Can I get a full refund if I cancel my flight within 24 hours?

British Airways offers a full refund for the cancelled flights within 24 hours of booking. Since the airline is constantly striving to make the experience of customers more convenient and peaceful, you have the capability to cancel your booked flights and get a refund from the comfort of your home. No need to go to the airline office and submit a large number of documents! Just download the official mobile application of the airline or go to their website, and have your flight management tasks done efficiently.

Here’s everything you need to know about getting a full refund when cancelling your flight within 24 hours.

Eligibility criteria.

The eligibility criteria for the free-of-cost 24-hour cancellation policy applies to;

• Prebooked tickets.
• Refundable tickets.
• Partially refundable tickets.

For these ticket types, you can get a full refund amount if you cancel the flight within the first 24 hours of booking. This period is also referred to as the ‘Grace period’.

Time zone considerations.

In order to take better advantage of the 24-hour cancellation window, you must consider the different time zones as well i.e., between your departure destination and arrival destination. This is because the 24-hour booking period includes the time zones of either of the destinations. So, to avoid any inconveniences later, factor in the time zone considerations.

Full Refund.

Note that even though you cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking, there are certain airline policies to abide by. Prominently including;

• Only refundable tickets have the capability to offer a full refund amount upon cancellation.
• Partially refundable tickets or non-refundable tickets may or may not incur the cancellation fee when cancelling during the grace period. For such tickets, the airline may offer vouchers or credits or use them in future with the airline.
• If you’ve booked a flight last minute i.e., 24 hours before the flight departure, you are not entitled to the grace period cancellation benefits.

Booking Channels.

The medium of your flight booking also affects the refundability. For instance;

• If you made your reservation with the airline through their official channels, then you are only liable to the airline’s policies.
• If you purchase a ticket from a third-party travel agent or booking platform, you are also bound to the policies of that booking platform in addition to agreeing to the terms and conditions of the airline ticket.
  • An additional fee might have to be paid upon cancellation.
  • Only third-party flight booking platforms can handle the cancellation and refund requests on your behalf for such scenarios.

Exceptions.

As said earlier, there might be some exceptions for the 24-hour cancellation window depending upon your individual travel route, flight type, fare class, destination as well as the time of cancellation. So, review the airline policies thoroughly and avoid any extra costs.

Frequent flyer membership status.

If you are a member of the frequent flyer program of BA, you can have additional benefits for your flight cancellation needs. For the elite status members, the airline may offer the benefit of cancelling the flight last minute and still not incurring any cancellation fee. Such passengers can also request a full refund amount efficiently regardless of the timing of the cancellation.

So, we can say that you can receive a full refund amount if you cancel the flight within 24 hours of booking for your British Airways premium economy class, economy class, business class and first class. However, the base fare flights that are non-refundable or the tickets cancelled last minute of departure time do not come under this policy.