Flights with cancellation without losing money. How to book flights without paying for a visa online. Online agencies where you can book flights without paying

Some tourists have a question, is it possible to book tickets without paying for a visa? After all, when applying for a visa to the countries of the Schengen agreement, the list of documents has an item air tickets. The problem is completely solvable. Air tickets can not be bought, but booked for a certain period, during which a response will be received from the embassy on the granting (or refusal) of a visa. This method helps to avoid financial losses, since even a fully submitted package of required documents is not a guarantee that a visa will be submitted, and many airlines are not ready to refund the cost of an expensive ticket.

It is important to choose an airline with favorable conditions, some of them provide the opportunity to book a ticket without payment for 7 days, during which the consulate will probably have time to check the documentation and give an answer to the visa applicant.

Booking air tickets without paying for a visa via the Internet, if an air carrier has already been selected, will not take much time and effort. It is possible to make a reservation in different ways: on the airline's website, online - buying and purchasing tickets at the airport.

The presence in the package of papers for the consulate of air tickets in both directions of the trip is a guarantee that the tourist intends to leave the country of interest to him, and also that his plans do not include the transition to the status of an illegal migrant. Consulates will require from the applicant for a Schengen visa round-trip air tickets (with the exception of France). Due to the absurdity of the current situation, some countries of the Schengen zone have canceled the requirement to provide air ticket reservations. At first, it was possible to apply for a Schengen visa without paying for tickets when traveling to Greece, and at the beginning of 2017, France joined it.

Many tourists are afraid to book tickets in advance, as there is a possibility that a visa may be denied. Some consulates allow the submission of unpaid ticket reservations. Services that would allow you to book a ticket and keep the reservation unpaid, for example, more than a week, Hardly ever. On the websites of airlines, you can keep a reservation for up to a day, and for a small surcharge, extend the reservation up to three days. However, this is clearly not enough, since it can take much more than three days from the submission of documents to their consideration.

After this time, the consulate will decide to check the expired reservation, and, finding that it is invalid, they may refuse a visa, because it is impossible to prove that the reservation was valid at the time of submission of the documents.

There are specific ways to get a reservation of air tickets without paying a visa. These include unpaid Aeroflot reservations, keeping ticket reservations on the airline's website for 2-3 days (or more, for everyone in different ways), and finally, purchasing a return ticket and canceling it after obtaining a visa (financial losses are possible).

Failure risk

According to the visa code European Union, to assess the intention to leave the Schengen countries, it is enough to provide return ticket, round trip ticket or booking of such tickets. Reservation does not imply payment for the ticket. The validity of the reservation for air tickets is not enough to have time to get a visa.

Eg, Consulate-General Spain in Moscow takes a decision on granting a visa within 10 days. When the applicant provides a complete package of documents that satisfies the requirements of the Consulate, the decision may take up to five working days.

Airline reservations must be valid for the entire period of consideration of the package of documents. Proof of payment for air tickets when applying for a visa is not required.

When submitting documents to Visa Center Italy requires the presentation of both paid air tickets (originals and a photocopy) and confirmation of their booking.

To find out the availability of a reservation, an employee of the visa center can use online system or call a specific airline. But if available a large number applications in general such requests are not carried out. According to numerous reviews of tourists, there are no cases of refusal of a visa to the Schengen countries due to a broken reservation.

Buying and returning a ticket

This method is the most reliable, but requires high costs. The ticket can be returned after obtaining a visa. Sometimes it is possible to return the full cost of the ticket.

According to Article 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, the passenger receives 100% of the paid carriage fee, with the exception of the actual costs incurred by the carrier. In the case when the return is made less than a day before the flight, a penalty of up to 25% is charged. Following the adoption of the law on non-refundable tickets in 2014, the airline can sell up to 30% of tickets without the possibility of a refund.

However, these rules do not apply to foreign companies. Before purchasing tickets, it is recommended to study the refund penalties. In most cases, cheap flights cannot be returned, but business class tickets can. So, buying expensive, it is possible to return the money in case of refusal of a visa.

If you decide to buy a return ticket, it is better to pay in cash, since the money goes to the card for a longer period. For a guarantee, it is advised to buy insurance against non-departure, which will be valid in case of refusal of a visa. You can get insurance at the airline so that it works without a package tour.

On some sites, for the commission paid (9%), you can return up to 90% of the ticket price. The non-refundable part of the money remains on the savings account of the service for further purchases.

Some airlines provide a full refund if a visa is denied.

Booking flights without payment

When booking tickets without payment and further submission of documents to the embassy, ​​the entire responsibility lies with the applicant. There is no 100% guarantee that the reservation will be held.

You can book tickets via the Internet without paying for a visa for one day at the official office of the air carrier or by bank transfer.

It is important to know that a reservation for 7 or 10 days is suitable for the consulate (it makes no sense to take a day in advance). This is the required time during which the package of submitted documents will be considered.

You can make a reservation in two ways:

• On the airline's website. Some airlines allow you to book flights without paying. Such companies can provide from 2 to 10 days. For each airline, the deferred payment period depends on the fare and the specific destination. Basically, a ticket booked well in advance of departure has a longer duration than tickets booked closer to departure.
• In an online agency. In an air ticket sales agency, you can make a reservation of air tickets without payment for a different period. A tourist books a ticket, and then checks that it is displayed as paid in special services. If necessary, the reservation can be printed and submitted to the consulate.

