We know you all are experiencing extremely long wait times when contacting us, and we continue to do everything possible to address your needs as we work through a solution. Our teams are currently focused on helping customers whose travel is scheduled within the next 48 hours. If your travel is further out, please wait and contact us closer to your flight.

How we’re working to help you during COVID-19 and your FAQs answered:

We know a lot of you are concerned and have questions about what to do with your travel regarding limitations created by COVID-19. Please understand we are working as hard as we can to help everyone. Here’s some answers to the top questions we are getting and information to help us help you faster.

What we are doing:

We currently have over 250 call center agents working to answer your calls and help you out. Nine months ago, we added a second location to serve our customers better and now both of our locations are working round-the-clock to help with your requests.
We’ve brought in extra agents from our sister teams to continue to help.
We’ve pulled in every extra hand we can to help take your questions including marketing, developers, designers, etc. Everyone from these teams are working 12-14 hours shifts every day answering your requests on social media.
Our developers worked through the weekend to build a cancellation request option on our website you can also utilize for urgent cancellation needs.

Please know that we understand and empathize with your frustration over this situation. We’re all working overtime to try and help as much as we can. Please be patient with us and know that a real human is on the other end of your call or chat answering your questions.

How to get help faster
Changes/Cancellations
Refunds
Confirmation emails
Travel credit

How to get help faster

Why does it take so long to get through?

We are experiencing unprecedented volumes of calls and messages at this time. This is why we are asking you to only contact us if your flight is within the next 48 hours, so that we can help those with urgent needs first.

How do I get assistance faster?

We can help you faster if you provide as much information as possible when you reach out to us please provide the following information:

Your StudentUniverse reservation number (typically 6 letters)
Your full name and date of birth
The original flight date
The airline
Your email address
A phone number where you can be reached at any time
The specific details of your request
If you are ok with canceling for future credit per the airline’s policy let us know and we’ll just take care of it and let you know when it’s done

Should I call multiple times?

Please don’t! Once you call, you can leave your number for a call back when we get to your place in line. When you call multiple times, it won’t move you up in the queue—it’ll only ask if you’d like to delete your place in line. So call once, get in line and hang tight! We’ll be with you within a few days.

Should I have my friend's message to you guys too?

No, please don’t! We are trying to help as many people as possible as quickly as we can. If we have several people messaging us for the same problem, it actually slows us down and takes time away that could be spent helping more people. Please be respectful of our time and other people who need help too and just message us once.

Someone called and I didn’t get the phone in time, what happens now?

Unfortunately if we can’t reach you, our agents have to move on to help other customers. We will try to reach you again as soon as we can. If you can’t answer your phone anytime, it may be better to DM us so that you won’t miss our messaging back.

Changes/Cancellations

My airline has issued a waiver for a free change, what does that mean?

At this time, many (although not all) airlines have issued a waiver for a free change for any travel in March or April. This means different things depending on the airline, but for most major airlines at this point it means we can cancel your current flight and provide a future travel credit equal to the remaining value of your ticket. Each airline has a different policy, but most require you use the credit by the end of this year, and may require you use it for the same route (although it depends on the airline). If you’d like to check what your airline is offering, you can check out the airline policies directly.

If you would not like to accept the future travel credit, we can look into the possibility of a refund. Please note that most cancellation fees range from 200GBP to 450GBP depending on the ticket and that Basic Economy tickets or flights that have already been partially flown are never refundable.

What if my flight is not covered under a change waiver?

Some of you have flights from May or June that are not yet covered under a change waiver. If you’d like to change that flight to an earlier date, change fees may apply. If you need to cancel that flight, we suggest you wait and see if the airlines issue a policy to cover you, as policies are changing daily. In any case, please hang tight and do not contact us yet about this, unless you need to change your flight to this week.

Refunds

Can I get a refund?

At this time, airlines have stopped issuing refunds to focus on customer service and protecting passengers. All refunds will be delayed until the situation stabilizes. Once the situation stabilizes, and only if your airline allows, we can advocate for refunds on your behalf. Please see your airline's policy. Only if your airline will allow refunds, we recommend checking back with us in 4-6 weeks to follow-up.

Can I get a cash refund instead of travel credit?

At this time, very few airlines are offering full refunds. If you would not like to accept the future travel credit, and if it’s allowable under the terms of your ticket, we can look into the possibility of a refund with a cancellation fee. Please note that most cancellation fees range from $200 to $450 depending on the ticket and that Basic Economy tickets or flights that have already been partially flown are never refundable. Also at this time, airlines are NOT processing refunds, so any refunds will be delayed an estimated 4-6 weeks.

