Bank transfer payment

[Georgyporky]

We've found the holiday we want for Feb/March.
Just what we were looking for, & the price is better than some of the big-name companies are quoting - over £6k.

However, we are dealing with an independent travel agent - we're both in UK. They are ATOL protected, but not ABTA.
When we tried to book, they stated bank transfer only. I wanted the protection of a credit card, but was prepared to accept a debit card payment. They refused to budge, & DH & I are, erm, debating the matter.
What do you think, please?

YABU - make the booking, money & holiday are quite safe.
YANBU - It's potentially a dodgy deal & we could lose the money

@Georgyporky who is it with?
And what is it, maybe someone can suggest an alternative operator?

Nooooooo

Definitely don’t go for this

What was the name of that travel company that did this to all those people with Disney holidays last year? They'd been going about 3 or 4 years so lots of people were using them for a second or third time, only did bank transfers, ran off with something like half a million.

If you can pay a small deposit on a credit card, that will protect the whole amount even if they won't accept the rest.

Or look into what ATOL protection gets you, it may be sufficient, I'm not sure exactly what this is, there are regulations if you buy flights and accommodation at the same time from the same supplier, you are entitled to the same protection as a traditional package, but I don't know if this helps at all.

Wouldn’t touch it with a 10ft barge pole.

No chance always credit card .a friend of mine still hasn’t got her money back from holiday cancelled by covid in first lockdown she paid bank transfer .

Small independents when we book let us use the credit card but they added a fee for using it.

To update everyone who has been kind enough to comment.

There was no option to pay any other way than bank transfer, which was the major red flag for me.

I ran a mile - with DH rather reluctantly following.

I got in touch with a local independent travel agent to see what they could offer.
The upshot is that as well as the bank transfer & non-ABTA issues, O***l were apparently offering a cruise on a boat that is not sailing that journey at that time !!!
Bastards. I'd like to report them to prevent others from falling from the scam, but don't know to whom.
I tried ActionFraud, but they want to know everything about ME.
So tedious, so I gave up.

It's a non negotiable for me to be able to pay at least part of a holiday on a credit card.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet.