If you’re familiar with purchasing airline tickets online, then you already know about the incredible discount airline offers and reduced ticket prices. Oftentimes, airlines will allow travelers to purchase their airline tickets at a significantly reduced rate; however, these savings are offered at the cost of opting for “non-refundable” tickets! Before settling on a non-refundable purchase assuming that your traveler’s insurance will cover any interruptions or cancellations, evaluate the general airline rules and non-refundable regulations.
The Cost of a Non-Refundable Ticket
If you opt to purchase a non-refundable airline ticket, then most major US airlines will not allow you to reuse your ticket for another flight / time if you need to cancel your travel plans. Worse yet, you also don’t get your money back! In rare cases, some airlines allow travelers to use their canceled non-refundable ticket towards a future flight ticket purchase; however, the airline carrier will almost definitely take out a rather large “exchange fee” for switching flights. In fact, some “exchange fees” or “cancellation fees” may be more expensive than the actual cost of the airline ticket itself!
Will Traveler’s Insurance Protect Non-Refundable Ticket Cancellations?
If you are planning to purchase non-refundable tickets, then it may be to your advantage to investigate trip cancellation insurance packages. While each travel insurance policy has its own coverage features, rules, and exceptions, most major cancellation insurance policies do in fact provide travelers with a portion (or entire) reimbursement for a non-refundable ticket that needed to be canceled. In fact, some travel websites, airline ticket sites, and airline carriers allow travelers to opt for temporary and short-term insurance packages, which often only cost travelers about $15 to $25!
If your non-refundable ticket was incredibly cheap (around $100 or less), then it may not be worth your investment to even purchase added insurance. In the unfortunate case that you need to cancel your flight plans, you will most likely lose your $100 ticket investment. If you’ve made more extensive plans for a pricier trip, however, insurance carriers and / or short-term policies would certainly protect you from unforeseen financial losses associated with cancellations!
