Qantas (081) Refund Policy

1.1 This policy outlines:

(a) the circumstances under which Qantas will issue a refund for a Qantas Ticket; and
(b) obligations and requirements of Agents when applying for a refund from Qantas

1.2 All defined terms in the Qantas Standard Agency Terms and Conditions have the same meaning in this Refund Policy unless stated otherwise.

2.1 An Agent may apply for a refund of a Qantas (081) issued ticket (Qantas Ticket) using either of the following methods:

(a) Automated Refund: submitted by the Agent automatically through their Technology Partner; or
(b) Manual Refund: submitted by the Agent manually through BSPLink.

2.2 Manual Refunds may only be used by the Agent where a refund cannot be submitted using the Automated Refund process.  Service Fees may apply where the incorrect refund process is utilised by the Agent.

2.3 The refund amount for a Qantas Ticket must be calculated by the Agent prior to submitting the Qantas Ticket for refund. Guidelines for determining a refund amount as set out below.

2.4 IATA Resolution 824r states that a refund must only be made to the original form of payment (FOP) used for the issue of the ticket.  Accordingly, when applying for a refund, the Agent, must only request a refund be processed to the original FOP made to Qantas for the Qantas Ticket at time of original issue, such as BSP Cash or credit card.  

2.5 Once a Qantas Ticket refund is processed, the ticket status is changed to R and the progress of the refund can be tracked through BSPlink or ARC, your agency BSP or ARC statement or through your wholesaler or consolidator.

2.6 Once a Qantas Ticket the ticket status is changed to ‘R’ the value of the Qantas Ticket cannot be subsequently used as credit towards another ticket.

3.1 The entitlement to a refund on any Qantas Ticket is determined by the fare rules and conditions attached to the ticket at time of issue, any applicable Qantas policies for special consideration and the Qantas Conditions of Carriage.

3.2 Some Qantas fares are non-refundable in certain conditions.  Cancellation or other penalties may also apply to Qantas Tickets if a refund is applied for.  Please check the fare rules applicable to the Qantas Ticket before requesting a refund, including any previous fare rules if the Qantas Ticket has been reissued.

3.3 The refund of a Qantas Ticket is only permitted within 13 months from date of ticket issue. After this time, the Qantas Ticket expires and can no longer be refunded.  Exceptions may be granted by Qantas upon application by the Agent in special circumstances.

4.1 The Agent is responsible for calculating the value of any refund owing prior to processing a Automated Refund application. Guidance on the calculation of refunds is set out below.

4.2 The refund amount will be calculated by Qantas when a Manual Refund application is submitted.

4.3 We offer a Refund Calculation Service to help you determine the refund amount due. Further details on this service can be found below. The Qantas Agency Connect Team does not assist with refund calculations.

4.4 The procedure for dealing with any errors in refund calculations is set out below.

5.1 In accordance with IATA Resolution 824r, Qantas will only process a refund to the original FOP received by Qantas for the Qantas Ticket, such as BSP Cash or credit card.

5.2 Where an Agent applies for a refund to be processed and it is returned to a different FOP than the original FOP in breach of IATA Resolution 824r, Qantas will have no liability to the Agent for the refund amount processed and that Qantas may issue an ADM to the Agent for, or otherwise recover from the Agent, any refund amount remitted by Qantas to Agent with respect to the relevant Qantas Ticket and any service or administration fees ordinarily charged by Qantas.

5.3 Where a Customer’s Card was the original FOP received by Qantas (where Qantas was the merchant of record) and that Customer’s Card has been lost, stolen or has expired, Qantas is still obliged to process any refund to the card number used as the original FOP and customers will need to claim funds from the issuing bank. If multiple forms of payment are used on a Qantas Ticket, particularly when a ticket has been reissued, refunds must be made to each of the FOPs used. All Technology Partners have the ability to refund to multiple FOP however, to avoid ADM’s being raised, if unsure, please submit a Manual Refund.

5.4 Qantas Card Payment Fees, if applicable, are only refundable if the ticket is fully unused and there are no cancellation penalties on the ticket.

5.5 Where the original FOP by the Customer was made in a different currency to the currency of the country in which the journey commenced.

