When to buy a Ticket.............

[Wakow 1]

Me and my fiancee are having some worries. She was approved for her K1 finally yesterday but we seen tickets to fly here are going to be very cheap mid December. After that they double. For the next few months...... Should we buy our tickets and hope for the days available, or should I wait? Already purchased a ticket for mid December, visa should "should" be in her hands early December. Just worried.

[landr 126]

In answer to the thread title, "when the visa is in-hand." Depending on your case and your consulate, you could spend days, weeks, months in AP before your visa is issued, despite an approval at interview. And on top of that, delivery might take a few days to a few weeks.

If you're one of the unlucky ones, you could end up having to eat the cost of the mid-December ticket if it's non-refundable/non-changeable.

That said, what's done is done, best of luck. Hope the visa is issued and delivered in time.

[clairegie 265]

Never get tickets until you actually have your passport with visa. But since you already bought them, all we can do is hope she gets them fast. Good luck!

[KASH2011 382]

Rule of thumb! It is always safer to purchase travel tickets with your visa in hand!

[LionessDeon 2,060]

You know the cardinal rule on VJ - never book a ticket until visa is in hand.

[Jawaree 717]

You are instructed by immigration to never buy a

ticket B4 you have PP with visa...ticket prices go

down by Jan 15 they are usually higher from the

Thanksgiving . Christmas New Years holidays

[Pitaya 2,576]

Agree with what others have said.

Never book visa-dependent travel until you have the passport with the inserted visa, in your hand!

[trublubu2 62]

Just a suggestion: call the airline and ask about the terms and conditions of the ticket for that fare class. i.e., tell them 'I purchased a mid-December ticket for $X, but may have to change dates, so how much are the change and rebook fees?' Ask, 'How many days do I have to cancel the existing flight before incurring a penalty?'. Also ask them, 'If I cancel the trip now and make the funds I paid for the trip a credit to my account, how much it would cost to rebook for later dates?'

At one time, all airlines used to have refundable/changeable tickets, but they came with a premium price because of the benefits of being able to change one's flight dates and incur no new charges or receive a full refund in the case of cancellation. It's been 20 years since I've been an agent, but you may want to look into cancelling what you have now and transferring the money you've already paid into one of those refundable/changeable tickets, if your airline still has that service.

Give the airline a call, explain your situation, and see what your options are. Know that you'll probably pay a fee for the agent to change it over the phone, but it may be well worth it not to have to "eat" the whole price if you can't go on the dates you've already bought.

Best of luck!

Me and my fiancee are having some worries. She was approved for her K1 finally yesterday but we seen tickets to fly here are going to be very cheap mid December. After that they double. For the next few months...... Should we buy our tickets and hope for the days available, or should I wait? Already purchased a ticket for mid December, visa should "should" be in her hands early December. Just worried.

[Pheebs1201 269]

We once phoned Delta airlines with regards to needing to cancel a ticket and ended up with a full refund. If you are persistent, honestly explain your situation, and persist until you speak with a manager, luck may be on your side as it was in our situation. Just a thought if you do need to change them later down the road.

Good luck!

[Wakow 1]

Ok, I had 24hrs to cancel for a full refund, I just put the idea in my head and will do so. I will hope she gets her visa by next week and I can repurchase the tickets at the same price. Though I know I do not have the best of luck.

[Pheebs1201 269]

Ok, I had 24hrs to cancel for a full refund, I just put the idea in my head and will do so. I will hope she gets her visa by next week and I can repurchase the tickets at the same price. Though I know I do not have the best of luck.

Sounds sensible, good luck!

[CowBoE 429]

Me and my fiancee are having some worries. She was approved for her K1 finally yesterday but we seen tickets to fly here are going to be very cheap mid December. After that they double. For the next few months...... Should we buy our tickets and hope for the days available, or should I wait? Already purchased a ticket for mid December, visa should "should" be in her hands early December. Just worried.

My wife passed interview on Aug 14, and received the passport on Sept 1.

[Wakow 1]

My wife passed interview on Aug 14, and received the passport on Sept 1.

Well canceled ticket, then she got excited because it said issued, so we got a second ticket, then canceled that one also now....... and she is buying a ticket for late december. Spent 1400 on two tickets..... though I will get full refund, in 7-14 business days

[TBoneTX 43,057]

The situation seems to be resolved from the OP's standpoint, and a great many other threads exist on this topic, so this thread is closed to further comments. If the OP desires that it be reopened, the "Report" button can be hit and someone will take care of it.

Edited November 22, 2014 by TBoneTX