Airlines, cruises and tours waive change and cancellation fees due to coronavirus [Updated]

Qantas, Virgin Australia, Royal Caribbean and Contiki are among those letting you change your travel plans for free.

International travel restrictions are tightening by the day. So far, the government has enforced a 14-day self-isolation policy for overseas arrivals and has upgraded all destinations to "do not travel".

It's also calling for all citizens and permanent residents to return to Australia as soon as possible. From 9pm on 20 March, all non-residents and non-citizens will be denied entry into the country. A domestic travel ban has been put into place with some states and territories enforcing a 14 day-self isolation policy on all non-essential entrants.

With borders closing rapidly and airlines are planning to ground both international and domestic flights.

Of the Australian airlines:

• Virgin Australia: From 31 March to 14 June 2020 all intern00ational flights are temporarily suspended. 90% of domestic flights will be suspended from 27 March to 14 June 2020.
• Qantas and Jetstar: 31 March - 31 May, all regularly scheduled international flights are temporarily suspended. Domestic flights are also being reduced for the same dates.
• Tigerair: As of 25 March 2020 all Australian flights are suspended.

In response to these drastic changes, travel companies are easing the stress of travel and lost finances by offering penalty-free changes and cancellations on upcoming trips.

Mind you, when they say cancellations, this doesn't necessarily mean refunds. More likely, they're providing flight credit to be used within 12 months of issue. This is similar to their fee-free change waivers, only you'll have a voucher that allows you to rebook rather than having to rebook on-site or through your booking agent.

Qantas and Jetstar passengers that are impacted by the cancellations will be contacted with recovery options, including travel credit to the full value of the untravelled journey. You can also cancel or reschedule your flight online.

Virgin Australia has established an online booking cancellation request form for any guests travelling before 30 June 2020 wishing to cancel for travel credit.

All this is in line with the ACCC advice on event and travel cancellation due to COVID-19. Provided on 18 March 2020 it states: "If events, flights or other travel services such as cruises are cancelled, the ACCC expects refunds or other remedy such as a credit note or voucher will be offered in most circumstances.

"However, if the event, flight or travel service is cancelled due to government restrictions, consumer rights under the consumer guarantees may be impacted. In these situations consumers may be entitled to a refund under the terms and conditions of their ticket, or potentially may make a claim under a travel insurance policy."

Of the airlines that depart our shores, Emirates, Qatar, Air New Zealand, Etihad, United Airlines, American Airlines, LATAM, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Scoot are all offering some level of flexibility.

Cruise lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises are letting cruisers cancel for a full future cruise credit (FCC). For Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Silversea, MSC, Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas and Celebrity Cruises, this is valid 48 hours prior to departure.

Of the tour companies, Contiki, Trafalgar and Topdeck are among many allowing fee-free reschedules.

Flights

Under the new policies, travel booked in the near future may be eligible for date or destination changes. Cancellation for travel credit is also available for some airlines.

Changes and credit are typically valid for a year from the ticket issue date with Qatar, Qantas and Virgin Australia.

If you're changing your flight, your new travel plans must be for the same booking class and must be made at least a few days in advance of the date of your flight. Generally, you'll only be given one change per booking. The exception is with Air New Zealand, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines, where the change penalties are waived regardless of the number of changes made.

While you'll avoid change fees or ticket reissue fees, you won't be able to avoid price difference charges if your flight costs more for the new date or if you're upgrading your flight class.

If your new flight costs less than what you originally paid, no refund of the difference will be given either.

Flights services are being cancelled daily with Qantas and Jetstar in particular looking to cut international services by 90% until May. If your service is cut you'll be contacted by the airline for options to either reschedule or cancel, likely for a travel credit voucher.

A breakdown of each airline's conditions

Select online travel agencies have also issued change fee waivers and cancellations. Expedia is offering penalty-free cancellations on full-service flights scheduled to depart before 30 April 2020. These can be refunded in the form of credit with the airline. Change and cancellation policies on low-cost airlines vary. Check the Expedia Customer Support Portal for more details.

Cruises

On 15 March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison banned cruise ships that had sailed from foreign ports from docking in Australia for 30 days.

