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The following is a list of travel insurers who offer cover for travel provider insolvency:
Note: This information was last updated September 2023
Minimise your risk before booking your holiday by:
- Paying for it with your credit card
- Checking with your travel agent to see if they have their own insolvency protection cover
- Reading your travel insurance policy carefully to understand what you are covered for in such situations
If you are unable to recover your money any other way, some Australian states and territories have programs in place where you can claim compensation for losses to insolvent companies. You can find out more by contacting the ACCC.
Currently in Australia, a credit card chargeback is one of two ways you can get your money back if your travel agent goes broke. This is only because there are consumer protection rules associated with the use of Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit cards.
When you apply for a credit card for a chargeback, your provider will examine the evidence and if they find cause will reverse the transaction, which returns the money paid to your credit card.
As long as you purchased your holiday on your credit or debit card and selected "credit" when you paid, you have a good chance of being compensated for travel agent insolvency.
Common reasons for chargebacks include:
- Unauthorised transactions. Someone uses your credit card details without your permission.
- Duplicate processing. You are charged more than once for a purchase.
- Direct debits. A direct debit continues after you have cancelled it.
- Merchandise not received. You do not receive the merchandise or service you paid for (this would include travel agent insolvency).
While chargebacks can be a lifesaver, it’s important to remember there are time limits. These limits vary but generally you have between 30 and 120 days from payment to apply for a chargeback.
With only a handful of Australian insurers covering travel provider insolvency and none covering travel agent insolvency, sometimes a traveller’s only recourse is to either use their credit card to pay for their holiday or find a travel agent with insolvency protection.
Before taking out a travel insurance policy, make sure you’ve checked if it covers provider insolvency at the very least.
How do insurers treat insolvency?
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