Travel Tips Trip planning

How to cancel a Virgin Atlantic flight: step by step guide

Gert Svaiko

31.01.25

Read time 3 minutes

Booked a flight with Virgin Atlantic flight, but your plans have now changed? If you can’t take the trip, you’ll need to know how to cancel your booking.

In this handy guide for UK travellers, we’ll show you how to cancel Virgin Atlantic flights in a few easy steps. We’ll run through essential info on cancellation fees and refunds, including what happens if it’s the airline that cancels your flight.

We’ll even throw in a hot tip for low fee* holiday spending for when you do eventually make it overseas, the [https://wise.com/gb/account/) from the money services provider Wise.

Learn more about the Wise multi-currency account 🚀

How to cancel Virgin Atlantic flights - is it possible?

Yes, you can cancel a flight with Virgin Atlantic. You can either do it online via the ‘My Booking’ portal, or you can contact customer services.

To do it online, follow these steps:

Go to the Virgin Atlantic website (virginatlantic.com) and click ‘My Booking’ at the top of the page
Enter your booking reference (you can find this on your confirmation email) and your name to retrieve your booking
Make and confirm the changes.

If you find you’re not able to cancel online or you need to claim a refund, you’ll need to contact Virgin Atlantic customer services.

You can either call 0344 209 2722 or use the Live Chat function on the airline’s website.¹ You’ll need to have your booking reference and flight details to hand.

Bear in mind that there may be cancellation fees to pay, depending on your ticket type.

What to do if you make a mistake when booking Virgin Atlantic flights?

Virgin Atlantic offers a 24-hour cooling off period after booking, during which you cancel your flights without a penalty. This is only for website bookings, and only if your flight doesn’t depart for at least a week.²

To cancel, you’ll need to call customer services within 24 hours of booking.

If you’ve made a mistake with names, dates or destinations, you can make changes online via My Booking. Or if you prefer, you can contact customer services by phone or Live Chat.

Some minor changes will be free of charge, whereas others (especially those requiring the issue of a new ticket) may incur a fee.

Will you get a refund for cancelling your Virgin Atlantic flight?

You can get a refund if you cancel a Virgin Atlantic flight, but it depends on your ticket type.

Some tickets offer full or partial refunds if you can’t travel, while others are non-refundable.³

If you’re thinking of cancelling and want to find out about refunds, you can fill in an online form to request a quote. This will tell you how much of a refund you can expect to receive, and then let you apply to claim it. Find out more here.

What’s the Virgin Atlantic flight cancellation policy?

We’ve looked at what happens if you cancel a flight with Virgin Atlantic as a passenger. But what happens if it’s the airline cancelling your flight?

Virgin Atlantic’s flight cancellation policy has slightly different terms depending on whether your flight is cancelled within or outside 72 hours of departure.

In either case, you’ll be notified as soon as possible. And then you’ll be offered one of the following options:⁴

Rebooking on the next available flight, including rebooking connecting flights
Rebooking to fly on a later date convenient for you
Rebooking to another destination in the VA direct network
A refund (you’ll need to apply to claim this).

Get ready for low-fee holiday spending with Wise

If you want a truly international account that works pretty much anywhere, check out the Wise multi-currency account. It's not a bank account but offers some similar features and your money is always safeguarded.

You can open a Wise multi-currency account online and start managing your money in 40+ currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD and many more.

You can also get the Wise card for a one-time fee of £7 to spend in 150+ countries from the moment you arrive. It automatically converts your pounds to the local currency whenever you spend, only adding a tiny, upfront currency conversion fee* – or it’s free if you already have the currency in your Wise account.

Here’s an overview of the main benefits for using Wise:
Fast and easy setup with no physical paperwork Dedicated support for large transfers Sophisticated security and anti-fraud measures Low, upfront, transparent fees* and the mid-market exchange rates Fully trackable transfers Fast transfer times Two-factor authentication and real-time notifications

Sources used:

Virgin Atlantic - Ways to contact us
Virgin Atlantic - Help - Customer service plan
Virgin Atlantic Help - Refunds
Virgin Atlantic Help - Flight disruption and schedule changes

Sources last checked on date: 27-Jan-2025

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.