Refunds and Changes Policy

Draft for attorney review. Not yet in effect.

The short version

• The airline's fare rules decide whether your ticket can be changed or refunded and what it costs. We show you the key rules before you pay.
• Our 24-hour promise: cancel within 24 hours of booking, with departure at least 7 days away and an airline that allows a free void or refund, and you get everything back, including our service fee.
• When the airline cancels your flight or makes a significant change and you choose not to travel, you are owed a refund, not just a credit.
• Our service fee is non-refundable outside the 24-hour promise, because it pays for work we have already done.
• Refunds we issue go back to your original payment method within 7 business days for cards. Airline-issued refunds follow the airline's timeline.
• Contact us before opening a dispute with your bank. We will move faster than a chargeback and the ticket will not be cancelled by mistake.

1. Who issues your refund

Jetvala is a ticket agent, not an airline. On most bookings the airline is the merchant of record for the fare, meaning the airline charged your card for the ticket and the airline issues any fare refund. Jetvala charged you separately for our service fee and any extras bought from us. Your checkout page and receipt show which of these applies.

When Jetvala is the merchant of record (the whole total was charged by Jetvala), we are responsible for refunding the fare, taxes and airline fees once the airline confirms you are entitled to a refund. We do that within 7 business days for card payments and within 20 calendar days for other payment methods, as required by 14 CFR 399.80(l) and 14 CFR Part 260. We do not wait to receive the money from the airline before paying you.

2. Our 24-hour promise

You may cancel a booking for a full refund of everything you paid, including our service fee, if all three of these are true:

1. You ask us to cancel within 24 hours of the time your booking was confirmed.
2. The first departure on the itinerary is at least 7 days after the booking date.
3. The airline allows the ticket to be voided or refunded at no cost within that window.

Most US airlines and many international airlines permit this because the US Department of Transportation requires airlines to offer either a 24-hour free cancellation or a 24-hour fare hold (14 CFR 259.5). That rule applies to airlines, not to ticket agents, so Jetvala offers this promise voluntarily. Where an airline does not permit a free void, we will tell you before you book and the airline's fare rules apply instead.

To use the promise, message us on WhatsApp, email support@jetvala.com, or use the cancel button in your trip page. The time of your request is the time we receive it.

3. Voluntary changes and cancellations

A voluntary change is one you choose to make: a different date, a different route, a different traveler name, or cancelling a trip you no longer want.

• Basic economy and most promotional fares cannot be changed or refunded after the 24-hour window. Taxes that the airline did not incur (such as certain airport departure taxes) may still be refundable; ask us and we will request them.
• Standard economy and above can usually be changed for the fare difference. Many airlines have removed change fees on these fares for tickets originating in the US, but not all, and not for every route. We show the change fee, if any, on the fare rules panel before you pay.
• Refundable fares can be cancelled for a refund of the fare to the original payment method, minus any airline cancellation fee.
• Airline credits. If the airline offers a credit instead of a refund for a voluntary cancellation, the credit belongs to you and is governed by the airline's rules, including its expiry date. We will tell you the expiry date and how to use it.

To change or cancel, contact us before the departure of the first unused flight. Most airlines treat a missed flight without notice as a no-show and cancel the rest of the itinerary with no value left.

Our service fee is not refunded for voluntary changes or cancellations. We do not charge an additional Jetvala fee to process a change or cancellation; only the airline's fee and any fare difference apply. ATTORNEY REVIEW: confirm the decision not to charge a change-handling fee is reflected everywhere.

4. When the airline cancels or changes your flight

If the airline cancels your flight, or makes a significant change and you decide not to travel, you are entitled to a refund of the ticket and any extras you paid for and did not use. Under 14 CFR Part 260, a "significant change" includes a departure or arrival time moved by more than 3 hours on a domestic flight or 6 hours on an international flight, a change of departure or arrival airport, an added connection, a downgrade in cabin, or a change of aircraft that reduces accessibility for a passenger with a disability.

You do not have to accept a credit or voucher. If the airline or Jetvala offers one, we will tell you in writing that a refund is available and any voucher we issue will be valid for at least 5 years. You always have the right to choose the refund instead.

If the airline is the merchant of record, we will file the refund request with the airline the same day you ask and chase it until it is paid. If Jetvala is the merchant of record, we refund you within the timelines in Section 1.

If you would rather travel, we will rebook you on the airline's alternative at no charge, or help you use the airline's rebooking options on a different date.

5. Delays, weather and irregular operations

Airlines set their own policies for delays, weather waivers and missed connections. When an airline issues a waiver (for example, during a hurricane), we will apply it to your booking on request. When a delay causes you to miss a connection on the same ticket, the airline is responsible for rebooking you. For separate tickets on different airlines, each ticket stands alone; we will help, but the second airline is not obligated to rebook you for free.

Compensation for delays, hotels, meals and lost luggage comes from the airline under its contract of carriage and, where applicable, international treaties. We will help you file a claim and point you to the airline's customer service plan.

6. Extras, seats, bags and insurance

• Airline extras (seats, bags, priority boarding) follow the airline's rules and are usually non-refundable unless the airline cancels the flight.
• Travel insurance premiums are refundable under the insurer's free-look period, typically 10 to 15 days, if you have not started your trip or filed a claim. After that, the plan documents govern.
• Third-party services such as transfers follow the provider's policy shown when you added them.

7. Refund timelines and how the money comes back

Refunds go to the original payment method. If that card has been closed, the card network usually routes the money to the replacement account; if it cannot, contact us and we will arrange another method. Your bank may take a few extra days to post the refund.

8. Chargebacks and disputes

Please contact us before disputing a charge with your card issuer. A chargeback can take 30 to 90 days, may cause the airline to cancel your ticket or block future travel, and often ends with the same result we could have reached in days. If you have already opened a dispute, tell us so we can send the bank the booking records. We will always respond to a dispute with the disclosures you saw and accepted at checkout.

9. How to reach us

• WhatsApp: pending
• Email: support@jetvala.com
• Phone: +18442008027
• Mail: Jetvala Travel LLC, 963 Park Ave, Plainfield, NJ 07060, US

If you are not satisfied with how we handled a refund, you may complain to the US Department of Transportation at transportation.gov/airconsumer. We would rather fix it ourselves, so please give us the chance first.