A reminder may be sent to the e-mail, which will indicate the intentions of the airline to unilaterally reduce the payment period for the order. Experienced Tourists to avoid such a situation, make an unpaid air ticket reservation as early as possible.

Choosing a portal for booking flights is very important:

• OneTwoTrip— gives the opportunity for 200 rubles to extend the reservation for 7 days;
• Agent.ru- you need to register on the site, after which you can use the services of airlines that hold an order for up to 10 days;
• Anywayanyday- The site requires registration, privileges here can only be used by recommended buyers. When choosing a cash payment method, you can prolong your reservation up to 7 days;
• AirFrance— The portal provides the Time for reflection service. The cost of the service is about 15 euros. Reservations are kept up to 7 days. Infants and first class passengers are provided free of charge.

How to check the ticket in the booking system

Reservations go through global distribution systems. The main ones are Amadeus, Galileo, Sarbre. All ticket offices should know them.

• Checkmytrip.com - used to check bookings in the Amadeus system.
• Viewtrip.com - used to verify bookings in the Galileo system.
• Virtuaiythere.com - used to verify the reservation in the Sarbre system.

What to do if the reservation does not break through?

In the case when the ticket reservation is not determined through Checkmytrip.com, you need to try to find the reservation through other sites. Sometimes the reservation is not broken through as a result of a system failure. In this case, repeat the operation again.

Some tourists say they get a 5 digit code instead of a 6 digit code. In this case, you need to go to the website of the airline where the tickets were booked and check the reservation there.

Confirmation of another mode of transport

You can submit documents to the consulate about the use of other Vehicle(except aircraft):

1. At road trip the embassy is provided with a free-form itinerary sheet (with a description of the travel plan for each date with hotels and cities), a vehicle registration certificate, insurance Green map, driver's license. You can attach a ferry ticket reservation.
2. Railway transport. Russian Railways refunds the full cost of a ticket for trains in neighboring countries.
3. Combined option. A tourist can purchase a train ticket to a specific country, then continue their journey by plane to the destination country. The train ticket is returned, the plane ticket either burns out or is reissued for a convenient date and direction.

What the airlines say

To questions about the possibility of booking a ticket to obtain a visa without payment, maximum booking periods and a fee for returning a ticket, popular air carriers answer as follows.

S7 Airlines

Does not provide reservations without payment lasting 10 days.

Offers:

• issue an air ticket tariff plan Standard, which will allow you to issue a refund without deductions.
• purchase a ticket with additional Travel insurance, which covers the case of visa refusal.

This insurance policy is suitable for individual travel.

KLM

In case of refusal of a visa, the company fully refunds the cost of the ticket, subject to certain conditions:

• if the ticket was purchased at the KLM office or on the KLM.com website, or through the FB service.
• if the country of destination of the ticket and the country in whose consulate the visa application was submitted are the same.
• in the case when the passenger provides a document confirming the refusal of a visa.
• if the tickets have not yet been used.

If a traveler purchases a ticket prior to obtaining a visa, they must ensure that the fare rules allow for changes. This information is available on the ticket search page - after round-trip flights have been selected.

The company can create a booking for a tourist, but it will be active for 3 days.

Once the visa is granted, the applicant can purchase any eligible tickets as the booking will already be cancelled.

Interesting video:

UTAIR

The company gives the opportunity to book tickets in any agency at an economy class fare, for which the most long time for issuing tickets. After confirming the visa, you can buy tickets on the company's website at the lowest available fare. Agency fees are not withheld.

In the case of a ticket return due to a visa refusal, the return is not considered forced. When purchasing a non-refundable ticket, the entire amount paid for the ticket is not refundable.

Aeroflot

On this issue, they contact the Call Center operators and inform that a reservation is required for the embassy.

Upon request, the Aeroflot Call Center can extend the booking period for a visa from 2 to 7 days. Excluding promotional fares or if there are less than 7 days left before departure. You can also get a printed reservation at the office or at the company's ticket office.

Aeroflot's booking system is based on a software product developed by the air carrier. It is allowed to book and pay for an air ticket online no later than 6 hours before the flight departure. .

Data foreign passport are entered as written in the foreign passport.

Booking tickets without paying for a visa is a convenient and proven way. Important right choice airlines, which will give the opportunity to seamlessly organize further visa processing, upon receipt of a positive response to the request.

Consulates require a round-trip ticket to obtain a Schengen visa. For independent tourist this is inconvenient: the date and country of return is not always known, a visa may be denied. And if a hotel reservation can be easily made through Booking and canceled, things are more complicated with air tickets. Let's figure out how to book air tickets without paying for a visa, or reduce costs to a minimum.

The EU visa code clearly states that in order to assess the intention to leave the Schengen countries, it is sufficient to provide a return ticket, a round trip ticket or a booking of such tickets.

Booking does not imply the payment of tickets. But the validity of the reservation on the plane is too short to get a visa. Is it enough to book a day to get a visa? Let us ask this question to the ECs of Spain and Italy.

Reply from the EC of Spain:

The Consulate General of Spain reviews the documents and makes a decision within 10 calendar days from the date of receipt of the documents by the Consulate of Spain in Moscow. Each visa application is considered on an individual basis. As a result, decision times may vary. In case of providing a full package of documents that meet the requirements of the Consulate, the decision will be made within 5 working days.