My school forced me home, can I get a refund?

We understand a lot of you have been asked to vacate your university or study abroad programs immediately. If you have a flight booked for later in the year, your flight may or may not be eligible for a refund, depending on the airline. Most airlines have issued one free change and you may be eligible to cancel for future credit. If you would like us to petition to the airline for a special request, we will advocate on your behalf. Please understand this process can take several months to get a resolution and we cannot guarantee it will result in a refund.

My event was cancelled, can I get a refund?

We understand a lot of events have been cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19. Regardless of the situation, we have to stick to airline policy. Most airlines have issued one free change and you may be eligible to cancel for future credit. If you would like us to petition to the airline for a special request, we will advocate on your behalf. Please understand this process can take several months to get a resolution and we cannot guarantee it will result in a refund.

There’s a travel ban, does that mean I can get a refund?

If you are actually not allowed to enter a country because of a travel restriction, you may be eligible for a refund, depending on your airline’s policy. However, a travel ban does not mean that you are automatically eligible for a refund. It depends on the airlines’ waivers and if the travel ban actually applies to you.

I bought trip insurance, can I get a refund?

All insurance questions have to go directly through Tripmate, or whatever insurance company you purchased through. We really can’t speak to any insurance questions. You can file an insurance claim through the company and wait to hear from them directly.

My friend got a refund for their flight, can I get a refund too?

Most airlines are not offering full refunds at this point, except in very specific circumstances. It’s possible that your friend may have qualified for something, but more likely that your friend received a refund in the form of a future travel credit. In short, we can offer you whatever your ticket is eligible for, please trust that we are working hard to offer you the BEST option we can find for your ticket!

Where is my refund?

In the rare situation where you have already been told that the airline has agreed to a refund, please note that it will be delayed. At this time, airlines have stopped issuing refunds to focus on customer service and protecting passengers. All refunds will be delayed until the situation stabilizes.

Confirmation emails

Someone told me my flight was cancelled, but I didn’t get an email, how do I confirm?

Confirmation emails may be delayed due to the volume of requests right now. If someone told you it was handled then they have put in the appropriate measures to get it taken care of. The cancellation will be reflected in your account within a few days.

Why can’t I get a confirmation email?

Most of these changes and cancellations are being done manually, so emails are not automatic and being done in batches. You will receive an email eventually, but please trust us when we confirm it’s done!

I need a receipt/confirmation to provide for insurance/my university/something else, can I get this?

Use your chat log with us as a confirmation for now. The change will show up in your account within a few days.

Someone helped me, but I still have questions about my credit/refund.

We would love to answer all of your questions. Please be patient as we are also trying to help other customers with urgent needs first. We hope this FAQ guide will help answer those questions. If you still have questions, please wait a week or two to reach out so that we can continue to help others.

Travel credit

How do I use my future travel credit?

Travel credit is stored on your StudentUniverse account for future use. You won’t be able to see it because it’s stored on the backend, but we can see it. :) When you’re ready to use it, you can give us a call and we’ll have you apply that credit.

How much travel credit will I have?

The credit will be for the remaining amount of your ticket. If your ticket was totally unused, it’ll be for the full amount of the original ticket. If you already flew the outbound portion of the flight, the credit will be for about half, or the amount of the return portion of the flight.

Where can I see my travel credit?

You can’t see your travel credit, as it’s stored on the backend of your account. We can access it for you anytime, so just call in when you’re ready to use it.

Does this credit expire?

Yes, and this depends on the airline's policy. For many airlines, the credit is good through December 31, 2020. Please refer to your airline’s policy for more details on when your credit has to be used by.

Is my credit only good for the same airline?

Yes, same airline. If your ticket was on two separate airlines, you’ll have a partial credit for both of the airlines.

Do I use my credit on StudentUniverse or on the airline’s website?

You’ll be able to use it on StudentUniverse, for flights operated by that airline. Call us when you’re ready to rebook and we can help you use credit.

Can I use my credit for a different destination?

Depends on the airline policy. Typically, airline policy requires that you use credit for the same destination, but in some cases you may be able to change it. Check airline policy for official rules and know that you can always ask the airlines for a request to change the route.

Can someone else take my flight in my place?

The short answer is no. All flights are non-transferable and cannot be used by anyone other than the ticket holder. This applies to future travel credit as well.

I was told if there’s a price increase in the new flight we would have to pay for that difference, but what if that flight is cheaper?

If the new flight is cheaper, you won't have to pay anything extra, but you won't get the leftover credit back either. The credit is a one-time use, not like a gift card where you can use it for multiple things. You also can't split it between multiple flights.