Flight Canceled? How to Get a Refund, Rebook, or Even Travel for Free
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What should you do if your flight is delayed or canceled?
Today, we're diving into what to do if your flight gets delayed or canceled so you can get to your destination faster and maybe even get compensated for the inconvenience, hopefully.
And you know, Megan, this episode is fun because I actually lived this, hopefully, so you listeners out there don't have to. But first, before we dive into our main segment, let's take a look at some of the news and travel this week. And just a heads up, in this episode, we're going to talk about a few credit card companies that are nerd wallet partners, but I just want to let you know this does not influence how we discuss them.
Everyone who likes staying at all-inclusive resorts, there's some good news for you because Hyatt just announced a deal to acquire Playa Hotels and Resorts. This is a brand of luxury all-inclusives with properties in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.
Now, some of you out there might already be Hyatt fans. You might already know of the Hyatt Ziva, the Hyatt Zalara Resorts. You've actually already stayed at some of Playa's work if you've stayed at any of these two resorts. That's because Playa owns and operates these brands and they've actually already long been part of the World of Hyatt program.
And the World of Hyatt program is really great for all-inclusives, particularly because they have an award chart and they have some really, really reasonable awards prices for stays at these all-inclusives. So now there's going to be a bunch of more options for all-inclusives in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.
you know, more options to earn and redeem points. That's something I know we're always looking for.
And as far as the timeline goes on this, the deal is expected to close later this year. So we'll let you know when we start seeing some of these new properties available to book with Hyatt points. Until then, check out some of our favorite all-inclusives to book on points on the NerdWallet website. There's actually a ton of options.
How can credit card perks help travelers with cancellations?
There's a new credit card offer that could get you a Southwest Airlines companion pass fairly easily. Yes, and we do see this offer once a year, and I'm so glad it's back.
You know, Megan, actually last year I took advantage of a very similar offer. Okay, tell people what it's about then. So there are two cards, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus credit card and then the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority credit card. Both have a limited time offer where you can earn 30,000 bonus points and Southwest Companion Pass after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Okay.
The companion pass is good through February 28th, 2026. And so this offer to get this companion pass with the signup bonus ends on March 31st this year. So you've got about six weeks to decide if this offer might be right for you, but the sooner the better. So you actually have more time to use the companion pass once you earn it. And of course, if you're listening to this episode after March 31st, the signup bonus probably changed. So make sure to go to NerdWallet to see the current offer and benefits.
Hopefully you're listening to this sooner rather than later, so you can jump on this offer. As you said, the longer you have it, the more you can take advantage of it. And we have talked about the companion pass a lot already in this very short life of the show thus far.
What are the latest credit card offers for travelers?
Just a quick debrief for those of you who don't know the companion pass, it's basically a buy one, get one free offer on flights. You designate someone as your companion and then they can join you on the flight that you're already on for only the cost of taxes and fees.
And the usual way to earn it is actually pretty difficult. You have to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 rapid rewards qualifying points each. in a calendar year.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What should you do if your flight is delayed or canceled?
0:20–1:57
2
How can credit card perks help travelers with cancellations?
1:57–3:11
3
What are the latest credit card offers for travelers?
3:11–5:08
4
What is the impact of inflation on airfare?
5:08–12:25
5
What proactive steps can you take to minimize travel disruptions?
12:25–19:08
6
How can you get a refund or compensation for a canceled flight?
19:08–32:32
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
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