How to cancel a Ryanair flight

Had a change of plans? If you’ve booked a flight with Ryanair and can no longer travel, you might be looking into how to cancel it.

In this guide, we’ll cover all the essential info on how to cancel Ryanair flights, including whether you can get a refund. We’ll even give you a hot tip for low fee⁶ holiday spending, the Wise travel money card, for when you do actually make it abroad.

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But first, let’s look at whether you actually need to cancel at all.

How to cancel a Ryanair flight - is it possible?

Ryanair doesn’t actually give you the option to cancel flights, but you can change your bookings¹. This means that if you can’t travel at all and no longer want the flight, all you need to do to cancel is not show up at the airport.

You don’t need to notify Ryanair and you won’t be charged a penalty. If needed, you can still use your return flight.

What to do if you make a mistake when booking Ryanair flights

If you accidentally book a flight for the wrong date or destination, you don’t have to cancel. If you act fast, you can make changes without having to pay any fees.

Ryanair offers a 24-hour grace period² where you can change dates and times (and reverse the routing destinations if you accidentally get your airport arrivals and departures the wrong way around) free of charge.

Will I get a refund for cancelling my Ryanair flight?

Unfortunately, Ryanair does not offer refunds on cancelled flights - except in certain circumstances. These include³:

• Cancellation of a flight by Ryanair.
• Cancellation due to bereavement of an immediate family member (whether or not they were travelling with you). In these circumstances, you can call Ryanair customer services to let them know. As long as it's at least 28 days before your travel date, you should receive a full refund for the cancelled flight.
• Cancellation due to serious illness or death of someone due to travel. Ryanair will use its discretion, but you should be able to cancel your flights and receive a refund.

In all other situations, you’ll lose the booking fee for your flights if you can’t travel, unless you wish to amend the booking instead.

What’s the Ryanair flight cancellation policy?

If your flight is cancelled by Ryanair, you’ll be notified as soon as possible. According to the Ryanair flight cancellation policy, you can then choose whether to change your flight to another date, or apply for a full refund⁴.

If you’re the one considering cancelling a flight but don’t want to lose your booking fees, you can change your booking. All Ryanair flights are changeable, even close to the time of departure.

You can change your flight date or route up to 2.5 hours² before you’re due to take off, making changes on the ‘Manage My Booking’ section of the Ryanair website. Fees and charges may apply depending on the changes you make, and the cost of the new flights.

The only flights that can’t be changed are domestic flights that are being changed to international flights, along with flights for just one person in a multi-person booking².

Get ready for low-fee holiday spending with Wise

Once you get your Ryanair flights sorted, it’s time to start planning the rest of your trip. If you’ve managed to avoid cancellation or amendment fees, continue your money-saving spree with a multi-currency account from Wise.

Sign up for free and you can spend on a linked debit card in 175 countries worldwide for low fees and the real, mid-market exchange rate. You’ll even get two free international ATM withdrawals up to £200 a month⁵, which should help to top up your travel budget. Note that some third-party providers may still charge you some ATM fees for withdrawals.

Sign up for free

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So, you now know how to cancel a Ryanair flight - just don’t turn up! But if you don’t want to lose your money, consider amending your booking to a different date instead, if that fits with your plans.

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Sources used for this article:

1. Ryanair - can I cancel my booking before travel
2. Ryanair - changing a flight
3. Ryanair - refunds
4. Ryanair - flight cancellations
5. Ryanair - pricing
6. Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing: Only Pay for What You Use for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

Sources checked on 29 November 2022