Whether you have to travel for work or want to take a vacation, in today's world, air travel has become one of the most convenient and fastest modes of transportation. But commuting via airplane can sometimes be very expensive and troublesome.

Most people opt for lower fares rather than comfortable travel when traveling via airplane. This is partly due to travelers needing to be made aware of refundable plane tickets.

When you plan to travel anywhere, you stick to your schedule. But life is very uncertain, and you can miss your flight or have a last-minute change of plans. In such a situation, if you don’t have a refundable plane ticket, you stand to lose most of the airplane fare according to their cancelation policies.

Hence people should know about the difference between non-refundable and refundable plane tickets and which are the best airlines with refundable tickets. Following are some of the best airlines which provide their customers with refundable plane tickets:

1. Southwest

Southwest is one of the popular airlines in the U.S.A. It stands out among other airlines because of its customer service and satisfaction. We can understand the customer-centric policies of Southwest from the fact that the majority of plane tickets provided by Southwest are refundable and with no extra fees or other penalties.

Southwest has only one slab of plane tickets which fall in the non-refundable category. But these non-refundable tickets can also be converted to points that can be canceled against a future flight in a given period of time.

Southwest also allows its customer to cancel their tickets within the first twenty-four hours after buying, and this is applicable for all of their ticket slabs. Additionally, you can also cancel a ticket for a full refund up to ten minutes before the scheduled departure.

2. JetBlue

JetBlue is also one of the popular airlines operating in the states. They have special perks for customers, such as free in-plane Wi-Fi and complimentary food and beverages.

JetBlue also provides refundable tickets, but these are more expensive as compared to non-refundable tickets. JetBlue also charges an additional fee to cancel or refund these refundable tickets. This additional fee can be anything between $50 to $200 per person, and the final value also depends on the original fare of the ticket.

One thing to remember is that these refund policies are not applicable in the case of tickets bought as a part of a vacation package.

3. Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines offers both domestic and international flights and is very popular among frequent international travelers. Like other airlines, Delta Air Lines provides both refundable and non-refundable plane tickets. The major difference from other airlines is the steep cancelation charges.

Like Southwest, Delta Air Lines allows customers to cancel their plane tickets in the first twenty-four hours, but after that charge a $200 cancelation fee for domestic and up to $500 for international flights with non-refundable tickets.

Delta Air Lines provide a full refund to their passenger, if applicable, to the original payment mode.

4. United Airlines

United Airlines is an airline that provides transportation services in the United States. United Airlines is one of the airlines which provide non-refundable and refundable plane tickets.

Similar to other popular airlines, United Airlines allows customers to cancel their plane tickets in the first twenty-four hours, but after that charges a minimum $200 cancelation fee. But for basic or economy flight tickets, direct monetary refunds cannot be made.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, United Airlines expanded its cancelation and refund policies to help their severely affected customers.

5. American Airlines

American Airlines also provide customers with refundable and non-refundable airplane tickets. Similar to Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, American Airlines allows customers to cancel their plane tickets in the first twenty-four hours, but after that, charges a $200 or upwards cancelation or change fee.

After 2020, American Airlines completely eliminated the change fees for First, Business, Premium Economy, and Main Cabin tickets for all small-distance international and domestic flights.

Conclusion

Refundable tickets are very beneficial if you feel that your travel plan is uncertain and you may need to cancel or change the travel date. Though they are a little expensive when compared to non-refundable plane tickets, the cancelation policies for refundable plane tickets are very beneficial when you are concerned about potentially losing the plane tariff money.

You can also use premium credit cards, airline credit cards, or other gift cards to avail of offers, discounts, added traveling perks, and travel protections such as travel insurance or baggage delay insurance. In addition, you can also gain miles or other forms of points when booking a flight.

Hope this article helps you understand if you need to book a non-refundable or refundable plane ticket for your current travel plan. Also, hope that the list of the best airlines which provide refundable plane tickets helps you narrow down the airline you want to travel with. You can contact their respective customer helpline to know more details about their refund policies.

FAQ

What is the difference between non-refundable and refundable plane tickets?

As the names suggest, refundable tickets can be returned or canceled in exchange for a full or partial refund, depending on the airline's policies. On the other hand, non-refundable tickets cannot be returned, and canceling the plane ticket leaves the customer with a fraction of the original fare paid.

A major difference between non-refundable and refundable plane tickets is their cost. Refundable airplane tickets generally cost four to ten times more than the non-refundable plane ticket for the same flight.

Is buying a refundable air ticket worth it?

Airlines charge you four to ten times more for refundable plane tickets than non-refundable plane tickets. This is a huge difference in tariff and can be a deal breaker in some cases.

In some cases, it is worth it to buy refundable airplane tickets as you can change the travel date, ask for a full refund, and book a ticket for a different location against it. But a very good alternative for refundable plane tickets is using travel insurance with cancelation policies for work or any other reason.

Are basic economy tickets eligible for a refund?

Basic economy tickets are mostly ineligible for a refund or a change. But some airlines allow customers to change the travel date for a fixed fee.

Though in 2020-2021, during the pandemic, even basic economy tickets were eligible for refund and travel date change. But this trend has since then been eliminated.