October 2017 saw the Ryanair cancelling flights, affecting more than 400,000 travellers as well as Monarch going in to administration, affecting a further 860,000 people. These cancellations have led to thousands of people seeking refunds and compensation.
Visa have expanded their partnership with leading global specialist in air-claims management company AirRefund. As part of Visa’s commitment to offering a high standard of service to travelling accountholders, Visa partnered with AirRefund. AirRefund acts on behalf of passengers and ensures they are eligible and compensated when they have suffered flight disruptions. This includes cancellations, overbooking and delays of more that 3 hours.
The partnership enables all Visa accountholders who purchased flights using their Visa card to benefit from easier and quicker processes and lower fees upon the outcome of the claim. AirRefund’s standard commission of 30% of compensation awarded has reduced to 20% if flights were booked using a Visa Gold, Platinum or Infinite cards. 25% if flights were booked with any other card.
This service was piloted in France in 2016 and processed over €3 million possible claims for Visa accountholders. Additionally, AirRefund reported higher traveller satisfaction (4.5/5 on overall satisfaction and 9.3/10 on the likelihood of recommending the service to a friend, family or colleague). AirRefund is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian and recently went live in Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Mike Lemberger, Senior Vice President, Products & Solutions Europe at Visa, explains: “According to a recent Visa study there will be a significant increase in international travel by households globally over the next decade. The study estimates that roughly 282 million households will plan at least one international trip per year by 2025, up nearly 35% from 2015. It is therefore critical for Visa to ensure our accountholders are always well-protected and benefit from the best services available in case they face any issue during their journey.
“Using a Visa card is the smart way to ensure spending on holiday is just one less thing to worry about. Visa cards are accepted at millions of merchants’ locations and ATMs across the world, so you can benefit from the convenience, security and value of using your Visa card abroad just as you would at home”, continues Lemberger.
Christophe Drezet, AirRefund’s Partner for Travel & Mobility Business Unit, says: “This partnership illustrates the agility of an established global brand like Visa, they have showed open-mindedness and a great ability to work with a much smaller partner to reinforce its service portfolio to the exclusive benefit of its accountholders.
“We are proud to serve the customers of a leading brand, I believe that we share common values, among which the focus on the end-user experience and excellence of service, that will lead this partnership to a broader success in new territories”.
If you were affected by Ryanair or Monarch and booked using your Visa card, why not give them a call and see what you’re entitled to! For further information visit - https://www.airrefund.com/en/