Many of us have a holiday booked with Virgin Holidays for the next few months. With the uncertainty still around Covid-19, do normal rules apply? What if you want to cancel? Will you get a refund? Can you cancel? What are your options?
Table of contents
- Can I cancel my Virgin Holiday?
- DO NOT CANCEL YOUR VIRGIN HOLIDAY BEFORE YOU HAVE READ THIS.
- Why would you need to cancel your holiday?
- What are the Virgin holidays cancellation rules?
- What flight or holiday changes mean you can cancel and get a full refund?
- Virgin holidays rebook with confidence email – beware
- Should you take the voucher instead of cancelling your holiday?
- Why don’t they just cancel the booking and give refunds?
- What happens when Virgin cancel your holiday?
- Are our experiences with Virgin Holidays similar to yours?
- How do you contact Virgin Holidays?
- Will Virgin go bust?
- Can I claim on my holiday insurance if I decide to cancel?
- So what can you do if you still can’t go on your Virgin Holiday?
- Some more articles you may be interested in
Can I cancel my Virgin Holiday?
Of course you can cancel your Virgin Holiday. Before you do though, make sure you are aware of the cost of cancelling your Virgin Holiday. There are many reasons why you should not cancel yourself and hold your nerve – wait for Virgin to cancel your holiday. Then you will be entitled to a full refund.
Virgin Holidays are still dragging their heels with holiday cancellations and taking a longer time than necessary to process refunds.
There are still reports of spending hours on hold on the phone only to be cut of before getting to speak to someone.
Virgin are also offering a voucher before cancelling the holiday.
DO NOT CANCEL YOUR VIRGIN HOLIDAY BEFORE YOU HAVE READ THIS.
If you have a holiday booked with Virgin Holidays or any package holiday that is not cancelled, but you don’t want to go, DO NOT cancel it yourself without reading the info below to find out why.
There is also a booked with LoveHolidays special guide here.
Why would you need to cancel your holiday?
- Cost of Covid tests. The UKs traffic light system, apart from subject to short notice changes, even GREEN Category countries require you to fork out hundreds of pounds in testing, on top of your budgeted spend.
- Safety. Even if International travel is allowed to resume, there are many places that we would not feel comfortable travelling to so soon. Las Vegas is one of those places. May 2021 and Vegas is healing but masks are still mandatory (in 40 degree June heat), limited buffets and no shows yet mean it is not somewhere we would want to go.
- Money. Finances have taken a big hit, even though we were prepared for a sudden drop in income, this is beyond preparation. Las Vegas spending money is not a priority.
- Time. When our working life gets back to normal, we will be busy working (and earning much needed money). A week off is the last thing we need.
- Family. There are family and friends that we have not seen now for so long, the first few months after lockdown will be spent spending time with them.
- Other reasons. My youngest son was booked for Vegas too for his 21st birthday with a friend, before joining the Army. He certainly would not be able to choose dates to rebook.
What are the Virgin holidays cancellation rules?
If Virgin cancel your holiday then you receive a full refund.
If you cancel your holiday then normal cancellation rules for Virgin holidays apply. The amount of refund is based on the number of days before travel that you cancel.
| More than 84 days | Loss of deposit |
| 57-84 days | 30% |
| 37-56 days | 50% |
| 22-36 days | 70% |
| 7-21 days | 90% |
| Less than 7 days | 100% |
What flight or holiday changes mean you can cancel and get a full refund?
Keep your eye out for any of the situations which mean you can cancel for free. These are detailed in the How to get a refund for a cancelled flight post. Basically if any ‘significant change’ is made to your booking then you have the right to not accept the change and are due a full refund if you want.
Significant changes include:
- Any change to your flight time of 3 hours or more for flight only, 12 hours for package.
- Any change of Airport to a different City. So Manchester – Heathrow yes. Gatwick to Heathrow no.
- Significant change to your accommodation.
Have a look at the T&Cs to see what else is classed as a significant change. Virgins T&Cs are here.
So it’s worth holding on and see if any of these changes happen nearer to your departure date.
If you have a booking from Manchester to Las Vegas, or out of Gatwick, log in to Manage my booking. Many customers have had their flight auto moved to Heathrow. With cabin class downgrades and seat selection changes. No notifications have been received. There’s a special Booked from Manchester post here if you booked to fly from now pulled Manchester Airport.
Virgin holidays rebook with confidence email – beware
Virgin Holidays are emailing customers whose holidays are upcoming a ‘rebook with confidence’ letter, if you take this voucher you have no furture option to then get a refund. The email says;
| Hello Tracy, — We hope you’re keeping safe and well at home. We’re contacting all our customers to let them know the current status of their booking, their choices at this time and the best ways to contact us. |
| We’re reaching out right now because, although your holiday has not been cancelled, our flexible policy does mean you are able to rebook your holiday for a later time with no change fee. If you’d like to take up this option, you can let us know by filling in this form, and we’ll call you back to get this changed for you. |
| It’s worth noting that if the situation changes and your existing holiday can no longer go ahead under our policy, you would then be eligible for a full refund and we will contact you again via email if this is the case. |
| Right now, our contact centre is only open to inbound calls from people who are due to travel in the next 72 hours, so we’re unable to help you right away. Rest assured, we will be in touch with you via email if there’s any information about your trip you need to know. Please be aware we’re working through an unprecedented number of rebooking requests. But we will get to you, we promise. |
| Many thanks for all your understanding and patience. |
Should you take the voucher instead of cancelling your holiday?
