Should i pay the balance with debit or credit card?

[Lulu-Belle]

After reading through another post i am now not sure whether to pay the balance with my debit card (as i have the money saved up), or put the money onto my credit card and pay with that?

Do you still get greater protection with a credit card ?

Thanks

[Kraken]

As long as you paid a deposit of more than £100 by credit card, then the entire cost of the holiday is covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act (i.e. gives you protection if the provider ceases trading).

If you have a cashback / air-miles earning credit card, then use that for the balance payment to gain the benefit (cashback or air-miles) and pay it off with the money you've saved for if you paid by debit card.

[sam7]

I am hoping the new law might mean I can pay with my credit card with no penalties, just to get the reward points. i have already paid the deposit on it, so have the protection, so will do whatever is cheapest.

[toonarmani]

We've booked through Thomas Cook. They've already introduced the no cc fee in advance of the 13th Jan date, so I'll pay on that for the outstanding balance.

This will be paid off straight away anyway, will give some Section 75 cover and also get me some bonus points.

[debojahh]

Originally Posted by Kraken

As long as you paid a deposit of more than £100 by credit card, then the entire cost of the holiday is covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act (i.e. gives you protection if the provider ceases trading).

If you have a cashback / air-miles earning credit card, then use that for the balance payment to gain the benefit (cashback or air-miles) and pay it off with the money you've saved for if you paid by debit card.

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This is not 100% true. Section 75 only covers you if you book directly with the merchant.
Third parties break the chain.

The best thing is to ensure you are ABTA and ATOL protected in that case.

I will however pay on cc as I get more rewards for doing so.

[Lulu-Belle]

Originally Posted by Kraken

As long as you paid a deposit of more than £100 by credit card, then the entire cost of the holiday is covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act (i.e. gives you protection if the provider ceases trading).

If you have a cashback / air-miles earning credit card, then use that for the balance payment to gain the benefit (cashback or air-miles) and pay it off with the money you've saved for if you paid by debit card.

See more...

I think i paid the deposit on my debit card - is this a problem? I am using a third party also.

[Kraken]

Originally Posted by debojahh

This is not 100% true. Section 75 only covers you if you book directly with the merchant.
Third parties break the chain.

The best thing is to ensure you are ABTA and ATOL protected in that case.

I will however pay on cc as I get more rewards for doing so.

See more...

I apologise for misleading! It's probably worth noting that I always do DIY holidays to Florida and book each component direct with the relevant provider (Virgin Atlantic, Sheraton, Alamo, Universal etc).

If you do DIY holidays & want the Section 75 protection, you need to book direct with the providers - do not go via consolidator sites / travel websites (e.g. Holiday Autos / Expedia etc).

As an aside, I escaped from Orlando 2 days earlier than planned back in September to avoid Hurricane Irma. When dropping the car off early the guy at Alamo said to go to the desk for a refund on the unused days - which I did, but they claimed that booking via Alamo.co.uk was a third party booking (so possible the Section 75 chain had been broken). I didn't push the issue as the refund due was fairly small and I was just glad to be getting out of Florida (it was the only Orlando trip I've done where I wanted to catch the flight home!)

[Kraken]

Originally Posted by Lulu-Belle

I think i paid the deposit on my debit card - is this a problem? I am using a third party also.

See more...

If you've booked via a Travel Agent, then it probably makes no difference how you pay, as the travel agent is a third party under Section 75. (This will almost certainly be the case even if, for instance, you book a Thomas Cook holiday in a Thomas Cook store - the high street presence & the tour operator side are more than likely separate legal entities).

If using a travel agent, just pay by whatever means is easiest / gets you the best reward in terms of cashback / air-miles etc.