Even the most carefully planned holiday can go wrong. Issues such as illness, a family loss, financial problems, or sudden job changes can throw a wrench in your travel plans. It’s frustrating, for sure—you might be missing out on some sunshine or a nice city escape. But, if you have to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances, there might be ways to recover some of your funds. You can now sell your holiday bookings much like concert tickets, but that’s not the only option available to get some money back.
Cancellation and Refunds
What you get back depends largely on when you cancel and what kind of reservation you have. Typically, if you cancel a package holiday, you’re not likely to get a full refund, as many of these deals are non-refundable.
The closer you get to the departure date, the more you may have to forfeit. For instance, TUI, one of the major tour operators in the UK, will refund the deposit if you cancel more than 70 days before you’re set to leave, but the refund amount decreases as that date gets nearer.
For example, if you cancel just 65 days prior, you could lose 30% of the total cost; wait until two weeks before, and you’ll be paying the entire fee. Jet2holidays has similar cancellation fees.
If you booked your own travel arrangements, you’ll find that the flight component likely won’t qualify for a refund. Ryanair’s terms state that refunds aren’t granted unless you complete the journey.
EasyJet permits cancellations within 24 hours of booking but charges a £49 fee online (or £55 if you go through their customer service). Some airlines do have refundable tickets available—but usually at a higher price, so double-check what type you have. Hotel cancellation policies differ too. Some hotels may allow free cancellation up to a day before, while others might offer partial refunds, albeit with fees.
If No Refund is Available
Your first step should be to reach out to your airline, tour operator, or hotel.
Some companies are understanding about cancellations due to unforeseen illnesses and may allow you to rebook for a future date without penalty.
According to Matt Gatenby, a partner at Travlaw, explaining your situation, like a sudden illness, might prompt the company to accommodate you with a postponement. However, he notes that airlines can be less flexible.
Even if you ended up with a non-refundable booking, it’s still worthwhile to communicate your circumstances. If you have a serious health issue and can provide a doctor’s note, they might grant you a refund against regular policies.
Many travel insurance policies offer cancellation coverage for specific issues outlined in their terms. For example, one option from Admiral provides coverage for serious health events, death, Covid diagnoses, and more—all of which could allow you to recoup costs if you had to cancel.
Make sure your cancellation cover aligns with your trip. Although it typically covers up to £1,500 per person, it’s worth noting that existing conditions or simply changing your mind about traveling won’t qualify.
Can I Sell It?
It’s indeed possible to sell a trip that you can no longer take, but it’s a bit tricky, and getting back the full amount spent is uncommon.
Social media platforms have seen an uptick in groups designed for offloading non-refundable holidays, flights, and hotel bookings. Just this week, one woman was trying to sell a family holiday to Turkey in a Facebook group because her passport wasn’t ready. Another individual listed a hotel room in Amsterdam for three nights at the end of June at a cost of £481.
Two websites—SpareFare and Transfer Travel—function like an eBay for travel, where you can sell holiday packages, flights, and hotel stays.
For instance, SpareFare has a two-person holiday to Faro, Portugal, including flights from Gatwick, available this week for £1,001, which is significantly lower than the current price from the provider. There’s also a weekly Mallorca package starting May 21 at nearly half market price.
Meanwhile, Transfer Travel outlined offers for two flights to Jamaica for £950 instead of £1,950 and an Aqualand Resort stay for £1,040 for two.
What Should I Do? Am I Selling It?
You might want to reach out to your travel provider and see if it’s possible to transfer your holiday. It’s generally easier to swap package deals, flights, or hotel rooms—just find someone willing to take over the booking and agree on a price, then make the necessary changes to the booking details.
According to Eric Ritland, owner of SpareFare, the name exchange process has improved, requiring only the new buyer’s name, date of birth, and address. Usually, there’s a fee involved for such changes. For instance, TUI charges around £25, while Jet2holidays demands £50—but that’s only if you’re not within two weeks of your trip. After that, the fee drops to £10.
With Ryanair, however, the name change fee can be as high as £115 for each flight, which often makes pre-booking not worth it.
At SpareFare, those selling their bookings face a fee to change names since only they can modify the booking details. This site takes a 12% commission on the selling price for the seller, whereas Transfer Travel charges a 15% transfer fee plus the cost for any name changes.
On both platforms, buyers can negotiate and bid for prices different from what’s listed. Each site also ensures that all bookings are legitimate prior to sale through a verification process.
Claiming with Insurance
If someone makes a claim due to a serious medical issue, they cannot also resell their holiday booking. Gatenby points out that it could be seen as fraudulent since that would essentially lead to a double payout.
Insurance companies typically require a cancellation invoice from the travel service before they process any claims to prevent such scenarios.
