ReFly reviews: Is this flight compensation service worth it?

ReFly is one of many flight compensation companies that handle claims on your behalf in exchange for a fee. But is it legit and worth the cost? We’ve looked into ReFly reviews, explored how the service works, and whether its fees are justified. We’ll also show you how Settlemate can help you uncover more opportunities to claim refunds and compensation you may be entitled to.

What is ReFly?

ReFly is a claims management service that files flight compensation claims for passengers affected by flight disruptions. Instead of dealing with the airline yourself, you submit your flight details and supporting information to ReFly, and its team takes over the claims process on your behalf.

The company says it works with more than 5,000 airlines, regardless of ticket price, and advertises a 98% success rate for the claims it handles. It offers support in more than 30 languages and claims to provide 24/7 customer support.

Is ReFly legit?

The available company information indicates that ReFly is a legitimate flight compensation business. It operates as ReFly Management Limited, registered in Jersey, Channel Islands, with a disclosed address. It’s listed as an active private company in the Jersey Financial Services Commission’s company register, with an incorporation date of 26 March 2024.

ReFly provides publicly available terms and conditions that explain its claims process, fees, and the authority to pursue claims on passengers’ behalf.

However, we also noticed an inconsistency in the company’s Privacy Policy: although ReFly Management Limited is registered in Jersey, the policy is signed off as “ReFly in Hong Kong.” When you’re handing over flight documents and bank details, this kind of discrepancy can raise questions about the company’s identity and operations, although it does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing.

Tip: Being a registered business doesn’t guarantee a smooth customer experience. A legitimate company can still rack up complaints about communication, processing times, and individual claim outcomes. Look beyond the registration details and explore real customer experiences before deciding whether ReFly is worth using.

ReFly flight compensation service review

To assess whether ReFly is effective at recovering flight compensation and whether its fees are justified, we looked at five key aspects:

1. Geographic coverage and types of claims supported
2. Claim process and ease of use
3. Fees and pricing transparency
4. Data privacy and security
5. ReFly flight compensation reviews

1. Geographic coverage and types of claims supported

ReFly covers four regulatory frameworks governing passenger rights and flight-related claims:

1. EU 261
2. UK 261
3. The Montreal Convention (MC99)
4. Turkey’s SHY

Together, these frameworks cover most flights to and from Europe, the UK, and Turkey, as well as international journeys governed by the Montreal Convention. The Convention has been adopted by more than 120 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and China.

Within these frameworks, ReFly takes on several types of claims:

• Delayed flights
• Canceled flights
• Denied boarding
• Reimbursement of expenses caused by flight disruptions
• Lost, damaged, or delayed baggage

Tip: If you experience a flight disruption that results in unexpected financial losses, such as meals, hotel stays, essential purchases, and transportation to and from the airport, save all receipts. You can only get reimbursed for losses you can prove.

2. Claim process and ease of use

ReFly says its online claim form takes around two minutes to complete. The process is quite straightforward:

1. Enter your flight details: Complete ReFly’s online form with your flight details, the disruption you experienced, and the cause of the disruption as disclosed by the airline.
2. Add your personal details: Provide your name, email address, and home address, along with details of any other passengers who traveled with you, where applicable, and your booking confirmation number.
3. Upload supporting documents: Submit any documentation ReFly requests to assess and pursue your claim. This can include your boarding pass, screenshots of airline notifications, or images of the delay notice at the airport.

Once you submit your claim, ReFly’s team contacts the airline and, where necessary, the relevant authorities on your behalf. If ReFly successfully recovers compensation, the money is transferred to your bank account.

You don’t have to work out which passenger rights rules apply to your situation, contact the airline repeatedly, or escalate the claim yourself. ReFly’s legal team steps in when an airline is uncooperative and, when necessary, pursues legal action.

However, a quick application doesn’t necessarily mean a quick payout. ReFly states that the time needed to recover compensation can range from a few weeks to several months, depending on factors such as:

• The airline
• The circumstance of the disruption
• Documentation available
• Regulations involved

From the passenger’s perspective, the service is easy to use. Its main benefit lies in the work handled after you submit the form, especially if the airline disputes your claim or refuses to cooperate.

3. Fees and pricing transparency

ReFly operates on a no-win, no-fee basis, so there’s no upfront charge for submitting a claim and no fee if ReFly fails to recover flight compensation. If the claim is successful, ReFly deducts an agreed portion of the compensation before paying the remaining amount to you.

If you want to know the exact percentage ReFly will deduct, you’ll need to dig through the company’s Terms of Service.

For standard claims, ReFly’s fee is effectively 33% of the compensation, including applicable VAT. The Terms of Service specify the following amounts for common compensation levels:

The fee can increase substantially if legal proceedings become necessary. ReFly’s Terms of Service allow it to initiate legal action if it can’t reach an agreement with the airline or believes legal action could speed up recovery. In those cases, the fee rises to 50% of the recovered compensation, including VAT.

