Google Flights adds ‘price guarantee’ for US flight bookings, to offer refunds if ticket prices drop

Google Flights has been updated with a Price Guarantee feature designed to help users get the cheapest prices for airfare. The company will refund the difference in price of a reserved ticket, if its price subsequently drops. The feature is currently available as a pilot program in the United States. It’s only available for flights that Google is confident won’t be cheaper before they take off.

According to details shared in Google’s blog post announcing the new feature, Google Flights will offer a price guarantee program that will offer refunds on tickets booked if the price becomes cheaper before the flight takes off. It will monitor the price daily until departure and users will receive a refund of the price difference via Google Pay.

Please note that the offer is only applicable on selected flights indicated by a colored price badge and the flight must be departing from the United States. The guaranteed flight offer only applies when tickets are booked through Google Flights.

Sharing more details about the scheme on its support page, Google notes that the maximum amount a user can get is $500 (approx. Rs. 41,100) per calendar year, while the price difference of reserved tickets must be over $5 (about Rs. 410).

Users can take advantage of three open reservations at a guaranteed price at any time. The guarantee applies only to one-way and round-trip flights originating in the United States. Additionally, users must use a US billing address and US phone number on the Reserve on Google page, according to the company.

Google specifies that users will receive the price difference within 48 hours of the flight taking off. Users will need to set up Google Pay to receive reimbursement from the company.

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