Qatar Airways Refund Terms and conditions - Beware

[Big Dragon]

Hi everyone.
Before I begin paying out on an airline, I would appreciate some feedback and advice if anyone has any.
I booked a return flight with Qatar airways from Melbourne to Dublin in August (2025). I have not had my leave approved and will need to cancel. After contacting the Airline, I discovered that the Airfare alone is eligible for a refund but the seats booked are not?? what on earth is that?? I am eligible for a voucher for the full amount, to be used within 12 months, but the refund will only cover the Airfare of $2200, not the seats $900. Total cost of the airfare is $3100. The Qatar Airway policy clearly states a refund (less costs which I have discovered are USD$250) will be offered for the fare paid. Nowhere does it say that seats are an extra and will not be refunded. I paid $3100, yet my refund will total approximately $1800 only!!!!!!!
Apparently the seats are an added extra???? What does that mean? Am I expected to stand on the flight??
Has anyone experienced this previously, and before I look to escalate this issue, can anyone point me in the correct direction for an escalation or give me the Customer Service email address for Qatar? I've already used the Chat service to no avail? Anyone?

 

[markis10]

Maybe start by giving more details, what was the fare basis? A ticket is usually fare plus taxes, you should have a breakdown on your ticket which would be worth posting to help delve into the mystery

 

[Big Dragon]

Maybe start by giving more details, what was the fare basis? A ticket is usually fare plus taxes, you should have a breakdown on your ticket which would be worth posting to help delve into the mystery

So that is the "Fare" breakdown. But the issue is that you can't book the flight without booking the seats. At this point i'm in standing room only, wherever that is. The cost for the seats I booked is just over $900. If i'm not sitting what am I doing? There is no mention of the seats not being included in the refund under the terms and conditions. I think this is a rort personally.

 

[Big Dragon]

Maybe start by giving more details, what was the fare basis? A ticket is usually fare plus taxes, you should have a breakdown on your ticket which would be worth posting to help delve into the mystery

And here is the seat cost. Apparently seats are an "add on"???? That is just laughable, although not so in my case.

 

[burneracc]

I would suggest a chargeback if they do not cooperate. You are correct in that this is laughable but that doesn't mean that they will budge. At the very least it's a good last resort (to chargeback). This is why I always always make purchases on a credit card when I can.

 

[Big Dragon]

I would suggest a chargeback if they do not cooperate. You are correct in that this is laughable but that doesn't mean that they will budge. At the very least it's a good last resort (to chargeback). This is why I always always make purchases on a credit card when I can.

Excellent, but I'm new to this so i'm assuming a chargeback is the voucher? If that's yes then at least I get the full price back. Can you confirm that is what the chargeback is?
And thanks to you two for responding. I'm going spare here!!

 

[jase05]

And here is the seat cost. Apparently seats are an "add on"???? That is just laughable, although not so in my case.
View attachment 443790

Did you manually select seats?
On the cheaper economy tickets it costs you to select your seats for each leg.
Standard seats can cost $60-80 per leg, Preferred can be as high as $110 per leg and if you select the extra leg room seats that could be $250 per leg

 

[muppet]

From Qatar’s website:

• Once purchased, seats are non-refundable/non-transferable.

https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/complement-your-journey/preferred-seat.html

Unfortunately this is common in the industry. Best to leave add-ons like seats etc to when you’re travel plans are firm. The $900 cost is extortionate though.

 

[Warragul]

And not that only ones who will not refund.

 

[Big Dragon]

Did you manually select seats?
On the cheaper economy tickets it costs you to select your seats for each leg.
Standard seats can cost $60-80 per leg, Preferred can be as high as $110 per leg and if you select the extra leg room seats that could be $250 per leg

Yes, I had to Jase. It looks like my best option will be a credit voucher now.

