Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we earn a commission when you purchase through these links.
A lot of your travel plans might have been impacted by the global pandemic COVID-19. Given that locales around the world are enforcing travel bans and launching stay-at-home orders compiled with the threat of the virus, traveling for business or pleasure is certainly out of question for the coming few months. So, now what about the tickets you booked or the hotels you reserved? How do you get your travel refund amidst COVID-19 restrictions? Here are some handy tips that can be useful for you.
First – Postpone your trip
If you need a travel refund, but don’t want to cancel the trip altogether, you can request the airlines for a reschedule to a later date. It does not matter whether or not you know what this later date might be, but if you don’t want to cancel it, you should delay it. This is the plan a lot of airlines are offering the customers instead of the reimbursements. So, you can now indefinitely postpone your flights till the time the situation is calmer. If will certainly be a far more lucrative option for a lot of travelers. As you might be aware, getting a refund from an airline is either impossible or a headache. Kiara, who offers online do my assignment services, says that she got a 100% refund from her airlines because her flight was cancelled by the airlines and not her because of the global COVID-19 threat.
Second – Take a note of the companies that have an impact on your travel
Now, the thing is from some companies you might get a refund, while others might not give you back even a single penny. This would primarily happen if you made your bookings via a third party, like Expedia, Hotwire, or any other online agencies.
For instance, though your hotel will not give you a 100% refund, agents like Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity will give you a 100% refund for hotels booked via them in select countries. These countries are India, Marshall Islands, China, Macau, Hong Kong, Oman, El Salvador, Poland, Ukraine, Israel, South Korea, Czech Republic, Denmark, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Italy. The agents are likely to add more countries to the list.
Third – Request for a discount
In case your hotel, travel provider, tour operator, or an airline, refuses to give you a refund, you can instead request for a discount. A lot of travel partners are using this option. As a result of this, you can use this credit on any future travel that you book with them. Linda, who offers online assignment help services, says that though Cruise Lines rejected her appeal for a refund, they sent her a credit that was twice the cost she bore. If you, too, made your bookings via Cruise lines, you can get as much as double the credit. So, now, after the pandemic is over, you can travel to somewhere lavishly at an affordable rate.
Fourth – Wait before trying
Since the pandemic has majorly affected the travel providers, they are even loosening their restrictions in terms of the refund. But, if your travel is planned months from now, it is better to wait for a while than seeking a refund right away. It will improve your chances of getting a refund. There is a possibility that the airline itself will cancel your booking and initiate your refund because of COVID-19. So, without making any effort, you can get a full refund in your account, by just waiting for a little while.
Fifth – See through the card benefits
If you have a travel credit card insurance, it will certainly have a cancellation coverage on the travel. Sanaya, who works with a website that writes essays for you, says that she booked her holiday with her travel credit card, and on cancellation, she got a 100% card refund. If you, too, made your booking via such cards, you can check your card for the offers. If your card has an offer, you will also get a 100% refund.
Sixth – Try once again
A lot of times, the service that you get from a customer care executive depends on the executive that you are dealing with. If the airline, travel provider, or the hotel staff didn’t respond to you well, or in a particularly helpful way on one day, you should try again the following day. Honestly, getting mad at an executive would do you no good. Please know they are under an equal amount of pressure and stress too. So, try reaching out to the executives in a different way, and it might just help you out.
Seventh – Employ your loyalty status
99% of the time, you’ll not get to this situation, but if nothing works, you can use your loyalty status and get a refund. Pull a few strings, and things might work in your favor. Brian, who offers the best online python course, says that since the brand completely refused a refund to him, he had to use his loyalty status, and that got him a 100% refund. As part of this, you have to speak to the executive and remind them about your loyalties with the brand. Further, explain it to them, how this isn’t your fault. If you are a loyal customer, the brand would certainly consider your appeal. You might not get full credit always, but something is better than nothing.
So, use these tips to get a travel refund during COVID-19.
