Cleartrip’s published cancellation fee is ₹400 per passenger per sector for a domestic booking and ₹1,000 per passenger per sector for an international booking. Those amounts are charged in addition to any penalty imposed by the airline’s fare rules. Cleartrip’s convenience or service fee is a separate, booking-specific amount that must be shown in the fare breakdown before you pay.
For a passenger-initiated cancellation, Cleartrip says it usually processes the refund within four working days. Your bank or payment provider can take longer; its FAQ says most refunds appear in about 14 working days. Airline cancellations, no-shows and disputed deductions follow different rules, so the total refund cannot be determined from Cleartrip’s platform fee alone.
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Cleartrip charges at a glance
| Item | What applies | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Cleartrip domestic cancellation fee | ₹400 per passenger per sector | Non-refundable; added to the airline’s own cancellation charge |
| Cleartrip international cancellation fee | ₹1,000 per passenger per sector | Non-refundable; added to the airline’s own cancellation charge |
| Domestic cancellation cutoff | Generally no later than three hours before departure | Airline fare rules or the booking’s displayed terms can be stricter |
| International cancellation cutoff | Five hours before departure in Cleartrip’s business FAQ | Check the specific itinerary and airline rule |
| Cleartrip refund processing | Usually within four working days after cancellation | This is Cleartrip’s processing time, not a guarantee of bank posting |
| Typical time for the refund to appear | About 14 working days for most refunds, according to Cleartrip’s FAQ | No-show and airline-cancellation cases can take more than three weeks |
“Per sector” means each flight segment, not the whole round trip. A one-way ticket has one sector. A return itinerary normally has two. If two passengers cancel a domestic one-sector booking, Cleartrip’s platform cancellation fee alone would be ₹1,600 (₹400 × two passengers); the airline penalty and any non-refundable booking charges would be additional.
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Airline fare-rule penalty
The airline sets the base cancellation penalty for the fare family, route, cabin and time remaining before departure. A flexible fare, a promotional fare and a missed-flight (no-show) case can therefore produce very different airline deductions. Cleartrip’s ₹400 or ₹1,000 charge does not replace that airline calculation.
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Cleartrip’s non-refundable cancellation fee
Cleartrip’s current flight FAQ states that, in addition to the airline’s cancellation charges, it charges ₹400 per passenger per sector for domestic bookings and ₹1,000 per passenger per sector for international bookings. The fee is described as non-refundable, so it normally remains deducted even when the airline returns the unused fare.
Convenience or service fee
Cleartrip’s terms allow convenience or service fees in addition to the provider’s booking cost. The amount is not one universal percentage: it depends on the booking and the channel or offer used. The controlling figure is the fare and fee breakdown displayed immediately before you confirm payment. Save that screen or the confirmation email, because a later estimate cannot reliably reconstruct a booking-specific charge.
Taxes and passenger-facility charges
Airline and government components are treated differently from service charges. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) states in its Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), revision dated 24 February 2026, that statutory taxes and UDF, ADF and PSF must be refunded on cancellation, non-utilisation or no-show, including in certain fares marketed as non-refundable. The airline’s fare calculation should show which components are being returned and which penalty is being retained.
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When you can cancel a Cleartrip flight
Cleartrip’s published cutoffs
Cleartrip’s flight FAQ says a domestic cancellation should generally be made no later than three hours before scheduled departure. Its business FAQ gives a five-hour cutoff for international flights. These are platform guidance points, not a promise that every airline or fare permits cancellation until that time. A fare rule can impose an earlier deadline, and a cancellation after departure can be treated as a no-show.
The 48-hour DGCA look-in option
The 24 February 2026 DGCA CAR requires a 48-hour look-in period for cancellation or amendment of an eligible ticket, subject to stated exceptions tied to how close the departure is and to the applicable domestic or international itinerary conditions. Because the exceptions depend on the departure window and ticket circumstances, check the eligibility notice shown at purchase rather than assuming every ticket can be cancelled free of charge for 48 hours.
What “within 24 hours” does and does not mean
A request made within 24 hours is not automatically a full, fee-free Cleartrip refund. First check whether the ticket qualifies for the DGCA look-in rule, whether the route and departure timing fall within an exception, and what the airline’s fare rule says. Cleartrip’s own cancellation fee and any disclosed convenience fee may still be governed by the booking terms unless the applicable rule requires otherwise.
How to cancel and preserve evidence
- Open the booking. Sign in to the Cleartrip website or app and open the itinerary from your bookings or trips list. Use the booking reference and passenger details exactly as shown on the ticket.
- Choose the cancellation action. Select the booking’s cancel or manage-booking option. Before confirming, review the displayed airline penalty, Cleartrip cancellation fee, convenience or service fee treatment, taxes being returned and the estimated net refund.
- Check the deadline. Compare the displayed cutoff with the scheduled departure. If the flight is domestic, Cleartrip’s general FAQ points to three hours; its business FAQ gives five hours for international flights. Use the earlier deadline when the airline’s fare rule is stricter.
- Confirm passenger and sector selection. A multi-passenger or return booking may allow a partial cancellation. Verify whether you are cancelling one passenger, one segment or the entire itinerary; the ₹400/₹1,000 platform fee is calculated per passenger per sector.
- Save the confirmation. Keep the cancellation reference, timestamp, fare breakdown and the amount promised for refund. These records help if the request is later treated as a no-show or if the bank asks for a transaction trace.
- Monitor the original payment method. Cleartrip says it usually processes the refund within four working days. Do not treat the completion of that internal step as proof that your bank has posted the money.
