Options for a defaulted trip

Written by Audrey (SI), Director, Operations Assurance · Updated 2026-10-05

A defaulted trip may have two ways forward. What you've paid can be turned into Defera Credit, or the trip can be reinstated on a fresh payment schedule for a $30 fee. Both are offered on select bookings, and eligibility may vary.

To find out what's available for your trip, tap Contact Support on your trip page. The Defera Concierge, our AI concierge, tells you which options apply to your booking. Once you've chosen, it sends your request to our team.

Turning what you've paid into Defera Credit

Defera Credit is credit on your Defera account that you can use toward a future trip with us. With this option, what you've paid on the defaulted trip becomes Defera Credit.

  • It never expires. It's there whenever you're ready to travel.
  • It's for anyone you book for. Use it on your own trip, or on a trip you book for someone else, like a partner, a parent or a friend.
  • It applies at checkout. When you book, your credit applies automatically, and you can choose how much of it to use.
  • It isn't cash. It's for travel with Defera, so it can't be cashed out or refunded to a card.

What is Defera Credit? explains how it works.

Reinstating your trip

Reinstating brings your trip back. Our team sets up a fresh payment schedule for your remaining balance, and your payment plan picks up again.

  • The fee is $30. It's charged to your card on file (the card your payments are charged to) when our team processes your request.
  • You agree to the fee first. The concierge tells you about it, and checks that you're okay with it, before it sends your request.
  • Our team confirms the details. Your new payment dates and amounts are confirmed when our team processes your request.

How to ask

Here's what happens, step by step:

  1. Open the chat. On your trip page, tap Contact Support, or open the Defera Concierge chat.
  2. Ask about your options. Tell the concierge you'd like to know what's available for your trip.
  3. Hear what applies. The concierge tells you which options are available for your booking. If both are available, the choice is yours.
  4. Make your choice. Once you've chosen, the concierge sends your request to our team.
  5. Get your answer. Your request shows as a card on your trip page. The answer posts there and comes to you by email, usually within 24 hours.

If neither option is available for your booking, the concierge will tell you.

What to expect

  • Nothing is charged when you ask. If your trip is reinstated, the $30 fee is charged when our team processes it.
  • The answer is specific to your booking. Eligibility varies by booking, so we can't say here which option will apply to yours.
  • You can follow along. Your request's card reads "Submitted · in progress" while our team works on it, then shows the answer.

What about the unpaid balance?

What happens to any unpaid balance after a default is set out in our Terms of Service. If the wording is hard to follow, the Defera Concierge can explain it in plain English.

Related articles