many commericals for airlines where they offer the discount, but I have never seen it so widely available. Now all we need is an flight refund at an time and we would be set. Really good find on the information here.
I normally use Travelocity (I know you briefly mention it) to compare prices so I can find out what all the competitors are selling similar flights at. While prices may but rarely drop to a lower rate later, I likely am able to feel that I got the best possible rate before I booked my flight. The nice thing is Travelocity will sort flights and list the cheapest ones first.
I really like your tips though. That low-price guarantee seems excellent. I had no idea Orbitz provided such a service of matching low prices and a willingness to provide vouchers. Thank you for the information.
Post a Comment