The ticket reservation must be valid for the entire period of consideration of your documents. The fact of paying for tickets for applying for a visa is optional.

Please note that on a Spanish visa, the first trip must be to Spain.

To apply for a visa to Spain, large quantity days of travel must be in Spain. If during your trip you are going to visit other Schengen countries, except for Spain, you must provide all documents for your stay in these countries and movement between countries and cities.

The answer of the Italian Center:

When submitting documents, both paid plane tickets (originals + photocopy) and confirmation of their booking are accepted.

Theoretically, a visa officer can check the availability of a reservation by number: call the airline or use online services. But will he do it? With a large flow of applications, it is unlikely. This is confirmed by numerous reviews of tourists. No one had a case of being denied a Schengen visa due to a broken armor.

Some even manage to get a visa with last year's redacted booking, or print it yourself. We do not recommend using this method, as it is a deliberate forgery of documents.

What methods work?

• Real ticket purchase with full payment, and further refund.
• Booking through the websites of airlines or intermediaries without payment.
• Confirmation of another mode of transport.
• Cancellation insurance.

Let's consider these points in more detail.

Buying and returning a ticket

The most reliable way, but high costs. The ticket can be returned after obtaining a visa. And sometimes even return the full cost for it.

In accordance with Article 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, the passenger receives 100% of the paid carriage fee, with the exception of the carrier's actual expenses incurred. If the refund is made less than a day before the flight, a penalty of up to 25% will be charged. Following the adoption of the law on non-refundable tickets in 2014, airlines can sell up to 30% of tickets for a flight without the possibility of a refund.

These rules do not apply to foreign companies. Therefore, you need to carefully study the penalties for returns before buying. Usually cheap tickets cannot be returned, but there is such an opportunity in business class. If your visa is denied, you will lose money for both tickets and consular fees.

Aeroflot has fully refundable premium fares:

• Premium Business;
• Premium Comfort;
• Premium-Economy - except for YPXRTRF/YPXOWRF tariffs for Simferopol;
• OPTIMUM tariffs - return with a fine from 50 to 200 euros / dollars;
• Budget and Economy tariffs are non-refundable (including taxes and fees).

Detailed return conditions on the official website of Aeroflot.
If you decide to buy a return ticket, pay in cash - the money goes to the card longer.

To protect yourself - you can buy travel insurance, which will protect against visa refusal. You need to look for such an airline so that it works without a package tour.

There is an additional ticket return service for 9% of its cost. Even if, according to the rules of the airline, tickets are non-refundable, you can still return up to 90% of the cost. Part of the money is returned to the OneTwoTrip savings account for further purchases.

For a commission of 9%, you can return up to 90% of the ticket price. The non-refundable part of the amount is returned to the account in the service.

Booking without payment

Without any problems, you can book a ticket for 1 day, choosing the payment method at the office or by bank transfer when purchasing. This is enough to get a real printout of the reservation and give it to the consulate. You can find a reservation even for 10 days. If you put it right before applying for a visa, this should be enough for a possible check of documents by the consul.

You need to understand that a long booking is not guaranteed. Sometimes it is removed if there is little time left before departure, or there are people who want to buy this place. Some services and airlines have a service paid booking is a more reliable option.

Where to book

On many sites, the printout indicates that the reservation is not paid. If the consulate does not require payment for the ticket, it is not necessary to erase this inscription. In other cases, you can get a more “solid” printout from third-party services:

You need to break through the booking in all services, they work with different bases. In one of them, the reservation should be found. If nowhere, try to book a ticket again, or change the flight / airline.

Another option is to get a long-term reservation without paying for a visa through tourist agency behind additional fee or through friends.

Confirmation of another mode of transport

It is not necessary to travel to Europe by plane. Other ways to confirm transport:

What the airlines say

We asked popular airlines about the possibility of booking a ticket for obtaining a visa without payment, the maximum booking period and fees for ticket refunds.

S7 Airlines:

On such long term(10 days) ticket booking without payment cannot be created.

You can either:

1) Issue an air ticket under the Standard tariff plan, according to which it is possible to issue a refund without deductions.

You can familiarize yourself with the rules of application for each of the tariffs (conditions for a return / rebooking) by clicking on the link:
http://www.s7.ru/home/info/fares.dot

2) You can also purchase a ticket with additional Travel insurance, which provides for the risk of "Visa Denial".

This insurance policy is suitable for individual travel. An insurance policy can be added when purchasing tickets on the website www.s7.ru.

More detailed information:

In case of refusal of a visa, the cost will be fully refunded if the following conditions are met:

Additional information can be found on our website: http://klmf.ly/1j78W3T .

If you decide to buy a ticket before you get your visa, you need to make sure that the fare rules allow you to make changes. This information is available on our ticket search page - after round-trip flights have been selected.

We can also create a booking for you, but it will only be active for 3 days. In principle, usually, this is enough to submit documents to the embassy.

UTAIR:

You can book tickets with any agency at the normal economy class (Y) fare, which has the longest ticketing time. After confirming your visa, you can buy tickets on the Airline's website at the lowest available fare. The website of the Airline does not charge agency fees.

The first booking will need to be canceled by calling the agency.

If the ticket is returned due to a refusal to issue a visa, the return is not considered forced. If you buy non-refundable ticket, then the entire amount of the ticket is non-refundable.

Aeroflot:

On this issue, contact the Call Center operators and tell them that you need a reservation for the embassy.

Booking is free.

