If your flight has been delayed or cancelled, your airline may offer you a voucher instead of paying you financial compensation, but you don’t have to accept a voucher instead of the compensation or a refund you’re legally entitled to.
Under EU261 and UK261, an airline can only pay compensation in vouchers if you agree to receive it this way. Before accepting a voucher, make sure you understand exactly what the airline is offering it for and whether accepting it could affect your right to receive compensation or a refund instead.
Do I Have To Accept Vouchers For Flight Delay Compensation?
No, you do not have to accept vouchers from the airline. You are under no legal obligation to accept vouchers instead of compensation for a flight delay.
As part of their legal requirements under EU Reg 261 and the accompanying UK equivalent, UK261, UK based airlines are legally bound to pay compensation for flight delays or cancellations that are not classed as an extraordinary circumstance.
Do I Have To Accept A Voucher Instead Of A Refund For A Cancelled Flight?
No, you are under no legal obligation to accept vouchers from the airline for a cancelled flight.
If your flight was cancelled and you choose not to accept a replacement flight, you are legally entitled to a full refund from the airline.
The refund must be paid by electronic transfer, bank orders, or cheques within seven days. You are under no legal obligation to accept vouchers from the airline.
Why Choose Bott and Co?
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Over £86m Claimed
We've claimed more compensation from the airlines than any other UK firm.
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A History Of Success
Industry leading success rates and described by Martin Lewis as “pioneers” in our field.
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We are a law firm, not a claims management company. Your claim is in safe hands.
What Happens If The Airline Offers Me A Voucher?
It is completely up to you if you want to accept a voucher from an airline instead of receiving compensation or a refund.
However, make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to before accepting it. If you agree to receive a voucher instead of compensation or a refund, you may not be able to change your mind and ask for the money at a later date.
Airline vouchers may also come with restrictions, including an expiry date or limitations on when and how they can be used. Check the terms carefully and make sure you’re happy with them before accepting the voucher.
Will I Lose My Right To Claim Compensation If I Accept An Airline Voucher?
It depends on what the voucher was offered for and what you agreed to when you accepted it.
If you knowingly accept a travel voucher as payment of your flight compensation, you may have agreed to receive your compensation in that form rather than as a cash payment.
However, not every voucher an airline gives you is necessarily payment of your compensation.
For example, airlines may provide food and drink vouchers as part of their responsibility to provide care and assistance during a delay. Accepting one of these doesn’t mean you’ve accepted it instead of flight compensation.
Before accepting a voucher, check the airline’s offer carefully so you understand what the voucher relates to and whether you’re being asked to accept it in settlement of your compensation claim.
What Should I Do Before Accepting An Airline Voucher?
Before accepting an airline voucher, it’s worth checking exactly what the airline is offering and whether the voucher works for you.
We recommend you check the following before accepting a voucher:
- What the voucher is for: Is it being offered instead of flight compensation, a ticket refund or simply as a gesture of goodwill?
- How much it’s worth: Compare its value with the money you’re otherwise entitled to receive.
- When it expires: Make sure you can realistically use it before its expiry date.
- Where you can use it: Check whether it can only be used with a particular airline and whether there are restrictions on eligible flights.
- What you’re agreeing to: Look for any terms stating that accepting the voucher settles your compensation or refund entitlement.
How Bott and Co Can Help
We have fought for airline passengers’ rights since 2013. Alongside our award-winning legal services, we provide free tools and advice.
If you’d prefer to contact the airline yourself, you can download our free expenses template letter to claim back reasonable costs you’ve paid during a delay, or use our free flight compensation sample letter to contact the airline about your flight delay or cancellation.
Alternatively, add your flight details to our free flight compensation calculator. It’ll provide an instant decision on whether you can claim and how much you may receive. You can then choose to instruct our specialist flight compensation solicitors to handle your claim on a no win no fee basis.