Since March travel plans have been thrown up in the air (pun intended) and while we may be itching to get on that plane, the dilemma is ‘to book, or not to book?’
The answer – as with most things this year – is it’s complicated. For those who want to take that chance to jet off to sunnier planes, here’s our guide to your rights – and what you can do if your plans get thrown into chaos. We’ll be keeping an eye on the situation so check back to this page for updates as changes to travel plans may continue to develop.
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has now advised against ‘all but essential travel’ to mainland Portugal (excluding the Azores and Madeira), Hungary, Reunion and French Polynesia.
If you are returning from any of these countries to England or Wales after 4am Saturday 12 September, you will be required to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive. If you are returning to Scotland this also includes the Azores and Madeira.
If you are already in these countries, there is currently no government advice stating you should return home early.
If those already in these countries took out insurance before travelling, then they’re still likely to be covered under the terms of their policy for most ‘claimable’ incidents. However, if you’ve got a holiday coming up, your insurance is likely to be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice.
If your airline or operator cancels your flight or holiday you are entitled to a refund within seven days for flights or 14 days for package holidays.
If your holiday is not cancelled, but the new restrictions mean you don’t want to go, contact your airline or tour operator as soon as possible. You may get the option to amend the date but be prepared to negotiate and explain your circumstances as firms don’t automatically have to refund you for holidays still going ahead.
Sweden has now been added to the government’s exemption list, meaning that from 4am Saturday 12 September you will be able to travel with the need to quarantine when you arrive back into the UK.
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has now advised against ‘all but essential travel’ to the following Greek islands
Lesvos
Tinos
Serifos
Mykonos
Crete
Santorini
Zakynthos
Mainland Greece and other islands not on the list above are still exempt from this advice.
If you are already in these islands there is currently no advice to return home early to the UK.
If you are returning to England: you will need to quarantine for 14 days if you are returning from the above islands after 4am on Wednesday 9 September.
If you are returning to Scotland: you will need to quarantine for 14 days if you are returning from Greece
If you are returning to Wales: you will need to quarantine for 14 days if you are returning from Mykonos, Zakynthos, Lesvos, Paros and Antiparos and Crete after 4am on Wednesday 9 September.
If those already in these islands took out insurance before travelling, then they’re still likely to be covered under the terms of their policy for most ‘claimable’ incidents. However, if you’ve got a holiday coming up, your insurance is likely to be invalidated if you travel against FCO advice.
If your airline or operator cancels your flight or holiday you are entitled to a refund within seven days for flights or 14 days for package holidays.
If your holiday is not cancelled, but the new restrictions mean you don’t want to go, contact your airline or tour operator as soon as possible. You may get the option to amend the date but be prepared to negotiate and explain your circumstances as firms don’t automatically have to refund you for holidays still going ahead.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has now confirmed that it is warning against ‘all but essential travel’ to Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Jamaica. If you are returning from any of these countries to England or Scotland after 4am Saturday 29 August, you will be required to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive.
If you are already in these countries, there is currently no government advice stating you should return home early.
If those already in these countries took out insurance before travelling, then they’re still likely to be covered under the terms of their policy for most ‘claimable’ incidents. However, if you’ve got a holiday coming up, your insurance is likely to be invalidated if you travel against FCO advice.
If your airline or operator cancels your flight or holiday you are entitled to a refund within seven days for flights or 14 days for package holidays.
If your holiday is not cancelled, but the new restrictions mean you don’t want to go, contact your airline or tour operator as soon as possible. You may get the option to amend the date but be prepared to negotiate and explain your circumstances as firms don’t automatically have to refund you for holidays still going ahead.
The Government has now confirmed that from 4am 29 August 2020 Cuba has been removed from the list of countries where ‘all but essential travel’ is advised. This also means that after this date, those arriving into the UK from Cuba will not have to quarantine for 14 days on their return. However, before planning your holiday, be aware that you can fly into Cuba as a tourist to Cayo Coco, Cayo Cruz or Cayo Guillermo (served by Jardines del Rey airport); Cayo Santa Maria (flying into Santa Clara airport); or Cayo Largo del Sur.