Upon request, the Aeroflot Call Center can extend the visa reservation period up to 7 days. Excluding promotional fares, or if there is less than a week left before departure. You can also get a printed reservation at the Aeroflot office / ticket office.

That's all. We have shown many legal ways to get a visa with an unpaid reservation. No need to take risks and forge documents, edit something. Share in the comments which method you chose and where you managed to get a visa.

Dear readers, this article was written in January 2015, all information was up-to-date at the time of its publication. Unfortunately, some services have changed the interface (checkmytrip.com), thereby complicating the process of printing tickets.

In this article, we will talk about booking and printing unpaid air tickets. It's no secret that travelers are required to return air tickets when applying for visas, sometimes they ask about a return ticket right at the airport, etc.

Who needs a ticket and why?

To obtain a visa. One of the reasons for making fictitious reservations (air tickets, hotels, transfers, etc.) is the strict visa requirements of some countries that probably live in the Stone Age and insistently require you to have all the necessary pieces of paper (air tickets, hotel reservations, transfers, etc. .).

There are a number of travelers who prefer to catch cheap air tickets (last minute deals) with visas on hand, and as soon as the coveted ticket at a reasonable price appears, they immediately buy it. Such travelers first receive a visa (of course, without paid tickets), and then they are already looking for tickets.

For presentation at airports. Return flights you may also be required to enter those countries that allow tourists to arrive in their country without a visa, Thailand as an example. When traveling to Thailand, a traveler may be required to have a return ticket even before the flight, and if it is not available, they may not be allowed to board the flight.

In addition to air tickets, you can check the availability of insurance, hotel reservations, etc. Each country has its own requirements for tourists, you can find out in advance about the requirements of the country you are heading to using the Timatic service, details about it here.

If they refuse a visa. Free booking of air tickets is also convenient in cases where you are not sure whether you will be issued a visa or not, and the correctness of filling out the documents does not play any role here. Especially if there were previously visa violations - overstays, unpaid fines and other violations that you have already forgotten about. In such a situation, not many tourists want to sit with a paid air ticket in their hands, if there is no certainty in obtaining a visa, and booking without payment allows you to somehow calm your nerves.

It is especially important to have an air ticket reservation when submitting documents to the consulates of countries that often refuse to issue visas (USA, England, etc.).

How to book a plane ticket without paying

Let's analyze in detail how to book a ticket without payment, in most cases it is booked for consulates and to minimize unnecessary questions at airports.

There are a few important points when booking flights without payment, which you should know:

• there is no guarantee that the flight reservation will last long. Sometimes airlines remove unpaid booked flights, but this happens in cases where there is little time left before departure and there are those who wish to purchase a booked but unpaid ticket;
• in most cases they will give you a visa, but if you found a ticket at a good price and didn’t buy it, then closer to the date of your trip there may not be such prices, so if you see good price for an air ticket, it is worth buying it.

So, let's proceed to the very booking of the ticket without payment. There are a few simple steps, after which you will have a real ticket reservation in your hands.

Search for an air ticket for booking without payment

To search for a ticket in the direction you need, go here, the search form and filters will help you find a ticket for the required dates, if you are doing this for the first time, then read the article about searching for tickets, it will help you save a lot when buying tickets.

We select any offer and proceed to fill in the data on the website of the agency / airline, to which we will be transferred by a search engine for air tickets. As mentioned earlier, some airlines allow you to issue tickets via the Internet, and pay at their offices, thereby giving us time to go to the visa center with active ticket reservations, other airlines keep the reservation for a long time, which is the same for us. The booking conditions provided by airlines sometimes change, so be careful.

The main task of all these manipulations is to get the so-called PNR code (Booking Code). IN Lately, many online ticket sales services try not to show this data too much, but we will be smarter.

After filling in the standard data for the purchase of air tickets, we will have a reservation number - this is a short set of characters consisting of Latin letters and numbers, the reservation number should be remembered or written down.

Sometimes an e-mail comes with a booking number, sometimes the ticket booking number is indicated directly on the site page, this is not so important, we will only need it once.

How to print flight reservations without payment

The next step is to print out the air ticket reservation without payment. We go to one of the sites for checking air tickets and calmly print out our air ticket reservation.

There are several sites for printing out an air ticket reservation (viewtrip.com, virtuallythere.com, myairlines.ru, etc.). For example, I use the site checkmytrip.com, it has a simple interface and it always works properly.

In the form that opens, enter the reservation number, the last name for which the ticket was booked and click on the button. Next, you will be able to print or save the itinerary receipt.

Video on how to print an unpaid air ticket reservation

My friend (Anton Pushkarev), made short video clip, which tells in great detail about the printout of unpaid reservations. The video is three minutes long, be sure to watch and like if it helped you.

That's all, now you have a real (legal) air ticket reservation, which can become your air ticket if paid on time.

Flight booking

Booking air tickets occurs every time in the process of buying a plane ticket via the Internet, in most cases people do not even think about it.

In order to understand why the booking of air tickets occurs without our knowledge, you need to understand how most of the sites of aggregators for booking air tickets work.

In fact, everything is very simple. When you are looking for a flight ticket, aggregator sites provide a selection from many ticket sites and airline sites. After choosing an air ticket (by price, time, etc.), the aggregator site redirects you to the airline's website, but not everyone does this, some sites offer to purchase an air ticket directly on their website, this is what agent ru does

It is at this moment that the booking of an air ticket takes place, which can turn into a purchase or remain a reservation. Thus, any air ticket purchased online goes through a stage online booking, the difference is only in the time that this reservation is kept.

