What are fare rules?
The conditions attached to a fare: whether you can change or cancel, at what cost, the minimum and maximum stay, stopovers and open jaws.
Fare rules, explained
Every fare has rules set by the airline. They decide what happens if your plans change: a change may be free, cost a fee plus any difference in fare, or not be allowed at all. A refund may be full, a credit for later travel, or nothing.
The rules also shape the trip itself: how long you must stay, whether a stopover is allowed, whether you can fly into one city and home from another, and how soon you must book.
Cheaper business class fares tend to have stricter rules. When flexibility matters, comparing the rules of two fares can be worth more than the difference in price.
On a business class trip
A business class fare to London that is cheaper by a few hundred dollars but allows no changes can cost more in the end than a flexible one if your dates move.
Related terms
- Refundable fare
A fare you can cancel for your money back, sometimes minus a fee. A nonrefundable fare returns nothing, or only a credit with the airline.
- Fare basis
The code on a ticket that names the exact fare it was sold at, starting with its fare class letter. It points to the fare's rules.
- Open-jaw ticket
A round trip that flies into one city and home from another, or leaves from a different city than it returns to. It is priced as one ticket, not two one-ways.
- Stopover
A planned stay of more than 24 hours in a connecting city on an international ticket, as opposed to a layover, which is a short wait between flights.
- Advance purchase
A fare rule that a ticket must be bought a set number of days before departure. Cheaper fares often require it.
Further reading: After you book: changes and refunds. Every term in the glossary.
Questions about a fare? Ask an agent
An agent explains the rules of every fare before you pay, by phone, email or WhatsApp, 24/7.
