Airline offered a voucher — can I refuse?

Published 19 October 2026 · Self-help information, not legal advice

Yes, in many cases you can refuse a travel voucher and ask for cash or a bank transfer instead — but only when you are eligible for compensation or a refund under the rules that apply to your flight. Under EU261 and UK261, compensation is paid in cash, electronic bank transfer, bank order or cheque unless you give a signed agreement to take vouchers or other services. Canada's APPR is stricter still for alternative forms. The US regime is mainly about refunds and denied-boarding payments, not EU-style delay cash. A voucher is a payment form, not an extraordinary-circumstances defence.

Care vouchers versus compensation vouchers

Airlines often hand out meal or hotel vouchers at the airport. Those are care or assistance, which is separate from fixed-sum compensation. Under EU261 Article 9 and the matching UK261 rules, care can include meals, refreshments and hotel stays when you are delayed or cancelled. Using a meal voucher does not mean you agreed to take compensation as a travel credit later.

Compensation vouchers (sometimes called eVouchers or travel credits) are different. They are meant to settle the fixed amount under Article 7 (EU/UK) or APPR compensation for inconvenience. Those are the ones that need your informed agreement if they replace money.

EU261 Article 7(3): cash first, voucher only with signed agreement

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 Article 7(3) (opens in a new tab) says compensation shall be paid in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques or, with the signed agreement of the passenger, in travel vouchers and/or other services.

So money is the default. A voucher is allowed only when you agree in the signed sense the regulation requires. Courts have treated that as free, informed consent after clear information — not a pre-ticked box or a voucher pushed without a real cash option. If the airline only offers a voucher, or presents cash as hard to find, you can still ask for the monetary form.

Eligible EU261 amounts remain up to €250, €400 or €600 by distance band if you meet the delay, cancellation or denied-boarding tests and extraordinary circumstances do not apply. The voucher debate does not change those amounts; it only changes how payment is made when you are eligible.

UK261: the same Article 7(3) wording

Retained UK law mirrors that structure. See UK Regulation 261 Article 7(3) (opens in a new tab). Eligible UK amounts are up to £220, £350 or £520 by distance band if eligible. The Civil Aviation Authority expects airlines to make the cash option clear. If you are offered only a voucher for Article 7 compensation, write back asking for payment by bank transfer or cheque and cite Article 7(3).

Canada APPR section 21: money first, higher-value no-expiry voucher only with written confirm

Under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations section 21 (opens in a new tab), a carrier who must pay compensation for inconvenience must do so in money unless all of these are true:

• the other form has a greater monetary value than the minimum cash amount under the regulations;
• you have been informed in writing of that monetary value;
• the other form does not expire; and
• you confirm in writing that you know you can take money and still choose the other form.

The CTA's forms of refunds (opens in a new tab) page states the same tests for vouchers offered instead of monetary refund or compensation. Eligible APPR compensation remains up to C$1,000 for large carriers (lower bands for smaller carriers) if the disruption is within the airline's control and not required for safety, and you meet the notice and arrival-delay tests. A voucher that expires, matches cash only, or was accepted without a written confirm of the cash option, fails the section 21 tests.

APPR also has separate rules for ticket refunds (original payment method first; see section 18.2). Do not confuse a refund of the unused ticket with compensation for inconvenience — both can involve voucher offers, and both have written-consent gates.

United States: refunds and bumping, not EU-style delay cash

US Department of Transportation rules do not create a general cash payment for long delays the way EU261 does. When a flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you are entitled to a refund, DOT guidance is that you get a refund to the original form of payment unless you affirmatively choose a voucher or credit. Vouchers are not a silent substitute for a cash refund when a refund is due. Denied-boarding compensation has its own cash tables. Use the US rules guide for the refund and bumping paths; do not expect EU-style delay compensation on a purely domestic US itinerary.

What to write back if you want cash

Keep the reply short and sourced:

1. State that you do not accept travel vouchers or credits as settlement of the compensation or refund.
2. Cite the article: EU261/UK261 Article 7(3), or APPR section 21 (and section 18.2 if the issue is a ticket refund).
3. Ask for payment by electronic bank transfer (or cheque) of the applicable amount if you are eligible, naming the region and the amount band as "up to" the figure for your distance or delay band.
4. Say you have not activated or spent the voucher, and ask the airline to cancel it on their side.
5. Attach booking reference, flight numbers, scheduled and actual times, and any denial email.
6. Give a clear response deadline (for example 14 or 30 days, matching the airline's published claim timeline where known).

You can draft this with the free eligibility check and the letter templates. The optional $29 claim dashboard with self-help letter templates is not a promise of payment.

If the airline still refuses cash

Escalate with the same packet: claim, voucher offer, your refusal, and the regulation cite.

• UK: airline ADR scheme where required, then the CAA passenger advice path for your carrier.
• EU: the national enforcement body (NEB) for the country of departure or the airline's licensing state.
• Canada: the Canadian Transportation Agency complaint process after the airline's response window.
• US: DOT aviation consumer protection for refund and bumping disputes.

Extraordinary circumstances (weather, ATC restrictions in the classic sense, and similar) can still block compensation under EU/UK rules. That is a separate eligibility question from how an eligible payment is paid. A voucher offer does not prove or disprove extraordinary circumstances.

Quick checklist

• Confirm which regime applies (EU, UK, Canada, or US) before arguing the form of payment.
• Separate meal/care vouchers from compensation credits.
• Do not sign or click acceptance of a compensation voucher if you want cash.
• Do not spend the credit if you plan to refuse it.
• Ask for bank transfer and cite Article 7(3) or APPR s.21 in writing.
• Escalate with a clean PDF if the airline ignores the cite.

Self-help information and templates only; this is self-help, not legal advice.

Related guides

• EU261 decision tree: am I eligible for compensation?
• UK261 decision tree: am I eligible for compensation?
• Canada APPR decision tree: compensation for delays and cancellations
• US flight delay and cancellation rights: refunds, not compensation
• Free flight delay compensation letter template (EU261, UK261, APPR)

This article is self-help information, not legal advice. It explains published rules so you can claim yourself; check the sources below and your own booking before relying on it.