Flight Cancelled? Your Refund Rights in Plain English
By Mark Fulton · · 10 min read
If an airline cancels your flight and you don't want to fly on what it offers instead, you are owed a refund of the full fare in money, not a voucher. For flights to, from or within the United States, the US Department of Transportation rule says that refund is due within 7 business days if you paid by credit card and within 20 calendar days for most other payments. On flights covered by EU rules, you choose between a refund, rerouting or a return flight. Say no to any credit the airline offers, then ask for the refund in writing.
The rules depend on the facts and on where you live, so treat this as a practical guide, not legal advice.
What does the US rule actually say?
Since 2024 the US has had a federal rule that covers this exact situation. It is written into 14 CFR Part 260 on the eCFR, and I read the current text on 2026-10-29. Three things matter for you.
First, the rule applies to a covered flight, which means a scheduled flight to, from or within the United States, run or sold by an airline that operates there. The airline that took your payment, called the merchant of record, is the one that owes you.
Second, a cancelled flight is a cancelled flight. Section 260.6 says the airline must give you a full and prompt refund of the airfare, including taxes and ancillary fees, if you hold a nonrefundable ticket and you choose not to fly the changed flight, take a rebooking, or accept a voucher or other compensation. The regulation does not make that depend on why the flight was cancelled.
Third, the refund is meant to be automatic. The rule describes an automatic refund as one issued without waiting for you to ask, when your right to the money is undisputed because the service was not provided and you rejected the alternative, or none was offered. In practice, airlines still sometimes make you chase it, which is why the steps below matter.
When is a flight "significantly changed"?
You do not need a full cancellation to get your money back. The same rule covers a significant delay or change. Under the definitions in section 260.2, a flight counts as significantly delayed or changed when, because of what the airline did:
- You would leave 3 hours or more earlier or later on a domestic itinerary, or 6 hours or more on an international one.
- You would arrive 3 hours or more late on a domestic itinerary, or 6 hours or more late on an international one.
- You are moved to a different departure or arrival airport.
- Your itinerary gains more connection points.
- You are downgraded to a lower class of service.
- You have a disability and the new itinerary adds different connecting airports or a substitute aircraft that lacks the accessibility features you need.
A change just under those lines isn't covered by this rule. The airline's own contract of carriage may still help you, which is where the airline guides below come in.
How fast must the money arrive?
The regulation defines a "prompt refund" in the same definitions section. It means within 7 business days of the refund request for a credit card purchase, and within 20 calendar days for cash, check, debit card or other forms of payment. Business days are Monday to Friday excluding US federal holidays.
Two practical details follow from the text:
- The refund goes back the way you paid. A credit or voucher is not a refund unless you affirmatively agreed to it. Section 260.7 says the airline may not treat you as having accepted a credit, voucher or other compensation unless you agree.
- If you booked through a travel agent or booking site that is the merchant of record, the airline must tell that seller whether you qualify, and the seller handles the payout. That is why a refund through an online agent can run slower than one from the airline directly.
Credit or cash: what can the airline offer instead?
An airline can offer a voucher or credit, but only as an explicit alternative to your refund. Under section 260.6(c), the offer must clearly say what the terms are and that you have a right to a full refund. A voucher offered that way must stay valid for at least five years from the day it is issued, and the airline must tell you the expiry date.
So the choice is yours. If you plan to fly that airline again, a credit can be fine. If you don't, don't click "accept" on anything. Silence has a cost in one case: the rule says that if an airline offers you a credit and you don't respond by the date the cancelled flight was due to depart, the full refund becomes due automatically. Even so, reply in writing rather than relying on that.
US rule vs EU261 vs credit vs cash
Here is how the options compare for a cancelled flight. Sources are the US regulation above and the EU's own air passenger rights page, which I read on 2026-10-29.
| US DOT rule (14 CFR Part 260) | EU261 | Airline credit or voucher | Cash refund | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applies to | Scheduled flights to, from or within the US | Flights within the EU, flights leaving the EU on any airline, and flights arriving in the EU on an EU airline | Only if you agree to it | What you are owed under either rule |
| Your choice | Refund or rebooking if you reject what's offered | Reimbursement, rerouting or return flight | Not required; must be an explicit alternative | Back to the original payment method |
| Deadline to pay | 7 business days (card) or 20 calendar days (other) | The airline must offer the choice; compensation is separate | Valid at least 5 years under the US rule | Same as the rule it comes from |
| Extra money? | No cash on top for a cancellation | Compensation of 250, 400 or 600 euros by distance, unless extraordinary circumstances | Usually none | None beyond the fare, taxes and fees |
| Source | eCFR Part 260 | Your Europe | 260.6(c) | 260.6(a) |
What about EU261 and flights in Europe?
