ListNook

Decent-Gas-7042 May 4, 2026 +294

That's much better than when Lynx went broke here in Canada. We were flying in March and were told "If you're flying in Feburary you're fine. If you're flying in March call your credit card company to dispute the charges". If you paid anything other than credit card you were screwed

294

xavPa-64 May 4, 2026 +101

Yeah buying things by credit card is usually the way to go

101

[deleted] May 4, 2026 +5

[removed]

5

Gubbi_94 May 4, 2026 +26

Debit Card I assume.

26

[deleted] May 4, 2026 -18

[removed]

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Badloss May 4, 2026 +21

credit cards generally have better protections than debit

21

N79806 May 4, 2026 +6

Especially the part where your cash isnt immediately ties up in the transaction and there is a dispute.

6

Ironmunger2 May 4, 2026 +4

I don’t think this is universal. I had a fraudulent debit card charge once and they canceled the card but said they won’t take the charge off

4

Lamuks 6 days ago +1

Depends on the bank and country, from experience.

1

beartheminus 6 days ago +1

Or when Viva Air in Colombia closed their doors when I had a flight with them and their response to everyone was basically "go f*** yourself we ain't paying shit" Luckily LATAM Airlines honored their ticket for me and gave me a free flight

1

[deleted] May 4, 2026 -11

[deleted]

-11

erenjaeger99 May 4, 2026 +42

Barter with your seasons harvest

42

Hunter_S_Thompsons May 4, 2026 +8

Would lowkey bang if I could bring some squash and tomatoes as payment to fly to NY lol.

8

thatbrownkid19 May 4, 2026 +30

Debit card? Cash at an in-person office?

30

[deleted] May 4, 2026 +7

[deleted]

7

HiDDENKiLLZ May 4, 2026 +18

If my grandmother had to pay for a plane ticket tomorrow, that is exactly what she would do. She doesn't believe in using bank cards of any kind.

18

xmromi May 4, 2026 +7

bad news for her, at least in US some airlines don't take cash at airport even for things like baggage fees

7

Ayzmo May 4, 2026 +4

She could probably go to a travel agent.

4

defroach84 May 4, 2026 +2

And they'd probably pay with some form of CC after she paid them in cash.

2

heynaldo88 May 4, 2026 +1

I feel like your grandma might be the most chill lady alive. I can’t imagine spending a single second longer in the airport than I must.

1

aseltee May 4, 2026 +6

You go to a travel agents office and pay cash.

6

defroach84 May 4, 2026 -1

How do travel agents pay for the flights? They aren't paying in cash.

-1

itskdog May 4, 2026 +3

With the number of customers they get for the airline, they probably pay by invoice & bank transfer, I'd assume.

3

Andromeda321 May 4, 2026 +2

I have legit gone to the airport and bought a same day ticket, in Asia and Africa. There are places in the world where there’s so many airlines flying the route that it’s like getting a bus ticket.

2

defroach84 May 4, 2026

And that is very uncommon in the US and Canada, which was sorta the point.

0

thatbrownkid19 May 4, 2026

There’s ticket offices separate to check-in at the airport. And there’s travel agents everywhere- less so now.

0

KhausTO May 4, 2026 +10

Through a travel agent. At the counter in cash Using flight vouchers or a gift card No clue which/if any of these spirit would have but those are a few options off the top of my head.

10

defroach84 May 4, 2026 -2

Curiosity, how would a travel agent pay for the ticket? It wouldn't be cash....

-2

itskdog May 4, 2026 +1

Invoice, presumably

1

[deleted] May 4, 2026 +1

[deleted]

1

defroach84 May 4, 2026 +1

Well, those would be void and useless regardless after the fact, if the airline is going under. They'd have no value.

1

[deleted] May 4, 2026 +1

[deleted]

1

defroach84 May 4, 2026 +1

I mean, sure, but that is a non monetary way which you aren't out any money for there to be a refund. The question did ask "if you paid any other way, you'd be screwed"....you didn't pay anything when using miles.

