Published by Flight HelpPage revision published

Can an airline make me accept a voucher instead of money for an EU-covered disruption?

An airline cannot rely on a voucher choice without the passenger’s free and informed agreement where the regulation requires that agreement. Read whether the offer replaces a fare refund, fixed compensation or something else. A larger voucher can be a valid choice, but only evaluate it after understanding the money alternative and restrictions.

Traveler organizing trip records and next steps after a flight disruption

What this answer depends on

  • Flights and passengers within Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. Check departure, destination, operating carrier and the specific conditions below; the airline name alone does not establish coverage.
  • Article 7(3) provides monetary payment methods and permits travel vouchers or other services with the passenger’s signed agreement.
  • The guidance interprets agreement as free and informed consent; an appropriately explained online form can meet the requirement without a handwritten signature.
  • A properly informed Article 8 choice is generally made once, while an imposed refund or an inadequately explained voucher raises a different issue.

Important exceptions

  • A later preference for cash does not automatically invalidate an informed voucher choice. This page does not declare every online acceptance defective. A particular airline may offer a higher nonrefundable voucher voluntarily, which is different from a legal requirement to provide that higher value.

What to do next

  1. Identify the payment being offered: unused airfare, statutory compensation or voluntary goodwill. Ask for the monetary amount and the voucher terms for that same remedy.

  2. Check expiry, transferability, eligible airlines or products, and what happens to unused value. Do not assume a voucher’s face value equals money you can realistically use.

  3. Before accepting, save the offer screen and the disclosure of the cash or refund option. Make the choice only after you understand whether it settles that particular claim.

  4. If a voucher was issued without a clear choice, keep it unused and ask the airline for its consent record. Explain the missing disclosure or disputed interaction precisely.

  5. Have the offer, stated money alternative, voucher restrictions, acceptance record, claim type and any voucher-use history. Retain the full text rather than only the headline amount.

More booking questions

Must there be a pen-and-paper signature?

Not necessarily. The guidance recognizes an appropriately informed online agreement.

Checked againstRegulation (EC) No 261/20042024 Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004

Does a larger voucher mean I should accept it?

That is a personal value decision. Compare usable value and restrictions with the monetary remedy first.

Checked againstRegulation (EC) No 261/20042024 Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004

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