You don’t need me to tell you that coronavirus, or COVID-19 if you’re using it’s proper name, has majorly disrupted the travel industry.
It’s very likely that if you’ve got a trip coming up in the next few months it will have already been cancelled or you’re simply waiting for it to be cancelled due to the current pandemic.
And whilst most rules and regulations state that if a travel company cancels your plans, you’re entitled to a full refund, there have been a lot of people struggling to get this realised.
In fact, many companies have been refusing refunds and offering a change in dates or vouchers instead.
Therefore, rather than just quoting the rules, I thought it would be helpful for actual customers who have already been through the process to report back and tell us how they got on, allowing them to share any helpful tips that helped them get that refund.
Skip ahead to the bit you're after
- If you want to know your rights, click here
- If you would like to share your own experience – good or bad – you can do so here
- If you want to skip straight to the list of companies and what their stance is, click here
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What are my rights?
Before I share people’s experiences, I thought it might be worth quickly recapping what your rights are for your circumstances.
HOWEVER, as mentioned before, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find it easy to enact, but it’s definitely worth knowing what you’re owed by law and quoting this in your refund request.
The good news is that since I posted this, there have been developments thanks to people like MoneySavingExpert and Which? holding companies to account, which has seen the Competitions and Marketing Authority (CMA) weighing in to state that they’ll begin cracking down on those not fulfilling their lawful requirements.
Therefore, if you have tried and failed to get a refund before, now is the time to try again. Quote the CMA’s wording and link back to the press release from the government’s website. They are also directing those who are still having issues to report the company in question using their online form.
Please note that I’ve compiled this information from doing my own independent research. Things may well change and I’ll do my best to keep this updated but please remember that I’m just one person doing my best to help people out. Thank you for understanding!
My flight, which I booked directly with the airline, has been cancelled
As long as your flight was leaving or entering the EU (and yes, the UK still counts for this) you are protected by EU air passenger rights, specifically Flights and EU Regulation 261/2004 which states:
If your flight is cancelled you have the right to reimbursement, re-routing or return, as well as the right to assistance and a right to compensation. Compensation is due if you were informed less than 14 days prior to the scheduled departure date.
You can read more of the details here.
If your flight is entirely outside of the EU, you’ll need to check the regulations of the countries you were flying between.
My flight, which I booked with a third party, has been cancelled
If you booked with a third party, known also as an Online Travel Agency (OTA), it’s worth noting that your contract is with them and not the airline. Therefore, you may well find that airlines direct you to deal with them, even if you’ve spent hours on hold.
This also means that whilst the airline may be giving refunds to its customers who have booked the same flight as you, it does not automatically mean that you will instantly be given a refund by your third party too.
What you need to do is check the OTA’s booking terms and conditions – it’s worth checking to see if you were emailed these with your bookings as some have been changing their terms to deal with the situation. What you’re looking for are cancellation fees which you may be asked to pay in order to get your refund.
Some OTAs may waive these fees given the circumstances, but others may not.
Unfortunately, there is very little advice out there on whether you have the same right to a refund when booking with an OTA (I have googled incessantly but it’s a really grey area) and so I recommend finding out what the airline is offering and using that, as well as the EU Regulation 261/2004 (see above) as the basis for your claim.
Also, do keep scrolling to see what success your fellow travellers have had.
My package holiday balance is due - should I pay up?
This is a really difficult one as ultimately, it’s down to you to decide what works best for your circumstances, however I’m happy to talk you through your options.
Before I do this, do try reaching out to your company to see if they’re willing to extend the deadline for this balance which will give you both more time to assess the situation. Some companies have been allowing this.
If you decide pay the balance
- PROS
- You may be able to travel by the time it comes around and you’ll be able to enjoy your holiday as planned
- If the company cancels, by law you’ll be due a full refund
- If the company doesn’t cancel but the Foreign Office still has restrictions in place, you should be able to claim this back on your insurance as long as still covers you for coronavirus
- CONS
- Many are having difficulties getting full refunds from companies so you may be offered vouchers, or have to wait some time for your refund to come through
- If the company goes bust in the interim, you may end up losing all your money unless you have further protections in place. This could be ATOL or ABTA protection for package holidays, or Section 75 protection for credit cards or chargeback for debit cards – but they come with their own rules and timescales too
- If the Foreign Office lifts its restrictions but you don’t want to travel, you won’t be covered
If you decide not to pay
- PROS
- This is the only 100% guaranteed way that you will keep part of the cost
- CONS
- As this has been your decision to break the contract, and not the companies, it is likely that in most circumstances you will not get your deposit back and you will not be able to claim this via your insurance or credit card policies
- This even includes if the company cancels the holiday further down the line
It’s a tough decision but hopefully that helps you decide what will work best for you.
My package holiday has been cancelled
If you’ve booked a package holiday, it should be protected by ABTA or ATOL – you’ll be able to easily check this with a quick google.
The law behind this is The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 and when referring to their code of conduct, where ‘Members’ refer to the travel companies signed up to their protection scheme, ABTA states:
If Members do cancel or make a significant change, the Code, as it always has done, outlines a simple procedure. Members must offer an alternative, if available, or a full refund.
and
The timing of refunds The Code has been updated to include the fact that the new period for payment of refunds is 14 days.
Basically, if a travel company cancels your holiday you must be offered an alternative – which isn’t an option at the moment – and therefore you should be offered a full refund. This refund should be returned to you within 14 days.
You can read this comprehensive guide to package holiday cancellations from Which? here.
My accommodation has been cancelled
I haven’t been able to find the laws that stipulate what should happen if a hotel or apartment cancels your booking (please do get in touch if you do know of any) but the general rule out there is if they’ve cancelled, they should offer you a full refund. Should being the keyword there…
Many companies are being very helpful so reach out, highlighting the FCO advice that states that all non essential travel has been halted indefinitely.
Also try searching for their terms of booking to see what their rules state about cancellations. You may be able to use this to back up your refund claim.
