CHAPTER THREE · VOUCHERS & REFUNDS
The Disappointing Ending
You claimed the full amount. Here's what happened.
You submit the claim for the full £600 – the trip cost you, and the voucher doesn’t fly where you need to go, so surely it doesn’t count. A few days later, an email from ERGO’s claims team lands.
“Thanks for your claim. We can confirm the airline issued a £600 voucher as a non-cash refund for this trip. Under your policy, any recovery you receive from a third party – cash or otherwise – is deducted from what we can pay. As the voucher matches the full cost of your trip, we’re unable to make a payment on this claim.”
It doesn’t matter that the voucher expires before your next trip, or that it’s only valid on routes you’ll never fly. On paper, £600 came back to you. That’s the whole test.
The lesson
A voucher is treated as money back the moment it's issued - not the moment you actually use it. If you want any shortfall considered, that has to be established before you claim, not argued after a decline.
There was another way through this
Checking what the voucher is genuinely worth to you - before claiming - can turn a flat decline into a partial payment for the real shortfall.
See how Option B plays out →← Back to the full guide: My airline gave a voucher, not cash