The hidden reason your trip is suddenly nonrefundable

It’s not just greed. AI pricing, post-pandemic risk, and our own click-happy habits have led to a tightening of refund rules.

Christina Anderson thought her hotel room in Reykjavik, Iceland, was refundable. But when her flight to Iceland was canceled because of bad weather, she made a stunning discovery: It wasn't.

Anderson, a retired nurse from West Lafayette, Ind., booked her room at the Iceland Parliament Hotel through a travel website affiliated with Priceline, and she didn…