How to protect your holiday booking when it’s not a package

With more people booking holidays that are made up of many different parts as opposed to a full package holiday, it is more important than ever to ensure that you have adequate financial cover should anything go wrong.

Here's how you protect your holiday when it's not a package.

Travel Insurance with ‘Supplier Failure’

Some companies have a clause in their policies that cover you for end supplier failure. So if an airline you have booked a ticket on goes under, you can either receive a refund of your trip (should your holiday be dependent on that flight), or be able to claim the extra you need to spend to keep your holiday on track. The same would apply to a hotel booked or maybe a tour you had arranged as part of your plans.  There is always an excess, however it is a small price to pay rather than lose your hard earned holiday.

The comparison service offered on our site includes a number of companies that have ‘Supplier Failure’ as part of their policies.  This is detailed on the DETAILS section of each policy with some including this cover free of charge. Not all policies include this option, especially the cheaper ones, so be sure to check the details section for cover levels.

Travel Insurance with ‘Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance’ (SAFI)

This cover is limited to airline bookings only and there are some airlines that an insurer will not cover you for.  It is either included within the policy detail itself or is sold as an add on to the main policy during the purchase process.   

Finally you should pay for your arrangements using a credit card or Visa Debit card.  This gives you protection under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 when your purchase price is over £100 or through the Visa Chargeback scheme.

Have a comment or question about this article? You can contact us on Twitter or Facebook.