Quick answer
What is the SatFares refund policy for flights paid in crypto?
SatFares, a flight booking site paid only in crypto, refunds by case. Your balance is held, not charged, while our team books the ticket. If it can't be issued in time, the amount is released to your balance. If the airline cancels or heavily changes your flight, you get a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose. If you cancel, the fare rules decide what comes back, as balance credit.
Refunds at a glance
| When you are charged | Only when the airline issues the e-ticket number; until then the amount is held, not charged |
|---|---|
| Ticket can't be issued in time | The full amount is released to your balance; you were never charged |
| Higher final total declined | The full amount is released to your balance |
| Airline cancels or heavily changes your flight | Your options: a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose |
| Refund currency after an airline cancellation | USDT or USDC for the dollar amount, whatever coin you topped up with |
| Balance credit instead of a refund | Only ever your express choice when the airline cancels |
| You cancel | The fare rules decide; any refund is credited to your balance |
| Withdrawable in USDT or USDC | Released amounts and refunds after an airline cancellation; the rest of the balance is not refundable and never expires |
| US 24-hour cancellation rule | Not promised: in the US, the 24-hour rule binds airlines, not ticket agents |
| How to ask | Email [email protected] with your booking reference |
| Your legal rights | Kept: 14 CFR 260.10 in the US and Regulation (EC) 261/2004 in the EU |
The refund table
This table is the official SatFares refund policy. The same table appears on the pricing page and in our machine-readable price list.
| Situation | What you get | How | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking not confirmed (fare gone, time limit passed, our error) | 100% | Released to your balance; withdrawable in USDT or USDC on request | Immediately |
| Price increase declined | 100% | Released to your balance; withdrawable in USDT or USDC on request | Immediately |
| Flight cancelled or heavily changed by the airline (no rebooking accepted) | 100% of the ticket, taxes and options, plus any fee of ours | Your choice: USDT or USDC, or balance credit | Within 7 days of your request |
| You cancel a refundable fare | The amount refunded by the airline, minus its penalty | Balance credit | As soon as the funds come back |
| You cancel a non-refundable fare | Taxes refunded by the airline, if any | Balance credit | As soon as the funds come back |
| No-show | According to the fare rules (often nothing) | Balance credit | — |
| Name error | Corrected if the airline accepts it (its fee at cost); otherwise treated as a cancellation by you | Balance credit | — |
Your legal rights are kept (14 CFR 260.10 in the US, Regulation 261/2004 in the EU): when the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight, a refund as balance credit is only ever your express choice. Baggage and fare rules are confirmed with your booking.
What happens if my ticket can't be issued?
You get 100% back on your balance, because you were never charged. At checkout, the total is held on your balance, not charged. Bookings are made on request: our team then books the ticket with the airline. Your balance is charged only when the airline issues the e-ticket number.
The ticket may not be issued in time. The fare may disappear, or we may make an error. In each case, the held amount is released to your balance. You can book another flight with it, or withdraw it in USDT or USDC.
The same rule applies when our team confirms a higher final total. You see the new total and choose. If you decline it, the full amount is released. Nothing extra is taken without your agreement.
What do I get if the airline cancels my flight?
You get a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose. The refund covers 100% of the ticket, taxes and options, plus any fee of ours. Balance credit is only ever your express choice: we never impose it.
This rule also covers a heavy schedule change that you do not accept. In the US, a change of 3 hours or more on a domestic itinerary counts as significant. On an international itinerary, the threshold is 6 hours (14 CFR 260.2).
If you accept the airline's new flight instead, there is no refund: you keep travelling on the new flight. Read the full guide: Airline cancelled? Your refund rights when you paid in crypto.
To see how other sellers refund a crypto payment, read the refund policy matrix.
What if I cancel my flight myself?
The fare rules of your ticket decide what comes back, and we credit it to your balance. The fare rules are set by the airline, confirmed with your booking and shown on your e-ticket.
- Refundable fare: you get the amount the airline refunds, minus its penalty.
- Non-refundable fare: you get the taxes the airline refunds, if any.
- When: as soon as the funds come back from the airline.
This balance credit pays your next booking and never expires. It can't be withdrawn: only released amounts and refunds after an airline cancellation can be withdrawn.
We do not promise a free cancellation within 24 hours. In the US, the 24-hour rule binds airlines, not ticket agents.
What about a no-show or a wrong name?
A no-show follows the fare rules, and often nothing comes back. If you miss a flight, any amount the airline returns is credited to your balance.