5.6 Where a refund request is made in a different currency to that of the original FOP received by Qantas for the Qantas Ticket and a foreign exchange calculation is required, the refund will be processed at the foreign exchange rate used when the refund request is made and not the foreign exchange rate applicable on the date the Qantas Ticket was issued.

Note: jurisdiction specific provisions are contained below

6.1 A refund request for a Qantas Tickets takes approximately 15 Business Days to process.  Refund processing may take longer during peak periods of major disruption and global events. 

6.2 Agents must return any refunds to customers within 4 weeks (or such shorter period if required by local laws) of receiving the refund from Qantas.

6.3 Qantas will process a refund directly to the customer where a customer requests a refund directly from Qantas because they have not received their refund within the required time period set out in 6.2 above, and are unable to resolve the issue in direct consultation with their Agent. An ADM will be raised to the Agent to recall the full refund value together with any applicable service fees.

Refer to your technology partner for further information and assistance with automated refunds.

7.1 Automated Refunds can be submitted through your technology partner provided the Qantas Ticket is:

(a) issued by an IATA ticketing location within the same branch, in the same currency and country of original ticket issue;
(b) submitted for refund within 13 months from date of issue;
(c) unused or partially used;
(d) coupons to be refunded are ‘open’ status; and
(e) any future flight segments are cancelled.

7.2 There is no Qantas Service Fee for automated refunds.

8.1 Manual Refunds are submitted through BSPlink when the refund cannot be processed as an Automated Refund. 

These include (please refer to Key Definitions for greater detail):

(a) Tickets to be refunded against a Qantas Agency Connect or commercial policy authority
(b) Adjustment refund (fare/tax)
(c) Agency Credit Memo (ACM)
(d) Child issued as adult ticket in error
(e) Compassionate – death or grave Illness
(f) Involuntary Downgrade
(g) Duplicate Qantas tickets
(h) EMD refund
(i) Mismatch Qantas tickets
(j) Residual unused taxes
(k) Residual Value Refund
(l) Schedule change
(m) Ticket issued in error at zero value
(n) Ticket or coupon uplifted in error
(o) Refusal of visa
(p) Unused QF Channel Fee
(q) Multiple Forms of Payment

8.2 A Manual Refund Application may be submitted where:

(a) all travel is completed; and
(b) any future flight segments have been cancelled.

8.3 There is no Service Fee for Manual Refunds, however Service Fees apply if a manual refund was raised when the refund was eligible for an Automated Refund.  For example a Service Fee will apply where a guaranteed electronic miscellaneous document (EMD) issued via a technology partner ticket changer is submitted through BSPlink for refund instead of processing an automated refund. 

8.4 In order to submit a Manual Refund Application, the Agent must:

(a) Submit online through BSPlink – check the BSPlink homepages for further instructions;
(b) Submit the refund against the ticket number of the last ticket issued in the sequence, the ticket that has open coupons;
(c) Indicate the ticket number and coupons applicable for refund for reissued tickets;
(d) Provide the below supporting information:

(i) The reason for the refund in the comments field including a Qantas Agency Connect or commercial policy authority number that has been provided;
(ii) Copies of supporting documentation; and
(iii) Contact details

9.1 Qantas applies IATA fare and ticketing principles when calculating refunds.

9.2 Qantas will apply its Domestic Ticket Reissue Policy or International Ticket Reissue Policy together with the fare rules of the ticketed fare are used to calculate any applicable refund value due.

(a) If no portion of a ticket has been used, the refund will be the full amount of the fare paid, less any applicable penalty fees, GST and Service Fee (where applicable).
(b) If a portion of the ticket has been used, refunds are assessed using the following checklist:

(i) What portion of the journey on the ticket has been flown?
(ii) What is the fare for the journey flown that was applicable for sale at commencement of travel and date of ticket issue?