My flight, accommodation or holiday hasn't been cancelled yet but I'm sure it will be
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is now advising against all foreign travel for an indefinite period.
The problem with this advice is that the lack of date means that many travel companies and insurance policies don’t have a definitive date to start cancelling their bookings from and many will be holding out to see if the circumstances change in their favour.
So can you cancel for free before you get this confirmation through?
No. If the flight or holiday is not ‘cancelled’ then the presumption is that it will go ahead. If you choose to cancel then that will be your decision meaning you may have to pay a cancellation fee, lose a deposit or even lose the complete balance.
My advice? Wait it out and make a more informed decision closer to the time.
Remember that companies are working through a huge backlog of cancellations and understandably they are prioritising travel in the next 7 days.
Some companies may be providing more lenient policies or allowing you to rebook for later dates so check with them directly – it’s likely there will be information on their websites about this.
I've been offered a voucher or credit note, should I take it?
Understandably, the travel industry is really struggling and with thousands of customers asking for refunds, many are losing a lot of money fast.
Some are getting around this by asking customers to select new dates or take vouchers instead.
The important thing in all of this is that in most cases, as detailed above, you are entitled to a full refund.
However, if you know you’re likely to travel with the same company in the future, should you just take a voucher?
It depends on a few things.
If you’re offered a voucher it’s likely that this will not have any protection if the company goes bust. The catch-22 here is that by not accepting a voucher, the company is more likely to go out of business. You have to feel for the situation they’re in but I also don’t believe it should be the consumer having to bail them out.
If you do decide to take a voucher, do make a note of how long it will be valid for and ask whether you’ll be refunded the full amount if it’s not spent. Many are now putting this in place so this may be a good compromise for both of you.
A credit note, however, is a little different. This is being offered for some package holidays and should (please check!) retain the ABTA or ATOL protection that your initial holiday was booked for meaning you’ll still be protected if the company goes under.
I've accepted a voucher or credit note but I'd prefer to get a refund. Can I still get one?
By accepting the voucher you have agreed to the new terms meaning it’s very unlikely that you’ll now be able to get a refund – unless the company has stated that they’ll refund you once the voucher duration has elapsed.
However, some companies such as Emirates, are letting people change their vouchers to a refund – so definitely check the policy.
Otherwise, you would need to find someone from the company who is able to reverse this decision as a gesture of goodwill but the likelihood of getting that, when companies are so hard pressed by cancellations, is very unlikely.
Can I claim back the cost back to my credit or debit card?
Let’s talk credit cards first.
Credit Cards
If your purchase was for more than £100 and you bought it on your credit card, you are protected by Section 75.
This means that after submitting a claim – and proving you did not get the goods or service you purchased – the bank will seek to recoup these costs from the company.
You are able to submit a claim against the company directly and via your card provider at the same time, though you can’t obviously receive a refund from both.
This is important to know because if a company goes bust but you have a claim in with your credit card, you will still be due the money owed to you, whereas if you had only enquired about a refund directly with the company and didn’t have any other protection, you may lose your money.
Even more importantly, thanks most probably to a lot of media attention and the CMA coming out on 30th April 2020 to say that they’d be holding companies to account, some credit card companies who were refusing to process these chargebacks before are now changing their policies. Before, many were stating that if you’d been offered a voucher then that was refund enough, but are now allowing these chargebacks so do try again if that happened to you.
Lastly, as you have struggled, many of these credit card companies will struggle to accrue the costs back from companies as well. Therefore do be aware that it may take some time before the amount is returned back to you and do check with your bank for their timelines.
To submit a claim, Which? has an online form but I suggest searching to see if your bank has their own online claim form first for the most direct line to them. You could also try calling, but it’s likely that the phone lines will be very busy.
Debit cards or credit card transactions under £100
Whilst you’re not protected by Section 75 in these circumstances, you can try using chargeback instead.
There is a time limit on this – you need to apply within 120 days from the transaction processing date – so make sure you get it in sooner rather than later.
Again, Which? provide a very helpful guide and form to do this, but it’s definitely worth checking to see if your bank has an online claim form for the most direct way to contact them.
Nothing is working! Is there anything else I can try?
If your travel company isn’t helping, check to see if your travel insurance policy covers you.
You can also try reporting the company you’re dealing with to the Competitions and Marketing Authority (CMA) who are the regulator. They have an online form to do this.
Remember to make sure you inform the company you’re dealing with that you intend to report this as some people have seen success after they’ve mentioned the regulator.
Good luck!
The full list of how companies are dealing with refunds
So, now we know what should be happening it’s time to find out what is actually going down.
Whilst we all want our experience to be a successful one, I think it’s also worth sharing instances where people have found difficulties as well so expect the good, the bad and the downright ugly.
Now, this may well get LONG (I mean, this post already is!) and so here’s a list of the companies mentioned so that you can jump straight to what you’re after.
Agoda
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 12th April 2020
- Cancellation status: Cancelled by the company
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I rang customer service and they said they’d refund and did so immediately, I didn’t have to do anything.
- Refund status: Fully refunded the same day
- Extra details: Agoda’s customer service was great!
Share your experience of this company here.
Air Canada
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 9th April 2020
- Cancellation status: Not cancelled by the company
- Initial communication: They offered a change of dates with no fare difference or a voucher
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: They weren’t explicitly offering refunds however I managed to get one by explaining that we had a death in the family. They said that they ‘shouldn’t do this’ but gave the refund straightaway.
- Refund status: We received the refund the same day but they did say it would usually take 9 months for others
- Thank you for sharing: Charlotte!
Share your experience of this company here.
Airbnb
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 15th April 2020
- Cancellation status: I’m not sure if it was cancelled by the company
- Refund request method: Messaging on their website
- Outcome: I had to jump through hoops to get my refund. I had to prove to them that I had extenuating circumstances why I couldn’t use the accommodation. I screen shotted the gov website and that seemed to be enough.
- Refund status: Received our refund within a week.