This is not something to be done lightly, you need to do your homework. If you can rebook with Virgin Holidays at a decent price then yes, go for it. Bear in mind though –
- There is no cancellation option.
- The change fee that they have waived is £150 per person so that helps.
- You have to pay the price difference for the new booking.
We looked at the same Las Vegas Holiday for the same dates the next year and the price was over £2000 more. So we waited until Virgin cancelled and got our refund.
Same for 2022, Virgin Holiday prices are still way too high. The same 6 nights flying Virgin Premium Economy and a 1 bedroom fountain terrace suite at the Cosmpolitan is over £5,000.
We are still going to Vegas but have booked the Flights and hotel seperately using Avios. Same trip for under £3,000
Why don’t they just cancel the booking and give refunds?
The whole travel industry is collapsing, cashflow is non existent and all travel companies are trying to protect their businesses by keeping hold of the money they have, whilst having no income from new bookings for the foreseeable future.
They will leave the cancellation until the last possible minute. This is really unhelpful as you have to plan, you have parking, excursions etc booked but you just have to be patient.
What happens when Virgin cancel your holiday?
Virgin will cancel your holiday at the last possible moment, this could be as near as 2 weeks before your departure date, as we have experienced, twice.
When you finally receive confirmation of cancellation then you are entitled to a full refund. Leaglly this must be paid within 14 days. Of course this is still not happening. Although it is not taking 3 or 4 months, 60 days is not uncommon.
When you recieve the cancellation email, you will have to look really hard for the refund option. It is hidden. They email you a voucher for the full amount and the email is 95% about using the voucher. Do not be fooled, you can email back requesting a full refund.
Are our experiences with Virgin Holidays similar to yours?
We had a Las Vegas holiday booked with Virgin for June 2020. Virgin cancelled our holiday on 30th May 2020, only 2 weeks before departure. We got a full refund.
Virgin told us that refunds were expected to take 3 to 4 months, not the legally required 14 days. We had booked by credit card (for the Air miles of course) and after the 14 days were up we were able to contact our credit card provider and request a Section 75 refund. The refund was in our account in 4 days.
Please please please always pay for at least a small part of your holiday with a credit card. Have a read here about this FREE and valuable Section 75 protection. Virgin did eventually refund our card 4 MONTHS later, which was of course kept by Amex. Anyone paying by debit card or Direct Debit would have had to wait.
Have a read of our how to get a refund for a cancelled flight or holiday.
We rebooked Las Vegas for the end of June 2021. The deposit paid was £350. The balance of £3000 was due early April. When we contacted Virgin on the due date we were told that balances for Virgin Holidays were now due 6 weeks before departure not 12 weeks – we hadn’t been informed in any way so do check your ‘manage my booking’ if you are in a similar situation.
This left us even more in limbo though as the balance was due 15th May. Would we have to pay the balance and wait for it to be cancelled? What if it wasn’t cancelled? Would we still have to go even if we couldn’t?
We could only wait. Then…… we follow some fab Las Vegas Twitter accounts and Steve (Las Vegas UK) posted that Virgin had cancelled all direct flights to Las Vegas for June 2021. We got straight onto VirginAtlantics Twitter and got confirmation from them that the flights were indeed cancelled.
We then sent a WhatsApp to Virgin Holidays asking them to confirm that our deposit would be refunded and that the balance was not payable due to the flights being cancelled. Virgin Holidays (eventually) replied saying we would be informed in due course. Not very helpful, but 3 days later we got a message saying our holiday was cancelled.
Wherever you are going – keep an eye on the live flight information – try Skyscanner to check availability you will find out sooner if your flight (therefore your holiday) has been cancelled.
How do you contact Virgin Holidays?
Same as last year, be prepared for long waits on the phone and for WhatsApp and Text replies
- Phone 03444729646 (I’ve put no spaces on purpose so you can just click) This is the least efficient way, you will wait for ages.
- WhatsApp 02033223289 again the waits are long but at least you can do other things.
- Text – You have to do this through the contact us form on the website.
- In branch – probably best not doing this though, I really feel for the staff, let them get back to booking holidays not dealing with annoyed customers, it’s not their fault.
Will Virgin go bust?
Virgin Australia went into voluntary administration. There was a chance that Virgin Atlantic would follow, however Virgin pulled out all the stops and did what was necessary to survive through the last 2 years of the Pandemic.
Happily Virgin are in a much more stable position in 2022
Virgin Atlantic employs over 30,000 people worldwide. The airline and holiday experience is excellent. For all those wonderful staff to lose their livelihoods would be devastating, and for us to have no other option than British Airways would be grim. We need healthy competition and choice for our travel.
What would happen to my holiday if Virgin goes bust?
This is unlikely and not something to worry about, it is the same process for any holiday firms that go bust
- Your holiday will be immediately cancelled
- You will be due a full refund – as the holiday is protected by ATOL, though this will take a while.
- You will be able to claim the refund quicker by doing a Section 75 chargeback on your credit card.
Can I claim on my holiday insurance if I decide to cancel?
This is where you will have to contact your insurer as terms and conditions vary. Always get decent travel insurance as soon as you book. Have a read of our guides which cover travel insurance inclusions and cancellation info. However none of the reasons listed at the start would be covered unless;
- Safety. The FCO advises against travel to the Country
- Money. You are now unemployed from a job you have been in for over 12 months.
- Time. No exceptions
- Family / Health. You would be covered if you or a close family member is ill with a non pre-existing condition.
So what can you do if you still can’t go on your Virgin Holiday?
Wait it out and hope that Virgin Holidays cancel your holiday.
Don’t hope for them going bust (even though you’ll get a refund) as we should be doing all we can to save this fantastic, customer focussed Airline.
A world without Virgin Airlines would be a less fun world.
Let me know what you are doing with your Holiday, will you cancel or wait? Where were you going? Leave us a comment, share your experience as this will help other readers.
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How do we go about cancelling our holiday in December we can’t call up as we aren’t travelling in the next 72 hours, there’s no email address and none of their stores are open! How do we cancel?
Hi Ava
If you cancel then you forfeit your deposit. I’d say wait until 85 days before you are due to go – this is just before the cancellation amount increases. Between now and then it is possible that either Virgin will cancel or make a significant change to your trip that effectively means they cancel and you can get a full refund (so you don’t lose your deposit)
By that time (September I am guessing) then the situation is likely to be far more normal and you will be able to contact them by email or phone or on ‘Manage my booking’ to cancel. At the moment they are even taking 6 days to reply to WhatsApp messages. You will be able to cancel then.
Definitely wait. If you really can’t then send a WhatsApp message (and save it and take a screenshot for evidence) They will eventually reply with confirmation.
All the best, Tracy
We have tried again and again to get in touch with virgin we were due to pay the full balance this week but cannot make any contact with them what so ever
They have our money of over 1300 pounds
Disney have cancelled Disney plan aswell as changes to parks so the holiday we booked is not going to be the same
Virgin also took 200 pound for up trade to seats we’ve even lost that.
Hi Christine
Send a WhatsApp or Twitter saying – We have not been able to contact in any way to discus our booking ref xxxx – the balance of our holiday is due this week. However due to the significant change made by Virgin to our booking, we consider this holiday cancelled by yourselves. Therefore please arrange refund of our deposit and monies paid for seat upgrade. Please be clear that WE are not cancelling our holiday so we are not forfeiting the deposit. YOU are cancelling the holiday due to significant change. If you do not consider this to be the case then please contact me, I expect the balance due date to be extended should you not be able to contact me before it is due.
You will not get a quick response but you have logged your issue and it will get resolved eventually. Please keep in touch, all the best, Tracy
Hi Tracy – do you have the WhatsApp number I can use to do this? We are in the same boat though our balance is not due for another 3 weeks however due to the recent changes made at Disney the holiday will now be significantly changed.
Hi Vicky
Try WhatsApp 0344 874 7747 you ring first and they give you the option
All the contact details are in this post https://mindovermoneymatters.co.uk/virgin-cancels-manchester-to-las-vegas-route-what-can-you-do/
Bear in mind that you won’t get a response straight away (they are saying 6 days!) So also keep a screenshot showing the date and words for ‘proof’in case it disapperars ( I am overcautious!)
Good luck
Tracy
Can you advise Virgin Holidays WhatsApp number?
I sent a letter to cancel my trip to Dubai in November in June….no reply….I realise I will lose my deposit but I’m prepared to do so….just want to cancel my holiday
Im supposed to be going in October and due to pay balance end of July. I managed to successfully get through to VH via WhatsApp – key to getting a reply is to resubmit your response to their automated bounceback message.
They confirmed back to me that my Disney hotel is no longer available in October nor is available for rebooking next year. They have offered the alternative for the dates I want to rebook for next year which I cant afford (extra £1500 for flights only!!!) and other dates I cannot go on. They wont cancel my existing holiday even though the hotel isnt available and are pushing for me to cancel and lose my deposit.
*update* they are now potentially offering me a credit voucher for my deposit – I have asked for a refund instead
Virgin are now giving the option to cancel your Disney holiday if you’re booked to go before end October 2020 with a full refund – 120 day refund process though.
Wow that’s brilliant news, things change so often. Hopefully you can rebook next year at a decent price. All the best, Tracy
My Florida holiday balance is due on 12 July £3,100. We should fly out on 4 October. I was thinking of changing the holiday to next October however the price for the same holiday is not £8,000 as opposed to £4,200. I now prefer to cancel and book with someone else. Do you suggest l pay the balance and wait for virgin to cancel as l very much doubt the holiday will go ahead or cancel now via any means l can WhatsApp, email or twitter and lose my deposit of £700. I’ve paid a further £500 too, would l get this back?
Hi Zoe
If you cancel now you will lose your deposit only. You will get the £500 back. Question to ask yourself is – Would you be happy to go on holiday on 4th October if it was not cancelled?
If yes then pay the balance on 12th and keep your fingers crossed. If Virgin cancel you will get a full refund, if they don’t then you will be going on holiday.
If your answer is no then you have to decide whether to cancel on 12th July by not paying the balance, losing your deposit. Or pay the balance and hope it will be cancelled, then you will get a full refund.
If it is not cancelled, could you claim on your insurance?
You have a couple of weeks to decide DON’T do anything now. By 12th July you may have a better idea whether it is likely to go ahead or not.
I have friends with Florida booked for first week in September who have convinced themselves they are going. Personally I think September is unlikely. October more likely.
Another consideration is that in August you will likely be given the option to take a voucher if you don’t want to go. Although prices are sky high now, that may not be the case early next year.
Good luck, let me know what you decide, Trace
Hi Tracy
It would seem that virgin are sending emails saying you are able to cancel For holidays up to end October 2020
but only to the people who are staying in Disney hotels or have purchased parks tickets through them. We have a Package but a villa n flights no tickets purchased as yet. Do you know if we will be able to cancel too?
