Turkey quarantine refunds: Will Tui, Lastminute, LoveHolidays and OnTheBeach refund me?
TURKEY has been added to the UK quarantine list throwing many holidaymakers' plans into chaos.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps took to Twitter last night to announce the changes, which also included Poland and the Caribbean islands of Bonaire, St Eustatius, and Saba.
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Brits can still travel to these countries, including Turkey, but anyone who returns to the UK after 4am on Saturday October 3 will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Turkey wasn't expected to be added to the list as it only has 12.9 cases per 100,000 people.
This is way below the 20 per 100,000 mark, which the government uses to determine whether to add a country to the quarantine list.
But the decision suggests the government doesn't trust Turkey's coronavirus reporting after it admitted it wasn't disclosing the sheer scale of new cases.
Travel: What are your rights to a refund?
MILLIONS of Brits have had holiday plans cancelled.
Firstly, speak to your airline or holiday firm about a refund or rearranging your plans.
You are entitled to a cash refund if they've cancelled your holiday but many have large delays or may offer vouchers instead.
If the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all but essential travel to countries or regions, you may also be covered for cancellations by your travel insurance if the holiday provider or airline is not helping you.
Keep in mind the travel insurance must have been taken out before the FCO advice changed, otherwise you won't be covered.
If you don't have travel insurance, you may be able to claim your money back through your credit or debit card provider.
Credit card payments between £100 and £30,000 are covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Rights Act.
To start a claim, you need to contact your credit card provider directly - has a free tool that can help you do this.
Debit card claims or credit card claims of under £100 may be covered under similar Chargeback guarantees.
The shock addition to the list will have thrown many travellers' plans up in the air, with Brits already scrambling to get home before Saturday.
Holidaymakers could be slapped with a £1,000 fine for failing to self-isolate on their return.
The quarantine rules also will mean that some people will no longer be able to go abroad any more and they may need to cancel their trips.
We explain what happens next if you've got a trip booked with FirstChoice, Lastminute, LoveHolidays, OnTheBeach, Teletext, and Tui.
First Choice and TUI
First Choice and TUI are both part of the TUI Group.
TUI told The Sun it has cancelled all TUI and First Choice holidays to Turkey up to and including October 3, 2020.
Customers will automatically receive a full cash refund and holidaymakers are advised not to travel to the airport when they're due to depart.
It's best not to cancel trips yourself if possible as then you might struggle to get a refund.
A TUI spokesperson said: "Customers currently on holiday in Turkey can continue to enjoy their holidays as planned and return on their intended flights home.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused due to the sudden change in advice."
If Lastminute.com cancels your trip, you will be entitled to a full refund or credit voucher that will be valid for a year.
LoveHolidays
LoveHolidays has said that as holidaymakers can still travel to Turkey it won't cancel any upcoming trips.
But it will be offer free amendments for customers wishing to rearrange their travels to alternative dates, according to its website.
It's unclear if holidaymakers have to pay any difference in price - we've asked LoveHolidays and will update this story.
Customers who want to cancel their holiday will be able to get a refund on hotel and transfer costs but getting your money back for flights depends on the airline policy.
If the flight isn't cancelled then you will have to forfeit the cash. If the airline cancels the flight then you will be entitled to a full refund.
The holiday firm said some airlines are offering customer vouchers or the option to amend bookings, but not all of them.
Up until recently, LoveHolidays was an ABTA member, which offers customers an extra level of protection when booking their trip.
Customers who book through an ABTA protected firm are entitled to a full refund for their package holiday even if only one element, such as the flights, is cancelled.
But LoveHolidays quit its membership to avoid paying out.
If you have a trip booked to Turkey and you no longer want to travel, for more information.
Full list of countries on the UK's quarantine list
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
France
French Guiana
Gabon
The Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar (Burma)
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
North Macedonia
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
The Occupied Palestinian Territories
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Island
Poland
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
São Tomé and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
USA
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
To change the dates of your stay or cancel a hotel reservation, go to "manage my booking" on the LoveHolidays website and check your options.
OnTheBeach
OnTheBeach also won't cancel trips affected by new quarantine rules, including Turkey.
If you have to cancel your trip because you won't be able to self-isolate on your return, you will have to pay any fees outlined in your booking.
Cancellation fees may be charged by your hotel, airline and OnTheBeach.
You can find out how much you will be charged for cancelling your trip under the My Bookings section on the website.
It's unclear if these fees are taken off any refund of what you've paid or if they're on top of any refund - we've asked OnTheBeach and we will update this story.
The travel agent is also refusing to process requests to change the dates of any upcoming trips.
On its website, it said: "Over the past few weeks and prior to the new advice about travel to Spain, we have quoted several thousand date change requests.
"Because summer 2021 is currently on limited release, these quotations were often double the price paid for the 2020 holiday and as a result well in excess of the cost to cancel the holiday.
"As a result of this only a very small proportion of the customers quoted proceeded with a change of dates."
OnTheBeach recently came under fire for quitting an industry body to avoid paying out refunds to customers.
Teletext
Teletext is yet to confirm exactly what its policy is in regards to holidays to Turkey.
When Portugal was added to the quarantine list, Teletext waived amendment and cancellations fees for customers who wanted to rearrange or cancel their trip up to seven days before departure.
The firm hasn't confirmed whether customers will get a refund if they cancel their trip within seven days of departure or if you can move trips without incurring any fees, so we'll update this article once we hear back.
Teletext gives customers the option of a full refund, or rebooking the trip for later this year or 2021, if a holiday has been cancelled by them.
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The travel film says refunds should take less than 14 days to process.