When will my refund arrive?
Card refunds typically take 5–10 business days to show up, and sometimes sooner. The money leaves Defera right away, but your bank controls when it appears in your account.
Refunds go back to the original card you paid with. Defera Credit works differently: it posts to your Defera account the moment it's granted.
Why does it take several days?
When we issue a refund to your card, the money leaves Defera immediately. From there, your bank processes it and decides when it appears on your statement. That's why it typically takes 5–10 business days, and sometimes it's faster.
Business days are weekdays, so weekends don't count. For example, if a refund is issued on a Monday, you can typically expect it between the following Monday and the Monday after that.
How do the different kinds of money back compare?
Different kinds of money back arrive in different ways:
| What you're getting back | Where it goes | When you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| A refund to your card | The original card | Typically 5–10 business days, sometimes sooner |
| Your deposit, after cancelling within 24 hours of booking | The card you paid with | Usually the charge disappears within a day or so; if it had already posted, within a few business days |
| Defera Credit | Your Defera account | Instantly |
The takeaway: Defera Credit is instant, a deposit reversed after a 24-hour cancellation is usually quick, and other card refunds depend on your bank.
What if I cancelled within 24 hours of booking?
If you cancel within 24 hours of booking, your deposit is refunded in full to the card you paid with, automatically. You don't need to ask for it.
It's reversed on the card itself, so most of the time the charge disappears from your statement rather than showing as a separate refund line. This is a card refund, not Defera Credit. If it hasn't come back after a few business days, contact us so our team can check the transaction.
How do Defera Zero cash refunds work?
On Defera Zero, you can cancel up to 24 hours before departure and take 75% of your payments back as a refund to your card. The cancel screen shows the exact split and asks you to confirm, and the refund then goes through automatically. Like any card refund, it typically takes 5–10 business days to appear.
For example, if you've paid $400 on a Defera Zero trip (an example amount) and cancel more than 24 hours before departure, the cash option returns $300 to your card. What you get back when you cancel covers all the options.
How is Defera Credit different?
Defera Credit posts to your account instantly, never expires and can be used toward any future trip, including trips for other people. It can't be turned into cash.
What if my refund hasn't arrived?
- Check the original card. Refunds can't be redirected to a different card, a bank account or another person, so look at the card you paid with.
- Ask your bank if that card changed. If the card has been replaced or closed, your bank can tell you how it handles a refund sent to it.
- Contact us after 10 business days. If it's been longer than that, chat with the Defera Concierge, our AI concierge, or email support@defera.app, so our team can check the transaction. Our email response time is 2–5 hours.