Covid-19 Cancellations. Refund or Re-book? Know Your Rights

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Refunds or re-booking. Sit tight or roll the dice? Decisions, decisions!

With the world beginning to ease lockdown one step at a time, I know people are itching to get back on the road. I know I am. So should you jump at the chance at some of the cheap flights on offer, or wait it out? Have you already missed out on a trip due to the COVID-19 outbreak? Are you stuck for the best avenue to pursue a refund or which step to take next?

Don’t worry. ‘Travel With Cooky’ has you covered! Check out my 5 avenues of pursuit for refunds as well as a bonus ‘Tip of The Day’

Things To Bear In Mind

With airlines trying to dig themselves out of turmoil due to the pandemic, there are some pretty tasty deals out there. It is important to understand that regardless of cheap flights, there are other factors to bear in mind.

Right now, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is warning against non-essential travel to any country, which does not have an end date as of yet. Then there is the possibility of quarantine requirements.

For instance, from June 15th 2020, the UK has enforced a 14 day quarantine period on arrival. This is being regularly monitored, altered and updated according to the current situation in each country. Many other countries also have contingencies in place or have not opened their borders at all. There may be a potential quarantine at both your destination AND your return country. With this in mind, a 7-day vacation abroad may well require 35 days put aside.

Let’s say you are going away on a 7 day trip. You must then quarantine for 14 days at your destination, at your own expense, before you are free to actually start your vacation. On your return, you may then be required to quarantine in your home country for 14 days. This ammounts to 35 days to be possible. I’m not sure anyone would get that kind of leniency with work!

So as you can see, this really is not a feasible trip.

Buy Now, Go Later?

Many airlines are now offering extra cancellation policies, which would allow an adjustment in your booking should it still not be possible to travel. Also, booking through a travel agent is another way to ensure no quibble cancellation rights for up to 6 weeks before you are due to travel. However, there is always a risk with the world in such a fragile state of companies going into solvency.

You could always roll the dice and book a trip and hope that things clear up if the deal is good enough. Of course, the further you look to travel, the more expensive the cost, the bigger the risks.

A bargain trip for £60 return, which I previously used to feature on ‘Friday Flight Club’ over on my Facebook page, may be worth the risk if it’s in the not too distant future.

However, a long-haul excursion costing £1000’s would obviously pose a much larger financial risk.

You could also look at booking up something for further in the future and hope that normality is closer than we are right now. Unfortunately, there is no certainty of this either.

All Booked Up And No Place To Go?

So what if you have travel plans booked yet do not feel safe or comfortable to go. Unfortunately, cancelling a trip out of fear of the current situation would not be a valid reason. Cancelling on your own merit would mean you are not entitled to a refund or even a credit note.

However, should the airline or travel company be the ones to cancel your trip, you are then entitled to a full refund. Although getting one may prove extremely difficult… and good luck getting in touch via phone with an actual person. This may become easier as time goes on and more staff are brought back from furlough and call centres manned.

The current climate has been devastating to the travel industry. Thomas Cook collapsed even before the Covid-19 outbreak and others look like they may follow a similar path. The industry is on its knees and so giving such a vast number of refunds would cripple it even more so. For this reason it may be much easier to secure a credit note rather than a refund.

How Do I Pursue A Refund?

I have put together 5 helpful tips below to give you some options on which avenue to go down to pursue a refund.

5 Avenues Of Refund Assistance

1. Don’t hesitate to demand a refund directly from your travel provider. Like I previously said, many people are finding it difficult to get in touch. If you can’t call, try Live Chat via their website. Try to have any relative laws to help your case if you can. It’s key to note that if a package holiday has been cancelled you should be entitled to a full refund within two weeks. This falls under the ‘Package Travel Regulations’.
2. Claiming from your card provider and make a chargeback request. This is more of a customer promise and not a legal requirement. However, this way your bank may be able to get the money back from the firm you paid initially. For anything under £100, you can try via your debit card. Otherwise, you can try under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. This will cover things between £100 and £30,000 on a credit card. This is why I highly advise any of your travel purchases to be paid via credit card. Even if you pay it back immediately, which is recommended.
3. Another option…claim via your insurance. If you have not had any luck you can try to go via your travel insurance. This is also a really important reason as to why you should have insurance from the booking date…not your travel date. It may help your cause to try and prove you have taken all other steps. If they refuse to accept your claim, as we all know insurers will try anything to not payout, try taking your case up with the Financial Ombudsman.
4. Still no luck…there is always the legal route. However… this WILL cost more money and can be extremely time-consuming. You need to weigh up if the sum is worth chasing any further.
   
5. Mo Money, Mo Problem. You will no doubt be offered a credit note. Like I previously stated these should have a healthy lifespan and also help out the industry in such a difficult time.

Don’t Worry, Be Savvy

Obviously this all seems a lot to take in. However, DO NOT be fobbed off. If you’re happy to take a travel credit note, that may be the easiest option. These are usually valid with plenty of time to claim them, but make sure you are not going to be stung with additional fees later on. For instance, being told there is a surplus to pay as you are now going at a busier time.

Bonus Tip

As I am sure you are aware, getting money from an insurance company can be hard work. It is a well-known fact that insurers do not like paying out. With Covid-19 now being a main cause of payouts, many are unlikely to offer coronavirus cover again.

However, you may be able to get around this. Do you already have a travel insurance policy? Think about renewing your previous policy instead of searching for another deal. So if you have a policy that is about to expire, speak to your insurer about simply renewing your policy. You are much more likely to still be covered as it should not have been changed to take coronavirus cover out.

Cooky’s Cue 💮

Cover yourself from purchase date, not leaving date.

Travel Insurance

How many of us only book travel insurance a few days before we leave? In actual fact this is one of the worst things you can do. You may think it to be a waste of money to be paying for travel insurance when you are at home. However, by covering yourself from your purchase date, you are covering any external factors that may prevent your trip altogether. A perfect example is the situation we all find ourselves in due to the recent pandemic.

Get an annual cover! Don’t try to save pennies when it will cost you pounds!

Did you find this article helpful? I would really appreciate it if you could like, share and comment to help as many people out as possible!

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