Chart: Airline fare drop refund policies

By George Hobica

Airfarewatchdog.com

What happens when you buy an airfare and then discover that sometime before take off the fare has dropped in price? Well, if the fare difference applies to the exact same dates of travel, exact same flight times, and exact same "fare bucket" (you know, those wacky fare codes like Q and K and T and Y), then some airlines will give you a fare drop refund. But many will not. And even most of those that will issue a refund are going to charge you a fee for doing so. Only three four U.S.-based airlines, as you can see from the chart below, will issue a refund (always in the form of a credit for future travel, not in cash) in full; the others charge anywhere from $75 (for a domestic fare) up to $250 (for an international one), which often wipes out any savings. And as you can also see from our chart, if you're flying on a non-U.S. airline or on a no-frills U.S. carrier such as Allegiant or Spirit, then you're out of luck. (Note: This information applies to non-refundable fares only; fully refundable fares can be rebooked at any time, almost always without a fee, if the fare goes down.)

	Refund for fare drop after booking?	Charges/fees on domestic fares	Charges/fees on int'l fares	The details	Browser says:
Aeromexico	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	A media relations rep stated that no airlines issue fare drop refunds. Not true, obviously.
Alaska	Yes	No	No	Refund is given as credit in form of electronic voucher, good for travel up to one year	Woof! One of the simplest and best policies in the industry, hands down. If only Alaska went everywhere we needed to be.
AirTran	Yes	No	No	You'll receive credit for future travel. Business class tickets can be changed with no charge.	The airline used to charge a $75 change fee but with the purchase by Southwest Airlines they're aligning their policy with the new owners.
Allegiant	No	N/A	N/A	"The airline unfortunately cannot refund or credit fare differences after a reservation has been made."	Well, that's what you get when you want to fly for almost-free, right?
American	Yes	$150	$250	The airline will issue a "rollover credit" good for future travel, in form of a travel voucher.	This isn't a widely publicized policy, but it does work.
British Airways	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	Refunds tend to be more of an American thing.
Delta	Yes	$150	$250	Voucher for future travel.
Emirates	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	Buy it you fly it.
Frontier	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	It's hard to keep up with this airline with all its policy changes. But yes – no on refunds.
Hawaiian	Yes	$100	$100	Credit will be issued if you meet all their requirements (and if the amount is more than $100).	The policy's as strict as the other majors, but at least Hawaiian tends to be easy to work with.
JetBlue	Yes	No	No	Not a published policy, but standard practice to just credit you the difference.	No formal claim process or anything – just rebook online.
Lufthansa	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	The airline is moving towards a low-cost, low-rewards model.
Singapore Airlines	Yes, except for heavily discounted fares (i.e., those with no changes or refunds allowed)	N/A	Depends on the change penalty for the fare in question	Credit issued in same form of payment used to buy ticket	Even fully refundable fares incur a $25 fee to reissue at the lower fare
Southwest	Yes	No	N/A	Simply rebook your fare and receive credit for the difference to your account.	Customers love this simple policy, and so do we!
Spirit	No	N/A	N/A	No means no!	(What, you were expecting Champagne?)
United	Yes	$150 administrative fee	$150 administrative fee	Receive a voucher for any remaining difference after paying the fee. A voucher that will invariably be a pain in the butt to cash in and will also not retain any value if you use only a portion of it.	Basically, like Alaska's policy, except designed to never pay out, thanks to the $150 fee. Also, you have to call to claim. So, enjoy that. (Until a few years ago, United refunded in full, but that was then).
US Airways	Yes	$150	$250	They'll give you vouchers for the difference, providing the fare you find meets their terms.	Claims can't be made online – everything needs to be done over the phone. (Be nice, or the agent might slap you with a call center fee, too.) As with United, US Air used to refund in full.
Virgin America	Yes	$75	$75	Credit is held in your account for 12 months for future travel.	Those fancy exit row fares can sometimes drop quite a lot before travel, so if you booked one of those, check back at least once and see – you may qualify for a credit.

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Chart: Airline fare drop refund policies

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