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Every year, the ‘January sales’ offer up a bit of a conundrum: there are some amazing travel bargains to be had, but after the inevitable Christmas splurge, many Brits are feeling the post-festive pinch.
Luckily, many top travel brands offer excellent holiday deposit deals in January, allowing you to secure your place on the plane in advance, then pay the rest later.
To make sure you don’t miss out, we’ve rounded up some of the best low holiday deposits out there at the moment.
Under £50 per person
On the Beach – from £20pp
At first glance, it looks like On the Beach are offering the lowest of the lot, with deposits from as little as £20 per person – but there are a few things to consider.
The deposit process itself is straightforward enough: if you’re looking to book a holiday more than 45 days away, you can pay a reduced deposit from £20 per person. The remaining deposit is then due 31 days after booking, and you have to make your final payment (the remaining balance) two weeks before you fly.
However, On the Beach also charges £4.95 for every payment made in the deposit scheme, which can bump up the cost of your deposit if you’re making multiple payments to them.
Thomas Cook – from £25pp
Thomas Cook’s low deposits start from as little as £25 per person, but can go up to £49 per person, depending on the holiday you’re after.
The full deposit amount is then due eight weeks after booking, followed by the remaining balance of the holiday 14 weeks before you depart.
Depending on where you’re travelling to, the amount of the full deposit varies:
- Short and medium haul – £200pp
- Long haul – £250pp
Travel Republic – from £49pp
Travel Republic’s deposit deal is another one that comes in under the £50pp mark, giving you that little bit more flexibility in when you book. However, this deal is only available on specific holidays, so bear that in mind when you’re looking.
As well as this, the deposit works in a slightly different way to the others in that you have to pay for the full cost of the flight part of your booking within 28 days of your original booking date, leaving the remaining cost to be paid later. Depending on the cost of your flight, what you pay will vary, so ensure you’re clear on the price before you commit to booking.
Any remaining payment will be due 14 days prior to your holiday.
Loveholidays – from £49pp
When you book with Loveholidays, initial low deposits start from £49pp, with a second full deposit due at a later date.
Be aware that the full deposit is automatically taken from the same credit/debit card you used to make the booking. The date that this occurs should be made clear when you make the original low deposit – make a note of this and sure you have the funds in place to make the payment.
Loveholidays also offer a monthly payment plan to help spread the cost, which starts at £25 per month.
Teletext Holidays – from £49pp
Teletext Holidays allows you to secure your holiday with a low deposit of just £49pp, with the rest of the deposit then due 28 days after booking. With Teletext, the rest of the deposit is usually the remainder of your flight cost, but this should be made clear at the time of booking. Again, make sure you’re fully aware of the flight costs before you commit.
The remaining balance for the holiday is then due 12 weeks before your departure date.
£50 per person and over
First Choice – from £50pp
Frist Choice are currently offering two different types of holiday deposit scheme, depending on the length of your flight.
If you are going short-haul or mid-haul, to somewhere such as Spain or Croatia, deposits start at £50 per person (full deposit £200pp). For long-haul package holidays, deposits start at £125 per person (full deposit £250).
The full deposit amount is due eight weeks after the original low deposit.
Jet2holidays – from £60pp
You can book a package holiday with Jet2holidays with a deposit of £60 per person, with the full balance due 10 weeks before the date of departure.
However, if you’re booking a holiday that’s less than 10 weeks away, you’ll have to pay the full amount at the time of purchase.
You can book a package holiday with Jet2holidays with a deposit of £60 per person, with the full balance due 10 weeks before the date of departure.
However, if you’re booking a holiday that’s less than 10 weeks away, you’ll have to pay the full amount at the time of purchase.
EasyJet Holidays – from £60pp
EasyJet offers a deposit of £60 per person for bookings made more than 45 days (approximately 6.5 weeks) before departure.
This deal isn’t applicable to non-refundable hotels and is only available until January 28, 2017. EasyJet is also running two deals (£40 off package holidays with a minimum booking value of £800, and £100 off package holidays with a minimum booking value of £1200) until January 31, 2017.
Thomson – from £75pp
Thomson’s deposit scheme works in a similar way to the First Choice deal above.
If you are flying short-haul or mid-haul, deposits start at £75 per person (full deposit £200). For long-haul packages, the deposit starts at £125 per person (full deposit £250).
In both cases, the remaining balance of your deposit will be due eight weeks after you’ve booked your holiday. If you’re booking a trip less than 12 weeks out, the full holiday cost must be paid at the time of booking.
British Airways – from £150pp
British Airways offers one of the most flexible low deposit schemes, but the initial cost is markedly higher than the others described here.
With this deal you can pay in as many installments as you want, decide when you make the payments and how much you pay, and the deposits are valid for flight + hotel or flight + car bookings.
However you choose to pay, the full balance must be paid off five weeks before you travel.
NB: Please read the terms and conditions for each deposit carefully on the relevant travel provider’s website. Deposits for child places may work differently. All deposit prices were accurate at the time of writing.
