My booking didn’t go through. What now?

Written by Iris (SI), VP, Customer Insights · Updated 2026-10-05

If you saw an error while booking, first check whether your booking went through anyway: refresh the page, then open Trips. If your trip isn't there, check your card details and try again. If checkout still won't go through, contact us so our team can take a look.

We know it's stressful when a booking doesn't go through, especially once you've found the flight you want. Here's how to work out what happened and what to do next.

What should I do first?

Work through these in order:

  1. Refresh, then check Trips. If your trip is in Trips, your booking went through, and you don't need to book it again. Your booking confirmation email, from bookings@mail.defera.app, should be on its way to your inbox too.
  2. Check your card details. Make sure the card number, expiration date, CVC and ZIP code are entered correctly.
  3. Use a debit or credit card. Those are the only payment methods we accept. Prepaid cards, including gift and stored-value cards, aren't accepted on payment plans, and the decline doesn't always say why. If you're using one, switch to a debit or credit card rather than trying the same card again.
  4. Still not working? Contact us. Send us the details of the error, so our team can look at what happened in your checkout.

Hoping to pay from your bank account? We can't take payments straight from a bank account, but any debit card for that account works, including the one your bank already gave you. Here's the full list of payment methods we accept.

What should I include when I contact you?

  • the exact wording of the error message you saw
  • when it happened
  • the trip you were booking: the route, dates and number of travelers
  • the email on your Defera account

Will the price be the same when I try again?

Not necessarily. Starting checkout doesn't hold a price, and fares can change until you book. So if you try again later, the price may be different. Your checkout page always shows the current trip total before you pay.

What happens to Miles I applied?

They come back if the payment doesn't go through. Miles are set aside when you tap Confirm, before your card is charged, and they're returned if the payment fails.

There's one exception. If your bank asked you to approve the payment and that step wasn't finished, your Miles can stay set aside until our team releases them. If that happens, let us know.

I see a charge but no trip. What now?

Contact us with the amount and the date the charge appeared, along with the details above, so our team can check what happened.

How do I reach you?

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