As of 28 March, this ban has been extended unil 15 June. In compliance, luxury liners including P&O and Carnival Cruises have suspended their operations until 16 June.

Travellers who are impacted by these impacted cancellations are being compensated with 100% future cruise credit. This can be used on cruises as far into the future as 2022.

Bookings for travel beyond the suspension dates are still available, and many fee waivers are still in place. This means that some future bookings can be cancelled up to 48 hours prior to sailing. And if you choose to rebook, generally, any decrease in price will be refunded to the traveller in the form of credit. If the new cruise cost is higher, travellers will have to pay the difference.

A breakdown of each cruise liner's conditions

See here for a full list of cruises, their suspension dates and change or refund options.

Tours

While many tour companies have cancelled or reorganised their expeditions to avoid highly infected places like China, Italy and South Korea, the effect on cancellation and rescheduling policies has been minimal.

Of note, Contiki has announced flexible deposits and no change fees when you cancel at least 30 days before departure. Your deposit will be held as credit to use on future trips.

Trafalgar has issued a temporary fee-free cancellation policy for bookings departing after 1 April and on any new 2020 bookings. Cancellations must be made 30 days before departure and are on land journeys that don't go to Oberammergau.

Intrepid is allowing reschedules for tours departing in 42 days or less. If your new tour is cheaper, you'll be given a full refund of the difference. If your new tour is more expensive, you'll have to pay the difference.

Tours departing in more than 42 days can also be rescheduled to a later date or onto another itinerary. If your new tour is cheaper, a refund of the difference will be provided, and if it's more expensive, Topdeck will cover the first $100.

To stamp out the spread of coronavirus, G Adventures, Intrepid, Insight Vacations and Topdeck are among those who have suspended all or most of their tours until 30 April. Those booked on affected tours will not be given a refund. Instead, travel credit will be given to customers to use on future tours.

A breakdown of each tour company's conditions

These cancellation and change waivers are temporary and can be removed or altered at any time, particularly as the COVID-19 situation evolves. They are for direct bookings, so travel agencies may have varying policies.

Hotels

Although many hotels allow you to cancel for free, this is usually for select bookings only. Typically, you'll find non-refundable bookings have the cheapest rates. In light of the pandemic, hotels and homeshare are now offering more flexible arrangements for anyone who purchased a non-refundable stay.

For example, the Marriott is allowing fee-free changes or cancellations on existing pre-paid bookings, as long as the change is made before 30 April 2020 and at least 24 hours prior to your stay.

New bookings made before 30 April are also allowed to be changed or cancelled without penalty. Again, these changes must be made 24 hours prior to your stay.

Hilton is waiving cancellation fees but only if you're in regions affected by government-issued travel restrictions. This is valid for arrivals prior to 30 April and cancellations must be made 24 hours before your stay. Changes are also accepted without penalty, even on non-refundable or amendable stays.

On 14 March, Airbnb activated an extenuating circumstances policy that allows fee-free cancellations on experiences and stays. Eligible bookings must have a check-in date between 14 March and 14 April, and the policy is valid for trips worldwide, excluding domestic travel in mainland China, which is due to resume from 1 April.

Something to keep in mind is that these penalty-free cancellations are available for both guests and hosts. So if you're planning on staying in an Airbnb, it's a good idea to contact your host to confirm that the booking still remains.

Online booking agent Expedia is allowing customers booked on non-redundable rates before 19 March 2020 the ability to cancel their stay in exchange for a refund or travel voucher. Stays must have been between 20 March - 30 April 2020. Non-refundable stays after 30 April aren't currently available for free cancellations however this may change as the crisis evolves.

Before you book any kind of trip, be sure to verse yourself on the terms and conditions, and check Smartraveller for updates and travel advice on your destination.

Even though coronavirus is now a known event and you won't be covered for any COVID-19 related incidences, it is still worth considering travel insurance for your future trip. If you decide to delay or alter your itinerary, it is possible to update your policy with the new dates, provided you haven't started your trip yet.

This story was updated on 31 March 2020 to include new information from Jetstar.

Picture: GettyImages