How are your REFUNDS coming?

Old Apr 10th, 2020, 05:03 AM
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How are your REFUNDS coming?

Frankly, I stole this thread idea from the same one already over on Rick Steves, but really it should be discussed on every travel site.
My Biggest Tip for those awaiting airline clarification: do not settle for 'credit'. Flyers are absolutely entitled to full refunds, every penny. *But they MUST FIRST ASK FOR IT. So get up early tomorrow morn (to beat the rush and crowded lines), dial that airline and don't be shy. Air Canada gave us a full refund for our cancelled Italy flights, including seat upgrade fees.

Let's share tips for trains, planes, automobiles, hotels, tours and rentals.

I am done. The rights.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 05:36 AM
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I cancelled two ferries and a B&B in the UK when it was clear my brother's birthday wouldn't go ahead. The ferries were booked as fully flexible so refunds were no problem. I debated cancelling the B&B and contacted them. They said no problem and refunded me in full. Ost a little bit due to currency fluctuations but not much. My SIL got her deposit back from the restaurant as well. We fully intend to book it all again asap.
We suspended the registration of the camper since we are unlikely to get out in her for many months. We could do it every winter but don't in case we (or the sons) decide to use it if the weather is mild. We got the tax refund today.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:02 AM
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We had a trip to the Grand Canyon planned for May 9-14 with my mom to celebrate her 70th birthday. We canceled and received refunds on every single thing we booked (and credit for the flights, which was fine with me). I would love to post a list somewhere of the companies that have done right by their customers in all this.
For me that was:
Xanterra (I mean, they were closed so they needed to refund) (Big business)
Air BNB Host (refunded before AirBNB got to my dates) (Individual Owner of property)
Horseshoe Bend Tours/Dixie's Lower Antelope Canyon Tours (Small business)
Flagstaff Private Car Service (Microbusiness who was just the kindest person in the world)
American Airlines (credit)
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:09 AM
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I booked flights to Lisbon through Expedia bundled with a non-refundable hotel for six nights, late April departure.

Expedia has notified me that the flights are cancelled and that I will be issued an airline credit, but has not yet told me how much the credit is or how it works. They're supposedly working with their partners to determine what to do with bundled packages.

The flights were on United and Lufthansa, but it's a United ticket number so I just called United to see how I go about getting a refund. They told me that because it's a bulk fare, my only option is to re-book the same route at a later date and that I have until February 2022 to commence travel.

I'm not comfortable with this as they cancelled the flights and who knows if the airlines will even be in business in the upcoming months. I'm going to give Expedia another week, then attempt to dispute the charge with my credit card company.

I'll probably have to eat the hotel booking, as it's non-refundable (the first time I've ever booked a non-refundable rate!) I contacted them last week - they're still open for business and will allow me to reschedule until the end of the year, but it's it's unlikely we'll be able to travel by then.

I cancelled all my other hotel bookings at no charge, as I'd booked refundable rates.

As for my trip to Spain, which was brought to an abrupt halt mid-stream due to the State of Alarm and closure of borders, I was refunded for all unused accommodation and attractions. The additional money spent trying to get out of Spain (train ticket, additional hotel costs due to flight cancellations/changes) has been denied by the insurance company.

I don't think I'll be buying travel insurance in the future - the one time I've needed it, it's proven completely useless.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:28 AM
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Our late March/early April trip to Portugal obviously didn't happen. I was able to cancel two of our accommodations before payments were due. The third was prepaid and non-refundable, but they offered us either a credit for future use or a refund (to credit card) of 90% - I took the latter and received it within a few days. I also received a prompt refund from Autoeurope for our car rental. The last piece was airfare. Because the airline (United) cancelled the flights, I should have been due a refund rather than having to take a credit. Initially, I was told I would be eligible to receive a refund 12 months from the date I purchased the ticket, with a credit available in the meantime. I called back last weekend after seeing the DOT'S April 3 enforcement letter and asked again for an immediate refund. I was happy to see that full refund hit our credit card account this morning. Now, to deal with several upcoming trips that also won't happen.

By the way, there was an article in the Chicago Tribune yesterday about how Ticketmaster/Live Nation and other ticketing agents are holding people's money for events that have been postponed indefinitely. I am waiting for a refund that was promised for tickets to the now-cancelled MLB London Series in June, but that seems to be taking some time.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:37 AM
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Our flights on AA were cancelled to Mexico. I called and they credited y cc back within 3 days. It was very easy. We have another trip planned for late May-June to London and Paris. I noticed that Virgin Atlantic is canceling flights a week prior so have not done anything yet. We do have some lodging in London through Booking.com that has not been changed yet. The hotel in Paris offered to change dates. Did cancel our stay in Normandy al ready but have yet to be refunded.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:45 AM
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Mel, sorry to hear about your insurance company denial. I saw in your terrific trip report that you had applied and wondered about the outcome. Bummer.

Do you mind mentioning which company? I'll probably continue purchasing insurance for medical if nothing else. We've only needed to use it once and it was mildly successful (or a partial failure depending on one's mood).

This time we were halfway through a road trip in Arizona when the sh*t really hit the fan, and we had no choice but to cut and run for home. All of our remaining B&Bs and hotels gave us a refund, no questions asked. But in one case I elected to keep a credit on file and hope that we can make it there next year.

