Advertisement
Whether you’re looking to reschedule, or cancel altogether, these resources can help you protect the money you’ve already put down.
Whether it’s a trip you booked months ago, or a last-minute deal you snagged when news coverage of the coronavirus was still just a faint rumble, travelling at this time is not an option. The Canadian border is now officially closed to all but essential travel, so that trip to Cuba will have to wait.
In the meantime, if you booked a trip that was supposed to happen in April or May—or even beyond—and are afraid of losing everything you paid for, don’t worry: I got you. Together, let’s look at what can be done to get the refunds you need or at least postpone your trip to when it will be safer to travel again.
Will you be able to get a refund on your travel booking? The first step is to check whether the airline you booked with will issue a refund during this global pandemic. If it does, great! Problem solved. If it doesn’t, don’t panic.
Some major airlines, like Delta, will automatically transform your flight into credit that can be used in the future; some require you to take a certain action to ensure your travel booking can be transferred to a future date.
It’s up to you to check with the airline you booked with. A good place to start is on their website (especially because there are long wait times to reach representatives via phone).
You’re very likely to get some kind of compensation. For example, Air Canada has posted this message on their website:
“If you made a flight booking before March 31st, 2020, and you want to cancel it, you can do so with no cancellation fee. You will receive full credit, which you can use towards future travel. This credit is valid for travel before March 31st, 2021.”
Whether you can reasonably expect a refund is a bit, well, up in the air, as the duration of this shutdown, and its economic consequences on both airline customers and the airlines themselves, fall into question.
Under normal circumstances, the Canadian Transportation Agency’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations require airlines to refund your airfare, plus an inconvenience fee, if your flight is cancelled for a reason that’s within the airline’s control—for example, consolidating two flights into one for the sake of efficiency.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic is happening outside anyone’s control, and while the CTA is still your go-to resource in the case of a dispute with an airline, its website states:
“On the one hand, passengers who have no prospect of completing their planned itineraries with an airline’s assistance should not simply be out-of-pocket for the cost of cancelled flights. On the other hand, airlines facing huge drops in passenger volumes and revenues should not be expected to take steps that could threaten their economic viability.
“While any specific situation brought before the CTA will be examined on its merits, the CTA believes that, generally speaking, an appropriate approach in the current context could be for airlines to provide affected passengers with vouchers or credits for future travel, as long as these vouchers or credits do not expire in an unreasonably short period of time (24 months would be considered reasonable in most cases).
“The CTA will continue to provide information, guidance, and services to passengers and airlines as we make our way through this challenging period.”
As with air travel, hotels’ and other accommodations’ policies on cancellations, rescheduling and refunds vary. Reports indicate that most places are issuing refunds and closing down until further notice. In fact, people I spoke to who had a trip booked in the next few weeks told me that their hotel cancelled on them, so there was no action needed on their part.
If your hotel doesn’t make the first move to cancel, it is advisable to call them as much in advance of your planned stay as you can to let them know that your flight was cancelled and that you won’t be able to travel. Always be polite and friendly when you get a representative on the phone; that will increase your chances for a refund and great treatment in return.
If you made hotel reservations through Booking.com, start by contacting the property you booked with directly, to see if they can set you up with a refund, or give you a credit to use at a later date; Booking.com requests that you try going this route as a first step. However, if you don’t have any luck dealing directly with the hotel, reach out to the Booking.com Help Center online. (I’ve had several problems with properties I reserved on Booking.com in the past, and when there were misunderstandings, concerns or issues, Booking.com’s customer service team always helped to resolve them.)
If you booked through Airbnb, take comfort: They announced in March that all bookings with check-in dates of April 14 or sooner can be cancelled and refunded without fees or extra costs.
Aggregator sites have been pretty lenient during this pandemic.
If you booked through Expedia, you’ll need to fill out this form to get a refund, whether it’s for a flight or a hotel. If your airline doesn’t want to issue a refund directly, but you booked through Expedia, it’s worth clicking their Contact Us button and asking if they can help.
Here is a list of specific cancellation and refund measures, based on the country where you were going to travel to.
