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Can holiday co take full balance from credit card?
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 12:43
I’ve booked a holiday for May half term, which obvs won’t happen. I don’t think my insurance covers it. The final balance is due soon and I don’t want to pay it, I’m resigned to losing the deposit. The hol co keep sending me aggressive emails saying if I cancel their full cancellation terms apply (it’s in Europe!). This is 90pc. I’ve paid 25pc. Can they take it from my credit card?
BeatsV · 18/03/2020 12:46
I would have a look on moneysavingexpert.com and ring the credit card company as well to see if they’ll put a stop on it for now. You could even report the card lost?
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 12:50
Actually was on hold to them. They can take it but they think if i cancel the card they can’t. They’re just checking. Will update for others in this situation.
Camouflage · 18/03/2020 13:08
According to the travel expert on This Morning, he said you should still pay any outstanding balance on booked holidays as this is the only way you can claim the money back (through the bank if not insurance). If you don't pay in full, they take that as you cancelling and you won't be able to claim anything.
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 13:11
That’s why I’m getting a ton of ‘ you can always cancel but the terms apply’ emails, they want me to cancel! Aha! Thanks. Guess will pay and see what happens then.
Itsjustmee · 18/03/2020 13:12
In the past I have been in a similar situation and i reported that I have lost the card / report it stolen not just ask for a new one
That way you get a completely new card number and exp date and code on the back
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 13:12
I’ll try and put a claim in but I can’t work out if insurance covers it or not and obviously can’t get through to them.
Itsjustmee · 18/03/2020 13:17
Where is that you are going
Most of the travel insurance won’t pay out if you just cancel
Most wont pay out if the FCO says you can’t travel
They expect you to get a refund from the company you have booked with
lurker101 · 18/03/2020 13:17
Have you tried checking your policy against this list? www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/02/coronavirus-travel-help-and-your-rights/amp/
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 13:22
I bought it on x date and it came into effect y date.
Had email from co saying policies purchased before y date don’t cover if cant go due to fco advice. But it came into effect on y date! I checked wording and no mention of fco advice so am guessing it’s the older date applied (both in September , so just unlucky).
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 13:23
Sounds like clear advice is to pay balance. Thanks everyone
AvoidingRealHumans · 18/03/2020 13:44
Kind of in the same boat. I've only paid my deposit which is £150. Have the balance of £1000 to pay by April 2nd. The holiday is in June and I've resigned myself to not go now. I work in hospitality and it's looking ever likely that I'm going to lose my job as theres no guests. If I do manage to keep my job I am worried about sick pay, isolating, kids off school etc. Being a single mum with limited funds I can't put that towards a holiday as if I lose my job I would need to live off of that money, them refunding if it gets cancelled wont help me in the meantime.
I just had the intention of not paying the balance and them getting the message that I wasnt going. I didn't realise there were cancellation fees 
. I need to check the t&c's. Either way, I have to prioritise.
OnceUponAThread · 18/03/2020 13:53
Definitely pay the full amount, otherwise you could be considered to be cancelling and on sticky ground.
If you're in the UK the holiday won't go ahead because of the the new FCO advise.
Technically you should be able to get a refund from your providers. Most of the airlines and package companies like TUI are offering full refunds.
If any part turns out to be non-refundable you should be covered by insurance as long as (1) you booked the hol and insurance before the destination was declared at risk by the FCO, 2) you booked both before pandemic status on May 11. Your insurer will only cover non-refundable, so you need to try from your provider first.
If for any reason both of these fail, the fact you booked by credit card is an absolute life saver. There's something called Section 75 which is a consumer protection act. As long as the hol is between £100 and £20k and you booked part of it by credit card, you can get the whole lot back from your credit card provider. Which? And MSE have forms to help with this. But try the previous two steps first.
OnceUponAThread · 18/03/2020 13:57
Sorry that should have been advice not advise.
One follow up. Only pay the balance if / when they ask for it. There is a good chance they won't as they need to cancel and refunds can take a while so you'll be out of pocket.
I'd start calling providers and trying for a refund now and then follow the steps above if they say no.
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 14:18
I’ve asked for a refund and they keep saying, no but you can cancel under our terms!
Credit card info is brilliant thank you so much Onceuponathread . Do you know if this still applies if they offer rebooking instead in future ?
I will pay balance then
Will they ask then? I just have a date to pay it by? Should I wait for them to email me if I miss the deadline or pay it by the agreed deadline as per ts and cs?
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 14:19
i think airline part be ok , it’s just this damm accommodation who are being very aggressive which is quite upsetting i this climate !
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 14:22
The insurance is a bit ambiguous until I can speak to them, and not a chance at the mo, because at the time I paid they didn’t cover fco advice not to go, but by the time it actually came into force they did (3 days apart!) and i can’t work out which timeframe I’m covered by.
muminlondon2020 · 18/03/2020 14:24
Cancel the card and order another one. Have the conversation with the aggressive people after that when you are on a more even footing.
OnceUponAThread · 18/03/2020 14:40
Yes - the credit card section 75 should cover you even if they offer rebooking.
What do the terms and conditions say about you cancelling. I'm assuming they get to keep the deposit. I'd pay the balance when due and then go through either insurance or section 75.
I think you should be really wary of all the people telling you to "lose your card", this will be viewed as cancelling and you will lose your deposit. By going through section 75 or insurers you should get the whole lot back.
Here's a good guide on how to do Section 75 www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-youre-protected-when-you-pay-by-card/amp
I'm confused on your insurance policy and how it changed. If you can give me a bit more info I can probably tell you either way. When you say it did cover FCO and then it didn't what do you mean. You should have received policy docs when you booked that outline your cover. The vast majority of insurers cover you as long as you booked the holiday AND the insurance before the FCO said at risk.
tootyfruitypickle · 18/03/2020 15:00
T&cs have sliding scale of cancellation costs up to 90pc week before. At mo it’s 60pc. I’ll pm you onceuponathread if it’s ok as I don’t want to mention specific companies on here as it’s not exactly a normal time so don’t want to give anyone a bad press
NotDisclosedToday · 18/03/2020 15:10
"Cancel the card and order another one. Have the conversation with the aggressive people after that when you are on a more even footing."
They would be within their rights to take OP through the courts for the balance in such a case. Irrespective of the reason for the OP not paying. I would suggest paying and hope it gets cancelled and you get your money back.
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