Hi Zoe, hmmm not really. I’d expect them to cancel all or at least make a significant change meaning it is effectively cancelled. It’s worth sending an email / WhatsApp saying you are aware hols are being cancelled and you’ve not been able to get confirmation that yours is still going ahead. Therefore you assume yours will be cancelled and the balance not payable. Say – If this is not the case then you expect them to to contact you and extend the cancellation dates accordingly so you are not liable for cancellation costs while you are waiting for contact to be made.
Keep me posted
All the best
Tracy
Hi there, great article!
We are supposed to be going to thailand in october and booked through VH back in January.
Ive noticed on my manage my booking VH still have us flying from Gatwick yet Qatar Airlines have us flying from Heathrow.
Have been trying to get hold of someone ar VH for 2 months but like everyone else we cant get through & only standard messages are sent back.
Having read your article am i correct in assuming this now constitutes as a cancelled flight? We have only paid the £600 deposit & the balance is due 29th july
Regards
Hi David. Thanks 😊 With a Virgin Holiday T&Cs state – Airport changes generally so Manchester to London yes but not London changes. I know it’s crap- Gatwick to Heathrow is a major change but not according to Virgin’s T&Cs.
Keep a look out for flight time changes. With a package holiday anything over 12 hours (from the original time) is ‘significant change’ even if its done a few hours each change. Thats 12 hours total so if its 6 hours later going and 6 hours sooner coming back, that counts.
(Flight only it is 3 hours change and any airport change)
You have a bit of time till your balance is due so there may well be changes in the meantime.
I will update the post to make this clearer, thanks for asking the question.
Keep me posted
All the best, Tracy
Hi there!
Im in a predicament, where Im due to pay the balance at end July for my Disney/Orlando holiday October 2020.
From what Disney have released so far, my hotel (All Stars resorts) is not open and isnt even available if I choose to rebook for August 2021, so in effect Virgin cannot provide my booked accommodation.
Of course Im still waiting on communication from VH, have submitted the ‘request rebooking’ form and have WhatsApped them several time but get the same old bounceback about priority customers date first etc.
Do I go ahead and pay the balance, knowing that its likely my holiday will be cancelled but wont find that out til 2wks before flying and hope for a refund? I dont really want to rebook for August next year now as the hotel I want isnt available and im sure the cost difference will also be ridiculous.
Decisions decisions!
*update* Virgin are now allowing Disney holidays to be cancelled – I have now cancelled mine and will get my deposit refunded albeit in 120days
Hi Nicola
I’m in exactly the same boat as you!
How did you go about the cancellation to get the full refund?
Thanks
Very helpful thread. How do you cancel a holiday please? I can’t find any email address to send cancellation to. I think I’d prefer to do that and lose a deposit rather than pay the full amount in 3 weeks time and have a really bad holiday in Orlando.
Hi Margaret
When is your holiday? Nicola in previous comment has said that Virgin are giving the option to cancel holidays up to end of October 2020.
WhatsApp seems to be the best way to contact them, they take ages to reply.
Best leave it till the day before your balance is due and decide then
All the best
Tracy
Thanks Tracy. Holiday is 17-25 October but I haven’t heard/seen anything about being able to cancel. I’ve tried to contact VH today via WhatsApp thanks to this thread. Do I have to send a letter in the post to cancel? There doesn’t seem to be another option to make sure they have it in time before balance is due.
Hi Margaret
No you don’t need to send a letter. You can send a WhatsApp or do it through manage my booking. Please do it the day before your balance is due though – not before – as you may get lucky and have Virgin cancel – then you’ll get your deposit back (eventually)
Keep me posted.
All the best
Tracy
Hello I’ve booked all a package holiday to New York flying out 25th October. I have asked what I would lose if I cancel before the 84 days and have been told it will be over £1800 due to the hotel being non refundable. I never realised this when I booked and I paid in full as I booked on line. I definitely do not want to go as the virus is still bad out there and also there’s quite a bit of unrest in New York. Should I cancel and lose the money or hold out for Virgin to possibly cancel ? Obviously if they don’t cancel I risk losing the whole lot which would be £3500. Thanks
Hi Karen
This is outrageous and certainly not clear from looking at the T&Cs – you are supposed to ask if additional cancellation charges apply. This is definitely one that can be fought in court – unfair terms and conditions. Was this definitely not advised on on any paperwork when you booked? Personally I’d request an extension to the balance due date and say you do not accept the additional cancellation charges saying they were not clearly available on the website at the time of booking. Booking which have have terms which fall outside the published T&Cs should be clearly marked and customers directed accordingly. If you cancel now you will have less chance of getting your money back unless you get them to agree to the deposit only amount. It’s worth trying again. Failing that – I would expect them to cancel the holiday in September of offer vouchers if you don’t want to go. So I’d pay the balance (on credit card) and wait. And I would do that because my insurance will cover me cancelling my trip if Virgin didn’t. So check your insurance and see if there are any ways you would be covered. Good luck and keep me posted, Tracy
Hello and thank you for your reply. So firstly Virgin said that when I booked this on line the fact that the deposit was larger was the indication that the hotel part was non refundable?? I have nothing to say it was non refundable. So they are saying that I should have known this ? Which I didn’t. There’s nothing in manage my booking that says it’s non refundable . I paid in full £3501.52 on the day I booked so I have no balance to pay. They have said if I cancel now before the 84 days then I will lose £1826.15. I’m devastated as this was money left to me when my mum passed away. I excitedly booked never realising I would be in this predicament. I also contacted my insurance this morning but they couldn’t help. I really feel at a loss. Should I just sit it out ? October is quite a way off . Thanks so much Alison
Hi Alison. Oh that’s heartbreaking, so sorry that you lost your Mum. And that your trip (which you will get to go on sometime) is turning into a nightmare. It’s sly from Virgin, very sly, I can see how you wouldn’t have known this from the deposit amount – especially if you paid in full at the time of booking. What hotel is it? I’d find out whether they are open. If they are not then the no-cancellation does not apply anyway. Also check if your flight is still taking bookings. I would wait, but then I would also probably go in October if the holiday went ahead. It’s looking at which option would keep you awake at night least. Only you can decide. We would wait but that’s just us – it would make me sick to lose £1800 now for nothing when there still are options. Please make your own decision though – it’s your £3500. Trace
Hello. Update. They’ve sent me an email this morning to reduce my loss if I cancel to £1289 instead of £1826. I complained that I had nothing to prove that the hotel was non refundable. What do you think
Alison
Hi Alison
Replied via twitter dm. What did you decide to do? Trace
We have booked for Florida in feb 2021 only paid deposit virgin have said we must pay for park tickets now, we must decide which park we want to visit each day but don’t have a guarantee of getting in due to number restrictions, We paid a deposit of £1500 and they have requested the full cost of14 day park tickets. For a family of four. We booked in feb 2020 . What should we do . This is not the holiday we had planned .
