When an airline sells you a service, you should be able to receive a refund if they don’t deliver it. But when is it not worth even bothering to order one?
I asked this question last week when I had serious problems connecting to Wi-Fi during an American Airlines flight. The airline charged $17 for the privilege. I estimated the hassle of getting the money back would cost over $17 in time and hassle.
Turns out I was wrong, according to more than 100 readers who set me straight after I asked them for advice in our weekly Your Money newsletter.
Almost everyone who requested a refund when the Wi-Fi didn’t work properly got their money back. Many had even cracked the code on how to apply in less than 60 seconds.
This week, I distilled their wisdom and spoke with major airlines and credit card companies who were willing to answer my many detailed questions.
First, some guidance from airlines on the quickest path to request a refund:
Alaska Airlines
Go to care.inflightinternet.com. You can chat with a representative on that page about a refund or contact the airline via the email address or phone number provided there.
american airlines
I ended up asking American for a refund, without really knowing how. After a few minutes searching their website, I found a place to email the airline. The response I received offered vague platitudes, but no compensation.
Readers suggested a different tactic: Look for the email receipt for your Wi-Fi purchase, hit reply, and request a refund. I tried that too, and several hours later received a note of apology and an “offer” for a discount code for a Wi-Fi “pass of your choice” for a future flight. Following readers’ advice, I politely declined the offer. The response said my refund had been processed.
According to American, the best place any passenger can go to request refunds from one of its three Wi-Fi providers is the “Wi-Fi & Connectivity” page on its website.
Delta Airlines
Delta is rolling out free Wi-Fi for members of its frequent flyer program on all flights this year and next, and more than 700 planes already have it. For paying people who want to request a refund, go to delta.com/wifi and click “customer support.”
JetBlue Airways
All Internet access is free on the airline, but flight attendants, at their discretion, may offer a $15 credit if Wi-Fi (or anything) is problematic.
Spiritual airlines
The airline has a page on its website just for Wi-Fi refunds.
Southwest Airlines
Email the airline at: support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us. But keep in mind that the airline sometimes proactively sends refunds when they know things didn’t work out well.
united airlines
United will also send a refund notice via email when problems are detected. If you’ve had problems with Wi-Fi, the airline asks you to wait a few days to receive that note. If you don’t end up getting one, head to the “refunds” page on their website.
If you’re having trouble flying with a regional airline partner, you’ll need to talk to Intelsat, the Wi-Fi provider. Don’t know if it’s a United or partner flight? You should see the Wi-Fi provider’s name on your receipt if you purchase the service.
Other things you should know
Is it worth asking the flight attendants for help?
Yes. They may be able to reboot the system and make the Wi-Fi work or work better. Some airlines may also offer compensation on the spot.
How bad does the Wi-Fi have to be before you can request a refund without being an idiot?
Alaska’s response seemed reasonable to me:
“While we don’t have a firm policy on this, we would characterize a poor Wi-Fi connection as no connection for more than 20 minutes at any given time during the flight, the inability to stream movies or video clips without multiple buffering events or I am constantly unable to send or receive emails,” said Cameron Greenberg, a spokesperson, in an email.
What happens if I simply hit reply to the email receipt I received when I purchased Wi-Fi and request a refund?
That can work, and it worked for me with American.
Can I decline if the first compensation offer is a coupon or frequent flyer miles?
Yes, this often works, as I discovered with the American. It’s worth a try, because a refund is money back in your pocket, while it’s easy to forget about miles and coupons. And the worst that can happen is that you get a “no” for an answer.
Why not just dispute Wi-Fi charges with your credit card company if their customer service is better than the airline’s?
Generally, you are supposed to first give any service provider a chance to fix the problem.
However, I understand that it is tempting to go directly to the card issuer. As I reported more than a decade ago in a column about the art and science of using your credit card company to dispute purchases with merchants, some industry observers believe that big banks will automatically credit their customers during disputes over amounts in such small dollars. In other words, they may not even bother contacting the merchant.
The airlines I spoke to had no comment. Capital One and American Express said they investigated all disputes. Citi, which partners with American on several credit cards, declined to answer the question. Chase didn’t broach the topic.
Do airlines ever reject a Wi-Fi refund request?
Rarely, it seems. But this is not an invitation to try to deceive them. They may be watching you.
“Every time a guest contacts us, our provider reviews their complaint,” said Greenberg, of Alaska. That includes looking at whether the passenger consumed “substantially” more data than other passengers.