Why do flight refunds take so long?

Six months on, this traveller is still waiting.

Escape's Doc Holiday, Dilvin Yasa, answers your travel-related questions.

I’m still waiting for a refund from Singapore Airlines for an airfare cancellation in May. How can airlines take so long to refund?

Airfare refunds can take up to eight to 10 weeks, but six months is outrageous.

When I spoke with the team at Singapore Airlines, they apologised for the inconvenience caused by what they acknowledged was a significant delay. The refund has now been processed from Singapore Airlines’ side, and they have followed up with your travel agent, as well as the consolidator, to ensure that the applicable funds will be returned to you this week. They recommend you follow up with your travel agent to finalise the refund.

In a perfect world, airline refunds would be straightforward, but things become more complicated when multiple parties are involved with a booking – for example, if your travel agent uses a consolidator to issue tickets. In these cases, the amount payable by the airline is returned to the consolidator who then has to release the refund back to the travel agent through their own systems, and the time frame depends on a variety of factors such as the volume of requests, supplier location and method of refund. In short, it can be a lengthy process where the occasional customer can fall through the cracks.

Singapore Airlines was quick to reassure me that they’re working with their teams to ensure all refunds are finalised as quickly as possible.

What is the best currency to load onto my travel card to spend in China?

You’ll need a mix of cards and cash while you’re travelling in China, and when it comes to travel cards, loading your card with the local Chinese currency is the best option.

You may have your heart set on another card, but the Wise Multi Currency card is currently offering one of the best exchange rates for Chinese renminbi around.

Originally published as Why do flight refunds take so long?