Where to book flights

For booking and buying tickets, there are several convenient ways about which I

• metasearch engines (airsale, skyscanner, etc.) - search for flights on many sites and provide you with the search result in a readable form (be sure to use the calendar low prices and a subscription to a price reduction);
• ticket sites (agent ru, euroavia ru, etc.) - you can make a reservation directly on their website without going to the airline's website;
• air ticket exchanges (turdom ru and others) - as a rule, you can buy air tickets here at a very good price, but you need to catch them;
• airline sites - sometimes these sites can have very inconvenient navigation or lack of Russian, so you need to know English.

Booking times for different airlines

The terms of booking air tickets depend on the conditions of the airline, and not on the site on which you book the ticket. Various factors can influence the lifetime of your air ticket reservation (time before departure, availability of free tickets for this flight etc.).

The approximate time for which airlines hold a reservation can be seen in this list:

• Qatar holds reservations up to 10 days;
• Aeroflot keeps the reservation for no more than 2 days;
• Turkish Airlines holds the reservation up to 10 days;
• KLM keeps the reservation for no more than 1 day;
• UIA holds the reservation up to 10 days;
• AlItalia keeps the reservation for no more than 1 day;
• AirBaltic keep booking up to 3 days;
• SAS holds the reservation up to 2 days;
• AirBerlin holds the reservation up to 4 days;
• AirFrance holds the reservation up to 4 days;
• Lufthansa keeps bookings up to 2 days;
• EuropeAir holds the booking up to 7 days.

Some airlines allow you not to pay booked tickets if you book on their websites and you can pay at their office. In any case, carefully read the "fine print" text on the cancellation policy. For example, Lufthansa will charge you a cancellation fee for a guaranteed booking.

How to check a ticket

Checking a ticket by booking number and last name is very simple, now I’ll tell you about it in more detail. As I said earlier, all tickets purchased via the Internet are somehow booked through one of the global booking systems, and thus each ticket (whether it is paid or not) has a unique reservation number.

Check flight ticket through global booking sites

I know several global booking systems used by airlines and all those who sell air tickets: Sirena, Galileo, Saber, Amadeus. Any tourist can access these systems, but not directly, but through the relevant information sites.

• Sirena - www.myairlines.ru
• Sabre-

Here it should be taken into account next nuance, depending on the airline, the booking system with which this airline works (Siren, Galileo, Saber, Amadeus) will also depend, so you should know on which site to check your ticket. Sometimes, information about the booking system is indicated on air tickets, but for greater certainty, you can enter the reservation number and last name on all the sites presented.

Check the purchased ticket by number and surname

Large ticket agencies (for example, onetwotrip) provide their customers with a number of options (print e-ticket, issue a refund, select the type of food on board, etc.), among which there is a check of the purchased ticket by number and surname (by order or payment number and e-mail address or mobile phone number).

In order to check the ticket purchased on onetwotrip by number and last name, you should indicate the ticket number on this page (namely, the ticket number, not the reservation number) and the last name that was specified during checkout.

In what cases to book a plane ticket without payment

Booking a plane ticket without payment, as I wrote above, is required in the following situations:

• booking air tickets for a visa - it is done in cases where the country of issuing a visa is very meticulous and there is no guarantee in issuing a visa;
• delayed purchase of an air ticket - if you have found a good price for an air ticket, but have not yet decided to go or not, then the reservation helps out and you can think about your trip in a relaxed atmosphere;
• lack of money to buy an air ticket - you found a plane ticket at the best price, but this moment there is not enough money to buy it (everything happens in life, salary was delayed, payment for bank card etc.), in this case, make a reservation and pay a little later;
• there is a high probability of a visa refusal - you know exactly for what reasons you can be denied a visa and do not want to have a paid air ticket in your hands.

Flight booking for visa

To obtain a visa, in one sense or another, there are several ways to prove to consular workers that you have air tickets. Here are the most legal ones.

Return air tickets

The most reliable way to obtain a flight reservation for a visa is to buy return air tickets. You will have real air tickets (paid), suitable for obtaining a visa. With such air tickets, there should be no unnecessary questions from consular workers to you.

After obtaining a visa, return tickets can be returned with the loss of part of the money. It is not entirely clear why you need a visa then (probably you will travel by land, and not by plane), but many make reservations in this way - it is reliable and less nerve-wracking.

Booking flights without payment

A more risky and less predictable type of obtaining a visa is to take an unpaid air ticket reservation to the consulate, there can be anything from automatic cancellation of the reservation by the airline, to a call from a consular employee to the airline.

Friends, it should be remembered that not fools work in consulates (at least not more stupid than you and me) and they understand everything perfectly, and if they want to find a reason not to issue a visa, they will definitely find it. I strongly do not recommend booking a ticket in Photoshop - this is clean water fraud, better make an unpaid reservation, which in itself is an official document.

If you have successfully read this article to the end, then you know all the features when booking air tickets and now you know exactly how it all works.

Just last week, I plunged deep into the issue of obtaining a Schengen visa. I chose the French consulate, as I expected to get a long Schengen. The French do not require a paid reservation of air tickets, which means you can insure yourself and simply “write them out”. Suddenly there will be some problems with the issuance of a visa or you will have to move the travel dates after receiving the coveted sticker in your passport.

