Is a flight ticket or a dated hotel night refundable through withdrawal?

No. A service of accommodation, car hire, catering or leisure provided on a specific date or period is exempt from the withdrawal right at European level (Directive 2011/83/EU, art. 16), harmonised across the 27 EU member states; carriage of passengers is, moreover, treated separately. In concrete terms, someone who buys a dated flight, a booked hotel night or a hire from 1 to 8 August does not have the 14 days to withdraw without reason. It is the law that exempts it, not a clause in your terms of sale.

Is withdrawal the same thing as my cancellation terms?

No, these are two different things. Your cancellation terms (free cancellation up to 2 days before, charges beyond that) are a commercial policy that you set freely. The withdrawal right is a legal right of 14 days, which applies only when the service is not exempt. Do not confuse them in your general terms of sale.

Do I still have to inform the buyer if the service is exempt?

Yes. Even when the withdrawal right does not apply, you must inform the consumer of its inapplicability BEFORE the contract is concluded, an obligation harmonised by Directive 2011/83/EU. In practice, a clear notice at the moment of purchase ("Dated service: no withdrawal right") is enough. The absence of information can be penalised even if the exemption is genuine.

Travel, transport and accommodation sector

Withdrawal button: travel, transport and accommodation

Q: I sell gift vouchers or undated stays: am I concerned?

Yes. The exemption only applies to a service on a specific date or period. A gift voucher, a gift box or a credit of nights valid for several months is not dated: the 14-day withdrawal right applies, and you must provide the withdrawal button since 19 June 2026.

Last reviewed on July 22, 2026

Do you sell flights, hotel nights, hire or stays online? Good news : a service on a fixed date is most often exempt from the withdrawal right. But travel has its own regimes : package travel and air passengers' rights do not follow the same logic as withdrawal. Here is what is exempt, what is not, and the neighbouring regimes you should not confuse it with.

Am I concerned? (2 min)See the 13 exceptions

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A dated service is exempt by law

In plain terms : when you sell a service that has to be provided on a specific date, the buyer has no withdrawal right. They cannot cancel within 14 days to get a refund « without reason ». It is the law itself that exempts it, in respect of services of accommodation, car hire, catering or leisure activities provided on a specific date or period. This exception is harmonised at European level (Directive 2011/83/EU, art. 16) across the 27 EU member states. Carriage of passengers, for its part, is treated separately and follows the same logic.

Dated flight

A plane or train ticket for a specific date.

Hotel night

A room booked for a given night or stay.

Hire

A car hired from 1 to 8 August, a set performance date.

The logic of the law : a plane seat or a room left unsold at the last minute is a dead loss, impossible to put back on the shelf like a returned parcel.

The exception to the exception: what remains concerned

The exemption only applies to a dated service. As soon as what you sell is not tied to a specific date, the 14-day withdrawal right returns, and the button becomes mandatory.

Undated gift vouchers and stays

A gift voucher, a gift box for a stay or a credit of nights valid for several months is not dated. The service has no set date : the customer has their 14 days to withdraw and be refunded.

Goods and accessories sold alongside

Luggage, travel accessories, guidebooks, merchandise sold on your site : these are goods like any other. The 14-day withdrawal right applies fully, as for any online shop.

A single possible non-exempt sale on your site is enough to make you concerned. The withdrawal button must then be present and accessible from all of your pages, not only in the gift-voucher checkout.

Do not confuse withdrawal with cancellation terms

This is the most common trap in travel. Your cancellation terms (free cancellation up to 2 days before, charges beyond that, non refundable) are a commercial policy that you choose freely. The withdrawal right, for its part, is a legal right of 14 days, which only applies to non-exempt sales. The two do not mix.

And even when exempt, you must inform the buyer of the inapplicability of withdrawal before they confirm their purchase, an obligation harmonised by Directive 2011/83/EU. A clear notice at payment is enough. If your site mixes dated services and gift vouchers, the simplest thing is to display the button permanently : it does not get in the way of exempt sales and automatically covers the others.

Package travel and passengers' rights : two separate regimes

Travel does not come down to withdrawal alone. Two specific European regimes are layered on top, and they should not be confused with the 14 days.

Package travel : no withdrawal, a regime of its own

A stay that combines transport and accommodation (or other services) is a package holiday, governed at European level by the Package Travel Directive (EU) 2015/2302, harmonised across the 27 EU member states. Such travel does not give rise to the 14-day withdrawal right : it is subject to its own cancellation regime, with regulated charges and termination without charge in the event of exceptional circumstances at the destination.

Air passengers' rights

In the event of a cancelled or delayed flight or a denied boarding, the passenger may be entitled to compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. This is a right distinct from withdrawal : it does not depend on a 14-day period but on what happens to the flight. Your terms of sale cannot derogate from it.

To go further

The withdrawal right applies differently depending on what you sell. See also :

The 13 exceptions to the withdrawal right : the detail of each case, including paragraph 12°.
Ticketing and events : the neighbouring case of concerts, shows and matches.
Am I concerned? : the 2-minute diagnostic for your business.
Pre-contractual information : what you must display before purchase.

Your sector is concerned: the proof that protects you, set up in five minutes

The withdrawal button is a European obligation (Directive (EU) 2023/2673) since 19 June 2026. BackToMe sets it up, proves every request and applies the law of each EU country. 7-day free trial, 0 € today.

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