Can you cancel a Ryanair flight? No, not in the way most airlines let you. Every booking can only be changed to a new date or route, or left to lapse if you don’t fly. There’s no cancellation option at all. The only way to get your money back is if the airline itself cancels the flight, delays it by five hours or more, or denies you boarding.
Can you cancel a Ryanair flight, or only change it?
Ryanair’s own refund policy puts it plainly: every booking is changeable, but none can be cancelled. You can change it to a new date or route, or not turn up and lose the fare. There’s no “cancel and refund” button. That’s different from when the airline owes you money back. The two get confused constantly: one is your choice not to fly, the other is Ryanair disrupting your plans.
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When Ryanair must give you a refund
- Ryanair cancels your flight. You’re entitled to a full refund to your original payment method, or you can choose to be rerouted at no extra cost. The refund lands in your Ryanair Wallet within 24 hours, then reaches your original payment method within five working days if you withdraw it.
- Your flight is delayed five hours or more. If departure is delayed by five hours or more and you decide not to travel, you can claim a full refund instead. You have to choose this before you fly, once you board, the right disappears.
- You’re denied boarding. If Ryanair bumps you off an overbooked flight against your will, you’re entitled to a full refund plus compensation, set out below.
There’s also a bereavement provision, though it’s credit rather than cash. It applies if a passenger on your booking dies within 10 days of your flight, or if an immediate family member not travelling with you does. That second route only covers a spouse, civil partner, parent or child, siblings and grandparents don’t qualify. Apply before your travel date with Ryanair’s Travel Credit Request Form and a death certificate, and use the credit to rebook within 12 months.
Most passengers don’t realise a refund doesn’t land straight back in their bank account. It goes into your Ryanair Wallet first, then you need to withdraw it yourself. Miss that step and it just sits there, easy to mistake for a refund that never came.
Kate Acaster, Flight Tribe
Compensation on top of your refund
A refund and compensation are separate things, and you can be entitled to both. Under UK261, the post-Brexit version of EU261, if Ryanair cancels your flight and notifies you fewer than 14 days before departure for a reason within its control, not weather or an ATC strike, you’re also owed compensation on top of the refund:
| Flight distance | Compensation |
|---|---|
Under 1,500km | £220 |
1,500km to 3,500km | £350 |
Over 3,500km | £520 |
Ryanair won’t pay compensation if the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond its control, such as severe weather, air traffic control strikes, or political instability. If it cancels for an operational or technical reason instead, you’re entitled to both the refund and the compensation.
The 24-hour rule people get wrong
You may have heard you can cancel a Ryanair flight within 24 hours for a full refund. That’s not correct for UK and European routes. The 24-hour free cancellation window only applies to Ryanair flights departing from or arriving in the United States or Canada, where US Department of Transportation rules require it. For flights within the UK and Europe, there’s no cooling-off period: tickets become non-refundable the moment you complete the booking.
If Ryanair reschedules or delays your flight
If Ryanair changes your scheduled departure time by five hours or more, and the new time doesn’t work for you, and Ryanair can’t offer an alternative flight you’re happy with, you’re entitled to a full refund of everything you’ve paid for that flight instead of accepting the new time. This is a legal right under Ryanair’s own schedule-change policy, not a goodwill gesture. Always check the new departure time carefully before you accept it, since accepting closes off the refund option.
The Air Passenger Duty refund you’re probably owed
If you don’t fly, you can claim back Air Passenger Duty, the UK government tax included in every ticket price for flights departing UK airports. Ryanair charges a £17 admin fee to process this refund, claimed via refundclaims.ryanair.com within one month of your scheduled flight. For short-haul European routes, the APD component is typically around £13 to £26 per person, so the admin fee will often exceed what you get back. For longer routes, or if several passengers are on the same booking, it can be worth claiming.
How to request a Ryanair refund
If you’re entitled to a refund because Ryanair cancelled or delayed your flight:
- Log into your Ryanair account and go to Manage Trips
- Select the affected booking
- Choose Refund from the options offered
- The refund appears in your Ryanair Wallet within 24 hours
- To move it to your bank account, select Withdraw in the wallet, which takes a further five working days
If you’re having difficulty, you can also submit a request directly at refundclaims.ryanair.com, keeping your booking reference and any correspondence about the disruption to hand. If the airline refuses a refund you believe you’re entitled to, escalate to the UK Civil Aviation Authority or an alternative dispute resolution service. Third-party claims companies will also take cases on a no-win no-fee basis, though they keep a cut of any compensation awarded.
- Flying with hand luggage only? See our guide to whether Ryanair is strict with hand luggage.
- Need a bag that passes the sizer first time? Our picks for the best carry-on bag for Ryanair are tested against both allowances.
- Checking a bag at the airport? Our Ryanair airport check-in guide covers the fees and deadlines.
- Booking around a sale? Check our Ryanair sale dates guide.
- Comparing budget airlines? Our guide to the cheapest days to book flights in the UK covers every major UK carrier.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cancel a Ryanair flight for a refund?
No. Ryanair doesn’t offer cancellations, you can only change your booking or let it lapse. The only way to get a refund is if the airline cancels your flight, delays it by five hours or more, or denies you boarding.
Does Ryanair have a 24-hour cancellation policy?
Only for flights departing from or arriving into the United States or Canada, where US law requires it. For UK and European routes, tickets become non-refundable the moment you complete your booking.
How much compensation can I claim if Ryanair cancels my flight?
£220, £350 or £520 depending on the flight distance, on top of your refund. This only applies if the airline notified you fewer than 14 days before departure and the cause was within its control.
What happens if Ryanair reschedules my flight?
If the new time is at least five hours different from your original booking and unacceptable to you, and Ryanair can’t offer an alternative you’re happy with, you’re entitled to a full refund. Always check the new time carefully before accepting it.
Can I claim back Air Passenger Duty if I don’t fly?
Yes, via refundclaims.ryanair.com within one month of your flight, though a £17 admin fee often exceeds the tax refund on short-haul routes. It’s usually only worth claiming for longer routes or multiple passengers on one booking.
How long does a Ryanair refund take?
It appears in your Ryanair Wallet within 24 hours of approval. Moving it to your bank account takes a further five working days once you request the withdrawal from the wallet.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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