(A) The journey flown must meet the conditions of the fare chosen
(B) The fare chosen for reassessment must be of equal or higher value

(iii) The fare must be permitted to be used for refund assessment purposes. The rule application (RU) should state ‘may be used for reassessing the refund of a partially travelled ticket’. In all other cases, a fully unrestricted fare such as YOW or JOW must be used. 
(iv) The booking class of a one way fare chosen for reassessment must be the same or higher than the ticketed fare.
(v) for flights to or from Canada where, despite a portion of the ticket being used, the travel no longer serves a purpose because of the delay of more than three hours, a cancellation or a denial of boarding for a reason which is not outside of Qantas’ control as defined in the Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations (“APPR”), the passenger has the right to be refunded the full amount of the fare and provided, free of charge, with a confirmed reservation to the passenger’s point of origin which accommodates the passenger’s needs.
(vi) for flights to or from Canada where,  (A) Qantas cannot provide the passenger with a confirmed reservation for the next available flight that is operated by Qantas, or a carrier with which Qantas has a commercial agreement, is travelling on any reasonable air route from the airport at which the passenger is located to the destination that is indicated on the passenger’s original ticket and departs within 48 hours of the departure time that is indicated on that ticket, and (B) despite a portion of the ticket being used, the travel no longer serves a purpose because of the delay of more than three hours or a cancellation for a reason which is outside of Qantas’ control as defined in the APPR, the passenger has the right to be refunded the full amount of the fare and provided, free of charge, with a confirmed reservation to the passenger’s point of origin which accommodates the passenger’s needs.

9.3 Automated Refund Calculations

The refund value is calculated automatically through a Technology Partner as follows:

(a) for an unused ticket, this is based on the cancellation fee you enter manually.
(b) for a partially used ticket, this is based on the coupons travelled and the cancellation fee you enter manually.

Check the refund value is correct before you submit.

9.4 Manual Refund Calculations

All manual refund amounts are calculated by Qantas and the calculation result can be viewed online.. The result will provide your agency with a complete breakdown of the refund including fare, ticket taxes and any cancellation fees and/or services fees.

10.1 If an error occurs when processing an Automated Refund you can request:

(a) Reversal – refund can be voided provided this is completed on the same day as the refund is processed; or
(b) Adjustment - Qantas can investigate adjustments once the refund has been reported to Qantas, generally two (2) weeks after the automated refund transaction. A Service Fee will apply to all corrections made by Qantas.

10.2 Follow the below instructions if an error occurs when refunding Qantas Tickets:

(a) Under Refund

If the requested refund amount is less than the refund amount the customer is entitled to, please email BSPRefunds@qantas.com.au with ‘Automated Refund Error’ in the subject line and include full details of the error including the calculation of the refund. 

Qantas Refunds will raise a Refund Notice (RN).

(b) Over Refund
 
If the requested refund amount is more than the refund amount the customer is entitled to, please email BSPRefunds@qantas.com.au with ‘Automated Refund Error’ in the subject line and include full details of the error including re-calculation of the refund.

Qantas Refunds will raise an Agency Debit Memo (ADM) to adjust the refunded amount.

(c) No Record of Refund

If the refund has not been reported on your BSP statement, but the ticket status has changed to ‘R’ (refunded), please submit a manual refund application through BSPlink with an explanation of the error.

11.1 Refund Calculation Service (Australia and New Zealand only)

The refund calculation service is applicable to all Qantas Tickets issued by travel agents in Australia and New Zealand. It provides accurate refund information and can assist in deciding whether to proceed with the refund or to retain the ticket in credit for future travel. The calculation includes a breakdown of applicable fare, taxes and penalties.

The refund calculation will be provided within 3 business days and is valid for 90 days from the date of the quote. Aged and exchanged tickets require greater investigation for review and may take longer to assess.

11.2 Service Fee 

The Refund Calculation Service Fee of AUD20/NZD25 is collected through the issuance of an Agency Debit Memo (ADM) when processing is complete. Once the refund calculation is provided, the refund should be resubmitted through BSPlink within 90 days from the date of the quote.

11.3 Process to Obtain a Refund Calculation:

(a) Submit a ‘Refund Application’ through BSPlink
(b) Add ‘Refund Calculation Request Only’ in the ‘Reason for Refund’ field. This must be included to prevent a refund from being automatically processed and ensures that only the refund calculation is provided.