1

sevaru May 4, 2026 +526

Refunds take 5-7 days to hit your account. Lots of people conveniently forgetting this wondering why they aren't seeing credits within 24 hours of the announcement.

526

Talador12 May 4, 2026 +51

A lot of those people need to rebook flights on short notice, so even an immediate refund would likely not cover the short notice price increase on other airlines

51

sevaru 6 days ago +11

A number of other airlines enacted emergency price controls specifically for Spirit customers if they call to book.

11

[deleted] 6 days ago -15

[removed]

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[deleted] May 4, 2026 +6

[deleted]

6

PoliticsRealityTV May 4, 2026 +183

It doesn’t reach Spirit instantly either. Not everything is a conspiracy

183

[deleted] May 4, 2026 -132

[deleted]

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entenduintransit May 4, 2026 +61

I mean in this specific case you're talking about a credit card transaction which yes, is pulled from a payee's account, is with the CC company to ensure a secure and valid transaction, then is sent to the recipient's bank. This makes early refunds/cancellations which are very common simpler to manage and more likely to be accepted, and both people and companies less likely to be scammed/defrauded without recourse. This is actually the benefit of a credit card/account on all sides of any transaction. If you want your money zipped immediately from one account to the other, that's what a debit card is for. I am on your side with your general sentiment but your example just doesn't really land the way you thought

61

klipseracer May 4, 2026 +30

Just say you have no idea what a merchant account is and stop there. A merchant does not withdraw those funds, a merchant processor does, think First Data etc. The more customer facing names will be Chase Payment Tech, Bank of America Merchant Processing, etc. These are not even owned by chase or bank of America, they are just affiliated with the banks business account on boarding process a d that's how they get these customers. They take a percentage and drop the money into the actual customers account a few days later. Source, I worked in merchant processing for about a decade. You clearly didn't, so please stop dooming about something you've got no idea. I mean where do you think the credit card terminal connects to? Lol.

30

amyphetamine May 4, 2026 +8

It doesn’t come out instantly. Your bank puts a temporary hold on your account when a merchant authorizes the transaction. It still takes 5-7 days for the merchant to receive the money. When a refund is issued, there isn’t a need to authorize the transaction with the bank first, so you don’t see anything until the funds are actually transferred.

8

ohpickanametheysaid May 4, 2026 -62

Almost like someone is collecting interest on that money while it steeps. All the thousands of them. Somewhere in one account. Waiting for the magical arbitrary “7 day waiting period” to elapse. Hmmmmm…..

-62

peak_wako May 4, 2026 -29

Hmm i wounder

-29

flamaryu May 4, 2026 +52

Sucks they went under but based on what a read I dont see how they were ever going to get to the summer like they hope with half the fleet grounded for engine recalls, and the increase in fuel cost because of the war. The sad thing is all the markets they were in will now have higher cost tickets. Companies only lowered their fare to compete with spirit now that that is over they will go right back up

52

Warcraft_Fan May 4, 2026 +42

>The airline has not made a profit since 2019 7 years of bleeding money, you'd think they'd raise price somewhere or close up sooner

42

spazz720 May 4, 2026 +19

Then they’d lose their purpose. Why pay for a shitty spirit flight when you could just go with one of the bigger airlines for the same amount.

19

the_eluder 6 days ago +8

There's a wide spread of prices between $9 and $199.

8

iiPhoenixAshes May 4, 2026 +2

This is why we’ll see much more consolidation of low cost carriers in the future. The model doesn’t work anymore unfortunately

2

fleemfleemfleemfleem May 4, 2026 +8

They tried, but shareholders made them try to merge with a bigger, but more likely to be blocked carrier.

8

thecurlyburl May 4, 2026 +556

To the surprise of many non-refunded customers, I’m sure.

556

CellistMundane9372 May 4, 2026 +190

Have they actually not refunded many customers, or is this just dumb Internet rage addiction?