 

[markis10]

I would suggest a chargeback if they do not cooperate. You are correct in that this is laughable but that doesn't mean that they will budge

Won’t work, a consumer having a change of mind doesn’t fall under criteria for doing a chargeback. Site is clear re refunds:

Once purchased, seats are non-refundable/non-transferable.

 

[Big Dragon]

From Qatar’s website:

https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/complement-your-journey/preferred-seat.html

Unfortunately this is common in the industry. Best to leave add-ons like seats etc to when you’re travel plans are firm. The $900 cost is extortionate though.

I'll do that next time. Love your Handle (Muppet) it's a good description for me at the moment....

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 7:33 PM

Won’t work, a consumer having a change of mind doesn’t fall under criteria for doing a chargeback. Site is clear re refunds:

Once purchased, seats are non-refundable/non-transferable.

I must have missed that. I looked but couldn't find that information. Looks like i'll have to move on and suck it up. Thanks everyone

 

[Big Dragon]

And not that only ones who will not refund.

Ok, thanks. Rookie error.

 

[Balad2005]

Hi everyone.
Before I begin paying out on an airline, I would appreciate some feedback and advice if anyone has any.
I booked a return flight with Qatar airways from Melbourne to Dublin in August (2025). I have not had my leave approved and will need to cancel. After contacting the Airline, I discovered that the Airfare alone is eligible for a refund but the seats booked are not?? what on earth is that?? I am eligible for a voucher for the full amount, to be used within 12 months, but the refund will only cover the Airfare of $2200, not the seats $900. Total cost of the airfare is $3100. The Qatar Airway policy clearly states a refund (less costs which I have discovered are USD$250) will be offered for the fare paid. Nowhere does it say that seats are an extra and will not be refunded. I paid $3100, yet my refund will total approximately $1800 only!!!!!!!
Apparently the seats are an added extra???? What does that mean? Am I expected to stand on the flight??
Has anyone experienced this previously, and before I look to escalate this issue, can anyone point me in the correct direction for an escalation or give me the Customer Service email address for Qatar? I've already used the Chat service to no avail? Anyone?

I have flown with QATAR several times to Europe in the last 8 years and have always enjoyed flying with them.I had a similar issue with QATAR earlier this year.I had to change my booking due to the illness of a family member.I called QATAR , no issue they gave me an open ticket to use within 12 months.A month later I went to rebook , no issues expect this -Please find below the total payment: > Difference of Fare: AUD 522.80 > Date Change Fee (Non-Refundable):AUD 269 > Service Fee (Non-Refundable): AUD 46 > Total payable amount: AUD 837.80 .
In the end I had my ticket refunded , less the $280 refund fee and found a cheaper fare than the original QATAR booking on Emirates. So I almost broke even, best of luck with them.

 

[burneracc]

Won’t work, a consumer having a change of mind doesn’t fall under criteria for doing a chargeback. Site is clear re refunds:

Once purchased, seats are non-refundable/non-transferable.

I’m shocked that they can charge this much for seats. Usually with flex tickets you can get money back which is what I thought the issue was here since the op said that the t+c stated he was eligible for a refund, but this non refundable seats business is crazy especially after booking a refundable fare

 

[jase05]

I’m shocked that they can charge this much for seats. Usually with flex tickets you can get money back which is what I thought the issue was here since the op said that the t+c stated he was eligible for a refund, but this non refundable seats business is crazy especially after booking a refundable fare

When you book the cheapest economy fares unless you have status you will need to pay to select seats. Standard and Preferred seats usually aren’t a lot but extra legroom can be over $200 per leg. The more expensive economy fares offer free seat selection.

 

[muppet]

Yes, I had to Jase. It looks like my best option will be a credit voucher now.

If you haven’t already cancelled, another option is to leave the booking as is until the day before you need to cancel per the T&Cs.

That way, if Qatar has a schedule change or something else that could trigger a refund - you can “not accept the change” and seek a full refund. Just make sure you put a reminder in your phone so you don’t lose the ticket.