Is it worth buying non-refundable tickets and how to return them

What are non-refundable tickets

The essence is clear from the name: travel documents cannot be returned or exchanged. Thus, the carrier insures itself against losses that may arise if the passenger decides not to go anywhere. And so that travelers are willing to take risks and buy non-refundable tickets, they are sold for less than those that can be returned without any problems.

In Russia, this concept was introduced in 2014, when they began to sell non-refundable plane tickets. Earlier, the State Duma made amendments Russian air carriers received the right to sell tickets at non-refundable rates to the Air Code of the Russian Federation, according to which air carriers received the right to sell tickets at non-refundable rates.

On January 1, 2019, the Federal Law of 18.04.2018 No. 73-FZ “On Amending Article 83 of the Federal Law“Charter of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation”came into force, in accordance with which non-refundable train tickets began to be sold.

But for buses, this option does not exist. If you have legally purchased your travel documents from a licensed carrier, you can surrender them.

When is it worth and not worth buying a non-refundable ticket

Buy a non-refundable ticket if you:

We are confident that the journey will take place.
Don't depend on unreliable travel companions.
You can take a vacation when you need it.
You have no problems with visa and documents.

If you are flying by plane, carefully read the information on the baggage allowance on the airline's website. In some cases, it is possible to carry a standard suitcase with a non-refundable ticket. However, more often than not, the travel document assumes that you are traveling with hand luggage, and you will have to pay for the luggage. The luggage surcharge can negate your savings.

And you definitely shouldn't buy a non-refundable ticket if your departure depends not only on you:

No visa.
You are caring for a relative with health problems.
The vacation schedule has not been approved.

In this case, it is better to buy a return ticket and not worry about a possible loss of money.

How to buy and return non-refundable plane tickets

How to understand that your ticket is non-refundable

They are usually marked with one of the following markings:

Ticket is non-refundable / no-show - the ticket cannot be refunded.
Changes not permitted - the ticket cannot be exchanged.
Changes any time charge eur 00.00 - the ticket can be exchanged, but only for the amount that will be indicated in the label instead of zeros.
Name change not permitted - the passenger's name cannot be changed in the ticket.

Almost all low-cost airlines in the world operate at these rates. Non-refundable tickets from Aeroflot are sold in the section "Economy promo" and "Economy budget", from UTair - "Minimum Economy", from S7 - "Basic" (in the options "Economy" and "Business"). Travel documents purchased as part of promotions and sales are usually not refundable from foreign carriers.

How to return a non-refundable ticket

There are exceptions to the non-return policy. You can return money for a ticket in several cases.

Force Majeure

You or your companion are ill, a close relative has passed away, and the trip needs to be canceled.

To get a refund, notify the airline of the special circumstances by email prior to check-in, then call and provide the same information to the airline employee. The letter is needed to confirm that you told the airline about the incident, because the call may be "forgotten".

Prepare one of the documents confirming force majeure:

Certificate of illness indicating the name and details of the hospital, signatures and seals of the attending physician and chief physician, date of issue and terms of illness, a note that the patient is not recommended to fly at this time.
Help from the airport medical center if you feel sick right before departure.
Copies of the death certificate of a family member and a document confirming relationship with him.

Together with the application for a refund, send the document by mail to the airline's address and wait for a decision.

Airline violations

If the flight is canceled, severely delayed and this disrupts your schedule (for example, you missed your connecting flight) or you did not find a seat on the plane during overbooking, you are also entitled to compensation for damages.

To get a refund, ask the airline employee to mark the problems with departure on the tickets or get the appropriate certificates from him. Take copies of them, attach duplicate receipts confirming expenses incurred due to the airline's indiscipline (hotel costs, bus tickets, etc.), an application for a refund and send the package of documents by mail to the air carrier.

As for the cancellation of flights due to flight bans to some countries at the state level, here you also issue an involuntary refund and can claim to receive the spent money. Thus, the President signed the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 21, 2019 No. 287 "On certain measures to ensure the national security of the Russian Federation and the protection of citizens of the Russian Federation from criminal and other illegal actions" banning flights to Georgia. Rostourism said Information about the situation in Georgia that the money will be returned for all tickets, including non-refundable ones. The airlines have confirmed this.

How to get some money back for a non-refundable ticket

In some cases (for example, if the ticket is marked as Changes any time charge eur 00.00), it is possible to return a travel document for an additional fee. Depending on the airline, the amount can grow in proportion to the reduction in the time before departure: the later you return the ticket, the more expensive it will cost. To return it, you need to contact the support service of the air carrier and follow the further instructions.

Another option to get some of the money back is to return the fees for the fees. We are talking about a booking service charge (YR), fuel surcharge (YQ), ticket issuance fees, taxes and charges for unused flight sections (funds that the airline pays to countries for flying over their territories, for using the airport complex).

Please note that for tickets marked with YR / YQ tax is non refundable only in case of a non-refundable fare, service and fuel surcharges are not refundable.

How to buy and return non-refundable train tickets

When purchasing a travel document at the box office, you will have to ask about the required tariff. On the Russian Railways website, non-refundable tickets are indicated by a return arrow.

Like airplane travel documents, non-refundable train tickets can be returned if:

Whether you or the person who was supposed to travel with you is sick.
A family member has died.
The train was canceled, delayed, or there was no room for you in the carriage.

You have five days from the moment the train departs to contact the ticket office of the station from where you planned to travel. You must have documents confirming force majeure with you.