190

ailish May 4, 2026 +62

They were going to refund credit card customers only.

62

GenitalPatton May 4, 2026 +49

Their website says they are refunding debit and credit card purchases through spirit. If you booked third party through a different company then it could be an issue and you have to take it up with them.

49

ailish May 4, 2026 +1

I see, alright then.

1

schaudhery May 4, 2026 +9

As opposed to?

9

ailish May 4, 2026 +30

Debit cards are a thing too.

30

theanti_girl May 4, 2026 +23

Most debit cards are secured through Visa or Mastercard (or the like), and would be refunded the same way.

23

TldrDev May 4, 2026 +25

Credit cards are not the same as debit cards. With a credit card, the charge is essentially (due to consumer protection laws) between the airline and the card issuer. If the service isn’t delivered, you can dispute it and the bank can reverse the charge under consumer protection laws. Consumer protection laws essentially force the credit card company to represent you in a specific way when things like this happen. A debit card pulls money directly from your bank account. Once that money is gone, you’re relying on the airline to refund you or your bank to help, which is less consistent and usually slower.

25

laplongejr May 4, 2026 +8

> With a credit card, the charge is essentially (due to consumer protection laws) between the airline and the card issuer. European here, so THAT's why they are so useful in the US. I knew chargebacks were efficient on the other side of the ocean but not why.

8

lennyxiii May 4, 2026 +4

Debit cards can be run as credit without a PIN code. Yes it still takes the money out of your account but it routes through the merchant accounts (Visa, mc etc) and comes with most of the same protections, hence why a credit card fee is still applied when using debit as credit.

4

TldrDev May 4, 2026 +14

This is incorrect. Debit cards cannot be used under FCBA regardless of how they are ran at the register. The law cares about the type of account. The fee is not because you have some protection. Its a network fee. A tax on the transaction. Its not visa or Mastercard enforcing this. It's consumer protection laws. Credit cards have different laws regarding how they are allowed to operate, and who assumes responsibility legally, and the mechanisms to enforce it.

14

syynapt1k 6 days ago +1

While true, dispute resolution is typically a lot easier when you run a debit card "as credit" (i.e. without a PIN). At least this was the case when I worked at a bank years ago.

1

ronreadingpa May 4, 2026 +2

The fee structure of debit cards is more complicated and nuanced. Sure, the pay as you go processors, such as Square, charge around 3% as if they're the same as credit, the actual fee is far less for debit cards. Fraction of a percent commonly through a merchant account (acquirer). Depends on payment network (rail), PIN or no PIN or Pinless (run as if it a pin was entered), type of merchant, etc. Point is debit cards are different. Full stop. They are not credit cards despite the branding or being asked credit or debit at checkout. Look a bit closer, often Debit will be shown aside the logo. Regular credit card is the better consumer choice. Always. Debit is usually close, but in some cases will come up short. Bankruptcy is one of them. Fortunately, from my understanding, Spirit Airlines is proactively refunding both credit and debit cards. Relatively smooth shutdown compared to some other past airline liquidations.

2

LardLad00 May 4, 2026 -1

From the standpoint of the merchant and refunds, they are basically the same. I'm willing to bet that check cards are grouped in with all the credit card refunds.

-1

TldrDev May 4, 2026 +7

From the standpoint of the merchant, one has the FCBA and the other doesnt. Debit cards are controlled by the EFTA which is significantly weaker and doesnt have the same clawback mechanisms available to it.

7

LardLad00 May 4, 2026 -4

That has next to nothing to do with the day to day handling of the cards though.

-4

lolofaf May 4, 2026 +2

Yet another reason to not use a debit card I guess

2

[deleted] May 4, 2026 -2

[deleted]

-2

thecurlyburl May 4, 2026 +7

What part of our current reality justifies anything BUT cynicism towards corporations and their actions toward customers?

