Puttgarden ⇄ Rødby · 45 min · about 19 km
Cancelling or changing a Scandlines ticket: what happens when your plans fall apart
A jam on the A1, a sick child, a storm warning: whether your ticket copes depends almost entirely on which ticket you bought. Low Price is rigid, Standard lets you take a later sailing on the same day, Flex covers almost anything.
Booking online avoids the €15+ handling fee charged when buying your ticket in the manned harbour lane.Book online & save at least €15
On Puttgarden Rødby the ferry sails about every 40 minutes by day, so the next departure is usually within the hour, which makes Standard more useful here than on most routes, and that is worth knowing before you pay for Flex.
What each ticket allows
The rules come from the Scandlines ticket conditions, which apply to both its Denmark routes; we checked them on scandlines.com on 18 September 2026, and the Puttgarden Rødby fares on 28 September 2026. On top of everything below, every ticket comes with a right of withdrawal for 24 hours after purchase.
| Ticket | Different departure on the same day | Another day | Money back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Price | no, only the departure you booked | no | no, but you can upgrade to a more flexible fare for a fee plus the fare difference |
| Standard | yes, any departure with free space | 30 € plus the price difference | only with the Refund Service (from 15 €, added when you buy the ticket) |
| Flex | yes, with a reserved space | free, up to 90 days after the booked date | yes, free up to 90 days after the booked date |
| 1-day ticket | yes, all departures that day | for a fee | only with the Refund Service |
| Easy Return | outbound only on the booked departure; the return is open, on any ferry with free space | 30 € plus the price difference | only with the Refund Service |
| Combination ticket Standard | yes, any departure with free space | for a fee | only with the Refund Service |
| Weekend ticket | yes, any departure with space on the Friday and the Sunday | partly used tickets: no rebooking and no cancellation | no, once the outward trip has been used |
Scandlines states that it does not refund fees charged when the ticket was bought. Rebooking goes through customer service, phone +49 381 77 88 77 66. You cancel unused tickets online under “My Booking”. Check the conditions shown in the booking for your fare, they are binding.
Case 1: You miss your ferry
The most common case, and on this route the least painful. With Standard, a 1-day ticket or Flex, and on the open return of an Easy Return, you simply carry on to the port and take the next departure with free space. With a sailing about every 40 minutes by day, the next departure with space is usually within the hour. On busy summer weekends the next one or two ferries can be full, and that is when Flex has the advantage of a reserved space.
With Low Price the ticket is lost once the ferry sails without you. If you notice on the way that it is getting tight, call customer service before the departure and ask for an upgrade to Standard: you pay a fee plus the fare difference, but it saves the ticket. After the departure, all that is left is a new ticket: online for a later sailing, which is possible up to two hours before departure, or at the check-in at the harbour price, from 111 euros for Standard, where the manned lane can add a handling fee from 15 euros.
Our rule of thumb: with a drive of two hours or more, with children or with a caravan, Standard is worth the extra, which at the lowest from prices is about 13 euros.
Case 2: You want to travel on another day
Standard, Easy Return and combination tickets can be rebooked for 30 euros plus any price difference. If the new departure is cheaper, you do not get the difference back. Flex can be rebooked free of charge, as often as you like, up to 90 days after the original date. Low Price cannot be moved.
Do the sums before you rebook: with a Low Price ticket from 48 euros and a new Low Price offer on the day you want, buying a new ticket is usually cheaper than an upgrade. With Standard from 61.10 euros, rebooking for 30 euros plus any difference is usually better than paying the harbour price, but a new Low Price ticket from 48 euros can be cheaper still if one is available for your new day.
Case 3: The trip is off altogether
- Within 24 hours of purchase: Scandlines grants a 24 hour right of withdrawal on all tickets.
- Flex: free refund up to 90 days after the booked date.
- With the Refund Service: the add-on costs from 15 euros and has to be bought together with the ticket, online, in the app or through customer service. With it you get the ticket price back if your plans change.
- Standard without the Refund Service, and Low Price: no money back. With Standard you can still rebook to a later date.
That makes the Refund Service a kind of mini Flex: Standard plus 15 euros comes to about 76 euros and can be cancelled, while Flex costs from 118 euros. If you only want to cover the risk of cancelling and do not need free rebooking, this is the cheaper way. How to pay the least overall is covered under cheap tickets.
Case 4: Scandlines cancels the departure
Storms and technical problems happen, and then departures are cancelled or delayed. Different rules apply then than when you change your own plans: under the EU regulation on passenger rights in sea transport (No 1177/2010), if a sailing is cancelled you can choose between alternative transport and a refund of the ticket price, whatever the fare, so with Low Price too. Longer delays bring further rights. Scandlines answers the details on its page about what happens when the ferry is delayed or cancelled.
You can see whether your departure is affected in the Scandlines departure monitor. We show wind and waves for the coming days on the weather and sea conditions page. With three ferries currently in service on the route, a single cancelled sailing usually means taking the next departure, by day about 40 minutes later. If the whole day is cancelled, Rostock Gedser is the fallback route, but your Puttgarden Rødby ticket is not automatically valid there: sort that out by phone.
FAQ on cancelling and rebooking
What does it cost to rebook a Scandlines ticket?
30 euros plus any price difference for Standard, Easy Return and combination tickets. Flex can be rebooked free of charge, Low Price not at all.
Can I cancel a Low Price ticket?
Only within 24 hours of purchase. After that there is no rebooking and no refund, but you can upgrade to a more flexible fare for a fee plus the fare difference.
What is the Refund Service?
An add-on from 15 euros that you book together with your ticket. With it, Scandlines refunds the ticket price if you cancel the trip.
I missed my ferry. Is my ticket lost?
Not with Standard, Flex or a 1-day ticket, nor on the open return of an Easy Return: you take the next departure with free space on the same day, usually within the hour. A Low Price ticket is lost.
How do I rebook?
Through Scandlines customer service, phone +49 381 77 88 77 66. You cancel unused tickets online under “My Booking”, and partly used return tickets by email to customer service.
Do I get my money back if the ferry is cancelled because of a storm?
Yes. If a sailing is cancelled, the EU passenger rights regulation entitles you to alternative transport or a refund of the ticket price, whatever the fare.
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