Coronavirus - Holiday deposit paid cancel or not?

[mummumlife]

I booked the holiday in December 2019 to go away at end of June into July to Tenerife with my 3 kids and husband. My kids are aged 5 , 3 and a newborn baby aged 3 months. This was booked before the coronavirus become a big outbreak.
I have only paid the holiday deposit of £60 each on jet2holidays and my head says we shouldn't go on this holiday to be on the safe side with my kids being so young especially the baby.

Is anyone else in a similar situation? Can you transfer the deposit money and postpone until next year or do you cancel and lose the deposit money? Or.. do you wait and see what happens? I have until middle of April before the full payment of the holiday is due.

TIA x

Hello, I didn't want your thread to go unanswered. Could you contact Jet2 for advice on this and ask them how you would stand with regards to transferring it. I've just returned from a holiday with them and found their customer service fantastic.

By June/July the situation could be totally different, it's the uncertainty!! I'd give it a week or 2 before making a decision but do speak to Jet2 and explain your concerns.

Same situation. Also jet2. We go July though. I'm wondering about postpone to 2021.
If you get answers please post here

Honestly I wouldn't. Not least because you have an exceptionally vulnerable young baby.
It really sucks though. I'm sorry :(

We're in a very similar situation but not due to go until the last week of July. Tui have said we will be refunded if we can't go, unless we choose not to go. I haven't got insurance yet, I was going to get it before paying the outstanding balance. I can't find an insurer that would pay out if we are advised not to go or if we choose to cancel due to a pandemic. I'm hoping it will have peaked and died down by then. If not, we'll have more to worry about than holidays.

Either ask if you can rebook for next year or lose the money. In the grand scheme of things, it’s really a small amount and it’s not worth the risk.

Thanks everyone my husband was telling me to cancel and I was adamant I didn't want to lose my deposit money albeit it being a small amount of money in comparison to the full holiday :( was looking fwd to a first family holiday as 5 but it's ok, will have to wait until this virus passes. Safety and health of course is priority.

I will phone jet2 and see what they say. I will post back here once I find out x

I think you've made the right decision OP. We all need to limit our activities in light of this. It's not just about you, lovely though I'm sure you and your family are. It's that the more we all move around the more we spread this thing and the more we keep it going and the more people will become seriously ill and the more people will die. That money you paid is gone anyway. Your aren't losing anything. But by you not going, we all gain.

Just an update from jet2. The reply I got was :
the admin fees are as follows:
More than 57 days to travel £40per person
56-29 days to travel £50per person
28-15 days to travel £75per person
14 days or less £150per person

That's the charge to change dates plus any difference in the holiday and they also said this :

If you cancel 70 or more days to depart you will lose your deposits, if you cancel within 70 days of travel you will lose a percentage of the amount you paid.

The cancellation fees are as follows:
70+ days Loss of deposit
69-57 days to travel 30% loss of total holiday cost
56-43 days to travel 50% loss of total holiday cost
42-29 days to travel 70% loss of total holiday cost
28-15 days to travel 90% loss of total holiday cost
14 days or less 100% loss

In my case the most cost effective way is to lose my deposit money rather than changing dates.

Useful update thanks @mummumlife

I'm in the same situation - paid deposit for family holiday to Croatia at end of Aug with Jet2. Balance isn't due until early June so I take from your update that as long as I cancel more than 70 days before travel then I only lose deposit? If so I will hold off cancelling just yet as by some miracle things may have improved by then. I can't see us going though - Croatia currently imposing a 2 week incubation period for any foreigners flying into the country!

Having just lost the full amount of a long ski weekend- when clear on Thursday that travelling to France was a bad idea- I'd seriously consider just losing the deposit money rather than paying more and holiday not being cancelled despite it being lunacy to go away.

We're meant to be off to Costa Rica in the summer with BA i'm hoping they extend their flight credit note if the situation hasn't improved which i don't think it will have done by end of June.

Argh... Wish I'd seen this thread earlier... I put back payment by 2 weeks for holiday early June to see how things changed... Would have been easier to loose deposit as we don't have same options date wise next year and nothing like the same bargain to be had!

@happytoday73 if the flights aren't back to normal by then as in airports pretty much closed, then you will get a refund back for your holiday.

Thanks mummumlife..... A refund rather than rebooking more expensive option would be good.....

We were in a similar position we had book to go to Spain at the end of May with TUI. And we have also booked to go to the canaries in October.

The Spain one was paid and TUI gave us the option to move it without any admin fees therefore we have pushed it back to 2021. Hopefully TUI will survive and if not we have the ATOL protection and paid by credit card.

The October one we had paid the low deposit of £200 when booked in Jan. Looked at this and if we cancelled we would stand to loose the deposit however the actual full deposit is £200 per person so £800 for us, therefore if cancelled we would owe £600. Therefore we are holidaying our and hoping for the best with this one.

With travel insurance we paid an additional premium of £50 at the beginning of the outbreak for Travel Disruption cover and was assured we would be covered for our May holiday if cancelled as we had booked before this situation (October wouldn’t be covered as Covid had started). However as above we have now moved the May holiday but cannot transfer the insurance so gave list both the initial premium and the addition £50 we paid which seems unfair. But these are Unprecedented times.

You will only pay admin fees to Jet2 if the holiday is cheaper if it’s dearer even by £1 you should not be charged

We were supposed to be going away with Jet2 over Easter.
They have just refunded the whole lot. 100% refund.
But they cancelled, not us.
They are also doing a deal for no transfer fees, and money off if it's a more expensive holiday, however I'm not sure June/July departures are currently included.