- Extra details: It was a pain and drawn out but I did get a refund in the end
- Thank you for sharing: Emma!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 30th April 2020
- Cancellation status: Not cancelled by the company
- Refund request method: Email and social media
- Outcome: I raised a cancellation request due to Covid to receive a full refund and I contacted host to advise we would need to cancel or reschedule, but they did not reply to the message sent. The host then refused the refund or rescheduling the date, so the booking would then have to go ahead. I messaged the host again to ask why this was, but again no reply. I then got in touch with Airbnb who advised that I would need to cancel for another reason and I would not be able to get a refund but I’d be able to get a voucher. I advised I wasn’t happy doing this as the cancellation reason was not correct and I would prefer a refund. Due to this Airbnb offered to get in touch with the host and ask for a full refund. The host finally agreed to this and a full refund was provided.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 7 days
- Extra details: Persistence is key! Airbnb were in very efficient and surprising quick and getting back in touch.
- Thank you for sharing: Amelia
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 4th May 2020
- Cancellation status: Not cancelled by the company
- Refund request method: Email and Airbnb website
- Outcome: The host rejected my request for a refund. Airbnb are offering credit but I wanted a refund. You have the option to submit “evidence” for a refund and they review it. I submitted email screenshots of flight cancellation, a screenshotted the page on our UK gov website saying that Georgia has banned all international air traffic and the same from the Georgian government website.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 3 days
- Thank you for sharing: Emily!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 2nd May 2020
- Cancellation Status: Airbnb cancelled the booking
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: Initially provider offered me 50% refund, then they said they would give me 100%
- Refund status: I received a refund within 7 days
- Thank you for sharing: Sonictravelprincess
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 9th April 2020
- Cancellation status: Airbnb cancelled the booking
- Initial communication: Airbnb cancelled their booking and gave me a full refund without me having to contact them
- Refund status: I received a refund within 3 days
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 2nd May 2020
- Cancellation status: Not cancelled by Airbnb
- Initial communication: I was offered a voucher
- Refund request method: App
- Outcome: My Airbnb host in New York declined a refund but I then applied for a full refund from Airbnb on the app under their Covid policy and it was approved within hours. I had to provide evidence of why I couldn’t travel so included screen shots of FCO and ESTA travel warnings. At this point BA had only cancelled my flight coming home but I included this too.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 3 days
- Thank you for sharing: Amy
Share your experience of this company here.
American Express Travel
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 18th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: AMEX Travel did not cancel my booking
- Initial communication: Email offered a refund
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: A long time on hold to chase the email cancellation request, tried a few times, and eventually got through and they confirmed Canada had indeed advised against travel and therefore I could have a full refund of my hotel booking.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 7 days
- Thank you for sharing: Lee!
Share your experience of this company here.
Avis
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Car hire
- Start date: 30th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My booking was cancelled by the company
- Refund request method: Email and Phone
- Outcome: I was told I could have a refund
- Refund status: I received a refund within 3 days
- Extra details: I would unequivocally use Avis again. Reaction to this and service and speed was second to none
- Thank you for sharing: Sonictravelprincess
Share your experience of this company here.
Barceló
Your experiences
- VOUCHER ACCEPTED
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Refund request method: Email and Phone
- Outcome: As we booked non refundable rate I wasn’t expecting a refund but still hoping. Happy enough with voucher but worried if company goes bust in next year. Also have to use voucher in same hotel, would have been nice to apply to all Barceló hotels. The voucher lasts 12 months.
Share your experience of this company here.
Booking.com
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 13th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: Booking.com did not cancel the booking
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: All of the places I had booked were non refundable but Booking.com gave an option for free cancellation due to the situation. I had to chase 2 of the 4 hotels directly but all agreed eventually and was very quick and simple overall.
- Refund status: I received my refund within 7 days
- Thank you for sharing: sduggan280!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 18th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: Booking.com did not cancel the booking
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: Booking.com’s customer service was not good. I got a full refund in the end but only because the hotel decided to close. My tip is WAIT. Don’t cancel too soon, wait it out.
- Refund status: It was non refundable to be paid at hotel, so we had not paid yet but it WAS chargeable
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 7th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: Booking.com did not cancel the booking
- Refund request method: App
- Outcome: Booked a non refundable hotel in Copenhagen. Had already contacted hotel who said to take it up with booking.com as they had procedures in place. Once Denmark announced borders were closed until 10th May I contacted them via their app. They contacted hotel. Initially offered change of dates or a 12 month voucher. I explained that I probably wouldn’t be able to reschedule within 12 months so would prefer a refund. They agreed to this within 30 mins.
- Refund status: I haven’t received my refund yet
- Extra details: I was told that the refund would be processed within 7 – 12 business days
- Thank you for sharing: Deidre!
- REBOOKING OFFERED
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 13th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: Booking.com have not cancelled the booking
- Initial communication: The hotel offered me 18 months to rebook
- Refund request method: Online messaging
- Outcome: I was told I could have a refund, I was told that cancellation fees would not be applicable if the hotel was closed (which they are) but when I then tried to cancel they wanted to charge me the full amount – very conflicting information! Unfortunately I have not found anyway around this other than contacting my bank for a charge back. I have put in a claim but am yet to hear back
- Refund status: No refund – yet!
- VOUCHER OFFERED
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 15th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: Booking.com have not cancelled the booking
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I was told I could not have a refund and was offered a voucher.
- Thank you for sharing: Emily!
Share your experience of this company here.
British Airways
What the British Airways website says about bookings impacted by COVID-19
29th April 2020 – British Airways are now allowing anyone with flights up to 31st July to cancel in exchange for a voucher which will be valid until 30th April 2022. Remember, if your flight is cancelled in the future, you would be entitled to a full refund but by accepting an voucher at this stage, you’d lose your right to a refund.
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 5th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Email and and Phone
- Outcome: I mentioned EC261/2004 (see the passage about your rights above!). After all, a European-registered airline still has responsibilities under law in a pandemic.