A few more details buried in the fine print are worth knowing before you decide to use ReFly’s service:

• If you give inaccurate or incomplete information that ends up costing ReFly extra, you’re responsible for reimbursing those costs.
• International payouts are sent via bank transfer, and any transfer fees are deducted from your share, not ReFly’s.
• If your payment details are incorrect and ReFly can’t get your money to you after reasonable attempts to fix it, ReFly is entitled to retain your portion of compensation.
• Shared bookings, such as a parent claiming for the whole family, are paid into a single account, and it’s up to that person to split the money appropriately.

4. Data privacy and security

ReFly’s Privacy Policy states that it processes personal and service-related data necessary to provide the service. This covers the information collected through cookies and similar technologies, including:

There are also several categories of third parties with which ReFly may share your personal data, including:

• Companies within its corporate group
• Insurers and professional advisors
• Payment service providers
• Website hosting, server, maintenance, and email service providers
• Authorities and other parties where disclosure is required by law

ReFly says that it retains your data for up to ten years after the service ends.

You have the right to access, correct, delete, and restrict processing of your data. You can also request to withdraw your consent, where consent is the legal basis for processing your data.

5. ReFly flight compensation service reviews

ReFly has a 4.1 out of 5 TrustScore based on ~3,000 reviews on Trustpilot, with the vast majority being five-star. There’s also a meaningful number of recent one-star reviews.

Reviewers most consistently praise ReFly’s ease of use. They describe the claim form as simple and quick to complete, and many report successful outcomes.

While many users mention helpful, friendly customer support and responsiveness, recent reviews frequently note a lack of updates or difficulty getting a response from ReFly.

It appears that many of the recent five-star reviews were written shortly after submitting a claim, with reviewers explicitly stating they were still waiting to see whether they would receive compensation. This matters because a positive review of the sign-up process isn’t necessarily evidence of a successful claim or a completed payout.

One reviewer also notes that ReFly asks you to leave a review after you fill out the claim form, which they perceive as a deceptive tactic to get positive reviews:

There are also some serious complaints. For example, one Redditor claims that ReFly recovered compensation, but they never received their share.

Customer feedback is valuable, but it reflects individual customer experiences. Positive reviews don’t guarantee a fast, successful payout. Likewise, negative reviews shouldn’t be treated as established facts.

Verdict: Is ReFly the best choice for you?

ReFly appears to be a legitimate, functioning service. It covers a reasonably broad set of frameworks and handles claims that many flight compensation services may not, including baggage issues and expense reimbursements.

Where it falls short is transparency. None of the information is intentionally hidden; it merely isn’t stated up front.

Here’s a quick overview of ReFly’s pros and cons:

It’s fair to ask why you’d hand over up to half of your compensation when you can technically file a flight compensation claim yourself for free. That’s a valid point: for a simple delay or cancellation, doing it solo can work fine. But like other platforms that help you claim money for flight disruptions, ReFly’s value lies in the work it takes off your plate, including:

• Researching which passenger rights regulations apply to your flight
• Following up with airlines that stall your claim
• Preparing appeals and additional paperwork
• Pursuing legal action if necessary

For many passengers, especially those with more complex claims, that convenience more than justifies the fee.

But there’s a bigger question worth considering: how much money you might be leaving on the table beyond flight compensation? While ReFly only handles flight-related claims, a more comprehensive money-recovery app like Settlemate can help you identify other potential refunds and compensation opportunities across multiple categories, all for a single annual subscription fee.

Settlemate: The full-service money finder

There are more ways to recover money than you might think, from class action settlements to late-delivery compensation and price-drop refunds. Being aware of these opportunities is only half the battle. You still need to check eligibility requirements, navigate company policies and regulations, and often deal with customer service to get your money back, all of which take time and persistence.

Settlemate takes the legwork out of the whole process, automating everything from discovery to claim tracking. You connect your email, and with your permission, the app scans your email for receipts, booking confirmations, airline notifications, and purchase records to identify potential money-recovery opportunities.

Here’s what Settlemate can help you discover:

• Class action settlements you’re likely eligible for based on your purchase history
• Price adjustment refunds when something you recently bought goes on sale
• Late delivery compensation under applicable shipping guarantees
• Flight disruption compensation under a wide range of passenger rights regulations

When it spots an eligible opportunity, Settlemate runs it against relevant regulations and policies and notifies you about potential payouts. It prepares, files, and automatically tracks the claim status. In most cases, you’ll only need to review and confirm the submission.

Download Settlemate today and start collecting your money across sources.

Plus, Settlement takes no percentage of your payouts. Our Value Guarantee means we’re committed to helping your membership pay for itself. If it hasn’t after a qualifying year, we can extend your membership at no cost for 12 months at a time until it does.

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