Ryanair refund vs voucher: know your rights
Short answer: When Ryanair cancels your flight, or you abandon a long delay, the Article 8 choice is yours: a full cash refund to your original payment method within seven days, or re-routing to your destination. A voucher counts only if you actively agree — the airline cannot force one on you or treat inaction as consent — and taking the refund does not cancel your separate Article 7 compensation. This guide sits inside our wider Ryanair flight compensation series.
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The Article 8 choice is yours
The moment Ryanair cancels — or you walk away from a delay of five hours or more — Article 8(1) of Regulation (EC) 261/2004 opens a menu, and the passenger picks:
- A full refund of the ticket price within seven days — the unused part, plus flown parts if the journey no longer serves any purpose;
- Re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity; or
- Re-routing at a later date of your choosing, subject to seats.
A voucher is not on that list: the Regulation returns your money in cash, bank transfer or a card reversal, and Ryanair must carry out whichever option you select. Its app often surfaces a "refund voucher" or free "move to another flight" button first — the free move is legitimate re-routing, but a voucher is only a commercial offer, never a substitute for the statutory cash refund.
Which currency applies turns on your departure airport: an EU or EEA airport (including any Irish airport) means EU261, in euros; a UK airport such as Stansted means UK261, in pounds sterling. The refund-not-voucher principle is identical; only the compensation figures differ.
How a voucher becomes valid — and how to decline it
A voucher replaces your cash refund only if you give free, informed and explicit consent — you must actively opt in. Tapping "accept voucher", or replying to agree, is consent; doing nothing is not, and an unspent, unrequested credit does not extinguish your right to cash. To keep the cash refund:
- Reply in writing — in the app, by email or on the claim form — declining any voucher and requesting cash under Article 8(1)(a).
- Name the payment method: your original card or account, within seven days.
- Do not tap "accept" — even a button to "hold" the credit can read as consent.
- Keep the paper trail: screenshots of the cancellation notice and your refund request.
Booked through an online travel agent? Ryanair may first ask you to verify identity and payment through a myRyanair account. And if you already accepted a voucher presented as the only option, you can still argue the consent was not free and informed — our voucher instead of a refund explainer covers that.
Refund does not cancel your compensation
The refund (Article 8) and the compensation (Article 7) answer different questions and run in parallel.
| Refund (Art. 8) | Compensation (Art. 7) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your ticket money back, or re-routing | A fixed sum: EUR 250 / 400 / 600 or GBP 220 / 350 / 520 |
| What triggers it | Cancellation, or a 5+ hour delay you abandon | Cancellation at short notice, or a 3+ hour late arrival |
| Depends on the cause? | No — always due | Yes — blocked by genuine extraordinary circumstances |
| Depends on distance? | No | Yes |
When Ryanair cancels, reimbursement and compensation are cumulative — money back and the fixed sum, which follows distance to your final destination: EUR 250 / GBP 220 up to 1,500 km; EUR 400 / GBP 350 for 1,500–3,500 km (and any intra-EU flight over 1,500 km); and EUR 600 / GBP 520 beyond 3,500 km. On a single reservation, what counts is the arrival delay at your final destination, not the intermediate stop (C-11/11, Folkerts). If re-routing lands you only modestly late on a long-haul band, the figure can be halved to EUR 300 under Article 7(2).
Compensation is blocked only if Ryanair proves both that extraordinary circumstances arose and that it could not have avoided the disruption even after taking all reasonable measures — the burden of proof is on the airline. A strike by its own crew is not extraordinary (C-28/20, Airhelp v SAS), so a Ryanair pilot or cabin-crew walkout usually leaves compensation due; by contrast a national air-traffic-control strike, airport closure or severe weather is usually extraordinary, though Ryanair must still show it took all reasonable measures. The operating carrier pays (C-532/17, Wirth), so check whether Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Buzz or Lauda flew the aircraft. Alongside both runs your right to care under Article 9 — meals and a hotel if held overnight — in our right to care guide.
Refund vs re-routing: which to pick
Re-routing gets you there and preserves the compensation claim; the cash refund suits you when the reason to travel has evaporated. Either way, the choice is yours: see our five-hour delay refund guide for abandoning a long delay and the cancelled-flight guide for cancellations.
How ClaimWinger helps
ClaimWinger checks whether Ryanair owes you cash rather than credit, declines the voucher on your behalf, handles the myRyanair verification, and pursues the Article 7 compensation alongside the refund. It is no win, no fee. Start a delayed-flight claim or estimate what you are owed with the compensation calculator.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
Can Ryanair make me take a voucher instead of a refund?
No. The Article 8 refund is a statutory right, payable in cash within seven days. A voucher counts only if you freely and explicitly agree; silence is not consent.
I already accepted a Ryanair voucher. Can I still get cash?
Possibly. If it was presented as the only option, or the cash alternative was hidden, you can argue your consent was not free and informed and request the refund instead.
Does taking the refund cancel my EUR 250–600 compensation?
No. On a cancellation the refund (Article 8) and compensation (Article 7) are cumulative. Getting your ticket money back does not remove the fixed sum, which depends on distance and cause.
How long does Ryanair have to pay the refund?
Seven days from your request, in the same form of payment you used. If Ryanair stalls or keeps offering credit, put the Article 8 request in writing — our claim-rejected guide has the wording.
My flight left Stansted — is my refund in euros or pounds?
Pounds. A UK departure is covered by UK261 (GBP 220 / 350 / 520); a departure from Dublin or any EU airport by EU261 (EUR 250 / 400 / 600).
Sources
This guide reflects the legal position in 2026. EU261 uses a three-hour arrival-delay threshold with EUR 250 / 400 / 600 amounts; UK261 uses GBP 220 / 350 / 520. The Article 8 refund carries a seven-day deadline, and a five-hour delay is the threshold for abandoning a delayed flight. The EUR 300 figure appears only as the 50% reduction under Article 7(2). A proposed EU261 reform is not yet in force. This is general information, not legal advice.