- Refund status: I received my refund within 3 days
- Thank you for sharing: Andrew!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 17th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I rang up BA and after an unexpectedly short wait (10min) to be connected my refund was processed by the rep. There was no quibble, he just did it right away!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 4th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my holiday
- Initial communication: The holiday was automatically refunded without needing to make any contact
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: The emails from BA were a bit confusing. The first email was from BA holidays and said the holiday had been cancelled and refunded. Another email from BA executive club said it was still going ahead. Refund was processed so I expect they were automated emails from different systems.
- Refund status: I received my refund within 7 days
- Thank you for sharing: Stephanie!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 4th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my holiday
- Initial communication: I was offered a voucher that lasted for 12 months
- Refund request method: Phone and social media
- Outcome: Literally said I’d like to refund as the dates for later in the year were double, they said OK no problem. Social media was a waste of time they push you from post to pillar and you don’t get to deal with just one person making it frustrating
- Refund status: I received my refund within 7 days
- Extra details: The staff on the phone were fantastic considering what they’re going through. Be patient, it’s not their fault!
- Thank you for sharing: Matt!
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 4th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my flight
- Initial communication: I was offered a voucher that lasted for 12 months
- Refund request method: Email, phone and social media
- Outcome: 1st offer was voucher only – after seeing that I was entitled to a refund I recontacted to BA to ask for refund and eventually they agreed but would take up to 14 days.
- Refund status: Still haven’t received, not sure if it’s because they said they’d refund my Avois points as well but just can’t get any response from them now. I understand but it is frustrating, I just need to be kept updated.
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 20th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my flight
- Initial communication: I was offered a change of dates or a voucher that lasted for 12 months
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I left calling until a few days before my flight as I knew they would have a lot of other people to deal with (also I trust BA). Called twice in the morning (using the number in my booking that says to call for a refund) but the automated message told me to ring back (3 times) then called in the afternoon. Really quick to get through and really easy – I said I wanted a refund and they didn’t question or try to get me to take a voucher.
- Refund status: Still haven’t received yet but they said it would be 3-3.5 weeks and that if I wanted to follow up after that time everything was recorded on file under my booking reference.
- Thank you for sharing: Melanie!
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 20th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my flight
- Initial communication: I was offered a refund
- Refund status: I’ve yet to receive my refund
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 23rd March 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my flight
- Initial communication: I was offered a refund
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I kept trying over 2 days to get through to BA over the phone, however 3 weeks later I am still waiting for the refund.
- Refund status: I’ve yet to receive my refund
- Extra details: I was told the refund would take 10-14 days
- VOUCHER OR REBOOKING OFFERED
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 19th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways have not cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: As my flight had not been cancelled yet I was just offered a voucher or new dates. I was offered a part refund.
- VOUCHER OR REBOOKING OFFERED
- Booking type: Package Holiday
- Start date: 3rd May 2020
- Cancellation Status: I’m not sure
- Refund request method: Website contact form
- Outcome: Was offered a voucher which would be valid for 12 months. I waited a month for voucher confirmation.
- Thank you for sharing: seeasmuchasyoucan
- REBOOKING OFFERED
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 7th April
- Cancellation Status: British Airways did not cancel my holiday
- Refund request method: Phone and social media
- Outcome: Voucher accepted but just struggling to get anywhere with BA. We were told we would have a voucher in a week, then another week, then last call confirmed if would definitely be with us no later than Thursday 9th April. Chased them on Twitter after Thurs and they are now saying we won’t get voucher but can call to rebook using our original booking reference.
- NO RESPONSE
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 2nd May 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways cancelled my flight
- Initial communication: I was offered a refund
- Refund request method: Social media
- Outcome: I didn’t get a response
- Refund status: I’ve yet to receive my refund
- NO RESPONSE
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 15th October 2020
- Cancellation Status: British Airways have not cancelled my request
- Refund request method: Email, phone and social media
- Outcome: We booked in November 19 but BA website says you can change if holiday booked between 3rd March and 31st March and holiday is before 31dec 2020, not sure why we have been missed
Share your experience of this company here.
BudgetAir
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 4th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight had been cancelled
- Initial communication: T
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I was told I could have a refund, I was told to contact them again closer to my booking.
- Refund status: Still awaiting our refund(£2.5k). They say it can take weeks before the money is deposited into our account. Although American Airlines who we were due to flying with say they are processing refunds of those who booked direct in around 7 days.
- Thank you for sharing: Phil!
- NO RESPONSE
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 9th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight had not been cancelled
- Initial communication: They offered a change of dates
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I was told I could not have a refund.
- Refund status: Received a few generic emails back from BudgetAir. They suggested we fly on the 10th of April instead and if I didn’t want to fly on the 10th, I could cancel my flight, pay a fee and still not get a refund (as I have a non refundable flight). Pretty sure that flight also got cancelled by the airline but still haven’t heard anything back since 6th of April.
- Thank you for sharing: Maria
Share your experience of this company here.
BYOjet
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 10th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flights were cancelled
- Initial communication: I was told I could change my dates or take a voucher that would last 24 months.
- Refund request method: Email and phone
- Outcome: I was told I could have a refund minus the airlines fees. I told the travel agent I was happy to pay their fee as they provided a service, however I was annoyed at paying the Emirates cancellation fee as the flight was cancelled. BYOjet cancelled their fee as a result.
- Refund status: I haven’t received a refund yet but was told it could take up to 90 days
- VOUCHER OFFERED
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 24th June 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flights have not been cancelled
- Initial communication: I was told I could change my dates or take a voucher that would last 24 months
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: Completed a form. Options were to cancel and lose all my money or take a voucher with charges, although not clear how much. Request for more info resulted in the same form being sent for me to complete.
- Refund status: Still unresolved. Flight hasn’t officially been cancelled yet.
- Thank you for sharing: Liz!
Share your experience of this company here.
Carrefour Voyages
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 27th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight was cancelled
- Initial communication: They have not got in touch
- Refund request method: Email and Phone
- Outcome: Got told essentially that as they’re a travel agency and not the airline it’s not their problem. Airline can’t do anything cos I didn’t book directly from them
- Extra details: I’ve learnt my lesson, I’ll boo direct next time!
