Rostock ⇄ Gedser · 2 hours · 52 km
Cancelling or changing a Scandlines ticket: what happens when your plans fall apart
A traffic jam on the A19, a sick child, a storm warning: whether your ticket can cope depends almost entirely on the ticket type. Low Price is rigid, Standard forgives a missed departure on the same day, Flex forgives everything. Here we go through the four typical cases, with the fees and contact routes Scandlines states, so you know what you are buying before you book.
Check prices and book Car Standard: online from €82.70 · at the harbour from €147See the price example
What each ticket allows
Source: scandlines.com, checked on 17 and 18 September 2026. On top of this, 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 surcharge |
| 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 | return 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 | see your booking | 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”.
Case 1: You miss your ferry
The most common case. With Standard, a 1-day ticket, Easy Return or Flex you simply carry on to the port and take the next departure with free space. With 8 to 9 departures in each direction you rarely wait longer than two to three hours. Only on busy summer weekends can the next ferry be fully booked, 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 the difference, but it saves the ticket. After the departure, all that is left is a new ticket, bought at the port at the port price of 147 euros.
Our rule of thumb: with a drive of two hours or more, with children or with a caravan, Standard is worth the 17 euros extra.
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 for 65.30 euros and a new Low Price offer on the day you want, buying a new ticket is cheaper than any upgrade. With Standard for 82.70 euros, rebooking for 30 euros is almost always worth it.
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 around 98 euros and can be cancelled, while Flex costs 157 euros. If you only want to cover the risk of cancelling and do not need free rebooking, this is the cheaper way. The cost planner shows which fare suits you, and how to pay the least overall is covered under cheap tickets.
Case 4: Scandlines cancels the departure
In storms or when there are technical problems, 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. If the whole day is cancelled, Puttgarden Rødby is the fallback route, but your Rostock Gedser 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 surcharge.
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, a 1-day ticket or Easy Return: you take the next departure with free space on the same day. 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.
Not booked yet? Pick the fare that matches your risk, not just the cheapest one.
Compare fares in the booking Car Standard: online from €82.70 · at the harbour from €147