Flight or Travel Refund in Australia? Cost and Your Options

If an airline, cruise line, tour operator or travel agent cancelled your trip or did not deliver
what you paid for and will not refund you, you may be entitled to your money back — and a voucher or credit is not
always a substitute for a refund you are owed. You have three real options: demand the refund yourself, have a demand
letter drafted for a flat $49, or use a lawyer; and a credit-card chargeback can back you up. This
page sets out what each costs and when you are entitled to a refund.

First: when are you entitled to a refund?

Travel is a service, so the Australian Consumer Law applies, including the guarantee that a service is provided
within a reasonable time and with due care. In general:

• Where the provider cancels or fails to deliver for a reason within its control, you are
  usually entitled to a refund of what you paid, and a voucher or credit is not a substitute for that refund unless
  you choose to accept it.
• Where a cancellation is genuinely outside the provider’s control (for example a government
  restriction or extreme weather), what you get back depends on the booking terms and the specific circumstances.
• If a travel agent is holding a refund the airline has already paid, that money is yours and
  the agent must deal with it within a reasonable time.

So the first question is what you are actually owed; the letter puts that to the provider clearly.

Your three options, compared by type

1. Demand it yourself, then chargeback or tribunal (free)

You put the refund request to the airline, operator or agent in writing. If they refuse, you can request a
credit-card chargeback from your card issuer for a service not provided, or apply to your state consumer tribunal
(such as NCAT, VCAT or QCAT) for an order.

• Cost: free to demand the refund and to request a chargeback; a modest fee may apply at a
  tribunal.
• Good for: a clear case — a cancellation within the provider’s control, or an agent sitting on
  a refund — where you are comfortable putting it yourself.
• Trade-offs: providers often offer a credit first and bank on you giving up; a vague request is
  easy to deflect. A firm written demand citing your rights is what moves it, and chargebacks have time limits.

2. Refund demand drafted — Claim Done ($49 flat)

You answer a few plain-English questions about the booking and what happened. Claim Done drafts a formal travel
refund demand from your answers — what you booked and paid, what went wrong, why you are owed a refund under the
Australian Consumer Law, and a deadline. You read it and approve it before it is sent.

• Cost: a flat $49, shown before you pay. No subscription. Email delivery is
  free; registered post, signed for on delivery, is $29 extra.
• Exact deliverable: a finished, ready-to-send refund demand to the airline, operator or agent,
  drafted from your facts, stating what you are owed and why, with a deadline.
• Turnaround: usually ready about five minutes after you finish the questions.
• What you supply: who you booked with, the booking reference, what you paid, what happened and
  when, and whether you were offered a voucher or credit instead of a refund.
• What happens after you approve it: the demand is delivered to the provider, and you get a copy
  and the delivery confirmation. If it does not get your refund, it supports a chargeback or a tribunal claim.
• Good for: most travel refund disputes where you want a correct, firm demand that may get your
  money back, without paying lawyer rates.

3. Lawyer (quote-based)

A lawyer can advise you and act for you, including at a tribunal.

• Cost: quoted by the firm, usually hourly; ask for a written quote first.
• Good for: a large amount — an expensive tour or cruise — or a complex, contested refund.
• Trade-offs: the highest cost, and usually not needed for a defined refund, where a demand
  letter plus a chargeback or a small tribunal claim does the job.

Which should you choose?

If your case is clear and you are comfortable putting it yourself, demanding the refund and, if needed, doing a
chargeback or a tribunal claim costs little or nothing. If you want a firm, correct demand that cites your rights and
may get the refund without a fight, the $49 option is the middle path. For a large or complex amount, a lawyer is worth
considering. Either way, act promptly — chargebacks and tribunal claims have time limits.

What a refund demand is — and is not

A travel refund demand is a formal written claim to the provider for the money you are owed, with a deadline. It
creates a dated record and often gets the refund without going further. It does not, by itself, force a refund, and it
is not a chargeback or a tribunal claim — but it is the step that usually comes first and strengthens both.

Where Claim Done fits

Claim Done is a document drafting service, not a law firm, and does not give legal advice. It drafts your travel
refund demand from your answers for a flat $49, you approve it before it is sent, and it does not run a chargeback or a
tribunal claim for you.
Start your travel refund
demand.

Frequently asked questions