- Thank you for sharing: Matt!
Share your experience of this company here.
Cathay Pacific
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 27th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flights have not been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: On hold for a long time but I was offered a refund.
- Refund status: I have only received half the money so far. They said it could take up to 90 days.
- Thank you for sharing: Jamie!
Share your experience of this company here.
Cunard
Your experiences
- WAITING FOR CANCELLATION
- Booking type: Cruise
- Start date: 10th July 2020
- Cancellation Status: My cruise has not been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: Got through quickly. Booking is still valid and we’ll just need to wait until nearer the time to see what happens, we can transfer booking or take credit up to 48 hours before sailing and they’re offering 110% credit but sailings I’ve looked at for next year are also more expensive.
- Thank you for sharing: L_strongarms!
Share your experience of this company here.
easyJet
What the easyJet website says about bookings impacted by COVID-19
Update: whilst easyJet did remove the refund option for a while they have now launched a webform to submit your reform claim which you can find here.
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 6th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: easyJet cancelled my flight
- Initial communication: Offer of a change of flights or a refund
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: Many calls to get into the queue but once in only waited a minute maximum. First call was a definite ‘no’ to refund in complete contradiction to emails that had been sent with cancellation notice. Second call was 5 days later afterwards and took much longer to get through but after a lot of bad press there was no quibbling and I got refund.
- Refund status: I received my refund within 3 days
- Thank you for sharing: Kate!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 10th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: easyJet cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Twitter
- Outcome: easyJet cancelled my flight and I chose to get a refund. I didn’t received my money after 17 days so I started to contact them on twitter. On my second DM they answered to me and they said when I first asked for a refund in the website the process didn’t go through so they had to re-do it for me. 2 days later the money was in my account.
- Refund status: I received my refund within 20 days
- Thank you for sharing: roseaaf_m!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 14th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: easyJet cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: easyJet were very good. Easy to get through on phone and refund sorted with minimal fuss.
- Refund status: I received my refund within 7 days
- Extra details: Website and comms only referred to vouchers which is misleading.
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 12th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: easyJet cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I was offered a refund
- Refund status: I haven’t received my refund yet – it’s been 3-4 weeks
- Thank you for sharing: Hannah!
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 10th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: easyJet cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Email, Phone, Social Media
- Outcome: After calling a million times and being told my call couldn’t be answered I searched high and low through social media. I came across a tweet from someone showing an email address you can email to request a refund ([email protected]) including in the subject line refno/departuredate/EN. Easyjet had replied to the tweet confirming this was acceptable and refunds would be actioned as quickly as possible. I only did this yesterday, I have yet to receive a response however I feel its my only option as through all my failed attempts at calling I can’t even be put into a queue.
- Refund status: I haven’t received my refund yet
- Thank you for sharing: Kim!
- VOUCHERS OFFERED
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 15th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: easyJet have not cancelled my holiday
- Outcome: They have offered a change of dates but I have to pay the fare difference. We’re now going to wait for the deadline to get so close they have to inform us of cancellation. Then we’ll hit them with consumer rights if they challenge our refund. We could rebook our dates for same time next year, but would be charging us £500 more for exactly the same holiday!
- Refund status: I haven’t received my refund yet – it’s been 3-4 weeks
- Thank you for sharing: Colin!
- WAITING FOR CANCELLATION
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 29th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: easyJet have not cancelled my flight
- Refund request method: Phone, Social Media
- Outcome: They have offered a change of dates and I don’t have to pay a fare difference. I’ve tried contacting them but no joy yet. Will try my insurance 48 hours before.
- Thank you for sharing: Sonictravelprinces
Share your experience of this company here.
eBookers
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 28th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My accommodation has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Online
- Outcome: eBookers automatically offered a full refund by managing my booking online and choosing to cancel. Fully automated and seamless.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 14 days
- Thank you for sharing: Lee!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 17th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My accommodation has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Online
- Outcome: eBookers emailed me proactively, and offered a refund on the hotel. They did not suggest a voucher, just a standard refund through my original payment method.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 30 days
- Thank you for sharing: Zoe!
Share your experience of this company here.
Emirates
What the Emirates website says about bookings impacted by COVID-19
Update: After only offering vouches, Emirates have recently published a global policy that does offer refunds, even if travellers have already accepted vouchers or a ticket for a future journey. That or you can keep your ticket for 24 months. Apply here.
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flights
- Start date: 23rd March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flights have been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I booked the flight with Emirates to get one of my stepdaughter home from Sydney, Australia who cancelled the flight. Spent way too long on the Emirates phone queue! So requested a refund using their online form, ignoring the voucher option.
- Refund status: I have not received my refund yet
- Thank you for sharing: Marie!
Share your experience of this company here.
Eurostar
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Train
- Start date: 29th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: They cancelled my train
- Initial communication: They offered me a voucher
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I emailed [email protected] and stated that as they cancelled my trains, I am due a refund under their conditions of carriage
- Refund status: I have not received a refund yet
- Thank you for sharing: emmacljones!
Share your experience of this company here.
Expedia
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Cruise
- Start date: 13th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: My cruise was cancelled
- Initial communication: I was offered a voucher
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: The cruise was with Cunard. Cunard was offering 125% future cruise credits in return for our cancelled sailing. We booked through a cruise agent with Expedia so we gave him a ring just to find out the details on these credits. After mentioning the cruise was for a relocation and not really just a holiday, he stopped and asked us if he could call us back in a few minutes. When he did, he said he could give us the full money refund back into our accounts instead. I feel like I should mention this is Expedia Canada I’m dealing with, but still thought it was interesting enough to share!
- Refund status: I haven’t received my refund yet but was told it could take 90 days
- Thank you for sharing: Rachel!
