Know Your Cancellation Policy
By Amy Ziff, Editor-at-Large
November 17, 2004
Commitment can be a funny thing. It comes easy for some, but not so easy for others. What does this have to do with travel? Well, when you work in the business, as I do, you hear people invent all sorts of reasons to stay home or put off the trips they really want to take. I think fear of commitment may be part of the problem, but another is the fear of canceling and not knowing what happens if you have to back out at the last minute. This is one of those areas where a little homework pays off big time. Find out in advance what it's going to cost to break that deal.
Here’s something you shouldn’t do: make up a lame excuse. I talked to reservationists and what follows is a small sampling of the excuses people have tried in order to obtain a refund. None of them--not a single one--worked.
- My baby booked the trip. (Honestly, someone tried to claim this.)
- My cat booked it. (Sounds like a slight twist on the old "my dog ate my homework" gag.)
- I was drunk at the time and it seemed like a good idea. (Another reason not to book under the influence.)
- I typed my name wrong. (As in, I typed the entire name wrong! If it were one or two letters, they might overlook that mistake, but an entire name change is not possible.)
Excuses like these aren’t going to cut it, so you'd better know your stuff. So, what are some of the standard online purchase policies? You need to remember that every product and provider is slightly different.
Most online travel purchases are non-refundable. These days, airlines will often charge you for changing when the cheapest seat class was purchased, and an online agency will pass that fee--plus a processing fee--along to the customer. If you opt not to use your airline ticket, you will most likely be able to use that ticket at a future date. However, when using the residual value of that ticket, you will have to pay an airline-imposed cancellation penalty on the original ticket, plus any fare difference and agency re-issue fee. Fees are generally $100 domestically and $200 internationally.
If you want to cancel a hotel reservation, you must first know whether you have a pre-paid or non-pre-paid room. On the Web, most pre-paid hotel rooms are guaranteed and subject to a penalty, which may be up to 100 percent. A non-pre-paid hotel room can be changed or deleted in most cases without penalty.
It's often more complex when purchasing a travel package because you will incur cancellation fees based on the components that you selected—and if you're canceling, you will have to cancel the complete trip. Also, the fees and penalties are assessed based on the departure date of your trip, hotel policies, and date you initiate the cancel. There will also be a cancellation service fee applied in the neighborhood of $10-$75.
When if comes to last-minute travel, you will find that all purchases are final. This field usually does not permit refunds or exchanges, date or time changes, hotel or names of traveler changes after purchasing. I highly-recommend the last-minute product, but just be sure about your travel plans before you buy it.
Remember that discounts applied through the use of promo codes are always non-refundable.
These are just the basics to use as a reference point. You should always read the cancellation policy before purchasing. Reservationists say being nice and being honest is your best bet for getting help. They can't always fix your mistakes, but if there is something they can do, this is the clearest path to getting it. So put away the excuses, read the fine print, and hope nothing makes you cancel your vacation in the first place!
For the most recent travel news check out Amy Ziff's Travel Tips from AtoZ at www.travelocity.com/atoz. If you have a question or topic you would like me to cover in a future column, please e-mail Amy Ziff at ask.amy@travelocity.com ask.amy@travelocity.com. Come back monthly to see if your question has been answered.
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Travel Industry & Online Travel
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