Hi Hilary
Was this mentioned anywhere when you booked? Paying for tickets 6 months in advance seems unreasonable under the circumstances.
A few months ago my flight time was changed by 4 1/2 hours. This was before the pandemic caused chaos but having read the above, would this entitle me to a full refund as it is more than a 3 hour change? We aren’t due to go until the first week in December but it was to New York and it is still likely to have restrictions in place and a lot of tourist activity closed so I was hoping this might be a way to get fully refunded still? I have been trying to contact Virgin on Twitter since 23rd March too
Hi Lee
It’s probably worth a try. If the flight number hasn’t changed and it was so far in advance of your trip it could be classed a schedule change so unlikely to be refunded. Tweet or WhatsApp them that you have been trying to contact them since March but have had no response. Say your flight time has changed by over 3hours which you do not accept therefore consider your flight cancelled and request confirmation that Virgin has cancelled and will process a full refund. Slim chance of success. They are taking 6 days to respond so definitely try again. You’ll probably just have to hold on and see what happens. We have booked for December (with Air Miles so easy cancellable) we won’t really now until November if it will be worth going so not thinking about it till then. Let me know how you get on. Tracy
I’ve WhatsApp messaged them (again as I did initially try to no avail or reply) and also Twitter Dmd them too as that has been my main way in trying to contact. They did reply (23rd May) asking for booking details etc but the last contact was May and and not March, my bad. But still, they have failed to respond to my request for confirmation that refund is possible in over 2 months now. There is no way we will be going to New York ( for our honeymoon too I might add) and I’m trying to cite extreme circumstances as to the reason a full refund is due so when i saw the 3 hour time change that did give me hope that that could be used to get the full amount back. As long as they reply back to me that will be a start and I’ll let you know how I get on
Good evening. I have booked to travel to Vegas from 17th October. The balance it due by 25th of July. (Saturday) I have tried contacting them via there forms etc but no response. Do I pay the remaining balance or not? Paid £450 so far another £800 due. How much money would be loose if I cancel now? Or do we wait for them to cancel the holiday and get a full refund. Any help or advice would be great appreciated xx
Hi Melissa
Its a tough call, You’d have to check your initial booking to see how much deposit you’d lose by cancelling now. It will be at least the £450. You may have a better chance contacting them by WhatsApp , see if they will defer the balance or allow you to put the deposit towards another date. It’s unlikely you will get any response before tomorrow though. Personally I’d pay the balance (by credit card) and wait for them to cancel then you’ll get a full refund. There are still hotels not opened in Vegas yet, and your flight may be changed – triggering the refund. But then if it doesn’t get cancelled would you still go? (we would! hence the decision) Let us know what you decide, maybe other readers can share what they have done. All the best, Tracy
My family and I are due to go to Florida with Virgin Holidays (VH) on 25 October 2020, the 84 days (when the amount of money lost if cancelled changes to 30%) is on 2 August.
At the moment VH are saying that holidays in October are unaffected. We most definitely do not want to travel to Florida, given the current situation with Covid 19 in the state. Can you offer any advice?
Hi Tracy
we are due to travel to Florida on 20th December for with Virgin we booked half stay and half royal Caribbean cruise, we still have £12000 to pay by the end of September, due to being self employed with no help and no work for 3 Months due to coronavirus I cant afford to pay, I have been trying to contact them but with no joy to discus my options, a friend has told me because they have changed from Gatwich to heathrow I have a right to Cancel.
any advice would be great.
