How to Find Fully Refundable International Flights from India
The practice of making fake travel bookings for visa applications has become a serious concern for immigration authorities worldwide. What some applicants don't realize is that embassies and consulates have sophisticated systems to detect fraudulent bookings, leading to severe consequences including immediate visa revocation, future travel bans, and potential legal repercussions. While it might be tempting to book refundable award flights as a "backup plan," using these bookings to misrepresent travel intentions is a form of fraud that immigration authorities treat very seriously. The proper approach is to be completely honest in visa applications - if you're uncertain about your travel dates, it's better to communicate this clearly rather than risk the severe consequences of making false representations. Many countries now share immigration data, meaning that visa fraud detected by one nation can affect your ability to travel to others for years to come.
Many visa applicants face a challenging catch-22 situation: they must show confirmed return travel to obtain a visa, yet booking non-refundable tickets before visa approval puts them at significant financial risk. This stringent policy requirement has inadvertently led some otherwise honest travelers and agents to consider making temporary bookings, despite this being a form of misrepresentation.
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Award flights can offer an easy way to book fully-refundable flight tickets. This post is a beginners guide on how to book fully refundable award tickets to such regions that demand a return ticket for visa applications (such as Schengen, Japan etc.)
Step 1: Identify Flights from Your Destination
Search for your destination and locate direct flights from India using FlightsFrom
Step 2: Identify Frequent Flyer Programs for the Flight
Enter source and destination airports to get a list of FFPs that fly your route - powered by AwardHacker. Cancellation details for FFPs are present in the next section.
AwardHacker does not support Air India flights yet; rely on FlightsFrom from the first section for locating these. AwardHacker prices are outdated; use it only to determine which FFP you want to use
Step 3: Compare Cancellation Conditions and Eligible Credit Cards
Use the table below to evaluate frequent flyer programs based on their cancellation policies and the credit cards that provide perks for these programs.
| Frequent Flyer Program | Cancellation Conditions | Eligible Credit Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Mileage Plan | Changes: Free, Cancellations: Free | Amex (via Marriott) |
| American AAdvantage | Changes: Free, Cancellations: Free | Amex (via Marriott) |
| Delta SkyMiles | Changes: Free, Cancellations: Free | Amex (via Marriott) |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | Changes: Free, Cancellations: Free | Amex (via Marriott) |
| United MileagePlus | Changes: Free, Cancellations: Free | Amex (via Marriott), Axis |
| Air India | Changes: 15% - 25% , Cancellations: 20% - 30% | Axis, HSBC, ICICI, Old Vistara / SBI Air India cards |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Changes: Up to 100 CAD, Cancellations: Up to 150 CAD | Amex (via Marriott), Axis |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Changes: €70, Cancellations: €70 | Amex (via Marriott), Axis, HDFC |
| All Nippon Airways Mileage Club | Changes: Free, Cancellations: 3,000 miles | Amex (via Marriott) |
| Avianca Lifemiles | Changes: $150, Cancellations: $50-$200 | Amex (via Marriott) |
| British Airways Executive Club | Changes: $55, Cancellations: $55 | Amex (directly), HDFC (via FinnAir), HSBC, IndusInd Avios |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Changes: $50, Cancellations: $120 | Amex (directly) |
| Emirates Skywards | Changes: $25, Cancellations: $75 | Amex (directly), ICICI Emirates Cards |
| Etihad Guest | Changes: Up to 75% of miles, Cancellations: Up to 75% of miles | Amex (directly), Axis, HSBC, SBI Etihad Cards |
| Finnair Plus | Changes: €50, Cancellations: €50 | HDFC, HSBC (via British Airways), IndusInd Avios |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Changes: 5,000 points, Cancellations: 6,000 points | Amex (via Marriott), Axis |
| Qatar Privilege Club | Changes: $25-$100, Cancellations: $25-$100 | Amex (directly), HDFC (via FinnAir), Axis, HSBC (via British Airways), IndusInd Avios |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | Changes: $0-$50, Cancellations: $50-$75 | Amex (directly), Axis, HDFC (via NetBanking), HSBC, SBI KrisFlyer Cards |
| Turkish Miles&Smiles | Changes: $70, Cancellations: $70 | Amex (via Marriott), Axis |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Changes: $100, Cancellations: $100 | Amex (directly) |
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Step 4: Verify ticket availability with the FFP
Check availability on the FFP website or by contacting the customer care before actually transferring points! Here are a few links for transfer timelines from different banks:
- HDFC: https://pointsdojo.com/hdfc-points-transfer-time/
- Amex: https://pointsdojo.com/amex-transfer-timelines/
- Axis: https://pointsdojo.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-transfer-axis-edge-reward-points/
- Marriott (little dated): https://thepointsguy.com/loyalty-programs/marriott-rewards-transfer-times/
Tips:
- When selecting an airline, prioritize programs with no cancellation fees to maximize flexibility.
- Use credit cards offering benefits like travel insurance or booking discounts to reduce costs further.
- Travel insurance can be refunded if not used or anytime before travel happens
- Follow Points Nerd India on Twitter: https://x.com/pointsnerdin