Booking plane tickets without payment is also suitable for those who make a visa of one state, but will travel along a different route. This is fraught with resentment of the country that issued the visa, but if necessary, then let's look at the options.

Needless to say, the task was not an easy one. In theory, I knew that it was possible to buy tickets without paying, but I had never done this before. I read a lot of advice on the Internet, but bad luck - basically, they are all outdated. The services that the bloggers wrote about apparently realized that they were shamelessly using them and removed the feature of booking tickets without payment. For example, many have mentioned in articles Agent.ru. Like, at the stage of booking tickets, the system shows the PNR code of the reservation, which can then be broken through checkmytrip.com and make a printout for the consulate. This method no longer works! Agent.ru removed the PNR code and only shows the secret code of the reservation. Money in the morning, chairs in the evening.

1. Air France (deferred payment 4 days)

Air France offers a deferred payment service. The service is paid, but it costs only 210 rubles per passenger. At the second stage of the booking (selection of additional services), you need to add the option “time to think”.

After paying for the additional service, the booking will be assigned a PNR code. Pre-booking confirmation will be sent to your e-mail. You have 4 days to gallop to the visa center and submit a set of documents. I recommend booking tickets last, when all other documents are ready.

In the end, I ended up using this method. It seemed to me the right thing to book a direct flight, although who cares how exactly I fly to France.

2 Turkish Airlines

The airline allows you to book a ticket for free for 3 days. At the stage of choosing a payment method, put a checkmark in front of "reserve a flight and pay later."

Here is our booking with PNR code. You can print it directly from your browser.

3. Euroavia.ru

Euroavia.ru has a completely official service - "Booking air tickets for a visa." First, a standard search and selection of air tickets is performed, then personal data is entered. At the stage of payment, another tab appears - "Booking for a visa".

The cost of the service is 300 rubles, the reservation is reserved for you 7 full days. It is enough to submit documents to the visa center and get the result.

4. Aeroflot

Many resources advise you to book a ticket with Aeroflot. To be honest, I didn't get the joke.

Option number 1- call the Call-center, book a ticket, promising to pay later at the office, and ask to send a reservation by e-mail.

Option number 2– book a ticket on the website and choose to pay in cash at the office. Rate the rate))

I did not test the first option, but I tried the second. Aeroflot sent an email reminder about paying for the ticket. The PNR code was in the letter, but the booking could not be printed in a decent form. Everywhere there was an inscription "pay". In my opinion, the first three options for booking tickets are much better and more reliable.

To summarize, you can book flights without paying through the websites of loyal airlines or through third-party ticketing services. You need to look for the service on the site itself, not all airlines have the possibility of deferred payment.

From European carriers Booking a ticket for 48 hours is also provided by AirBaltic, the cost of the service is 6 euros.

I hope the article was useful to you).

The trip turns from a dream into reality when the first expenses begin. If you are going to travel on your own, your expenses will begin with the purchase of tickets: this gives you confidence, and the embassy requires a visa. Tickets are expensive, and there is also fear - what if a visa is not issued? if the children get sick before the trip? What if there are cheaper options later? All this is solved by free ticket booking.

There are several benefits at once: you don’t have to lay out a lot of money right away, you can easily refuse a trip or exchange tickets for more convenient ones. Kidpassage figured out where it is easiest to make a reservation and how else you can buy tickets without extra expenses.

Can I book a plane ticket without paying?

Without going into details for now, we will answer: yes, you can book a plane ticket for free. There are several ways to do this - we will describe them in the article. But there are a few nuances that you can't do without knowing.

Firstly, you can book a ticket for a relatively short period of time, often only for 1-2 days. In the article you will read about how you can increase this period. Secondly, booking does not guarantee that the ticket will remain with you.

Sometimes airlines cancel bookings if there is little time left before departure and if the demand for these tickets is high. Below we will tell you how to book plane tickets online without paying and not losing them.

Thirdly, sometimes a free reservation is not enough - you have to buy tickets to confirm the trip, and then return them. Find out how to find tickets that are easy to return.

• It will be useful:

Why you need a free reservation

• To obtain a visa. The embassies of some countries still require a whole package of documents when issuing a visa, including round-trip tickets. If you have not yet decided on the date of the trip or want to buy tickets for more favorable price, it is worth booking tickets without payment.
• If a visa may not be issued. The risk of visa refusal is assessed in different ways. More often than others, the United States and Great Britain refuse a visa. In order not to lose money by buying and then returning tickets, you can make a reservation.
• If you don't have enough money to buy. Everyday situation: tickets suitable for the price and dates are on sale, but there is no required amount for the purchase. Booking plane tickets without paying will allow you to keep them and pay later.
• If the decision to travel has not yet been made. The trip has not yet been planned, but you have already found tickets at a good price - book them right away. You can always opt out of them.

Booking flights without paying for a visa

Embassies have different attitudes towards documents for obtaining a visa. As a rule, embassy employees require originals and photocopies of purchased tickets. But sometimes it is enough to submit confirmation that you have just booked tickets (this option, for example, suits the embassies of Italy and Spain).

1. Book a ticket without payment for a period of 1 to 10 days. The reservation must be kept for at least 7 days, that is, no less than the period for which the embassy / consulate will consider your documents.

Many airlines and intermediaries offer a paid booking service. This significantly increases the chances that the ticket will remain yours.”

