Even with a non-refundable ticket, you can often get at least part of your money back. Always ask for the airport taxes back and watch for any change the airline makes to your flight: that’s how I once got the full fare back. The other options are cancelling through your travel insurance, or after the death of someone close to you.
- My experience
- I cancelled a three-flight ticket to La Paz after the airline changed it and got the full fare back
- Flight changes
- If the departure time or route changes, you can ask for a full refund; Ryanair refunds when the departure moves by at least five hours
- Airport taxes
- On a €120 ticket expect about €18 back; in 2026 Ryanair charges €20 per person to refund them
- My tip
- Don’t tell the airline straight away that you’re not flying; try the other options first
- Death in the family
- Ryanair doesn’t refund, but if a close relative dies in the 10 days before the flight, it gives travel credit for the full value
- Wizz Air
- If it cancels your flight, in 2026 it refunds the full amount as credit or to your card; you don’t have to accept the credit
Contents2 chaptersHideShow
- 01How to cancel a flight and get a refund
- Cancelling your ticket and getting the airport taxes back
- Cancelling a flight because of a death or funeral
- Cancelling a Ryanair flight
- Cancelling when the airline changes your flight
- Getting your money back through travel insurance
- 02FAQs about cancelling a flight and getting a refund
- Can you cancel a non-refundable ticket and get your money back?
- Will I get my money back if the airline changes the flight time?
- Will my travel insurance refund my ticket if I fall ill before the trip?
- Does Ryanair refund your ticket after a death in the family?
- Does Wizz Air refund a cancelled flight, or only give credit?
How do you cancel a flight and get your money back? Pretty much everyone who has flown even once has asked themselves that. Airlines have this down to a fine art: they usually label tickets as ‘non-refundable’, which means that if you decide not to fly and stay at home, you won’t get your money back. There are, however, a few ways to get some or even all of it back.
- Tip from Milan This article is part of my series ‘Milan Busts Myths’, where I regularly debunk travel myths that many Slovaks believe. Read the whole series.
How to cancel a flight and get a refund
As I write this, I should be in Mexico, but a few days before departure I decided not to go, for personal reasons. Still, I used tip number 4 in this article and got the full fare back, which I was rather pleased about.
Here’s how to cancel a flight and ask for a refund. Usually only first- and business-class tickets are fully refundable, but under certain conditions you can cancel an economy ticket too.
Cancelling your ticket and getting the airport taxes back
If you decide not to travel and want to cancel your ticket, you can ask the airline to do it, but it will usually refund only the airport taxes. These vary from airport to airport, but on a €120 ticket you can expect about €18 in airport taxes back. Bear in mind that some airlines charge an admin fee for refunding them (Ryanair’s is €20 per person in 2026), so on a cheap ticket you may get nothing back at all.
That’s hardly worth it, so my advice is not to tell the airline you’ve decided not to travel, and to try the other tips in this article instead.
Cancelling a flight because of a death or funeral
Every airline has its own rules. Ryanair tickets, for example, are generally non-refundable, and if you didn’t fly, you won’t get your money back. Ryanair doesn’t refund the fare after a death in the family either, but if a close family member dies in the 10 days before the flight and you ask before departure, it gives you travel credit for the full value of the booking. If the death was earlier than that, Ryanair refers you to your travel insurance.
- Tip from Milan In this case you need to read each airline’s terms, because there’s no general rule for how to cancel a flight and ask for a refund.
Cancelling a Ryanair flight
Ryanair sets it all out very clearly on its website, and here’s the link to the Ryanair refund form. In 2026, though, you can only use it if Ryanair cancels your flight, or if your flight is delayed by five hours or more and you don’t travel.
Cancelling when the airline changes your flight
This is the best way to get your money back for a ticket you won’t use. If the airline makes changes to your booking, such as moving the departure time or changing the route of a connection, you can ask for a 100% refund for the unused ticket.
This one comes down to luck. Airlines don’t make these changes all that often, but they do happen, usually on longer journeys with several connections. The ticket I cancelled was from Budapest to Amsterdam, then on to Mexico City and finally to La Paz. With three flights in one booking, there’s a good chance that if one of them is moved, the whole booking will have to change so that I can still make my connections. You can use that to your advantage.
- Tip from Milan When a flight is cancelled, some airlines, such as Wizz Air, offer credit on your account with the airline instead of money. In 2026 Wizz Air says it refunds the full amount either as WIZZ Credit or to your original payment method. Its website no longer mentions the 20% bonus it used to add to the credit, so check the terms before you choose.
Getting your money back through travel insurance
If you have good travel insurance, you can claim the money back from your insurer, but insurers have their own conditions too. You usually need a doctor’s note confirming that illness prevents you from travelling. Here it makes no difference whether you’re flying Ryanair, Wizz Air, Emirates, Austrian, Turkish or anyone else.
- Tip from Milan On Omio you can compare flights, trains and buses for your next trip.
FAQs about cancelling a flight and getting a refund
Can you cancel a non-refundable ticket and get your money back?
Yes, at least partly. With a non-refundable ticket you can ask the airline to refund the airport fees and taxes, although some airlines charge an admin fee for this. You get the full price of a non-refundable ticket back when the airline cancels the flight or changes it significantly.
Will I get my money back if the airline changes the flight time?
Yes. If the departure time or route changes significantly, you can ask for a full refund for the unused ticket instead of an alternative flight. What counts as a significant change depends on the airline’s terms: Ryanair, for example, refunds when the departure time moves by at least five hours.
Will my travel insurance refund my ticket if I fall ill before the trip?
Yes, if your travel insurance includes cancellation cover and illness prevents you from travelling, the insurer will cover the ticket under the terms of your policy. You usually need a doctor’s note, and you must take out the cancellation cover before you fall ill.
Does Ryanair refund your ticket after a death in the family?
Not in cash. If a close family member dies in the 10 days before the flight, Ryanair gives you travel credit for the full value of the booking, as long as you ask before departure. If the death was more than 10 days before the flight, Ryanair refers you to your travel insurance.
Does Wizz Air refund a cancelled flight, or only give credit?
When Wizz Air cancels a flight, in 2026 it refunds the full amount as WIZZ Credit or to your original payment method, whichever you choose. If you want the money back on your card, you don’t have to accept Wizz Air credit.
I’ve tackled another travel myth in the article Fish pedicures are dangerous and can lead to toe amputation.
Happy travels!
Milan Bez Mapy
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
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