7

AxelV2 May 4, 2026 +3

If it’s an instance where the corporation actually *is* doing right by their customers, maybe? Just a thought. I’m all for clowning on corporations, but yeah, this just seems like hating for no reason.

3

CellistMundane9372 6 days ago +4

Thank you for confirming this was just standard Internet rage addiction.

4

WizardOfTheHobos May 4, 2026 -35

Are you sure your not the one with a rage addiction? He made a light joke take it easy

-35

seeasea May 4, 2026 +17

Even if spirit does the refunding, it's up to the banks/processors to actually put it into your account. Given that it's the weekend, many banks being greedy, and also stuck in America's antiquated clearing system, you won't see the money until later. But it doesn't mean spirit didn't refund. It just means the banks didn't give it to you

17

tuba_full_of_flowers May 4, 2026 +14

Mine hit my account about 45 minutes ago! ... now I just have to figure out how to get back home lol

14

Rajirabbit May 4, 2026 +11

How many are out of jobs?

11

semperknight May 4, 2026 +20

17,000 people Source: [https://youtu.be/qSGNYSi\_UV4?t=315](https://youtu.be/qSGNYSi_UV4?t=315) But this is a drop in the bucket compared to all the business that will lose customers simply because they can no longer afford to fly to where they're located. And then the people who are laid off from those jobs can't afford to buy stuff locally where they live...and so on and so on.

20

YumYumYellowish May 4, 2026 +13

I live in a small complex and two of my neighbors (roommates) were both flight attendants for Spirit. They said it was a sudden lay off with no warning. They’re so depressed, I feel bad. Like they definitely enjoyed their job and are very sweet people. Now the market is over saturated with others also looking for a job in the industry.

13

Spire_Citron May 4, 2026 +17

Good. It always seems like bullshit to me when a company is allowed to continue selling things right up until bankruptcy and then money from unfulfilled orders goes to other creditors first before any refunds are issued.

17

ronreadingpa May 4, 2026 +16

Spirit has handled the shutdown much better than others in the past. Some advanced warning, then later an actual time, which they pretty much stuck to based on flight tracking and news reports. Smooth so far. And other airlines, while not offering free fares, haven't gouged either far as I can tell. This was clearly planned for a while. Not the typical closing down with no warning and keeping the money routine many failed businesses do. Home contractors are notorious for this and generally get away with it, but I digress.

16

SinkCat69 May 4, 2026 +34

Has anyone here who had a flight cancelled been refunded?

34

kevinyeaux May 4, 2026 +29

An ACH transfer either back to a bank account or credit card account initiated on Saturday (when Spirit shut down) won’t be completed on Sunday. Most likely refunds will post tomorrow at the earliest to Wednesday depending on the bank.

29

toddffw May 4, 2026 +15

Spirit cancelled a flight of mine in February. Cancellation happened on a Sunday, refund hit the credit card by Tuesday. Probably the most efficient refund cancellation of any merchant I've ever seen.

15

doyouevenIift May 4, 2026 +12

Nothing. The site that was originally sent out to request a refund no longer exists

12

G1naaa May 4, 2026 +10

Nope. Im disputing with my bank tomorrow. I dont truat that ill get me refund

10

MidNCS May 4, 2026 +18

It's sunday, banks are usually closed, it'll probably hit on monday or sometime in the week

18

ronreadingpa May 4, 2026 +12

Wouldn't suggest that. Could cause more problems. Wait a few days first. Check your email regularly for notification. If nothing by say Thursday or Friday, then dispute.

12

aeeme May 4, 2026 +2

Uhhh I booked a flight for June back in Feb and paid $505 and just had a refund of $70 hit my account. I’m pissed.

2

pwrof3 May 4, 2026 +4

Did they pay their employees?

4

AustinDood444 May 4, 2026 +4

I’m really happy to read the customers got reimbursed!!