Booking times differ between companies (indicative data in the list below). Some aggregator sites show how long the booking will last when searching for tickets, but these are approximate data.

• KLM - up to 24 hours;
• Aeroflot - 24 hours when booking at the Aeroflot office, but no more than 2 days;
• Lufthansa - up to 2 days;
• KLM - up to 3 days;
• british airways- up to 3 days;
• AirBaltic - up to 3 days;
• AirFrance - up to 4 days;
• AirBerlin - up to 4 days;
• EuropeAir - up to 7 days;
• Turkish Airlines - up to 10 days;
• UIA (UIA) - up to 10 days.

2. Buy return tickets. Strictly speaking, this is not exactly booking air tickets without paying. You buy tickets, which can then be returned, sometimes with the loss of part of the money. This is the most reliable way to obtain a visa if the embassy staff is especially picky about documents.

You can find out about the rules for returning tickets from the airlines - but not only from them. For example, in clause 1, part 1, article 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, the procedure for handing over return tickets: “The passenger shall be refunded the carriage fee paid for air carriage (with the exception of the amount of the carrier’s expenses actually incurred by him and related to the fulfillment of obligations under the passenger air carriage agreement) provided that the passenger has notified the carrier of the refusal of air carriage no later than 24 hours before the end of check-in of passengers for the flight specified in the ticket.

In many countries former USSR Air Code does not regulate this issue, in this case, airlines follow international practice.

3.Buy a ticket that includes a ticket refund service fee. In this case, you also lose part of the money when returning, but this amount is much less than the cost of tickets that cannot be used or returned.

4. Buy an air ticket and travel insurance at the same time. By insurance policy you will be refunded the money you spent on preparing for the trip. This amount includes the cost of a visa if you were denied it, the cost of tickets and other expenses. On some aggregator sites, the offer to insure the flight appears during the search for tickets. Study the offer, even if you don't intend to use it: it will help you formulate the right questions for the insurance company you are applying to.

Where to book tickets

You can book tickets online without paying or buy tickets with a subsequent refund at airlines, travel agencies or on aggregator sites. Each of the methods is good in a certain situation: choose the one that suits you.

If you do not intend to fly on the selected tickets, book them directly with the airline. In this case, the ticket price, departure time, flight duration and other parameters do not matter. The most important thing you need to do is to study the cancellation or refund policy. Travel agencies and intermediaries in this case may delay the cancellation/refund due to their own bureaucratic procedures.

Meanwhile, some online agencies promise favorable conditions for ticket refunds. It makes sense to compare them with what the airlines offer.

If you are likely to use your chosen tickets, book them with a travel agency or an online ticketing agency. Then already at this stage choose a convenient flight and a good price. Be sure to research the different rates and their benefits. Take special attention whether you will have to pay for a change in the date of departure or for a refund of the ticket. To increase the reliability of booking air tickets without payment, use the paid booking service.

• Read also:

How to book a plane ticket for a visa without paying

Despite the length of the text written above, you can book a ticket without paying in a matter of minutes. Take just 4 steps:

1. Go to the page.
2. Select a route: city of departure and city of arrival, date of round-trip flight, number of passengers (adults and children), ticket class (economy, business) and click the "Find tickets" button.

3. Select a ticket from the list that opens, go to the website of the airline or agency and check the fare conditions. You need to find:
a. Ticket without payment with a reservation for several days.
b. Free return ticket.
c. A ticket with a fare that includes a small refund fee.
d. Ticket with insurance against non-departure.

4. Buy a suitable ticket if you have chosen option b, c or d, or book and print the ticket without payment if you have chosen option a. In order not to go through all the offers, looking for the possibility of booking air tickets online without payment, we suggest learning about the tariff policy of some airlines.

What airlines offer

The position of airlines on the issue of booking tickets without payment and refunding tickets varies. But in general, there are only a few options: free or paid bookings, discounted rates, and a rate with a refund under certain conditions.

Option 1. The most pleasant conditions, that is, precisely free booking airline tickets are often offered by major airlines.

Example: Lufthansa's website has a "Book and pay later" option. The ticket is guaranteed to be yours for 48 hours. This service is available on flights to more than 50 countries.

This decision imposes some restrictions: for example, you will not be able to use a promo code to get a discount. If you decide to buy a ticket, you will only have to pay for it. If you change your mind about flying, you will be charged a cancellation service fee.

At the same time, Lufthansa has an offer to return and rebook tickets. The Flex fare provides the greatest flexibility in this regard: it provides for a refund of the ticket price minus a service charge. A similar Flexibility service is offered by KLM and Air France. The approximate amount of the service fee for the return of the ticket is 60-80 euros.

Option 2. Sometimes you can use the paid booking service to calmly consider the decision to travel.

Example: The British Airways website offers to book tickets for 72 hours. The booking fee is 5-10 euros, depending on the flight distance. It should be noted that a ticket to some countries cannot be booked, but the list of such countries is gradually decreasing.

If you later decide to purchase your booked tickets, you will receive a refund for the booking. If you refuse to purchase, you will lose this amount (very small compared to the service fees for returning tickets).

• Read also:

A nice bonus: if during the time for which you made a reservation, tickets become cheaper, you will pay less for them; if they rise in price - you will pay as much as they cost on the day of booking.

Option 3. Some airlines offer additional terms within the standard rates.