The US Customs in Nogales canceled our Global Entry interview the day before we were scheduled, so no doubt we'll lose the $100 each application fee. Unlikely that I'll be able to reschedule this year, but I'll keep trying.

All things considered we were pretty lucky, and made the right decision to head home.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:49 AM
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Nelson - It was AIG. It seems that medical is just about all they cover, which is good if one gets sick, but useless otherwise.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:57 AM
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Thanks Mel, good luck with the Expedia / credit card refund.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 06:58 AM
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Agree with zebec. Our airline tickets were non-refundable. After talking to a supervisor for Delta, our money was returned in full.

But first, talking to a CS person, they were offering a credit for the next two years.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 07:03 AM
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>>Flyers are absolutely entitled to full refunds, every penny. *But they MUST FIRST ASK FOR IT.<<

On the contrary, I called BA to get a voucher for next May for a LHR to Nice flight and they suggested that I wait and see if the flight gets cancelled. Sure enough, a few days later the return was cancelled and I was able to get a refund for it.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 08:17 AM
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I had only one trip planned and paid for (my usual spring Puerto Vallarta Mexico trip). My owner-direct rental kindly returned my money in full. I have a voucher from Alaska Air good thru Feb 2021 for $623. If I end up losing that, so be it.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 08:24 AM
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Originally Posted by zebec
Frankly, I stole this thread idea from the same one already over on Rick Steves, but really it should be discussed on every travel site.
My Biggest Tip for those awaiting airline clarification: do not settle for 'credit'. Flyers are absolutely entitled to full refunds, every penny. *But they MUST FIRST ASK FOR IT. So get up early tomorrow morn (to beat the rush and crowded lines), dial that airline and don't be shy. Air Canada gave us a full refund for our cancelled Italy flights, including seat upgrade fees.

Let's share tips for trains, planes, automobiles, hotels, tours and rentals.

I am done. The rights.
That's good to hear, did it take you a long time to get through to Air Canada? I have a flight with them to San Francisco for end of June I need to cancel but a travel agent friend said to maybe wait until a month prior to ask for a refund due to the volume of calls they are getting.

When was your Italy trip zebec?
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 09:21 AM
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So far I've received full refunds for three French Airbnbs and four pairs of French train tickets--thank you very much SNCF who didn't even deduct the 5 Euro per ticket. And because the Canadian dollar had weakened so much versus the Euro I actually made a little bit more (ie C$1.50 per transaction) than I paid. But I have serious doubts that I'll receive more than a voucher for my Air France plane tickets (at this point the May 24 flight is still a go) and I'll get another voucher for a prepaid hotel.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 09:29 AM
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Still waiting for a substantial refund from Silverseas. They say “it’s processed” but the credit card company disagrees. It’s been 5 weeks we are awaiting our money. Nerve wracking. Also, same issue with an expensive item of jewelry. Saying they issued the refund but somehow it hasn’t hit our credit card.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 11:08 AM
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So far, I have only been fully refunded for 3 day tour at the end of May. It was refundable and I was asked if due to COVID 19 and it was. My flat rental was refunded minus the £25 credit card fee to do so. I have yet to contact Expedia as the website only goes as far as April 30th yet the hotel is giving full refunds on all books until end of May. The airfare, I took a credit which has been extended for use until December 2021. Not a problem as I already want to use it but won't just yet.

I have a hotel booked in July and can cancel 3 days prior for full refund. I will consider later as it is only for NYC which is 1.5 hrs from my house. I also have airfare booked in September but made no other plans due to current events. If anything, I'd pay to get the credit unless we are still under current conditions.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by zebec
Air Canada gave us a full refund for our cancelled Italy flights, including seat upgrade fees.
In March, when we decided to cancel our May trip to Scotland, Air Canada was showing our flights as still operating. They offered a full credit valid until March 31, 2021. I decided to wait and see whether they would cancel the flights themselves. Last week, they sent me an email saying that they had now cancelled our flights and that they were offering a credit valid until March 31, 2022. Much better, and I was quite prepared to accept that, but when I cancelled the flight online this morning, I was offered a choice of a credit voucher valid for 24 months or a full refund minus the original cancellation fee. I chose the latter, and will claim the cancellation fee on my travel insurance (Johnson/Medoc). Meanwhile, AC is putting through a credit to my Visa card.

We also had placed a non-refundable deposit with Wilderness Scotland for a week of guided hiking in the Outer Hebrides. We cancelled that, and will also be claiming the amount of our deposit from our travel insurance.

Interestingly, we had prepaid non-refundable deposits on a couple of hotels.and both returned our money without any issue.


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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 12:21 PM
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To add what zebec said, when talking to the supervisor, with non-refundable air tickets, she prompted me to say, 'we will never fly again.'
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 03:44 PM
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I had booked tickets for Madrid Open ( tennis tournament) first week in May.
They said to apply for a refund, which I have done, but it will be “ some time” before
they can refund the money.
It is ok, Spain is in real trouble. I can wait.
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Old Apr 10th, 2020, 05:26 PM
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We have refunds and vouchers but have not tried for airfare or eurostar tickets yet. I had an insurance policy with USAA. I have a claim in for a refund on the insurance policy. See if that happens.
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