- VOUCHER OFFERED
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 12th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight was cancelled
- Initial communication: I was offered a voucher
- Refund request method: Email and phone
- Outcome: I spoke to Finnar on the phone who advised I was entitled to a full refund but because it was booked through Expedia, they have to apply for it. I’ve had communication from their “email team” who advised I will receive a voucher but I want a full refund. I emailed them back to request this and they advised me to contact the call centre. 3 weeks later and I still can’t get through to Expedia on the phone, I’ve tried every option and I either get an automated message or the line cuts out.
- Thank you for sharing: Tiffany!
Share your experience of this company here.
First Choice
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 8th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday was cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I spent 2 hours on the phone, the lady was great and sorted it. Now waiting for finance to call me about the refund and how long it will take. Only issue the email I’ve been sent with the detail of how much I will be refunded doesn’t have the cost of the seats I booked as an extra on the flight and don’t want to have to make another 2 hour call to question this.
- Refund status: I’m still waiting for someone from finance to call me – it’s been 6 days
Share your experience of this company here.
Flight Centre
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 13th April
- Cancellation Status: The flight had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email, phone and we also went into Flight Centre shop before lockdown started after the US imposed travel restrictions
- Outcome: The first 5 times of contacting them via email & phone we insisted every time we wanted a cash refund, they said they were only at liberty to provide what Iberia Air the flight carrier were offering policy wise. So we were offered changes of flights initially & then later a credit with Iberia which we refused right up until the cut off point of when we apparently had to ‘accept’ the credit or ‘we would lose it’ , which was the last working day before our departure date. On a call on that day we continued to refuse the credit, quoted EU legislation we found online saying we were eligible for cash back & maybe coincidentally (maybe not) they sent back an email an hour later finally caving & offering us a cash refund saying that Iberia Air has suddenly changed their policy allowing this. (We can’t find any reference to Iberia Air changing their policy online).
- Refund status: It will take 12 weeks to process so we haven’t got the cash yet but we’re happy they’ve committed to giving it to us.
- Extra details: People at Flight Centre were helpful & did respond promptly every time
- Thank you for sharing: Sophie!
- VOUCHER OFFERED – WAITING ON CANCELLATION
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 27th April
- Cancellation Status: My holiday has not been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email and phone
- Outcome: I was offered a voucher. I quoted my rights and was firm but friendly with the agent, who is sure as anything having a hard time as well.
- Refund status: They offered me a credit note but if I say or do nothing, I will get a cash refund after 12 weeks – so around 31st July. So, we haven’t got the cash yet but we’re happy they’ve committed to giving it to us. I was told to contact them again closer to my booking.
- Thank you for sharing: Anna!
Share your experience of this company here.
FlightHub
Your experiences
- REFUND MINUS PENALTY FEE OFFERED
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 23rd March 2020
- Cancellation Status: The flight had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email and phone
- Outcome: I was offered a refund minus $300 penalty per ticket for cancelling. I was told the airline was keeping the penalty and there was nothing they could do.
- Refund status: I have not been given my full refund
- Thank you for sharing: Scot!
Share your experience of this company here.
Gotogate
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 1st April 2020
- Cancellation Status: I’m not sure if my flight was cancelled
- Refund request method: Email and phone
- Outcome: I was told that I could have a refund but they would have to verify that Norwegian Air were refunding, and that would take 1-2 weeks. Since then – 15th March – silence.
- Refund status: They are not responding to anything. I have not received my refund.
- Thank you for sharing: Cody
Share your experience of this company here.
Great Value Vacations
Great Value Vacations have no reference to their COVID-19 return policy on their website. I have requested they do so ASAP.
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 1st April 2020
- Cancellation Status: I’m not sure if my flight was cancelled
- Refund request method: Email and phone
- Outcome: I was told that I could have a refund but they would have to verify that Norwegian Air were refunding, and that would take 1-2 weeks. Since then – 15th March – silence.
- Refund status: They are not responding to anything. I have not received my refund.
- Thank you for sharing: Cody
Share your experience of this company here.
Hilton Hotels
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 3rd April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My accommodation was not cancelled by the company
- Initial communication: T
- Refund request method: Website
- Outcome: I used the manage my booking option and the refund was processed with the click of a few buttons. The rate was non-refundable but Hilton have allowed these rates to be refunded.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 3 days
- Thank you for sharing: Stephanie!
Share your experience of this company here.
Hoseasons
What the Hoseasons website says about bookings impacted by COVID-19
Update: Hoseasons was featured on the Watchdog segment of BBC’s The One Show. Nancy got in touch to say:
“Me and three friends booked a four night break. Because of COVID-19 we were forced to cancel. How do we get a refund?”
After Watchdog got in touch, Hoseasons apologised to Nancy and agreed to give her a full refund.
This was on 15th April’s show at around 15 minutes in and is worth quoting as an example of a refund that has been processed.
Your experiences
- VOUCHER OFFERED
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 6th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My accommodation was not cancelled by the company
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I was offered a voucher where I have to book something by the end of August. They said they would only give a refund if I had taken out their cancellation insurance when I had booked it
- Refund status: I not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Bruce!
- REBOOKING OFFERED
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 6th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My accommodation was not cancelled by the company
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: We were told we could rebook and pay any price difference. They said they were trying to protect the holiday parks therefore refund was not an option unless we had purchased their cancellation insurance.
- Refund status: I not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Claire!
Share your experience of this company here.
Hotels.com
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 29th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My hotel had not been cancelled
- Outcome: No info for ages and then a link to refund the day before the stay.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 14 days
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 14th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My hotel had not been cancelled
- Outcome: We booked a hotel without free cancellation. Checked on the booking on the app on 31st March and it was offering cancellation with full refund or credit to value of booking valid for 12 months.
- Refund status: I have not received my refund yet
- Thank you for sharing: Michael!
Share your experience of this company here.
IHG
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Accommodation
- Start date: 15th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My accommodation was cancelled
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: IHG’s cancellation policy was updated quickly, allowing those booking direct to get refunds ‘til June end irrespective of status or booking terms. I emailed the hotel directly and got a refund confirmation promptly.
- Refund status: I received a refund within 14 days
- Thank you for sharing: Andrew!
