How to get a refund of an Air Canada ticket – COVID-19

Following the announcement of the agreement between the Federal Government and Air Canada, it is now possible to get a refund for an unused Air Canada ticket because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the details and the process.

An eligible ticket for a refund by Air Canada is:

• a non-refundable ticket for travel on or after February 1, 2020
• did not fly
• purchased before April 13, 2021
• whose flight has been cancelled for any reason

Refunds will be offered to customers who have had their flights cancelled or who have voluntarily cancelled their travel for any reason and wish to request a refund in the original form of payment.

Customers will be able to request a refund online at www.aircanada.com/remboursement until July 12, 2021. The policy also applies to Air Canada Vacations packages.

To request a refund for a cancelled and/or unused Air Canada ticket, you must visit the Air Canada website at this address.

Two situations are possible:

• Either you have an Air Canada travel voucher, Aeroplan points conversion or eVoucher
• Either you want to start a new claim

In both cases, you have the option of getting your money back according to your original payment method.

If you already have an Air Canada travel voucher or an Aeroplan points conversion offer, you will need to complete the information on this page.

Otherwise, you have the option of submitting a new refund request: you will need to indicate your reservation number (or ticket number starting with 014) and your name.

Air Canada is now offering a cash refund for all tickets purchased between February 1, 2020, and April 13, 2021.

During this time, you could redeem an Air Canada travel voucher or convert to Aeroplan points with a 65% bonus:

• the travel voucher restricted you to travel on Air Canada
• conversion to Aeroplan points was at a value of 1.8 cents per point

If in the future you use these points for a higher value, you will come out ahead. However, unless you are travelling in business class or on specific flights (e.g. short-haul), it isn’t easy to get a higher value than 1.8 cents per point.

Today, Air Canada is offering you a cash refund: that’s what I recommend you choose.

For new tickets purchased on or after April 13, 2021, Air Canada will provide customers an option for a refund to the original form of payment in the event that Air Canada cancels or reschedules their flight by more than three hours from the schedule, whatever the reason. Air Canada customers will also have the option of accepting an Air Canada Travel Voucher or Aeroplan points with a 65% bonus.

Here again, I advise you to choose the cash refund.

Here are some possibilities:

• If you booked through a travel agent, you will need to contact the agent directly for a refund.
• For reservations with Air Canada Vacations, a specific refund page is provided at this address.
• If you booked directly through Air Canada, Aeroplan, Kayak, Google Flights or Skyscanner, you will need to complete this form

If you booked your flight with AIR MILES, BMO Rewards, American Express Travel or any other program: you will need to contact the appropriate customer service department to obtain a refund.

For new tickets purchased as of April 13, 2021Air Canada will provide customers an option for a refund to the original form of payment in instances where Air Canada cancels their flight or reschedules the departure time by more than three hours, irrespective of the reason.

Air Canada will offer all customers the choice of receiving a refund, an Air Canada Travel Voucher or the equivalent value in Aeroplan Points with a 65% bonus.

For customers who make voluntary changes, normal fare rules will apply.

Air Canada has also expanded its existing goodwill policy to allow customers to make a one-time no-fee change to any new or existing reservation made by June 30,2021 for travel originally scheduled to end no later than June 30, 2022.