How it works
- Check in ten secondsWhere from, where to, what happened. The calculator above tells you what the rules give you, honestly, including when it's a refund rather than cash.
- We claim it, from your inboxText us. We find the booking in your email, write to the airline as you with the rule that applies to your flight, and answer their first no, their second no, and their “extraordinary circumstances.”
- You get the moneyEvery offer the airline makes comes to you first; nothing is accepted without your yes. When they confirm in writing that money is coming, you hear from us with the amount.
Airlines say no to most people. We’re not most people.
The first answer from an airline is designed to make you stop. Most people do.
- The right rule for your flight. Your route, your distance, your delay, the regulation that applies. Not a form letter.
- “Extraordinary circumstances” is their favorite answer. Bad weather counts. A crew that didn’t show, a technical fault, a late inbound aircraft mostly don’t, and we say so.
- Vouchers are not money. We ask for cash, and keep asking.
- Every offer comes to you first. You decide. We never accept anything on your behalf.
- Nothing to download. You text us. We work from your own email, where the booking already is.
Doing it yourself vs. with Refund Agent
| Yourself | With Refund Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Knowing what you’re owed | Reading the regulation | Thirty seconds, above |
| Filing | A form that times out, a PDF, a reference number | We write to the airline, as you |
| Their first no | Most people stop here | We answer it |
| Vouchers | Taken, because it’s something | Declined. Cash is what the rule says |
| Your time | Weeks of evenings | A few texts |
Questions about flight compensation
How much is flight delay compensation?
Under Europe's rule (EC 261) it's a fixed amount per passenger by flight distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km, €600 beyond that. The UK's version pays £220, £350 and £520. It's for arriving three or more hours late, a cancellation with less than 14 days' notice, or being denied boarding, and it doesn't depend on what you paid.
Which flights are covered?
Any flight leaving an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or the UK, on any airline. Plus flights landing there on an airline based there. A flight from New York to Paris on a European airline is covered; the same flight on a US airline is covered on the way back, not on the way out.
What about flights inside the US?
No US law pays cash for a delay. What you do get: if the airline cancels your flight or changes it a lot and you don't take the new one, it owes you a full cash refund automatically, not a voucher. And airlines pay more than they advertise (miles, vouchers, sometimes cash, hotel and meals when the delay was theirs) when someone asks properly and keeps asking. That's what we do.
How long do I have to claim?
Longer than you'd think: it depends on the country, and it's often years, not months. A flight from last year is usually still claimable. Run the check and text us the flight; we'll tell you.
What if the airline blames the weather?
Weather that actually stopped flights is a real exception, and so is an air-traffic-control ground stop or a strike at the airport. A crew that didn't show, a technical problem, or the aircraft arriving late from its previous flight are not, however the first reply words it. We ask the airline what, specifically, happened, and answer it.
Does the ticket price matter?
No. The amounts are fixed per passenger. A €600 payment on a €90 ticket is normal, and so is one on a business-class fare.
What does it cost?
Checking is free, and so is the first look at your booking. Before we do anything that costs money, we tell you the price by text and you say yes or no.
More on flights
- Flight delay compensation: what you're owed, by flightFlight delay compensation explained: the fixed amounts Europe and the UK pay by distance, which flights count, what the US gives instead, and how Refund Agent claims it for you.
- Cancelled flight? Cash refund, maybe moreA cancelled flight you didn't take means a cash refund by law, in the US and in Europe. On many flights it also means up to €600 in compensation. Check which, then let Refund Agent collect it.
Check the flight. We’ll go get it.
Thirty seconds above, then a text. We write to the airline from your inbox and don’t take the first no.
Check my flight