TAP refund vs voucher: know your rights
Short answer: When a TAP Air Portugal flight is cancelled — or you abandon a long delay — Article 8 of EU Regulation 261/2004 gives you the choice, not TAP. You can take a full cash refund, paid within seven days to your original payment method, or accept re-routing. A voucher is legal only if you actively agree to it; TAP cannot force one on you or treat silence as consent. And taking the refund does not wipe out your separate EUR 250-600 compensation under Article 7. This guide is part of our wider TAP Air Portugal compensation series.
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The Article 8 choice is yours
The moment TAP cancels your flight — or you decide to walk away from a delay of five hours or more — Article 8(1) opens a menu, and the passenger picks from it:
- A full refund of the ticket price within seven days — the unused part, plus parts already flown if the trip 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 seat availability.
Notice what is not on that list: a voucher. The Regulation gives you your money back in cash, bank transfer or a reversal to your card — TAP's job is to carry out whichever option you select, not to steer you toward store credit.
Why airlines push vouchers
Vouchers keep cash on TAP's balance sheet, lock you into flying TAP again, and often carry expiry dates. During mass disruption, some airlines even make the voucher the default button while burying the cash option. That does not change the law: a voucher is a private commercial offer; the Article 8 cash refund is a statutory right.
How a voucher becomes valid — and how to decline it
A voucher only replaces your cash refund if you give free, informed and explicit consent — you must actively opt in. Clicking "accept voucher" in the app, or replying to agree, is consent. Doing nothing is not: an unspent, unrequested voucher does not extinguish your right to cash.
To keep the cash refund, be clear and be quick:
- Reply in writing. Tell TAP — in the app, by email or on the claim form — that you decline any voucher and request a cash refund under Article 8(1)(a) of Regulation 261/2004.
- Name the payment method. Ask for the refund to the original card or account within seven days.
- Do not click "accept". Pressing any voucher-acceptance button, even to "hold" the credit, can be read as consent.
- Keep the paper trail. Screenshots of the cancellation notice and your refund request protect you if TAP later claims you agreed.
If you already accepted a voucher presented as the only option, you can still push back: argue the consent was not free and informed. Our general explainer on a voucher instead of a refund covers that in depth.
Refund does not cancel your compensation
The point passengers most often miss: the Article 8 refund and the Article 7 compensation answer two different questions and run in parallel.
| Refund (Art. 8) | Compensation (Art. 7) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your ticket money back, or re-routing | A fixed penalty: EUR 250 / 400 / 600 |
| 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 TAP cancels a flight, reimbursement (Article 8) and compensation (Article 7) are cumulative — money back and the fixed sum. The amount follows distance to your final destination: EUR 250 up to 1,500 km, EUR 400 for 1,500-3,500 km and any intra-EU flight over 1,500 km, and EUR 600 beyond 3,500 km — TAP's Brazil, US, Canada and Africa routes. On the long-haul band, a re-routing that gets you there only modestly late can halve the figure to EUR 300 under Article 7(2). For connections, what counts is your arrival delay at the final destination, not the stop in Lisbon or Porto (Folkerts, C-11/11).
One more right runs alongside both: your right to care under Article 9 — meals and a hotel if you are held overnight — set out in the meals, hotel and care guide. If you paid for your own alternative transport, you can reclaim reasonable costs too; see alternative transport costs.
Refund vs re-routing: which to pick
If your trip still makes sense, re-routing gets you there and preserves the compensation claim on arrival. If the reason for travel has evaporated — a missed meeting, a cruise that has sailed — the cash refund lets you cut your losses and rebook. Either way, the choice is not TAP's to make. For abandoning a long delay rather than a cancellation, see our five-hour delay refund guide; for cancellations generally, the cancelled-flight guide.
One jurisdictional note: for flights departing the UK, UK261 applies instead, with refunds and compensation set in sterling (GBP 220/350/520). The refund-not-voucher principle is the same. TAP flights leaving an EU airport, and TAP flights into the EU, stay under EU261.
How ClaimWinger helps
ClaimWinger checks whether TAP owes you cash rather than credit, declines the voucher on your behalf, and pursues the Article 7 compensation alongside the refund. It is no win, no fee — nothing upfront, a commission only if we recover money. Start a delayed-flight claim or estimate what you are owed with the compensation calculator.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
Can TAP make me take a voucher instead of a refund?
No. The Article 8 refund is a statutory right, payable in cash to your original payment method within seven days. A voucher is valid only if you freely and explicitly agree; silence or inaction is not consent.
I already accepted a voucher. Can I still get cash?
Possibly. If the voucher was presented as the only option, or the cash alternative hidden, you can argue your consent was not free and informed and request the refund instead. Keep the cancellation notice as evidence.
Does taking the refund cancel my EUR 250-600 compensation?
No. On a cancellation the refund (Article 8) and the compensation (Article 7) are cumulative. Getting your ticket money back does not remove the fixed penalty, which depends on distance and cause.
How long does TAP have to pay the refund?
Seven days from your request, in the same form of payment you used. If TAP stalls or keeps offering credit, put the Article 8 request in writing and escalate — our how-to-claim guide has the wording.
Sources
This guide reflects the legal position in 2026: EU261 sets a three-hour arrival-delay threshold for EUR 250/400/600 compensation, a five-hour threshold for the Article 8 refund, and a seven-day refund deadline. The proposed July 2026 EU261 reform — including a nine-month claim window and a 30-day airline response deadline — is a proposal, not yet in force. This is general information, not legal advice.