How long a Cleartrip refund takes
Three different clocks
| Stage | Published timeframe | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellation request accepted | Immediately when the system accepts the request, subject to the booking rule | Cleartrip and the airline’s inventory system |
| Cleartrip processing | Usually within four working days after cancellation | Cleartrip |
| Money visible in your account | About 14 working days for most refunds, according to Cleartrip’s FAQ | Bank, card network or payment provider after the refund is released |
| Complex cases | More than three weeks can occur for no-shows or airline-cancellation cases | Airline, Cleartrip and the payment chain |
The four-working-day statement describes Cleartrip’s normal processing step. The approximately 14-working-day statement describes when most customers see the credit. Weekends, bank holidays, card settlement cycles and a refund that must first be received from the airline can extend the elapsed calendar time.
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What to do when the deadline passes
- Check whether the cancellation confirmation says “processed,” “initiated” or merely “requested”; those statuses are not equivalent.
- Ask Cleartrip for the refund reference or transaction trace and give it to your bank or card issuer.
- Confirm that the original payment method is still active. A replaced card can cause a returned payment to be held by the issuer.
- If the booking was cancelled by the airline, ask which amount Cleartrip has received from the carrier and which amount is still pending.
If the airline cancels your flight
Cleartrip says a passenger is entitled to a full refund in most airline-cancellation cases. It generally passes through the refund it receives from the service provider; treatment of Cleartrip’s own convenience fee is governed separately by the applicable booking terms. Do not assume that an airline cancellation automatically reverses every fee unless the fare and service conditions say so.
The DGCA flight-cancellation CAR, revised 25 January 2023, requires the airline to offer an alternate flight or a refund within the notification windows specified in that regulation. If the airline fails to give the required notice, compensation may be payable in addition to a full ticket refund, subject to the CAR’s conditions and extraordinary-circumstance exceptions.
A separate DGCA CAR dated 24 February 2026 clarifies responsibility when the ticket was bought through a portal: “the onus of refund shall lie with the airlines as agents are their appointed representatives.” It also requires the airline to complete the refund process within 14 working days. Cleartrip may still be the customer-facing channel, but an airline delay in remitting the refund can affect when the portal can release it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Limits on cancellation deductions under DGCA rules
The 24 February 2026 DGCA CAR says that, under no circumstances, an airline or its agent may levy a cancellation charge greater than the basic fare plus fuel surcharge. Fully disclosed travel-agent charges are treated separately from that ceiling. The rule also requires prominent display of cancellation charges, which is why the pre-payment fare breakdown and the cancellation estimate are important evidence.
The same CAR’s tax-refund provisions cover statutory taxes and UDF, ADF and PSF when a ticket is cancelled, not used or recorded as a no-show, including some fares described by airlines as non-refundable. The refundable tax components do not necessarily equal the entire ticket price: the basic fare, fuel surcharge, airline penalty and disclosed platform charges can be handled under their respective rules.
ClearChoice Plus: rescheduling, not a blanket cancellation waiver
ClearChoice Plus is a paid rescheduling add-on for changing a flight to the same destination. Cleartrip says it can permit a change as late as 12 hours before the original departure, or 24 hours in specified Air India and Vistara cases. The exact availability and calculation are tied to the purchased add-on and itinerary.
- It is not insurance and is not a universal waiver of cancellation charges.
- If you cancel instead of rescheduling, the ClearChoice Plus fee is non-refundable.
- The underlying airfare is refunded according to the airline’s policy, not automatically because the add-on was purchased.
- A separate Cleartrip offers page states a maximum ₹3,550 cap for certain ClearChoice-related rescheduling calculations. That cap is not a general promise that every cancelled ticket will refund ₹3,550 or less.
Before buying the add-on, compare its price with the airline’s normal change penalty and confirm that your intended change keeps the same destination and meets the stated time limit.
Common scenarios and the right interpretation
| Situation | Likely treatment | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| You cancel a domestic ticket before the allowed cutoff | Airline penalty plus Cleartrip’s ₹400 per passenger per sector, with applicable fees and refundable taxes calculated separately | Fare family, sector count and the net-refund preview |
| You cancel an international ticket before the allowed cutoff | Airline penalty plus Cleartrip’s ₹1,000 per passenger per sector | The five-hour business-FAQ guidance and the airline’s earlier deadline, if any |
| You cancel after departure | Often treated as a no-show; refund can be limited to eligible taxes and any amount the fare rule permits | No-show clause and tax components |
| The airline cancels | Usually a full ticket refund or an alternate flight; compensation may apply when DGCA notification conditions are breached | Reason for cancellation, notice timing and extraordinary-circumstance exception |
| You bought ClearChoice Plus and change plans | Add-on fee remains non-refundable; airfare follows the airline’s policy | Whether you are rescheduling to the same destination within the add-on’s time limit |
Before paying for a Cleartrip flight
- Record the airline’s fare family, cancellation deadline and no-show rule.
- Record Cleartrip’s cancellation fee for each passenger and sector.
- Review every convenience, service, payment or travel-agent charge in the final fare breakdown.
- Check whether the 48-hour DGCA look-in option applies and whether a departure-window exception removes it.
- For a return or connecting itinerary, identify each sector and whether cancelling one segment affects the others.
- Save the confirmation email and the final payment screen.
- If considering ClearChoice Plus, confirm the same-destination requirement, the 12-hour or applicable 24-hour deadline and the non-refundable add-on fee.
The practical rule is simple: use the booking’s final fee breakdown and fare conditions to calculate your exposure, then separate Cleartrip’s platform deductions from the airline’s fare penalty and from the time your bank needs to post a refund.
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