I’m getting many, many reports of notifications from readers and group members about TAP sending out emails cancelling their flights on the deal of the year “Business Class to Europe from $248“.
It’s disappointing, as although the fare was a “fire sale” price, there was really no reason to think it was a “mistake.”
It’s entirely possible that TAP did file the fare intentionally and then had seller’s remorse once the deal blew up. It got re-shared WIDELY and this site had one of its highest traffic days ever as a result – so make no mistake about how many people booked. It was many.
It’s disappointing though not entirely surprising with TAP being TAP.
Technically, if you will lose any more on any other related bookings you made like for lodging, TAP would be on the hook to reimburse you – however in practice they 100% won’t so please don’t even bother wasting your time.
Hopefully at least fares will be refunded quickly and without having to chase this down. I’ll be very curious to see whether it is easier getting refunded via TAP directly or via an OTA like Priceline. I suspect the latter.
A word about FOMO:
Someone will certainly ask me if I got the cancellation email. Well, I didn’t book the deal 😉 I clearly saw how amazing it was and wanted you all to have the option to book it, but I just couldn’t commit to a specific date/destination and didn’t want to tie up or outright lose $500 for me and P2 to maybe, possibly go somewhere no matter how good the deal – even though it will cost 5X in miles to book the same later.
That’s just me and you should be you.
This hobby sometimes has way too much of a herd mentality so just remember to always think about what you are booking and if you really want it.
That said, in most cases I do advocate booking something (via Priceline) that you can free cancel within 24 hours while you think about it.
Because on the converse of wasting money, I can’t tell you how many times I could have had a great deal (like the Cathay Pacific 1st Class fare form Denang, Vietnam) but didn’t book it and wished I had later.
So don’t actually commit to a flight just out of FOMO, but do book something you can easily and safely cancel within 24 hours if you have any inkling you want it.
And lastly, on a fare that might be too good to be true, never book anything else cancellable around that fare for a while, in case the airline renegs…
PS: Is your booking still intact? Let me know…. but also keep an eye on it.
Thoughts?
Let me know below in the comments, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram for all sorts of tips on miles, points, credit cards, and travel.
If this post helped you, please consider sharing it!
You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.
