In a bid to offer some respite to passengers booking flight tickets in the next few weeks, online travel agents (OTAs) such as Ixigo and HappyEasyGo have come up with special trip cancellation covers. Most of these covers come at the cost of a few hundred rupees but are they worth buying?
What’s on offer?
Just after the decision to restart flights was made, HappyEasyGo sent promotional SMSes offering “free insurance on your new reschedule". On a New Delhi to Mumbai flight on 28 May, the OTA is giving the option of free rescheduling if you pay ₹3,954 as against the basic price at ₹3,704. However, you will have to pay the difference in fares. Then there’s the free flight cancellation option which you get if you pay ₹4,104 but the convenience fee and free cancellation fee will not be refunded.
Note that these rates don’t include any other covers that come with a travel insurance policy. You will have to shell out an additional ₹249 plus taxes to avail the extra benefits such as loss of baggage and personal accident covers.
Ixigo too launched a new product, Ixigo Assured, by tying up with Liberty General Insurance. “Most OTAs used to sell free cancellation covers even earlier but most of them either discontinued it once covid-19 came around or increased the price substantially. We took the time during the lockdown to study the uncertainties that could come with this product," said Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder, Ixigo.
Ixigo’s product is not for instances where the airline cancels the flight from its end and gives a full refund or credit shell. Bajpai said the product targets the anxiety passengers could face due to the ongoing situation. “The aim was to rejig our free cancellation cover and offer it at a price point which passengers could afford," said Bajpai.
The premium for the product starts at ₹399 and goes up to ₹599 depending on the travel date. For example, if you make a booking for travel within the next seven days, the premium is ₹399 whereas if you book a flight for travel after 31-90 days, then the premium would be ₹599. Apart from the benefits that a regular travel insurance policy offers, this product gives you the option to cancel your bookings and get a refund up to ₹5,000 on each ticket.
However, there are a few terms and conditions. The trip cancellation cover can be claimed only if you cancel the ticket at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure date. In cases where the airline is grounded or not operating, the cover is not payable by the OTA, irrespective of the flight ticket cancellation.
Also, note that you will not get the full refund if your ticket cost is above ₹5,000. The government has capped airfares for the next three months and the upper limit on most routes is above ₹5,000. For example, for flights on the Delhi-Mumbai route, airlines can charge as high as ₹10,000. In this case, if you buy Ixigo Assured, you will get only ₹5,000 back. Also, there is no cap on convenience and other fees which could push up the price.
"If you’re planning a trip in the next few days, having a safety net for your money, even if it’s only to a certain extent, is not a bad idea," said Rakesh Goyal, director, Probus Insurance, insurtech brokers.
On Yatra.com, one can still find the cancellation protection policy which the OTA has been offering for a while in partnership with Digit Insurance. However, on checking with the OTA, Mint found that the benefits under “cancellation protection" have been suspended for all existing and new bookings due to the pandemic. The option to buy the cover still exists but you will not be able to make a claim.
Mint take
The mess around air travel may tempt you to buy one of these products to ensure you don’t lose your money but it’s important to read the fine print to understand what really will be covered. HappyEasyGo is giving the option to reschedule tickets without any charges. “The passengers need to understand that though they will not be paying rescheduling charges, they will have to pay for the difference in fares," said Akanskha, co-founder and managing director of Refundme.in, a company providing services for air passengers to claim compensation. For example, if you booked a flight for ₹5,000 and you want to reschedule it, you will not have to pay the additional rescheduling charges. But if the new flight ticket costs ₹7,000, you will have to pay ₹2,000 extra because of the difference in fares.
There usually is a catch when it comes to such products, therefore it is important to go through the terms and conditions thoroughly. Where the OTAs are giving refund, one must check the terms and conditions with respect to how the refunds will be paid to the customers. “Check when the money will be disbursed and the mode of refund. Understand whether it’s a cash refund or credit shells," said Akanskha.
Under normal circumstances, OTAs offering free refund or rescheduling options see little utilization by passengers. According to Akanskha, only one out of 400 passengers opt for rescheduling or refunding options. “Right now because the situation is quite uncertain, the number of people opting for these products may be higher. With OTAs facing a cash crunch, how well they will service these claims is a question mark," said Akanskha.
If it’s not an emergency, it’s advisable to wait for a while and study the situation closely before booking your flight tickets instead of opting for these covers.
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