Online Holiday Bookings to Get Better Protection

• Will be protected if a company fails or flights cancelled due to weather
• Can claim money back on debit and credit cards
• Start from July

Holidaymakers who book trips online will soon get greater protection if something goes wrong.

More types of holidays will be covered by consumer rules, under new measures coming to force in July, the Government said.

This comes after it was revealed that holidaymakers were scammed out of £6.7million last year.

Travel industry mody, Abta, believes half of holidays are currently not financially protected if a company fails.

Last year when company Monarch went into administration, if bookings were not Atol protected and made on a debit card, these customers lost their money.

However with the new protections, they would have been covered and got a refund.

These new rules will help to “close this gap”, according to the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.

Mark Tanzer, Abta Chief Executive, said, “Package holidays offer the best form of protection: not only are you entitled to a refund or to be brought home should your travel company go out of business, but you also benefit from additional legal protection.”

Package holidays- when travel and accommodation are booked together- carry legal protections, such as the right to a refund if bad weather stops the holiday from happening.

Other types of holiday bookings will be classed as packages under the new rules, so this will give customers extra protection, regardless of if they book online, and what their payment method is.

Andrew Griffiths, Consumer Minister, said, “When we book a package holiday we expect it to all go according to plan, but if a company goes bust it can ruin more than just the holiday, leaving people out of pocket, or even stranded.

“These new rules mean that internet explorers can book their holidays online, secure in the knowledge they will be compensated in the same way as someone who booked their holidays through a travel agent.”

As the Pound has grown stronger against other currencies, it is expected that more Brits will be heading on holiday this year, so these protections could be needed.

Do you think these protections are a good idea? Let us know in the comments.