If you find yourself faced with travel or accommodation provider that isn’t playing fair, reach out to these organization, which exist to are companies exist to help you in unpleasant situations, including: TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario); and the Travel arm of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
As worried and stressed as you may be right now, please remember that customer service representatives, at the end of the day, are just people. And right now, they are likely even more stressed and concerned about the current situation. The calmer and kinder you are, the bigger your chances of getting your refunds promptly.
There is no other way to put it: this is a terrifying time to be alive. It’s safe to say that no one ever imagined 2020 would start with a global pandemic that is taking the world by storm and infecting people every day. But we can do something to reverse this: we can self-isolate, follow what health officials say, and protect ourselves and others. Staying home is the right thing to do. Remember that you’re very likely to get your money back, and tick that amazing trip off your bucket list later this year.
MORE ABOUT TRAVEL STRATEGY:
Share this article Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Share on Reddit Share on Email
Here’s how to get your free ticket to attend the MoneyShow virtual expo.
Created By
Zensurance
Learn how to get mental health support in Canada, whether or not you have workplace benefits or insurance coverage.
Why Canadians are still feeling the squeeze of high food costs, and what to do about it.
The Trump effect and Trumponomics, Shopify’s huge earnings beat, it’s sunny days for Suncor shareholders and more.
Each of these cards offers a suite of features to help you worry less on your next trip, from...
From redeemable points to cold hard cash, these credit cards offer big rewards on your everyday spending.
These cards offer super-low introductory rates for balance transfers.
Air Canada’s policy looks good on their site and from what you quoted but upon asking about it for a trip to San Juan I was supposed to take with my family Mar. 14-Mar. 22, I was informed that there is a ticket validity period of one year and because I booked my ticket on Apr. 4 last year I only have until Apr. 4 of this year to postpone my travel. And by postpone they mean I need to start my travel by Apr. 4 of this year. So all in all, no credit or refund on our Economy Basic tickets. Their policy is misleading by telling people they can get a credit for future travel.
You have quite a few errors here. When it comes to Canadian law. please contact the Travel industry Council of Ontario to get some of this corrected. We’re going to clutter a lot of courts and a lot of people will give up their right to a credit in order to chase something that may or may not come their way many years later. While it may appear to be a technicality the airlines did not cancel the flights they were told not to fly and therefore are not responsible to get back cash but indeed give credits. Please fact check before you get the stuff out.
Due to the large volume of comments we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond directly to each one. We invite you to email your question to [email protected], where it will be considered for a future response by one of our expert columnists. For personal advice, we suggest consulting with your financial institution or a qualified advisor.
We had a great trip planned to Portugal and Spain in May of this year. Unfortunately we booked many of our nights with VRBO. We have contacted each owner at least 45 days in advance to say that we would like to rebook next year and if it was possible to receive a credit to use for then. One has been agreeable to these terms, but the rest are not. We have lost over $1,000 due to booking with VRBO, which we will not use in the future. Be warned!
If you booked with your travel agent, reach out to them as they have all of the up to date information and can handle the issues for you! In most cases, if you bought travel insurance prior to March 5th you may also be covered.
I BOOK AN ALL INCLUSIVE TO MEXICO WITH AIR TRANSAT FOR THE 27TH OF MAY DEPARTING FROM MONTREAL, THEY ARE OFFERING A CREDIT FOR 24 MONTHS. BUT I WOULD PREFER A REFUND AS I WILL PROBABVLY NOT BE TRAVELLING AGAIN FOR A FEW YEARS..
I booked a trip to Germany and have already paid $1000. towards the cost of the trip. On March 1st, we were advised to buy cancellation insurance. Our trip was scheduled for July. On March 23rd, we were notified that the trip was cancelled for this year but postponed until 2022. We were offered the option of leaving our deposit with the travel agent or get our money back. The travel agent is only offering us the return of $500.00 if we cancel completely. How does cancellation insurance work when the proposed trip is cancelled/postponed? I have read through my policy from CAA but did not find clarification.
I am very frustrated and have been trying for two months to cancel flight reservations to Israel that I paid for with my points. When I call Expedia for TD the recording keeps saying if the flight isn’t with the next 7 days don’t bother them. Go on line to fill out a form. So far can’t find the form or anyone to help me.