You will be subject to a temperature check and an antigen test but there are currently no quarantine requirements on arrival into the above airports.
Before returning to the UK from Cuba you’ll need to complete a contact details form no earlier than 48 hours before you arrive.
If you’re thinking about booking your holiday to Cuba, remember travel restrictions are changing all the time. If you are looking to book a holiday it is worth contacting your airline or travel provider before you do and being very clear on terms and conditions should the situation change. If you are happy with what you are being offered, ask it to put these terms in writing.
The Government has now confirmed that from 4am 22 August 2020 Portugal (including Madeira, Porto Santo and the Azores) has been removed from the list of countries where ‘all but essential travel’ is advised. This also means that after this date, those arriving into the UK from Portugal will not have to quarantine for 14 days on their return.
If you are now planning a holiday to Portugal, be aware that upon entering the country you may still be subject to a health screening, and if you are traveling to Madeira, Porto Santo or the Azores, you must take a COVID-19 test either before you travel or when you arrive.
Before returning to the UK from Portugal you’ll need to complete a contact details form no earlier than 48 hours before you arrive.
It’s obviously tempting to think about Portugal as a place to escape on holiday but remember, as we have seen with those travelling to Spain and France, travel restrictions are changing all the time, and are often leaving travellers out of pocket. If you are looking to book a holiday it is worth contacting your airline or travel provider before you do and being very clear on terms and conditions should the situation change. If you are happy with what you are being offered, ask it to put these terms in writing.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has now confirmed that it is warning against ‘all but essential travel’ to Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago. If you are returning from any of these countries to England or Scotland after 4am Saturday 22 August, you will be required to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive.
If you are already in Croatia, Austria or Trinidad & Tobago, there is currently no government advice stating you should return home early.
If those already in these countries took out insurance before travelling, then they’re still likely to be covered under the terms of their policy for most ‘claimable’ incidents. However, if you’ve got a holiday coming up, your insurance is likely to be invalidated if you travel against FCO advice.
If your airline or operator cancels your flight or holiday you are entitled to a refund within seven days for flights or 14 days for package holidays.
If your holiday is not cancelled, but the new restrictions mean you don’t want to go, contact your airline or tour operator as soon as possible. You may get the option to amend the date but be prepared to negotiate and explain your circumstances as firms don’t automatically have to refund you for holidays still going ahead.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued advice warning ‘against all but essential travel’ to France, Malta, the Netherlands, Aruba, Monaco and Turks and Caicos Islands, with those arriving back into the UK from these countries now being told they have to quarantine for 14 days when they return from 4am on 15 August.
If those already in these countries took out insurance before travelling, then they’re still likely to be covered under the terms of their policy for most ‘claimable’ incidents. However, if you’ve got a holiday coming up, your insurance is likely to be invalidated if you travel against FCO advice.
If your airline or operator cancels your flight or holiday you are entitled to a refund within seven days for flights or 14 days for package holidays.
If your holiday is not cancelled, but the new restrictions mean you don’t want to go, contact your airline or tour operator as soon as possible. You may get the option to amend the date but be prepared to negotiate and explain your circumstances as firms don’t automatically have to refund you for holidays still going ahead.
From 27 July 2020, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued advice warning ‘against all but essential travel’ to Spain, with those arriving back into the UK from Spain now being told they have to quarantine for 14 days when they return.
If those already in Spain – now including the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands – took out insurance before travelling, then they’re still likely to be covered under the terms of their policy for most ‘claimable’ incidents. However, if you’ve got a holiday coming up, your insurance may be invalidated if you travel against FCO advice.
Some travel firms are already cancelling or offering the choice for passengers to amend upcoming flights or package holidays to Spain. If the airline or operator cancels your flight or holiday you are entitled to a refund within seven days for flights or 14 days for package holidays. We know however that many are not getting their money back within this timeframe.