The EU rules are separate and apply by route, not by your passport. Per the Your Europe page, they cover flights within the EU on any airline, flights from the EU to a non-EU country on any airline, and flights into the EU from outside only when an EU airline flies them. They don't apply if you have already received the equivalent benefits under a non-EU country's law for the same trip.
If your flight is cancelled, you choose between a refund of the ticket, rerouting to your destination as soon as possible, or rerouting at a later date that suits you. The same page says you are entitled to assistance at the airport, and that you may also be owed compensation if you were told of the cancellation less than 14 days before departure. The airline has to prove when and how it told you.
Compensation is a separate claim from the refund. The amounts on that page are 250 euros for 1,500 km or less, 400 euros for longer flights within the EU and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and 600 euros beyond 3,500 km. None of it is owed if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that it could not have avoided even with all reasonable measures taken. The EU lists air traffic management decisions, political instability, bad weather and security risks as examples, and it says most technical problems don't qualify.
If the same trip is covered by both a US and an EU rule, ask for the refund under whichever is easier to prove from the airline's own wording, and keep the compensation claim separate.
Step by step: how to claim your refund
Do these in order. Each one builds the record you need if the airline stalls.
1. Don't accept anything yet
Take no rebooking, voucher, miles or "travel bank" credit until you decide. A rebooking you fly or a credit you accept can end your right to cash.
2. Save the proof of the cancellation
Screenshot the airline's cancellation notice, the flight status page and your original receipt. Note the date and time you were told.
3. Check who took your payment
Look at your card statement. If the charge is from the airline, it owes the refund. If it's from a booking site, you deal with that seller first, as the rule on ticket agents describes.
4. Use the airline's own refund route
Many airlines publish a refund form or a self-service page for cancelled flights. The routes, policy lines and phone numbers we've collected, with links to the airline's own pages, are in our guides for United, Delta, American, Frontier and Ryanair. Each shows when we last checked. Airline pages change, so confirm on the airline's site before you rely on one.
5. Put it in writing
Send a short email or form message. State the flight number and date, say the flight was cancelled, say you decline any rebooking or credit, and ask for a full refund to the original payment method under the rule that applies. Our refund request email guide shows the structure, and the free refund email generator builds it from your receipt.
6. Call if the form stalls
Use the phone for the second attempt, not the first. A call gets a reference number and an agent who can see the cancellation. The refund phone script gives you the lines to say, including how to ask for the supervisor and what to write down. I'd start there before escalating anywhere else.
7. Escalate on the deadline, not before
Count 7 business days for a card or 20 calendar days for other payments from your request. If the money hasn't arrived, reply to your own earlier message with those dates. The DOT's aviation consumer protection pages, starting from its refunds page, are where it explains refunds and how to file a complaint. That site blocks automated tools, so I couldn't read it today. Open it in your browser and check the current complaint steps.
8. Consider a card dispute
If the airline refuses a refund you're owed, or ignores you, your card issuer is the next step. Our guide on chargeback vs refund explains when to use it, and what to do when a company refuses a refund covers the escalation order.
Two traps are worth repeating. A voucher worded as a "refund to travel credit" is still a credit, and if you fly the replacement itinerary the refund right for that trip is gone.
If you need to send several requests, the free plan allows 3 cases a day, and Pro is $5 a month billed $30 every 6 months, or $89 once for lifetime. One cancelled flight rarely needs more than the free plan.
FAQ
Do I get a refund if the airline cancels my flight?
Yes, if you choose not to travel on what the airline offers instead. On US covered flights, the airline must refund the full fare, including taxes and fees, to the original payment method. Under EU rules you choose between reimbursement, rerouting and a return flight.
How long does an airline have to refund me?
Under the US rule, within 7 business days if you paid by credit card, and within 20 calendar days for cash, check, debit or other payment. The clock runs from your refund request. Airlines can be faster.
Can the airline make me take a voucher?
No. A voucher or credit may be offered only as an explicit alternative, with a notice of your right to a full refund, and it needs your affirmative agreement. If you accept one, it has to remain valid for at least five years under the US rule.
What if I booked through Expedia or another booking site?
Ask the booking site for the refund, because it took your payment. Under the rule the airline must tell the seller whether you qualify, and the seller pays you. If neither acts, keep the correspondence and escalate with your card issuer.