In these circumstances, consumers are generally entitled to claim a refund from the travel or service provider or one of the travel guarantee schemes. Consumers might also be able to make a claim with their credit or debit card provider or their travel insurer.
On 29 June 2020, we published 2 statements to help consumers understand their rights when claiming a refund for cancelled events or travel arrangements and outlined what we expected from firms.
On 31 July 2020, we consulted on further guidance outlining our expectations for firms when helping customers who are trying to make claims.
We received 17 responses to the consultation from a mix of firms, trade bodies, and consumer organisations. We have considered the feedback, and today publish our Final Guidance, which will be effective until 02 April 2021.
This guidance is aimed at both credit and debit card providers as well as insurance providers. It is designed to ensure that these firms handle enquiries and claims from consumers in a way that minimises inconvenience to the consumer. This guidance will also be of interest to consumer organisations.
Who this applies to
This guidance is relevant to:
- insurance providers
- credit card providers
- debit card providers
- consumer organisations
Next steps
This guidance will be effective from 2 October 2020 to 2 April 2021. We will consider the future of the guidance before the end of this 6-month period.