Dorothy

Tickets bought on points are not usually refundable. You can cancel the ticket but the fees are not refundable, so you still lose out on the money paid.

Speedwell

Thanks, Pulaski, just trying to protect us from "unforeseen consequences". Outside the EU? OK, I can do that. (EDIT: I did finally wind up purchasing a one-way, fully refundable ticket from Dublin to Boston for less than a thousand dollars, with a few days leeway so I didn't go over the 90 day period in case of questions.) Aer Lingus has a "flex" fare that is sometimes abusive but in this case not dramatically so.

I did contact Pet Express; they were just one of the companies I contacted, and EFL won out for a handful of factors. Things are not quite as straightforward as the Aer Lingus site makes out, and I would recommend that anyone shipping pets into Ireland read the Irish customs website carefully and consult with a USDA-accredited veterinarian several weeks before moving day. We did try working with Lufthansa Cargo on a tip, but someone there was, thankfully, familiar with the regulations and warned us off.

I'm exploring the option of whether the ticket can be refunded but at this point it looks expensive. Folks, we do not use credit cards (by choice) and are not in a position at the moment to get credit cards, and we are doing this with cash savings. Fortunately we have enough of that for the trip and to set ourselves up and support ourselves for a few months before we have to start dipping into the retirement, but we are trying to be careful.