Coronavirus and travel: should you pay the outstanding amount for your summer holiday?

Contract with payment obligation

When you book a package holiday (flight and accommodation), you accept the travel agent/tour operator’s travel contract and payment terms and conditions. These state, for example, that you are entitled to the holiday you agreed upon at the time of booking and that you are obliged to make payment(s) as described in the terms and conditions of payment. 

Payment of the outstanding amount

You usually pay a deposit when you book a holiday, but the amount of this deposit can vary from one travel agent/ tour operator to another. You pay the remainder approximately six weeks prior to departure. If there is no reason to believe your holiday cannot go ahead at that point, the payment terms and conditions in the contract apply and you must pay the outstanding amount. When booking a trip within six weeks of the departure date, you usually pay the full amount in one instalment.

Strong likelihood your holiday will not go ahead? Postpone payment! 

If the time has come to pay the outstanding amount and there is a good chance that your holiday will not go ahead, e.g. due to a travel ban, you can wait for the situation to become more clear before paying. Ask the travel agent/tour operator to change the payment term to around two to three weeks before departure. 

Template letter

Send an email or letter to the travel agent/tour operator in which you explain why you are postponing payment. You may only postpone payment if you have genuine reason to believe the holiday cannot go ahead and that the travel agent/tour operator cannot fulfil the terms of the contract. Use the ECC template letter: postponement of payment of outstanding amount for summer holiday. 

Your rights in the event of cancellation

If the travel agent/tour operator decides to cancel your holiday, you do not have to pay the outstanding amount. Your deposit will be refunded. You can also choose to change the data of your trip or accept a corona voucher as an alternative to a refund.

Cancelling the holiday yourself? 

If you cancel your holiday, you will usually have to pay a cancellation fee. The closer the date of departure, the higher the cancellation fee. Read more about the cancellation terms and conditions in the travel agent/tour operator’s terms and conditions of travel.

Cancelling your holiday for safety reasons 

Can you prove that the situation at your holiday destination is unsafe, e.g. with a travel warning (code orange or red) issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Or will it be impossible for essential elements of your holiday to go ahead due to the corona virus? In that case, you are entitled to cancel your holiday free of charge. 

Template letter for appealing against unjustified cancellation fees

If the travel agent/tour operator disagrees with your reasons for cancelling the holiday and you believe you are being charged cancellation fees unjustly, let the travel agent/tour operator know you disagree with the ECC template letter for unjustified cancellation fees. 

Corona voucher: should you accept or refuse?

The travel agent/tour operator may offer you a travel voucher as an alternative to a refund. This voucher may not be worth less than the sum you originally paid for the holiday. You are not obliged to accept this voucher. If you do not accept the travel voucher, you are entitled to a refund. 

Dispute with your travel agent/tour operator? 

If you have a dispute with your travel agent/tour operator about your package holiday and you are unable to resolve it together, check whether the travel agent/tour operator is a member of the ANVR (Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators). If so, you can lodge a complaint with the Geschillencommissie Reizen (Dutch Foundation for Consumer Complaints Boards). You can also consider legal action to fight your case.

Complaint about a travel agent/tour operator? 

If you live in the Netherlands and have a dispute with an overseas travel agent/tour operator located in another EU country, ask our lawyers for help.