What you get back when you cancel
What you get back depends on your plan and your trip. Your cancel screen (Flight Options, then Cancel) shows your exact options and amounts before you choose anything.
Here's the big picture. On eligible bookings, you can get 100% of what you've paid back instantly as Defera Credit. With Defera Zero, you can take 75% of your payments back to your card instead, up to 24 hours before departure. And if you cancel within 24 hours of booking, your deposit goes back to your card automatically.
What will I get back?
This table compares the main situations:
| Your situation | What you get back |
|---|---|
| You cancel within 24 hours of booking | Your deposit, in full, to your card, automatically |
| Your cancel screen offers Defera Credit | 100% of what you've paid, as Defera Credit, instantly |
| Defera Zero | 75% of your payments to your card, up to 24 hours before departure |
| Defera Installments, standard options | Any airline flight credit your fare allows, once your plan is paid in full |
| Paid in full, with your confirmation number | Whatever the airline's fare rules allow |
The quickest way to know which applies to you is to open your cancel screen. It shows your real options, and opening it doesn't cancel anything. Defera Credit is offered on select bookings, and eligibility may vary.
How does Defera Credit work?
Defera Credit is credit on your Defera account. You can put it toward any future trip on Defera, for yourself or someone else. It posts instantly and never expires, but it can't be turned into cash.
If your screen offers Cancel & receive Defera Credit, you get back 100% of what you've paid, and your payment plan stops right away. What is Defera Credit? tells you more.
How does the Defera Zero 75% refund work?
On every Defera Zero trip, you can take 75% of your payments back to your card until 24 hours before departure. That includes trips that are already paid in full.
Here's what happens:
- Choose the cash option. Tap Cancel & receive 75% refund. If your screen offers Defera Credit, tap Prefer cash? Take 75% back instead.
- Check the split. The screen shows exactly how much comes back to your card.
- Confirm. The refund then runs automatically. There's no request to send and nothing to wait on.
If your trip was paid entirely with Defera Credit, there's no card payment to refund. The screen says so, and cancelling returns all of it as Defera Credit.
Should I choose credit or cash?
If your Defera Zero screen offers both, compare them before you confirm:
- Defera Credit is 100% of what you've paid, so it's worth more.
- Cash is 75% of your payments, back to your card.
For example, if you've paid $400 so far, Defera Credit would give you $400 toward a future trip. The cash option would return $300 to your card.
If you need the money, the cash option is yours to take. Choose carefully, though: once Defera Credit is on your account, it can't be turned into cash.
What about Defera Installments?
If your cancel screen shows the standard options, cancelling ends the trip, not what you owe:
- Cancel & continue paying off balance: you keep making your payments. Any airline flight credit your fare allows comes after your plan is paid in full.
- Cancel & stop payments: nothing comes back. It's a payment default, and the remaining balance is still owed.
A cash refund isn't one of the options on this screen. If your situation doesn't fit them, you can ask our team to review it. Asking for an exception to the cancellation policy explains how.
Is a flight credit the same as Defera Credit?
No. An airline flight credit comes from the airline, under the airline's rules. Defera Credit comes from us. It lives on your Defera account and applies automatically when you book with us.
What about restrictive fares?
On restrictive fares, such as Basic Economy, Basic, Saver and Light, the airline doesn't accept changes or cancellations. That means no refund or flight credit comes back from the airline. This applies to the standard options, and to trips that are paid in full with a confirmation number.
What if my trip is paid in full?
Once you have your confirmation number, cancellation happens directly with the airline, under its fare rules, using your confirmation number. Fares are generally non-refundable. Some allow an airline flight credit, and only the airline can say what yours allows.
If the airline asks you to contact the company you booked through, contact us and our team will take it from there. On Defera Zero, the 75% option stays available until 24 hours before departure.
When will I see my money?
- Defera Credit is on your account instantly.
- Card refunds leave us right away, but your bank decides when they appear: typically within 5–10 business days.
- A deposit refunded within 24 hours of booking usually drops off your statement within a day or so.
When will my refund arrive? has more on refund timing.
What happens to my Miles?
Defera Miles you used on the trip come back to your account automatically. A cancelled trip doesn't earn Miles.