How to get a refund from Ryanair

If you have a booking with Ryanair and it is cancelled, either by you or the airline, you need to know how to get your money back. Unfortunately, getting refunds for cancelled travel isn’t always as easy as it should be.

But don’t worry - we’ve put together a helpful guide on how to get a refund from Ryanair. This includes when you are and aren’t entitled to a refund, how to claim and what to do if your flight is cancelled.

We’ll even give you a top tip for low-fee holiday spending once your Ryanair refund is all sorted - the Wise travel money card.

Learn more

But first, let’s get you that refund.

How to get a refund from Ryanair for cancelled flights

If Ryanair cancels your flight or booking, you are entitled to a refund. However, your refund won’t be issued automatically - you’ll need to claim it yourself. The best way to do this is online, otherwise you could spend hours on the phone waiting to get through to someone.

Ryanair will inform you of flight cancellations as soon as possible, by text message to your mobile phone or by email. This notification should also offer some advice on what to do next.

Once you receive notification of a flight cancellation, follow these steps to claim your refund¹:

1. Head to the Ryanair website or use the Ryanair app
2. Sign into your MyRyanair account
3. Follow the steps to apply for your refund
4. Alternatively, you can use the Ryanair Refund Application Form
5. Wait up to 7 working days for your refund claim to be processed
6. Your refund should be credited in full to the payment method used to make the original booking.

Instead of claiming a refund, you will also have the option to amend your cancelled flight if that fits with your plans. Ryanair may issue you with a voucher instead of a refund, but you don’t have to accept this unless you want to.

What happens if I don’t receive my refund?

If your flight is cancelled, you’re legally entitled to a refund in full. If you’ve followed all the right steps to claim a refund from Ryanair but it hasn’t come through, the next thing to do is contact Ryanair - by phone, live chat or even social media.

If Ryanair refuses to pay your refund and you believe you are entitled to one, there are other methods you can try.

If you paid by credit or debit card, you can try to get your money back using chargeback. This is where you ask your card provider to pursue a refund from Ryanair’s bank. Alternatively, you could make a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

As a final resort, you could contact the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to make a complaint.

Will I get a refund from Ryanair if I cancel my booking?

All bookings at Ryanair are changeable (subject to fees) but it isn’t actually possible to cancel a booking. So, if you no longer want a flight or can’t travel, all you have to do to cancel is not turn up at the airport. You don’t need to let Ryanair know.

But what this also means is that you can’t get a refund if you’re the one cancelling a flight or other booking.

Ryanair doesn’t issue refunds for customer-cancelled bookings except in the case of close family bereavement, or serious illness, injury or death to a passenger booked on the flight². If one of these circumstances has affected you, all you need to do is call Ryanair customer services and they should use their discretion to give you a full refund.

Ryanair refunds for COVID-19 cancellations

The coronavirus pandemic has played havoc with international travel, especially when it comes to customers struggling to get refunds for cancelled flights and holidays.

Ryanair has put in place a new set of refund and cancellation policies for passengers affected by COVID-19. The same rules as normal apply - you can’t get a refund unless Ryanair cancels your flight or booking. If you’re the one that cancels, unfortunately you’ll be out of pocket (although you may be able to recoup your money by claiming on your travel insurance).

If you had a booking with Ryanair that was cancelled due to COVID-19, and you booked directly through the Ryanair website or app, you are entitled to a refund. You can claim it using the Refund Application Form and steps we’ve outlined earlier in this guide.

If you booked through a third party travel agent or other website, not directly through Ryanair, the refund claims process is slightly different. If you haven’t received a voucher or refund from Ryanair, you can fill in a Customer Verification Form and Ryanair should take care of the rest. You’ll find more information on this on the Ryanair website.³

Using Ryanair vouchers

If your booking is cancelled due to pandemic restrictions, you may receive a voucher for use on Ryanair.com. These are processed automatically as soon as a flight or booking is cancelled, as a quick way for Ryanair to reimburse customers. A voucher could be useful if you’d like to re-book with Ryanair.

Here’s what you need to know about receiving a refund voucher from Ryanair:⁴

• You have up to 12 months to use your voucher
• To use a voucher on Ryanair.com, simply select your flights and enter the 18-digit voucher code at the checkout page
• You can use vouchers to pay for extras such as Priority Boarding or extra baggage allowances.
• You don’t have to accept a voucher if you don’t want to. You can fill in a quick online form to let Ryanair know you’d like a cash refund instead.

Save money on travel expenses with a Wise multi-currency account

Now that you know how to get a refund from Ryanair, it’s time to look ahead to future travel plans. If you’ve got overseas trips in the calendar, take a look at the multi-currency account from Wise.

With this multi-currency account, you can spend in 200+ currencies with your international debit card. You’ll only pay tiny currency conversion fees, and you’ll always get the real, mid-market exchange rate. This means cheaper, more convenient holiday spending, where you can just tap and go using your contactless card.

Sign up today

So, that’s pretty much it - all the essential info you need on how to get a refund from Ryanair. There are a few forms to fill in and you may have to be a little patient, but it’ll be worth it to recoup the money from your cancelled flights. Then, you can look forward to planning the next holiday!

Sources used for this article:

Sources checked on 24 February 2021