How to Get a Frontier Airlines Refund

If you have to cancel your Frontier Airlines flight (or Frontier cancels your flight, despite it not being your choice), your next step is likely to seek out a refund.

Frontier has a simple online refund request form — but not every passenger is eligible. Here’s how to know whether you’re entitled to a refund on Frontier, and how to actually get it.

Frontier refund policy

Are Frontier flights refundable? First, it depends on whether Frontier chose to cancel your flight or you chose to cancel it. If the former, you’re entitled to a full refund. If the latter, you’re usually only entitled to a refund if you purchased a certain type of airfare add-on called the Works bundle.

You chose to cancel your flight

With Frontier’s standard fares, tickets can be canceled for a full refund only within the first 24 hours after booking and only if you bought your ticket at least 168 hours (that’s seven days) before departure.

The only other way to guarantee a full refund is if you purchase a package called the Works bundle. That gets you upgrades and services such as one checked bag and early boarding on top of guaranteed refunds.

Just realize that the package incurs an additional cost (which varies by destination and date), so you’re — in a sense — paying for the privilege to get that refund. For what it’s worth, Frontier Elite 100K status holders get the Works bundle at no additional cost.

Frontier chose to cancel your flight

If Frontier Airlines cancels your flight, it doesn’t matter which airfare you bought. You’re entitled to a full refund.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, travelers are entitled to a full refund if the airline calls off your flight, regardless of the reason, and you choose not to travel on another flight paid for by Frontier. Airlines are required to make refunds promptly within seven business days for purchases by credit card, or within 20 days if paid by cash or check.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Steps to getting a refund from Frontier Airlines

If you’re eligible for a refund, the easiest way to claim it is via the Frontier website. From your Frontier Miles account, navigate to the My Trip page and access the Manage My Booking tool. There’s also a live chat feature.

For tickets purchased via a Works bundle, you have two options:

1. Request a future flight credit. This lets you avoid filling out the Frontier refund form, but you likely don’t want to go this route, as credits must be used within one year of the transaction date. It’s also a single-use travel credit, so if your next flight is cheaper than the first, you won’t receive any money back for the difference.

2. Request a full refund via Frontier’s online refund form.

For all other eligible tickets (such as for a flight that Frontier canceled), use Frontier’s online refund request form to get your money back.

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Frontier Airlines flight credits

If you choose to cancel your flight and you’re not eligible for a full refund, you can cancel your itinerary and you’ll retain its value as a travel credit with Frontier. However, you’ll have to pay a cancellation fee for the privilege, which can sometimes amount to more than the cost of the ticket itself.

Frontier’s flight cancellation fee is $99 and is listed as per passenger, per direction — regardless if you cancel your flight 60 or more days prior to departure or the same day as departure.

What if Frontier Airlines won’t refund you?

If your ticket isn’t eligible for a refund and you want your money back, ideally you’d hold travel insurance. This can be purchased from separate travel insurance companies, or sometimes through your travel agent. Cost and coverage can vary by provider, but it typically amounts to between 5% and 10% of your total trip cost, according to insurance comparison site Squaremouth (a NerdWallet partner).

However, you might not even need to pay for trip insurance. Many credit cards offer travel insurance as a built-in benefit to customers who pay for their trip on that card. See the best travel rewards cards that provide travel insurance.

» Learn more: You can get travel insurance without paying for it out-of-pocket

Of course, not even trip insurance can guarantee a refund. Unless you’ve purchased a Cancel For Any Reason policy, which is usually more expensive, you’re only entitled to a refund if you cancel for a covered reason. Covered reasons vary by insurer, but they typically entail situations like severe weather or illness, injury or death.

Otherwise, consider booking nonrefundable Frontier Airlines flights only if you’re confident that you won’t need to cancel — or you’re fine sinking the cost of your airfare if you do cancel. Or, upgrade to that Works bundle so you can get your Frontier refund if the trip falls through.