Share your experience of this company here.
Jet2
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Package Holiday
- Start date: 8th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I was on hold for over an hour but I just persevered and when I finally got through, the lady couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful. Refund was arranged within 60 seconds and the money was in my account within 3 days.
- Refund status: I received the refund within 3 days
- Extra details: Received continued communication via email from jet2 just explaining the situation and our options
- Thank you for sharing: Patricia!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 3rd April 2020
- Cancellation Status: I’m not sure if my flight was cancelled
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I was told I could have a refund. It was very easy and helpful.
- Refund status: I received the refund within 3 days
- Thank you for sharing: Nick!
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Package Holiday
- Start date: 27th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone and social media
- Outcome: I was told I would have my refund with 7 days when I received an email on 19th March. No refund has been issued
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Martin!
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Package Holiday
- Start date: 9th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: Jet2 emailed us to say they would contact us near to departure date, that they were contacting people in departure date order. They were very helpful when they called us and we asked for refund. We were given options but decided to get the refund.
- Refund status: I haven’t received the refund yet but was told it would take up to 3 days
- Extra details: We’ll book with Jet2 again
- Thank you for sharing: ruggerrat!
- WAITING FOR CONTACT
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 17th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: They have offered a change of dates and I don’t have to pay a fare difference. They have asked me to update my contact details so they can get in touch with me closer to the date – hopefully to offer a refund but not sure yet!
- Refund status: I haven’t received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Leah!
- WAITING FOR CONTACT
- Booking type: Package Holiday
- Start date: 18th May 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: I was told to contact them again closer to my booking
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Jordan!
Share your experience of this company here.
Kiwi.com
Your experiences
- WAITING FOR CANCELLATION
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 21st May 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight has not been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email and social media
- Outcome: They have offered me a £9 refund if I cancel my flight or £10 off the cost of my total booking if I want to change it Even though the airline (Virgin) are offering free changes Kiwi won’t offer the same. If flight isn’t cancelled I won’t be able to claim on insurance and I’ll lose £480 because there’s no way I want to fly to LA next month
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Kel!
Share your experience of this company here.
loveholidays
What the loveholidays website says about bookings impacted by COVID-19
Update: loveholidays was featured on the Watchdog segment of BBC’s The One Show. A customer got in touch to say:
“I was meant to be going on a package holiday to Marrakesh on 29th March with loveholidays. I’ve only been offered a credit voucher, not including flights – they asked me to contact easyJet directly. What can I do?”
After Watchdog got in touch, they reported that “loveholidays said that under no circumstances will its customers lose any money as a result of cancelled holidays due to coronavirus. It said that it is committed to doing everything it can do to look after customers and is trying to get in touch with everyone as quickly as possible”.
This was on 15th April’s show at around 15 minutes in and is worth quoting as an example of a refund that has been processed.
Your experiences
- CREDIT CARD CHARGEBACK PENDING
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 3rd May 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday has not been cancelled
- Refund request method: Webchat
- Outcome: I was told to contact them again closer to my booking but their social media suggests that even people whose travel dates have now passed have not been contacted or are struggling to get refunds or vouchers. We decided not to risk it and went straight for a chargeback on our American Express credit card. We had to answer a series of questions, one of which asked if it was COVID related. When we submitted it said our case had been reviewed, was successful and the credit would be on our next statement.
- Refund status: Our credit will appear on our next statement
- Extra details: I was told that they were offering refunds but only to NHS, police or army. Also told there was no way to put me in contact with a manager and that someone will phone me eventually.
- Thank you for sharing: Alexandra!
- WAITING TO BE CONTACTED
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 12th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email, Social Media, Webchat
- Outcome: I was told I could have a voucher. Customer services were useless – it’s not their fault, they can only do what they’ve been told to but the agent just terminated our conversation. I promise I wasn’t being awful to them! I also complained to Alex Frances, CEO of loveholidays.
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
- Extra details: I was told that they were offering refunds but only to NHS, police or army. Also told there was no way to put me in contact with a manager and that someone will phone me eventually.
- Thank you for sharing: maireadjanette!
Share your experience of this company here.
Ryanair
What the Ryanair website says about bookings impacted by COVID-19
Update: Ryanair have been pretty good at giving people an online refund option – or so it seems. Around the weekend of 18th April, many people who opted for this received a voucher instead. Grrr. In reference to a cash refund, this is what it now says online:
‘You can request a cash refund however bear in mind we will place your request in the cash refund queue until the COVID-19 emergency has passed”
Which, given that no one knows when it will have ‘passed’, this ties your refund up for an indefinite period.
If you’re happy to settle for that option, Krista recommended using their web chat to ask for your voucher to be cancelled and request the refund once again. She also found that she got through to someone on this very easily early on a weekday morning. Thanks Krista!
Ryanair have also been instructing people on Twitter to DM them with the following information regarding this issue:
– Type “Booking Reference” and include 6 digit reference code
– Full name of the passengers
– Route, date and time
– The email entered in the booking
– 4 last digits of the credit card which was used to pay for the booking
From my understanding, this is likely to just put you in this refund queue for after COVID-19 has passed however I have seen on Twitter today that Which? and Martin Lewis are reaching out to customers experiencing these issues so I’ll be watching them closely to see where they get with this!
Mini update: Martin Lewis has said that they will look into reporting the issue to CAA and trading standards.
Due to all of this, I haven’t published any of the accounts that say they’re waiting on a refund as I assume that many are now in this voucher bound turmoil! Please do let me know on either Instagram or Twitter if you have received one.
Your experiences
- VOUCHER OFFERED
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 26th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight has been cancelled
- Initial communication: I was told I could have a refund
- Refund request method: Email and phone
- Outcome: Ryanair cancelled our flights and gave us an option to apply for a refund which at the time was supposed to be addressed within 7 days. Understandably this did not happen and to be fair they did send an email explaining this was due to demand and limited staff resource. Today they sent an email to offer a voucher which would last 12 months. On the email there was a link highlighted if you would rather have a refund and this led to a Q&A page which took some scrolling to find the information. This information turned out to be very much pushing us to accept the voucher and said that refunds would only be considered after the COVID-19 crisis was over. Which obviously has no current end date.