A name error is harder to fix. Airline tickets are not transferable, and most airlines allow only small corrections. One airline allows up to 3 letters, then charges €100 on international flights. If the airline accepts the correction, you pay its fee at cost. If it refuses, the case is treated as a cancellation by you.
Check each name before you pay: it must match the passport exactly. See what data airlines require.
Can I withdraw my balance in crypto?
Only part of it: released amounts and airline-cancellation refunds can be withdrawn. The balance rule, word for word: Unused balance stays on your account and never expires. Amounts released when a booking can't be confirmed, or refunded after a cancellation you did not request, can be withdrawn in USDT or USDC; the rest of the balance is not refundable.
In practice:
- Withdrawable in USDT or USDC: a booking that could not be confirmed, a price increase you declined, a flight cancelled by the airline.
- Not withdrawable, never expires: a top-up you did not spend, and credit after a cancellation by you.
Top up only what you plan to spend. The minimum top-up is $25.
How do I ask for a refund?
Ask by email. We never ask for your account number, a passport scan or a selfie by email or chat.
Write to [email protected]
Give your booking reference and the name of the traveller who booked.
Say what happened
Airline cancellation, schedule change you refuse, or a cancellation you want to make yourself.
Choose the form of refund
For an airline cancellation: USDT or USDC, with the network and your address, or balance credit.
Receive it
Airline cancellation: within 7 days of your request. Your own cancellation: balance credit when the airline returns the funds.
Refund questions
Do I get my crypto back if the airline cancels?
Yes, as a stablecoin. If the airline cancels or heavily changes your flight, SatFares gives you a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose. The refund covers 100% of the ticket, taxes and options, plus any fee of ours. It is paid in USDT or USDC for the dollar amount, even if you topped up in BTC, ETH, SOL or LTC.
Is a refund ever paid only as credit?
Only when you cancel yourself. A cancellation by you follows the fare rules, and any refund is credited to your balance. When the airline cancels, balance credit is only your express choice. US rules (14 CFR 260.10) and EU rules (Regulation 261/2004) give you the right to a refund, not just a voucher.
What if my booking is never confirmed?
The full amount is released to your balance. Your balance is held at checkout and charged only when the airline issues the e-ticket number. If our team can't get the ticket issued in time, nothing is charged. You can then book another flight, or withdraw the released amount in USDT or USDC.
Can I cancel within 24 hours for free?
Not as a rule. The US 24-hour rule applies to airlines, not to ticket agents like us. Whether you can cancel without a fee depends on the fare rules of your ticket. These rules are confirmed with your booking and shown on your e-ticket. A refund after your own cancellation is credited to your balance.
How long does a refund take?
It depends on the case. A booking that can't be issued in time is released to your balance immediately. After an airline cancellation, the stablecoin refund is sent within 7 days of your request. After your own cancellation, the credit arrives when the airline returns the funds. We do not publish an average time yet.
Can I withdraw the balance credit from my own cancellation?
No. Credit after your own cancellation pays future bookings and never expires, but it can't be withdrawn. Only amounts released when a booking can't be confirmed, and refunds after an airline cancellation, can be withdrawn in USDT or USDC. Top up only what you plan to spend.
Are there refund processing fees?
Our refund table has no processing fee of ours. An airline cancellation refunds 100% of the ticket, taxes and options, plus any fee of ours. A cancellation by you returns what the airline refunds, minus the airline's own penalty. A name correction costs the airline's fee, at cost. Network fees of your own wallet are yours.
What if I made a mistake in a traveller's name?
Contact [email protected] at once with your booking reference. Most airlines accept only small corrections, and some charge a fee. If the airline accepts, you pay its fee at cost. If it refuses, the case is treated as a cancellation by you, under the fare rules.
Is SatFares a package with package protection?
No. Each SatFares booking is a single travel service, so EU package travel protection does not apply. Flights are not ATOL protected. Your flight booking will be bound by the fare rules and Conditions of Carriage of the airline(s). Your refund rights come from those rules and from passenger law.
Sources (4)
- 14 CFR 260.10, Providing prompt refunds — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (checked 2026-10-12)
- 14 CFR 260.2, Definitions (significantly changed flight, prompt refund) — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (checked 2026-10-12)
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Articles 7 and 8 — legislation.gov.uk (text as adopted by the EU) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Ticket validity and name corrections — Cabo Verde Airlines (2026-10-12)