Flight Canceled Refund Rules: the DOT Deadline and the Date to Check Your Card
If a US airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you turn down the new flight or a voucher, you get a full cash refund. It is due in 7 business days on a credit card, 20 calendar days for other payments.
Under the US Department of Transportation refund rule, in force since 2024, an airline that cancels your flight or changes it significantly owes you a full refund of the fare, taxes and fees if you decide not to take the new flight, a rebooking, a voucher or miles. You do not have to fill out a request: the refund is automatic, and it goes back to the card or account you paid with. The rule also sets a deadline: 7 business days for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for cash, check, debit card and other payments. The refund deadline is the date to put in your calendar: the only way to know the money arrived is to look at your statement.
When you are owed a refund
The rule covers flights to, from and within the United States, on US and foreign airlines, including nonrefundable tickets. The details below come from the DOT's refunds page for travelers and the rule itself, 14 CFR part 260, checked on October 23, 2026.
You are owed a refund when the airline cancels your flight, for any reason, or significantly changes it, and you choose not to travel. A change counts as significant when:
- you would leave 3 hours or more earlier, or arrive 3 hours or more later, on a domestic trip (6 hours on an international one);
- you would leave from or land at a different airport;
- the new itinerary has more connections than the one you bought;
- you were moved to a lower class of service;
- for travelers with a disability, the new route or aircraft takes away accessibility features they need.
If you cancel on your own, these rules do not apply. That is your airline's normal fare rules, or the separate 24-hour rule: you can cancel without penalty within 24 hours of booking if you booked at least a week before departure.
When the refund is automatic
You do not need to ask, file a form or call. The refund is due in three cases:
- The airline cancels and offers nothing. No other flight, no voucher. The refund is due.
- You say no. You reject the changed flight, the rebooking and any voucher or credit.
- You do not answer. You ignore the rebooking and the new flight leaves without you, or you ignore a voucher offer until the original departure date passes.
The airline can offer a voucher or credit instead of cash, but it has to tell you that you are entitled to a refund, and it cannot treat you as having accepted unless you actively agree. Any voucher you do accept has to be valid for at least five years. Before you click "accept" in the app, decide whether you want the trip or the money.
If you already hold credits from an earlier change, our guide to airline credit expiration covers the two dates that decide whether you can still use them.
The date the money is due
The clock starts on the day the refund becomes due: the day you reject the offer, or the day the flight you did not take departs. From there:
- Credit card: within 7 business days.
- Debit card, cash, check or other payment: within 20 calendar days, per the rule's definition of a prompt refund. A debit card counts here, not with credit cards, so a debit purchase can take almost three weeks.
The refund goes back to whoever charged you. The DOT calls this the merchant of record, and it is the name on your card statement. If you bought through an online travel agency and its name is on the charge, the agency owes the fare refund. Fees for bags or seats that you paid to the airline are refunded by the airline.
For example, if your December 1 flight is canceled and you tell the airline you do not want the new flight that same day:
| You paid with | Rule | Refund due by |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card | 7 business days | Thursday, December 10 |
| Debit card, cash or check | 20 calendar days | Monday, December 21 |
If you decline on Monday, December 7 instead, the dates move to December 16 and December 27.
If the money does not show up
Most refunds arrive without anyone chasing them. When one does not, these steps help:
- Check who charged you. Look at the statement line. That company owes the refund.
- Write to them with the facts. Flight number, the date of the cancellation or change, and the date you declined. A screenshot of the cancellation email or app message helps.
- Keep a record. Save the airline's reply and any case number.
- Complain to the DOT. The Department of Transportation takes air travel complaints through its File a Consumer Complaint page.
Look at your other bookings for that trip too. A hotel or car you no longer need has its own cancellation deadline: our guide to the hotel free cancellation deadline shows where it hides in the confirmation.
Where Tracy fits
Tracy, the assistant in dEssence, does not contact airlines, file complaints or move money. What she does is keep the date that is easy to lose in a stressful week.
Send her a screenshot of the cancellation email or app message from Telegram, Chrome or the web, and tell her how you paid. She keeps the flight, the day you declined and the date the refund is due, and reminds you to check your statement on that day. If you took a voucher instead, she can keep its expiry date the same way. The rest of the trip's dates fit in the same place, as in our list of the four dates hiding in your trip confirmations.
Frequently asked questions
Do airlines have to refund canceled flights?
Yes, for flights to, from or within the US. If the airline cancels and you do not accept another flight, a voucher or other compensation, you are owed a full refund of the fare, taxes and fees, even on a nonrefundable ticket.
How long does an airline have to refund a canceled flight?
7 business days if you paid by credit card, and 20 calendar days for debit card, cash, check or other payment, counted from the day the refund became due.
Do I have to request a refund for a canceled flight?
No. Under the DOT rule the refund is automatic once you decline the alternatives, or do not respond and do not fly.
Can an airline give me a voucher instead of a refund?
Only if you agree to it. The airline has to tell you about your right to a refund, and a voucher you accept must be valid for at least five years.
What counts as a significant schedule change?
Departing 3 or more hours earlier or arriving 3 or more hours later on a domestic trip (6 hours internationally), a different airport, more connections, or a lower class of service.