Inside Track On Paying For Holidays - From Travel Convention

[don]

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1144738.php?mpnlog=1&m_id=s~b_rbbn

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1144747.php?mpnlog=1&m_id=s~b_rbbn

[tonyco1]

Not bad stories - but it's got to be a common sense thing to pay by Credit Card for the security of it anyway!
I always pay for my holidays by Credit Card and look at the extra charge as an insurance payment!

[Gavlah1973]

I always used to do that Tony

Since my lottery win I now just pay in whole by debit card at the time of booking. I do always use the bigger reputable companies/airlines though to minimise the risk of disruption

[Waspman]

If you pay with a Visa debit card you do have some protection, see the quote below from the BBC website


Visa debit card

A Visa debit card offers significantly better protection for shoppers. Their scheme is called Visa Debit Chargeback and any bank that issues a Visa debit card has to comply with the scheme.

You can claim money back if the goods you buy are damaged, or the product or services are not delivered.

There is no limit on what you can claim. But you have to claim within 120 days of the date you expected the goods to be delivered or the firm going bust.

So this isn't as good as when I use my credit card?

You get better protection if you use your credit card.

The key difference is that when you claim on a credit card under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, the credit card company is legally liable.

But the Visa Debit chargeback scheme is not legally binding, so you don't have any legal redress if you are unhappy.

[tonyco1]

Thanks for that info - I do have a Visa Debit Card - I will check if my bank complies.

[Waspman]

Tony

It's not necessary to pay for the entire holiday to get protection under Section 75. You only need a minimum of £100 paid by credit card to give you the protection, ie a deposit, the rest can be paid by debit card thus saving paying 2% extra on the whole holiday.  In that way you have complete protection with only a fraction (the deposit) subject to the 2% surcharge.

[tonyco1]

Thanks
Good and useful info for all!!