My trip was canceled due to the coronavirus. What to do?

What's happened

The coronavirus epidemic has escalated into a pandemic. Cases of the disease were recorded in 140 countries. In Europe, there are people infected with the coronavirus in every country.

One of the obvious, but at the same time, effective measures to stop the spread of the disease is to reduce contact between people. In some countries, residents are advised to isolate themselves, in others, strict quarantines are introduced or borders closed.

In this regard, people are forced to cancel travel. Someone cannot leave because of canceled flights and border crossing bans. Someone makes this decision to protect themselves. But what about the money spent, can it be returned? The life hacker understands this issue.

How to get money back for tickets

If you bought standard tickets, they can be returned on the usual basis. Lifehacker has detailed instructions on how to do this. In short: you need to contact the airline or intermediary through which you purchased your ticket.

It is more difficult with irreversible options. Their full cost will be refunded to you only if the flight was canceled and announced officially. For example, an airline posted a news item on its website. If there is such information, issue a return.

While there is no official announcement, everything is done on a general basis. That is, if the ticket is non-refundable, there is no need to wait for it (except in cases of illness, death of the passenger or his relatives). However, some airlines have met their customers halfway. For example, Pobeda is ready to return money for a ticket for 499 rubles, S7 - for 1,000 rubles (but this only applies to cases of purchase in the period from March 5 to April 10).

Check the information on the website of your airline: sometimes it is more profitable to pay for a refund than to lose the entire amount.

It is useless to list the directions where planes do not fly and even trains do not go, because the list is huge and constantly growing. From the latter: the number of flights from Russia to the USA, Great Britain and the UAE is limited. At the same time, air traffic between Moscow, London, New York and Abu Dhabi will remain.

How to get a refund for a hotel

In Russia, hotels are allowed to take money only for services already rendered. However, this rule may not work for foreign hotels. Therefore, to find out whether you will be able to return the money for the reservation or cancel it without fines, you need to directly at the hotel or from the owner, if we are talking about an apartment.

Booking aggregators empathize with tourists, but can only recommend actions to them and the host. For example, Booking is greeted with the following message:

“We understand that due to the current situation with the coronavirus, you may want to change your plans. For up-to-date information, you can contact the property in which you have booked to see if you can be accommodated. You can also visit the Support Center to change your booking."

At the same time, if the hotel or hostel does not return your money, do not hesitate to call Booking support. There are Russian-speaking employees there, and the service often takes the client's side.

Airbnb has allowed cancellation of bookings made before March 14 without penalties if you intend to move in before April 14. In this case, there will be no consequences for both parties. If these conditions are not met, cancellation occurs as usual.

How to get money back for a tour

According to the law "On the basics of tourist activities", if the country of destination is unsafe, the tourist has the right to demand termination of the contract. This is done in court, but it is quite possible that the operator will agree with your wishes immediately, without involving a third party. When contacting before the trip, the entire cost of the tour is refunded, during the time - the unspent balance.

Important: the threat to life and health is not assessed by eye. The circumstances must be fixed in decisions or recommendations of state, regional or municipal authorities. For example, the recommendations of Rospotrebnadzor or Federal Tourism Agency may well be the basis for a refund for the tour.

If the country of destination has not yet been declared a dangerous zone, but you do not want to travel, the termination of the contract occurs on standard terms. That is, you will be refunded the money minus the amount actually spent by the operator. If you suspect that you have not received enough money, try to challenge it in court.

Rostourism also gave tour operators and tourists the opportunity to find alternative options:

Change the direction to a safe one within the same period.
Transfer the trip to other dates.

So far, Rospotrebnadzor has issued a recommendation not to travel to Italy, South Korea and Iran. Earlier, a similar decision was made regarding China. But everything can change at any moment, follow the information on the official website.

What to remember

You can return money without loss for return tickets and non-return ones if the flight is canceled. In other cases, it all depends on the willingness of the airline to meet you halfway.
It is possible to cancel a hotel or apartment reservation without penalty if the administration of the property agrees. Do not give up, call, write letters - sometimes miracles happen.
If the country is officially recognized as unsafe, the money for the tour can be returned in full. In other cases - on a general basis.
Life and health are more important than money - remember this and take care of yourself.