We booked a trip in Dec 2019 for Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Our trip was cancelled due to the Coronavirus. We paid travel insurance and we are only offered vouchers. We are 71 yrs old and we don’t know whether our health will allow us to travel at a later date. My husband is losing his eyesight and perhaps will lose sight of an eye by 2 yrs. we want our money back now as we want it to be our choice if we can still go in 2 yrs. How do we get reimbursed?
I booked a flight from Expedia forTD. Hotel was reimbursed and we received flight vouchers. However, when the protection plan was cancelled, I expected a credit for $350 but it wasn’t issued. Expedia said that the Insurance won’t credit them so they can’t credit us. Both Expedia and AIG are saying that I cancelled it more than 15 days after I booked it. Even though I say that obviously I wouldn’t be cancelling under normal circumstances but neither are taking responsibility. Do I lose my money?
We booked a fishing trip in the Queen Charlotte islands. Flights were cancelled and our guests were coming from out of country. Vendor is saying they will only refund 75% of our booking or we can reschedule for 2021. We r not sure when our guests can come to canada. How do we get our money back? Any suggestions?
WRONG – Airbnb in Ontario, Canada is not readily giving refunds due to Coronavirus! I meet all the criteria for a full refund on July cottage rental, but they won’t respond to me. Upon booking I wasn’t given an option to pay half, therefore they charged me full which is over $2,800.00 and now not honouring their claim regarding Coronavirus extenuating circumstances policy. The Airbnb website is all false talk and no action. I’m on fixed income and cannot afford to lose this money.
Please help me in anyway possible. I purchased a package with a travel agency and they have refunded me flight only and offering future credit for all other fees. They verbally promised us a full refund for which we have call recordings. We have no idea which hotels or vendors they booked our travel with so cannot inquire into it. We brought the case up with Tico and they said they cannot enforce them. We lost our job and are in the hole for over $5000. But can’t afford legal council. They are not good business and even if we could travel we can’t trust to ever deal with them because they lie about everything.
A
Please help provide any guidance, council or assistance you can.
Thank you sincerely in advance
Due to the large volume of comments we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond directly to each one. We invite you to email your question to [email protected], where it will be considered for a future response by one of our expert columnists. For personal advice, we suggest consulting with your financial institution or a qualified advisor.
I booked a trip with a group for March but it was cancelled because of COVID. I purchased travel insurance. I have been trying to get my money back but they keep denying me. The travel agency offers me vouchers but I got travel insurance and should be able to get my money back. Been trying since April and manulife keeps denying me. What’s the next step to get my money back.
I’ll never use Expedia again. My flight last July to Iceland was cancelled due to Covid and I received a credit from Expedia for $3,500. Then when I go to rebook ANY flight for Icelandair Expedia tells me my credit is not applicable to ANY flight they offer and they will keep my $3,500. Lesson learned.
Has anyone got a refund from United Airways? They are refusing my request
We booked a trip in December 2019 to go on vacation May 2020 with travel insurance. Our insurance was refunded and we were told we will get a voucher with no expiration. At this time our group is unsure we will want to travel again given the circumstances. We just want a refund!!!
The company in which I booked my vacation (October 2020) cancelled the trip due to the Covid pandemic (the trip was booked pre-Covid).
No refund would be given, but a credit to be used within 24 months of the original travel time. Since, the credit duration has been extended (which I appreciate).
My concern… I have less than $1,000 to spend on a vacation at a future date, but with the increase in travel costs, rates that resorts are charging, the added insurance and Covid insurance, etc, this is not what I initially paid for and now I will be out of pocket for additional expenses (as will many).
What regulations can be put in place to secure that those who booked pre-Covid will be assured the same vacation experience that they had originally scheduled without having to be out of pocket by hundreds of dollars to get what they initially paid for?
I understand that it has been trying times for many, but what protection is there for the consumer?
I purchased an “all Inclusive trip” with Red Tag Vacations. A month before departure Red Tag informed me that the trip is cancelled due to pandemic and they offered a full re-found (re-imbursed in 6 weeks) . By checking the agency web page the same trip is still available at a different date but with triple the price I payed.
In this situation I think I am intitled for compensation.
Please advise.