If your holiday is not cancelled, but the new restrictions mean you don’t want to go, contact your airline or tour operator as soon as possible. You may get the option to amend the date but be prepared to negotiate and explain your circumstances as firms don’t automatically have to refund you for holidays still going ahead.
Travellers now having to go into quarantine on arrival back to the UK (for 14 days starting the day after you arrive) will not be automatically entitled to statutory sick pay if they cannot work from home while they are in insolation – unless you have contracted the virus and are ill with symptoms.
Refund, insurance – or alternative?
If you book a holiday now, it’s fair to say you are the one bearing the risk. Your fundamental consumer rights remain unchanged but there are many situations people are facing where it’s not clear where – or how – you can get your money back.
It’s very important that you check booking terms and conditions before you commit – and take copies of them. You may find you can ask for an alternative date or a voucher (or even a refund) as part of the company’s own terms if you can’t travel.
New travel insurance policies will almost certainly have exclusions for Covid-19 related claims, but a policy should still cover you for non-Covid related illness or injury abroad, or if you have to cancel if for example, you are made redundant.
If you book now, but then nearer the time you decide you don’t want to go, you will not be able to get a refund from your provider – and nor will you be able to claim it elsewhere, such as your travel insurance. Click the links below to find out where you may stand.
If your provider (airline or travel firm) cancels your flight or holiday then you are, as you have always been, entitled to a refund. That’s the law. For flights, refunds should be with you within seven days, or for packaged holidays within 14 days, though we know this is not happening in many cases.
You won’t be automatically entitled to receive a refund, but if you explain the situation to your provider they may offer one – or instead a voucher or alternative date for your holiday. As we have seen in Leicester local lockdowns can come with little warning so providers may be sympathetic – and they of course will want to encourage spending on tourism. If you get stuck, and you have a travel insurance in place already it’s worth checking your policy term as you may be covered if you’re unable to travel.
It’s worth speaking to your airline or tour operator in this instance to see if they will move your holiday, as it’s unlikely you’ll receive a straightforward refund. There is potentially the option to claim on your travel insurance as it will be unforeseen circumstances and you booked in good faith that you would be able to travel and experience your holiday. However, if you have a new travel insurance policy, it may not cover for any Covid-19 related incidents other than medical situations – check your insurer’s policy terms and if you’re unsure, contact them before you book.
If your holiday is quarantine-free but you’re now required to quarantine when you get back to the UK, then contact your employer if you are in work to discuss the situation, as you won’t automatically be entitled to statutory sick pay unless you fall ill.
Speak to your airline or tour operator in this instance to see if they will refund or move your holiday – but be aware that there is no automatic right to get your money back. You can look to claim on your travel insurance but check your policy terms first as it may not cover – or give full cover – for this type of situation.
Part cancellations
It can be particularly frustrating if one part of your holiday has been cancelled but not the other – and you may be left with a lot of confusion over what you can and can’t do in terms of refunds or claims. Click the links below to get the latest advice.
There’s been instances of outbound flights being cancelled but not return flights. Logically if you can’t fly out then you can’t ‘use’ your return flight, and if you booked the flights together as a round trip, on the same booking reference then you should get your money back for both flights.
We’re hearing examples of holidays which are ‘partly’ cancelled – such as flights not running but accommodation remaining open. If this is part of a package holiday then you would be entitled to a refund, but if flights, accommodation or excursions were booked separately then it’s likely you’ll only be able to get a refund for the cancelled part. That said, it’s worth contacting providers to see if they’ll move the date for you.
Be careful of defaulting to section 75
If you’re due a refund and your provider is not playing ball, then you can fall to chargeback or section 75 – where you can claim for the cash against your credit card provider. However, many more people are defaulting to this and we predict that credit card companies will simply say ‘enough’. This will particularly be the case for holidays booked now as it can be said that you were aware of the risks to your travel plans before you booked.
For full details of your rights with flight delays and cancellations take a look at our guide. And if you want to make a complaint or a claim because you’re due a refund or you feel you’ve been treated unfairly, use Resolver for free.