Example: Aeroflot introduced special Optimum and Premium fares for economy class tickets. Optimum tickets can be refunded forfeiting the service fee, while Premium tickets will be refunded in full. Similar conditions apply to S7 Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

Option 4. Many airlines allow you to return a ticket if the embassy has not issued a visa.

Example: if for some reason the embassy refused to issue a visa, then such airlines as Air France, Belavia, Austrian Airlines, LOT or KLM will refund money for tickets already purchased.

Is there a booking with low-cost airlines

To save on flights, tourists often fly with low-cost airlines. Their tickets are cheaper because low cost airlines they do not spend money on the maintenance of air ticket offices, hire a minimum of personnel, increase the number of seats in the cabin, etc. But the main thing is that low-cost airlines sell only the flight service, and you need to pay extra for the rest (extra baggage, food on board, comfort in the cabin).

Low-cost airlines are almost always a bad option if you need to return tickets. Their base fares prohibit ticket refunds. In tariffs where a refund is still possible, a large commission is charged.

WizzAir

If you are planning to fly with this airline and have not yet decided on the date, use the Wizz Plus fare. It gives the right to book a plane ticket, and then change the date of departure without additional service charges (Wizz Flex option). This fare also provides for the possibility of returning the ticket, however, in this case, you will have to pay a fee, sometimes exceeding the price of the ticket - from 60 to 80 euros.

AirBaltic

The company, as far as possible, is flexible in setting tariffs. Thus, the Economy Premium tariff allows you to rebook or return tickets with a fee of 50-100 euros. There are many more amenities in the Business fare: no fees are charged for changing the departure date and returning tickets.

Air Arabia

A popular company flying from Russia and Ukraine to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, has its own policy. Here you can change your travel date by paying a service fee. But to return the ticket and get back at least part of the money will not work. First, the company will deduct a commission from the ticket price. Secondly, the rest of the money will be credited to your virtual account so that you can buy another ticket. This "credit" will be valid for only a year, then you will not be able to use the funds.

flydubai

Among the tariffs of this company there is a tariff with a free ticket exchange. If you exchange a ticket at least two days before departure, you will not have to pay any fee for this service. If you return a ticket less than a day before departure, you will have to pay a fee of 45 euros. At the same time, you will receive the rest of the money in the form of a voucher that can be used to pay for other airline tickets.

How to get a refund for a ticket

If you have chosen the path of buying tickets to get a guaranteed visa, but are not going to fly on a paid flight, you need to take care of the issue of a refund. This is not a quick procedure, and its success depends on the conditions under which the ticket was purchased.

There is a forced and voluntary return of tickets. Forced return caused by cancellation or refusal of a visa, illness (death) of a passenger or his close relative. In this case, the airline will refund the full cost of the tickets, sometimes withholding a minimum service charge.

Voluntary return occurs at the request of the passenger. Each company has its own rules for voluntary returns, but the most common approach is this:

• if you canceled your booking before the ticket was issued, you will be refunded the full price minus the service fee;
• if you are returning a ticket in first or business class, you will be refunded the full price minus the service fee;
• if you are returning an economy class ticket or one purchased under preferential (promotional) conditions, you will be refunded only the amount of service fees.

Sometimes airlines charge an additional penalty for a refund: its size can reach 25% of the ticket price. Among the services of intermediary companies there is a paid return service of up to 90% of the ticket price.

Whatever the reasons for the return, you need to apply at the office or on the website of the airline or intermediary from which you bought the ticket. The application must be accompanied by:

• ticket details (its number, flight number, date and time of departure, date of booking);
• a photocopy of the passport;
• a check or bank statement confirming the purchase.

If the return is forced, you will need copies of documents to confirm good reasons:

• certificate of the airline about the cancellation or delay of the flight, change of route;
• a certificate from the hospital about the illness (death) of the passenger or his close relative;
• visa refusal document.

We recommend that you apply for a ticket refund as early as possible, but at least 2-3 days before the flight. The issue of a refund is considered from 1 to 3 months (often the answer comes within 5-10 business days).

Can I return a non-refundable ticket?

Does the title seem paradoxical? Meanwhile, the Air Code obliges airlines to pay some additional fees: “The carriage fee paid for the carriage of a passenger by air is not refundable, with the exception of unused amounts collected by the carrier in favor of other organizations in accordance with the legislation of foreign states, from territories, on the territory or through the territories of which carried out air transportation passenger."

To understand the legislator's logic, let's figure out what the cost of a ticket consists of. Several components:

• the cost of the flight, or fare - it is set by the airline;
• airline fees (for example, for issuing a ticket on the form);
• airport taxes and taxes (fuel surcharge, aircraft and passenger service charge, security charge, etc.);
• agency commissions.

Therefore, by returning a non-refundable ticket before the flight, you will receive an amount equal to the cost airport taxes- sometimes it's half the cost of the whole ticket. If the fare implies that the fuel and service charges are non-refundable, the carrier must specify this information in the conditions of purchase of the ticket. In a word, carefully read the booking rules and choose the right rates.

To compensate for the full cost non-refundable fare can only be calculated in two cases: if the airline has not fulfilled its obligations or if you have had a personal force majeure associated with illness or death in the family.

The ticket issue has been resolved - what will be the next step in preparing for the trip? Most likely, you will be looking for a hotel. To find a place where it will be comfortable to relax with children, look at. In the description you will find all the information about the benefits for small tourists.