Thank you
Stephen
Hi Stephen
All you can do for the moment is wait and see what happens the week before you have to pay. If you do get hold of them now then they will let you cancel but you’ll lose your deposit. September is a long way off and anything can change between now and then. Gatwick to Heathrow is not enough to trigger the right to cancel. Airport changes do count as a significant change but not London changes. Keep an eye out for change of flight times from your initial booking – 12hrs+ will. If you need to cancel in September then you’ll be no worse off then if you cancelled now. Royal Caribbean Cruises are currently suspended until 15th September so an announcement confirming the the date of resumption / extension will be made early September. Florida trips are currently being cancelled up to October so by September yo will definitely be able to make an informed decision on whether to cancel, by then Virgin may even offer you credit or change of date. Keep us posted and good luck. T
Hi Tracy
I have booked Florida for Nov 2nd and am trying to request changing to March next year. The longer wait I have, the more the prices are rising & I also need to confirm dates with work. My flight is currently still showing as Gatwick despite email months ago to inform of change & refund of seat reservations. I can’t understand why ‘manage my booking’ dies not have the option to change myself as they seem unable & unwilling to contact customers. Any advice gratefully received.
Hi Vanessa
I can only say the best way is to contact them at the moment is via WhatsApp or twitter – there is still a wait but only a few days now. Especially as you are asking to change not refund, they will answer quicker. Good luck, let us know how you get on. Tracy
How do I go about requesting to cancel? We are due to pay the balance on1st August, filled out forms to cancel and used email addresses that bounce back,. We have tried via WhatsApp, Facebook and tried getting through via phone only to be cut off as we don’t travel within 21 days, we know we will lose our deposit but they just are not responding no matter what. We are getting really nervous now as to how much we will lose.
Hi Catherine
Keep screenshots of the WhatsApp you sent / Emails showing the dates – make sure your messages include the words – ‘We have been trying to cancel and accept that we will lose the deposit. Due to non response to our messages, emails / phonecalls, we do not accept liability for any increase in cancellation fees caused by Virgins lack of response. Please confirm before 1st August that our holiday has been cancelled as requested and that no further monies will be due.
This way even if they do try and ask for more – you have evidence that you did all you could.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Tracy
Thanks for the advice, we will let you know how we get on!
Just to let you know, after much persistence via what’s app we have managed to cancel our holiday, it did require to lost the same message a couple of times per day but finally sorted! Only taken since 11th May to get a response, the wording you helped with seemed to do the trick! Thank you
😁 Fab news, well done, now the patient wait for the refund. All the best
Hi There,
We’re due to go to the Maldives for our honeymoon on 1st November but we want to cancel. We’re not fussed about losing the deposit – this is all we have paid so far and thankfully wasn’t a lot of money. Our final payment is due on 9th August but it’s absolutely impossible to get hold of anyone!! I’ve sent a twitter message, email which just bounces back, I’ve tried texting but that would only cover Virgin Atlantic and not Virgin Holiday bookings and all the phone lines just give a useless automated message.
I’m getting to the point where we just think we won’t make any payments on the 9th August and see if they cancel it for non-payment, my only concern is they will try and charge us the 30% fee on top of the deposit (even though we have been trying to contact them before the 84 days!!)
I just really don’t know what else i can do? I’ve tried every number I can find and nothing seems to work. I cant go into the store we booked at and cancel as they’re still shut. Email doesn’t work and gets bounce back. No reply on social media.
Hi Lucy, same as the previous response I just posed (you wouldn’t have seen it – just did it) you’ll be fine as long as you keep screenshots of the WhatsApp you sent / Emails showing the dates – make sure your messages include the words – ‘We have been trying to cancel and accept that we will lose the deposit. Due to non response to our messages, emails / phonecalls, we do not accept liability for any increase in cancellation fees caused by Virgins lack of response. Please confirm before 9th August that our holiday has been cancelled as requested and that no further monies will be due.
This way even if they do try and ask for more – you have evidence that you did all you could.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Tracy
Hi Tracy
We are due to go to Florida on 11 September 2020, we paid the full holiday balance at the end of June, if we cancel we understand that we will lose a percentage of the deposit, but would we get the balance of the holiday cost refunded, or would we lose that?
Thanks
Carole
Hi Carole, yes you’d get the balance refunded (eventually) check their T&Cs for the % as the charge increases by number of days. Many Florida September holidays have been cancelled by Virgin. Is your flight still showing as bookable? Tracy
Hi Tracy, just found out this afternoon that our flight has now been cancelled as there are no flights to Forida until 6 October, so I have requested a full refund, which will take up to 120 days ! but at least we will get our money back.
I now have another question, my husband took out travel insurance with Staysure as he has pre-existing medical conditions, he telephoned to ask if he could have his insurance premium refunded as he effectively has insurance cover for a holiday that will not now take place, he paid £338 pounds and they have offered £91 refund in vouchers to use over the next 3 years !! As our original holiday is now cancelled, and we will not be rebooking as we have requested a full refund (the holiday was specifically for a wedding that has now been cancelled) is there any way that we can get a full refund for this holiday insurance ?
