Applies when: the fare doesn't allow refunds, but standard fare rules still return airline credit on cancellation.

This is the simplest, fastest case. Because the fare was never refundable, there's no cash back, but the full value of the ticket is preserved as credit with that airline the moment it's cancelled. There's no waiting and no manual step: the credit is confirmed instantly and ready to spend on the next flight in the very same booking flow.

Applies when: the fare is refundable and the airline supports an automated refund.

This is a real refund: the money goes back to the original payment method, not to a Routespring credit balance. Because it can't be put toward the new flight, it's kept as a separate transaction from the new booking. The new booking is paid for normally, and the refund lands on the original payment method on its own timeline, typically within about a week.

Applies when: the fare is technically refundable, but the original ticket was itself paid for, fully or partly, with airline credit. To avoid converting credit into cash, the value returns as credit again.

This case exists so airline credit can't accidentally turn into cash simply by rebooking. If any part of the original ticket was paid with credit, the whole cancelled value, including any portion that was on a card, comes back as credit rather than a refund, confirmed and usable right away, same as with a non-refundable fare.

Applies when: the fare is refundable, but the airline doesn't support an automated refund (for example, certain Southwest fare brands). Our team processes it manually instead.

The amount isn't in question, it's a normal, confirmed refund. This particular airline just doesn't support an automated refund, so our support team completes it manually shortly after cancellation. That doesn't hold up rebooking; it can happen right away.

Applies when: we can't automatically confirm the fare's refund or credit terms, most often when the booking was made directly on an airline's own website. We estimate the value based on what was paid and confirm it manually.

This is the one genuinely uncertain case: we don't have clear enough fare rules to say for sure whether credit or a refund is owed, or the exact amount, before cancelling. Rather than blocking the rebooking until an agent looks it up, we show our best estimate based on what was paid, label it clearly as an estimate, and allow rebooking with it right away. Depending on the fare, that estimate leans toward credit or toward a refund. A support agent confirms the real outcome with the airline afterward; see How estimated amounts get confirmed.

Applies when: the fare's terms were already confirmed before cancelling (as with a non-refundable fare or one paid using credit), but completing the cancellation with the airline needs an extra manual step.

The confirmed credit amount shown before cancelling doesn't change. Our support team completes the cancellation with the airline, and the credit is already available to use for rebooking in the meantime.

Applies when: under this fare's rules, cancelling it returns no credit and no refund.

This is the one case with genuinely bad news: no credit is issued and no refund is due. This is stated plainly before confirming, not after, so there's a chance to decide to keep the ticket instead. A link is offered to dispute it with support. Moving forward anyway simply starts a fresh, full-price booking with no leftover value applied.

Applies when: the ticket was issued recently enough to fall inside the airline's free-cancellation window.

Most airlines allow a ticket to be cancelled at no cost for a short window right after it's booked, often 24 hours. Inside that window, every dollar comes back with no fare-rule complications at all. It's the most straightforward outcome in the whole flow, and after confirming it follows the same refund-processing confirmation as an automated refund.