Ryanair refund: cancelled and long-delayed flights

Getting a cash refund out of Ryanair

Ryanair’s cancellation e-mail offers a free move to another flight or a refund; the refund is applied for through Ryanair’s own refund form and, for bookings made on ryanair.com, is paid to the original card. Ryanair also promotes travel credit in the “Ryanair Wallet”: it is optional, and Article 7(3) entitles you to money instead — do not accept the credit if you want cash.

Bookings made through online travel agents are the main source of friction. Ryanair refunds the card it was paid from, and when that card belongs to the agent it may ask you to complete customer verification before it will deal with you directly. Do it: once verified you can request the refund yourself and Ryanair pays you rather than the agent.

Ryanair sells one-way sectors, so only the cancelled sector is refunded automatically. When the outbound is cancelled and the return has lost its purpose, ask in writing for the return to be refunded under Article 8(1)(a). Government taxes on a flight you chose not to take are a separate, contractual refund under Ryanair’s conditions and are not part of Regulation 261.

When Ryanair owes a refund

Article 8 of Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) gives you a refund in three situations: Ryanair cancelled the flight; Ryanair delayed it by 5 hours or more and you chose not to travel; or you were denied boarding. The refund covers the full cost of the ticket for the parts of the journey not made — and for the parts already made, if the flight no longer serves any purpose in relation to your original travel plan — plus, when relevant, a return flight to your first point of departure at the earliest opportunity.

Refund or re-routing: your choice, not Ryanair’s

When Ryanair cancels, it must offer you the choice between the refund and re-routing to your final destination under comparable conditions, at the earliest opportunity or on a later date that suits you. Accepting a rebooking in the app counts as choosing re-routing; if you want the money, choose the refund option or say so in writing. While you wait for re-routing, Ryanair owes meals and, if needed, a hotel.

Money, not vouchers

The refund must be paid within 7 days in cash, by bank transfer or to the card used, unless you sign for a voucher or travel credit (Article 7(3)). You can decline any voucher Ryanair offers, however generous it looks, and you can reject one you accepted only if you were not told a cash refund was available.

Refund and compensation are different rights

The refund returns what you paid; the €250, €400 or €600 compensation pays for the disruption. A cancellation announced less than 14 days ahead gives you both, unless Ryanair proves extraordinary circumstances — and even then the refund stands, because Article 8 has no extraordinary-circumstances exemption.

How to request a refund from Ryanair

1. Use the refund option in the cancellation notice or through Ryanair’s official channel (https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb), quoting the booking reference and the passengers.
2. State that you want the refund to the original payment method, not a voucher.
3. If nothing arrives within 7 days, write again with the date of the request; after a refusal or silence, escalate to AviationADR (UK flights).