Thanks Carole
Hi Carole, that’s good news, and you will get your refund eventually. I will look into the insurance situation and get back to you tomorrow. I saw something a while back saying it was up to individual insurers, there’s no specific rules – I will let you know exactly though. Tracy
Hi Carole, right, there is no consumer right that allows you to claim a refund in for cancelled policy. It is down to the Insurance Cos goodwill. Some are allowing free date changes, partial refunds etc. Probably worth going back to them again saying you are happy to pay a reasonable admin/cancellation fee for the cancelled/ unusable policy. However the amount they are suggesting is unfair. Suggest a ‘fair’ 20% and see what they come back with. Keep saying, fair, reasonable, unuseable etc. Let me know how you get on, Tracy
Hi Carole, that’s good news, and you will get your refund eventually. I will look into the insurance situation and get back to you tomorrow. Tracy
Hi, please can any one help…..balance is due on Vegas holiday on 2nd August (travel end of October) – can’t get through on the phone to discuss panelling/changing and even on the mybooking there is no option to cancel….HELP
I am trying to contact Virgin holidays to cancel my holiday to Mauritius in November. Like all the other posts there is absolutely no way of contacting Virgin. The WhatsApp forum says it only deals with Virgin Atlantic and not virgin holidays. I was hoping to reschedule holiday but think I’ll cut my losses and just lose my deposit. Any suggestions on how I let virgin know and whether they will pursue me for further money?
due to fly to dubai in november but we want to cancel due to we have been shielding past 4 months and we are very weary about going abroad now. the whatsapp does not work because i am booked with virgin holidays and the whatsapp is for virgin atlantic.
i have only paid my deposit which i am not bothered losing but will i be charged more money for cancelling?
Hi Kate, sorry to hear that. Send them a tweet saying you want to cancel and ask them to confirm when the latest date you can do this only losing the deposit amount. Generally its 80 ish days before travel so it may be worth holding on till then and keep your fingers crossed that they cancel. Good luck T🎈
I am due to pay the balance of my virgin holiday on the 15.8. i have been trying to cancel for ages
i senbt an email saying if i dont hear from them by 6.8 i will consider the holiday cancelled
not heard from virgin
Can they force me to pay for the holiday
No Marie, they can’t but if you have said you want to cancel then you may lose the deposit only. Keep us posted T🎈
Hi Tracey, the manage my booking still says the holiday is going ahead, but they have not asked
for payment. in fact they have still not replied to us in any way.
Can i assume the holiday is cancelled
Hi Marie. Yes – send another message though confirming that this is your understanding.
Hi Tracey, we got and email from virgin to say our flight had changed by 30 mins. there was a different tele no so we rang. 1st thing they said was we have ot paid our balance. explained have been trying to contact them to no avail. was told only dealing with holidays til the end of oct. she said our holiday will be cancelled but cant confirm that until the 30th sept. i asked as they know our holiday will be cancelled can we have our deposit back. she said in order for that to happen we had to pay the balance then when they notify us they will refund all monies but could take 120 days for this to happen. i said could not understand that they know our holiday is going to be cancelled but wont refund deposit
cutting a very long conversation short we said cancel the holiday which they have done.
Hi , very informative article , thanks, due to fly with VH to Barbados in November from Manchester. Cannot contact VA or VH although have sent txts in last week so hoping. Our flight with VA was on a Wednesday and they now don’t fly that day , however, we have not had any notification of change – we now know others were emailed months ago, The My Booking page still says Wednesday too ! The balance is due next week and I guess this change could constitute a significant change and I could cancel. Am really confused as to whether I want to travel at all , but will keep an eye on this site, thanks again.
Thanks Chrissie, be careful with your wording. You do not cancel. Don’t use those words. Message them again saying ‘ although you have not contacted me yet to advise me that my flight had been cancelled – the flight is not showing as an option anymore, therefore I accept that Virgin have cancelled my holiday. Obviously the balance which is still showing as due next week, clearly isn’t. Please send cancellation confirmation by return and advise of timescales for the refund of my deposit.
Keep us posted and good luck Tx
Yes thanks, I didn’t mean cancel ( been telling folks that all along !) so thanks for wording advice . Literally two minutes ago received a reply to VA text Message sent Monday, they confirm our flights were moved by a day and we are on those flights in same seats as booked originally. So now we just have to decide if we want to take the risk of going ! The message just now also said VH staff are all coming back from Furlough and catching up and supplied a WhatsApp number of 020 3322 3289 which is the one I used on Tuesday. Thanks again
Sorry a quick follow up . If we pay the balance to VH next week and then decide not to travel , say in another few weeks, can we still use the significant change reason if we have still not heard from VH direct regarding the change of flight day ? Guess I am trying to buy myself a bit of time.
No worries. If they have not informed you of the significant change, or if you haven’t advised them that you know, before you pay your balance then yes you can. If they tell you before you pay the balance then no – you paying the balance means you accept the change and can’t change your mind.
Thanks again, think my brain was a bit fried there . I have passed this link on to friends travelling at the same time as it’s been appreciated. Does anyone know if you paid the deposit using Virgin flying club will these be credited if we opt not to travel ?
Regards
Chris
Will aim to update on our case as it progresses .
Hi Chris
Yes you will get the miles back too
Trace
Hi I have received this text back from Virgin after saying we are not prepared to travel from Heathrow. I requested our deposit of £350 back on the grounds of a major change to our holiday. Please tell me who is correct.
Hi Sir, thank you for contacting us the flight changing from Gatwick to Heathrow is not considered a major change as it is the same city , cancellation would result in loss of deposit I’m afraid
Hi Nicola
Gatwick – Heathrow is not classed a significant change as it is still London. Keep an eye on your flight times – this could be grounds to cancel.
Another update , so I did as you suggested with the wording and sent a WhatsApp message to Virgin Hols 23 August. Got a reply immediately asking if they could help and had we had a cancellation email from them ? Repeated the details re change of date etc etc and heard nothing since . My booking was still showing as live ( on wrong day) so last week I sent a recorded letter to HQ in Crawley giving details as per WhatsApo message. Five days later I received an email confirming they accept change of date is reason for full refund of deposit and they cancelled our holiday. They say flying club miles should be refunded within six to eight weeks. Thank you for you excellent advice,
Hi Chrissie, that’s fantastic to hear. Thanks so much for letting us know and well done for sending the recorded delivery letter – that definitely got you a quicker response. So pleased for you. Tracy x
Yes got that tip from another Virgin customer , seems to work !