The refund calculation can be viewed in BSPlink using the ‘RA’ (Refund Application) number or the ticket number ‘Document Enquiry’

11.4 To Proceed With the Refund

(a) Submit online through BSPlink - further instruction on this process can be found on the BSPlink homepage
(b) Add ‘Proceed with Refund’ in the ‘Reason for Refund’ field
(c) Once the refund application is submitted it cannot be reversed and the refund will be processed.

You will be able to view the refund on your next BSP statement.

11.5 Ticket in Credit 

If a refund is not required and the ticket is being used as credit towards another ticket at a later time, no further action is required.

12.1 Where an Agent operates within points of sale located in the United States of America, then notwithstanding clause 5 above, with respect to any Qantas Tickets issued within the United States of America: 

(a) Agent must return any refunds to customers, where the original FOP was: 

(i) card within Business Days 7 days; and
(ii) cash or cheque within 20 Business Days; of receiving the refund from Qantas.

(b) Qantas reserves the right to refund directly to a customer where the customer requests a refund directly from Qantas, regardless of whether the customer has requested a refund from the Agent; and

(c) Where Qantas processes a refund directly to the customer: 

(i) Qantas will have no liability to the Agent for the refund amount processed; and  
(ii) where the refund amount was already remitted to the Agent, Qantas will issue an ADM to the Agent for, or otherwise recover from the Agent, the refund amount remitted by Qantas to Agent and any service or administration fees ordinarily charged by Qantas.

12.2 Where an Agent operates within points of sale located in the European Union, then notwithstanding clause 5 above, with respect to any Qantas Tickets issued within the European Union: 

(a) Agent must return any refunds to customers within 7 days of receiving the refund from Qantas;
(b) Qantas reserves the right to refund directly to a customer where the customer requests a refund directly from Qantas, regardless of whether the customer has requested a refund from the Agent; and
(c) Where Qantas processes a refund directly to the customer: 

(i) Qantas will have no liability to the Agent for the refund amount processed; and  
(ii) where the refund amount was already remitted to the Agent, Qantas will issue an ADM to the Agent for, or otherwise recover from the Agent, the refund amount remitted by Qantas to Agent and any service or administration fees ordinarily charged by Qantas.

12.3 Where an Agent operates within the point of sale of People’s Republic of China, then notwithstanding clause 5 above, with respect to any Qantas Tickets issued within the People’s Republic of China:

(a) Agent must return any refunds to customers within 7 days of receiving the refund from Qantas;
(b) Qantas reserves the right to refund directly to a customer where the customer requests a refund directly from Qantas, regardless of whether the customer has requested a refund from the Agent; 
(c) Where Qantas processes a refund directly to the customer: 

(i) Qantas will have no liability to the Agent for the refund amount processed; and  
(ii) where the refund amount was already remitted to the Agent, Qantas will issue an ADM to the Agent for, or otherwise recover from the Agent, the refund amount remitted by Qantas to Agent and any service or administration fees ordinarily charged by Qantas; and

(d) Qantas will not and Agent must not charge an cancellation fees for any involuntary ticket refunds, where such refund request has been made by a customer pursuant to Chapter 4 of Regulation on the Management of Public Air Transportation Services for Passengers as applicable to Qantas as a foreign carrier engaging in public air transport services for passengers whose flights originate from or transit in the territory of the People’s Republic of China. 

12.4 For flights to or from Canada, then notwithstanding clause 5 above, with respect to any Qantas Tickets issued within Canada: 

(a) Agent must return any refunds to customers in the original FOP within 30 Days from the date the refund becomes due.  Generally, a refund becomes due on the date the passenger requests the refund, where the passenger is otherwise entitled to the refund pursuant to Canadian law.
(b) Qantas reserves the right to refund directly to a customer where the customer requests a refund directly from Qantas, regardless of whether the customer has requested a refund from the Agent; and
(c) Where Qantas processes a refund directly to the customer: 

(i) Qantas will have no liability to the Agent for the refund amount processed; and
(ii) where the refund amount was already remitted to the Agent, Qantas will issue an ADM to the Agent for, or otherwise recover from the Agent, the refund amount remitted by Qantas to Agent and any service or administration fees ordinarily charged by Qantas.

(d) Refer to the information available under “Flights to or from Canada” on the Cancellations and Refunds Page for further information.