- Refund status: I have not received my refund
- Thank you for sharing: Emily!
- REBOOKING OFFERED
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 15th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight was not cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: They say that although the country weren’t letting any flights in (and the plane would’ve been turned around) they didn’t cancel the flight so it should’ve still gone. They also are putting pressure on us to rebook and pay the difference on the spot without allowing us to see if there’s anything else that could be done.
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Laura!
Share your experience of this company here.
STA Travel
Your experiences
- VOUCHER OFFERED
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 28th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email, phone and social media
- Outcome: STA were unwilling to budge, despite the airline we were due to fly with offering full refunds. We were offered a voucher.
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Rob!
- VOUCHER OFFERED
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 11th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email and Phone
- Outcome: I was offered a voucher and I’m still waiting for it. I was told if I didn’t accept voucher I would have been classed as a no show so felt pressured to accept as I had paid a lot of money and couldn’t afford to lose it.
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
Share your experience of this company here.
TUI
What the TUI website says about bookings impacted by COVID-19
TUI has now cancelled all package holidays due to commence up until 11th June 2020.
Your experiences
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 20th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I was due to fly quite early in the Corona outbreak, 20th March. Over the weekend- Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March, things started to seem much more serious and the FCO advised against travelling to my destination. Very soon after they advised against all travel but at this stage my destination was one of the few listed. I called TUI on Monday 16th as I was due to fly on the Friday. They advised that my flight would not be going ahead and the money would go back onto my card in 3-10 working days. On the 10th working day and with no refund, I called again. I was waiting for 90 minutes to speak this time around (the first time I called it wasn’t long at all). They said refunds were taking longer and they could not give me a timeframe. They haven’t sent anything in writing so I am dubious as to wether they will refund me.
- Refund status: I have not received a refund – it’s now been 4 weeks since my initial phone call and the advice of 3 to 10 working days for a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Shauna!
- REFUND PROCESSING
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 2nd May 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday was cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone – they rang me
- Outcome: I had seen a lot of people complaining to TUI online so was a bit worried about getting my money back on this one. They asked people not to contact them as they would be in touch. They called today 14-04-20 and went though my options, as listed above I asked for a refund and she said she would process it today and should take 2-3 days to reach my account
- Refund status: I have not received a refund yet
- WAITING TO BE CONTACTED
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 20th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone and social media
- Outcome: It took 2 hours to get through and I was cut off immediately then a further an hour and a half. I was told they would be in touch but other people are a priority for now. I’m no further along and I’m supposed to fly in 7 days. I can’t reschedule the holiday for next year as it’s not available yet, and reluctant to travel long haul this year as I think travel will be up in the air.
- Refund status: I have not received a refund
- Thank you for sharing: Stef!
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Virgin Atlantic
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 12th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: The fight had been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone
- Outcome: I had flights from LHR-JFK-SEA-JFK-MAN booked. I have Gold status with Virgin so I phoned them on the Gold number. They were extremely helpful, quick to respond and I got a choice of rescheduled flights, a voucher or a refund.
- Refund status: I received my refund within 7 days
- Thank you for sharing: Andrew!
- REFUND PENDING
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 16th April 2020
- Cancellation Status: The flight has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Text
- Outcome: They have offered a change of dates and a voucher. I used Virgin’s text service. Successfully requested a refunded but was told it would take up to 90 days to come through.
- Refund status: I have not received a refund yet
- Thank you for sharing: sophieshearer11!
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Virgin Holidays
Your experiences
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Package holiday
- Start date: 29th March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My holiday has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Phone, WhatsApp and SMS
- Outcome: I was on hold for four hours and then cut off. WhatsApp never had a response despite 4 messages over the course of 3 weeks. SMS best result, I got a result in 4 days.
- Refund status: I haven’t received a refund yet but was told it could take 45 days
- Thank you for sharing: karlarcooper!
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Wizzair
Your experiences
- VOUCHER OFFERED – WAITING TO CONVERT TO CASH
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 31st March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: They gave me voucher credit. The only way to contact them is through a call centre which charges extortionate amounts but I think they are setting up a new complaints system to start on the 14th April so I’m waiting for that to hear about how long it will take my voucher to be changed to cash – I have had no confirmation so far and voucher credit has left my account with nothing come into my bank.
- Thank you for sharing: Abby!
- SUCCESSFUL REFUND
- Booking type: Flight
- Start date: 31st March 2020
- Cancellation Status: My flight has been cancelled
- Refund request method: Email
- Outcome: They gave me voucher credit. The only way to contact them is through a call centre which charges extortionate amounts but I think they are setting up a new complaints system to start on the 14th April so I’m waiting for that to hear about how long it will take my voucher to be changed to cash – I have had no confirmation so far and voucher credit has left my account with nothing come into my bank.
- Thank you for sharing: Abby!
Share your experience of this company here.
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1 thought on “Travel customers share their successful coronavirus refund stories”
I booked a trip with One Travel using Affirm to pay for 2 tickets-monthly payments which worked for me paid up in January 2020-booked in August 2019 for Grand Cayman on 4/27-5/8/2020. Of course COVID has caused Cayman Airways to cancel all flights and the island is shut down. I have been trying for the month to get a repsonse for a refund-however I dealt with One travel, Cayman Airways says One travel must refund me as they were my “travel agent” Can’t get through on any of their phone lines, Wrote a bad review on Consumer Affairs- got a return call, but didnt recognize the number, let it go to voicemail, unable to get through to anyone since. AND they have my email wrong! Less than a week to go I figure a voucher, credit SOMETHING would be ideal-which I figure is their way to give me what THEY want to give me. I will never use this company again. I will contact the Better Business Bureau the Las Vegas Nevada board, and I am out $641 for 2 tickets + their fees and interest-$800.GONE. KARMA thats all I can say.