4

No_Network_9438 May 4, 2026 +8

I don't understand why they don't say they are an AI company now and merge with Allbirds

8

brendenruth May 4, 2026 +20

Spirit saying they've 'nearly finished' refunding is like me saying I've 'nearly finished' my diet while holding a slice of pizza. I'll believe it when the people in the comments stop saying their bank accounts are empty

20

MyDisneyExperience May 4, 2026 +26

They may well have done it on their end, it just takes time to process the same way it does when you make a payment. Money movement can be annoyingly slow

26

Akron44332 May 4, 2026 +4

Our f****** President needs to go today. His stupid ideas are ruining the country while the world laughs at this orange turd.

4

jenny_905 May 4, 2026 +3

Where will we get our airport/airliner fight videos now though?

3

tehCharo May 4, 2026 +5

Greyhound buses.

5

countryroadsguywv May 4, 2026 +1

Didn't diaper don invest in this airline not long ago will they're ya go results

1

saudades7 May 4, 2026 +1

I never received an email regarding my refund

1

xomox2012 May 4, 2026 +1

So do we need to issue a charge back on our cards or will the refund happen on its own?

1

Capital-Control308 May 4, 2026 -4

ICE has contracted with Spirit Airlines to use their planes as detention centers

-4

ronreadingpa May 4, 2026 -5

ICE Air. Free one-way flights. Secure flight environment.

-5

Individual-Channel65 May 4, 2026 -17

You figure they would give... like literally any heads up whatsoever.

-17

Known-Associate8369 May 4, 2026 +16

To what? Them going under? They did issue warnings about the current fuel cost situation, but also if they outright say "we are probably going to go under unless we find more funding" then that just seals their fate, even if they manage to secure funding at the last minute - people will already have booked elsewhere and avoided them.

16

ronreadingpa May 4, 2026 +5

In effect they did. Was all over the news in the week or so leading up to the closure. It wasn't a surprise for anyone who even glanced at the headlines on their phone, computer, or read a newspaper. Many proactively rebooked or made backup plans just in case. And on Friday prior to closure, an actual time was widely mentioned. Early morning Saturday (3AM EDT), which they pretty much stuck too based on flight tracking and news reports. Not perfect, especially for those already on a trip seeking a return flight back, but way more warning than many past airline shutdowns. And they're reportedly automatically (not having to ask or fight for it) refunding both credit *and* debit card ticket purchases. That doesn't always happen. Spirit has handled this very well so far given the circumstances.

5

LardLad00 May 4, 2026 +4

You mean like filing bankruptcy twice in the last two years?

4

Individual-Channel65 May 4, 2026 -6

I mean if you have a plane ticket for the next day, a heads up that the air line is going to shut down would be nice.

-6

LardLad00 May 4, 2026 +4

What makes you think there was any substantial delay between the decision being made and it being announced?

4

Lebuhdez May 4, 2026 -5

How do they have the funds to do that?

-5

fleemfleemfleemfleem May 4, 2026 +2

As I understand it they had some funds, just not enough to continue operating. When they start a chapter 11 wind-down they can do first-day motions to do things like refunding exiting customers who pre-paid. A judge likely approved because it's cheaper than paying lawyers to deal with a ton of charge-back disputes, and it helps maintain some goodwill for the brand. There's also the DOT rule from a couple of years ago that airlines need to refund cancelled flights meaning they'd likely lose the money anyway. Also if frontier buys the remaining assets of the company: livery, routes, etc and decided to operate some "Spirit by frontier" routes, the brand name is more valuable this way, than if the customer database they bought just had a ton of pissed off people.

2

All_Hail_Hynotoad May 4, 2026 -9

I hate to say it, but good riddance. What a shitty airline.

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[deleted] May 4, 2026 +2

[deleted]

2

All_Hail_Hynotoad May 4, 2026 -2

Perhaps it was just my experience, but every flight with them was awful and by the time I was buckle and dined to death there were practically no savings. If the base price helped keep other prices low, great, but there are plenty of other airlines for that.

-2

Spirit Airlines says it has nearly finished refunding customers after shuttering

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