We booked for Florida August 2021. Twelve of us. We booked open ticket for Disney parks so we could go when we wanted to. Our full costs is due may 2021. Virgin has asked for full payment now as they said Disney are asking for payment. Also our passes are no longer open tickets and the waterpark are closed and no guarantee if they will be open when we go. We want to cancel, will we lose our deposits
Hi Lesley, that’s an interesting one. Yes, if you cancel now then you forfeit your deposits so don’t cancel yet. When you booked, what did the agreement say about paying for park tickets? Was it mentioned separately or just ‘balance of holiday’ due in May? Let me know and I’ll see what I can find out in the meantime. It seems unreasonable to ask you to pay now. Tracy
Hi Lesley, so there’s no mention in the T&Cs. Feel free to email me your booking docs and I’ll have a good look through. And their request for payment now. Tracy
Good evening,
We booked with Virgin for July 2021 (booked before COVID-19), we are due to pay the full amount in April, but are trying for a refund on the deposit as a significant change to our holiday- when we booked there was character meeting and greet, fireworks- all this is not not happening, which I deem as a significant change? Is it?
Thank you
Hi Stephanie, unfortunately not.
Best you can do is wait until the balance is due and either request a date change (this is either £50pp or free depending on when you booked it. If you booked before Covid then it’s £50) or forfeit the deposit.
Virgin are being alot more flexible now with Customers.
We are in a similar situation for our rebooked Vegas holiday in June. Our balance is due on 4th April so we will make a decision then. It is likely that the prices to rebook for next year will be high so I am going to requesting a credit for the deposit if we feel that Vegas will not be ‘Vegas’. The other option is to pay the balance and cross your fingers for a cancellation – but that’s pretty risky for July.
Keep me posted and I’ll let you know how we get on.
All the best, Tracy
We are due to fly July 21st to universal. We are thinking of cancelling as we just don’t want to go under the current conditions. We want to cancel before the 85 days cut off but wondering if we will lose the price of the park tickets as well as the deposit? It’s over £1500 for the tickets but will Virgin have actually purchased these tickets yet? Any help appreciated as losing the £725 deposit is hard enough!
Hi Fiona, give Virgin a call, I spoke to a really helpful lady yesterday as the deposit on our (rebooked) Vegas holiday was due today. She said that balances are now due 6 weeks before, not 12.mine hadn’t changed on the app but she did it and now it shows. That gives us more time to have it cancelled by Virgin.
You can ask about the tickets too. The government announcement on 12th will make your options cleared but definitely don’t cancel until you absolutely have to.
You also have the option of changing the dates ( depending on when you booked this could be free or £50pp) to next year which will save your deposit, especially if park tickets are non refundable.
Good luck and keep us posted on how you get on – it’s really helpful for others in the same situation T🎈
Hello. I have booked a break to New York to fly out from Heathrow on the 30th July. We have paid in full. With the border still closed to the UK and USA on the amber list. Will virgin cancel and we will have a full refund?
I’m getting a bit anxious as it is only just over a month away!!!
Thanks in advance
Hi Fiona
Hold your nerve, they will cancel at the last possible moment- 15 days before x
While I’ve not used Virgin myself, I can’t imagine them not being in the holiday and travel industry. But the pandemic is hitting so many providers hard, and reluctance to refund or help customers out doesn’t help public opinion about them. It’s good to know what Virgin are doing, how to get refunds when holidays are ATOL protected and so on. This is a fab guide which will be invaluable for those with holiday plans they’re unsure of. xx
Hi,
We were meant to be going to Key West Florida on the 4th August. Virgin have cancelled the holiday. They gave us the option to have a full refund or to book another date. As this is a dream holiday we chose to put the holiday back to April 30th 2020. We had paid the holiday in full by the time they cancelled. When we rebooked we were told that we had to pay an extra £820 as this was the price of the same holiday @ 2022 prices. I know the business is having a rough time but as we have already paid for the holiday we thought that the price was guaranteed once fully paid or are they able to charge us a further £820 ?
Hi Martin
Unfortunately this is their T&Cs, they can charge an increased price.
Best option is take the refund you are entitled to and rebook when prices suit. There is likely to be much better options later in the year, especially around Black Friday or boxing day.
Wishing you all the best, keep us posted Tracy
Hi, we have a package holiday booked with Virgin to Orlando on 13th October 21. We have only paid our deposit so far & balance due on 1st September. We don’t want to go & don’t want to loose our deposits. If we don’t pay our balance on 1st September & wait for virgin to cancel can we loose our deposits? Also, if virgin cancel, when would they likely to do this before the holiday?
Thanks Gail.
Hi Gail, if you don’t pay your balance on 1st then you would lose your deposit. Best contact them on 31st August and see what your options are, I would expect that your holiday would be cancelled before then anyway.
Worst ways – put the balance on a credit card, that means you don’t have to pay it and you will get the refund much quicker.
All the best
Great advice. I really hope restrictions world-wide are eased soon to give the beleaguered travel industry a chance to recover.
Thanks Nick, us too – so looking forward to travelling again T🎈
So many things to think about with holiday booking. For the time being we have decided to not risk it having seen friends and family get into all kinds of problems with their own bookings!