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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Andy Rudd

Martin Lewis issues holiday refund warning if you cancel due to quarantine rules

Millions of Brits are in holiday hell at the moment following the coronavirus pandemic.

Holidays have been cancelled or moved and many people are still fighting to get refunds.

The FCO has advised against all but essential travel so for now nobody is going anywhere.

But even if some summer holidays do get the green light this year, will you really be getting the full experience you paid for pre-pandemic?

People are still hoping to get away for the summer (Getty Images)

Boris Johnson has already announced that all travellers entering the UK will need to be quarantined for 14 days.

And Spain has also said that tourists will need to enter a 14-day quarantine period on arrival.

Adults will only be allowed to leave the property for essential grocery shopping, to seek medical care or emergency situations.

Face masks must be worn at all times.

So if you want to cancel your holiday because of the quarantine rules are you legally entitled to get your money back?

Well, according to Martin Lewis in his Money Saving Expert newsletter, the answer will just add more woe to holidaymakers.

Holidays are going to be very different from now on (NurPhoto/PA Images)

He said: "I've had lots of questions on this. The short answer is no.

"The fact you'd have to quarantine after your holiday isn't the travel firm's fault, and if you've paid for a holiday, it's available and it's legal to go, then under the law it's likely to be your issue not the firm's - though some may agree to help out."

He adds: "Frankly, it's all a bit theoretical, as right now the Govt advises against all but essential travel anywhere, with no end date.

"So this really isn't worth considering until it's a more realistic scenario."

The financial guru has also issued holidaymakers with a grim warning about cancellation refunds.

Some companies are offering credit note refunds where customers can then either choose to rebook for another time of year or exchange it for a cash refund.

However, this can often only be done once a credit note refund has been received.

In his newsletter Martin advised that people affected by cancelled flights that accepting a voucher rather than cash would make it “unlikely you'll be able to claim on a debit/credit card if the firm goes bust”.

Martin said: "I've been seeking confirmation on this for a while, and now I've got an answer, but it isn't great.

“If you've had a cancelled flight, by law you're entitled to a refund within a week, and the Competition and Markets Authority says other sectors should generally give cancellation refunds too.

“Yet many people are accepting vouchers - either rightly as they want to help the firm, or wrongly because firms are flouting rules, have refused refunds or made them difficult to get.

“In the travel sector, some firms are issuing 'refund credit notes' which are, they say, protected by ATOL - though this is untested. But most vouchers are just a call on the company, so if it goes bust you become a creditor and are unlikely to get money back.”

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