Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "This is a sad day for staff and customers of Thomas Cook. Here are some more questions we've been asked by users – let us know if there's something we've missed at news@moneysavingexpert.com or in the comments below. Finds your cheapest energy & monitors to let you know when to switch again. In some good news, on Wednesday 9 October, Hays Travel – the country's largest independent travel agent – announced it was to buy all 555 UK Thomas Cook stores, offering work to hundreds of people who lost their jobs. What's more, it'll waive the usual £10 admin fee. And if you've lost your job and are going to struggle to make payments in the coming days or weeks, speak to your bank, creditors and/or service providers now and explain the situation. That means any money you've already paid into your pension is safe, although of course Thomas Cook will no longer contribute to your pot. Nobody knew anything," said one stranded passenger. A number of Thomas Cook customers who live overseas and used the firm to visit the UK have asked us how they can best get home. Sadly, we've already heard from some MoneySavers who say they've been contacted by suspected scammers, apparently exploiting Thomas Cook's collapse for their own gain. If you're in this position, your first step should be to get in touch with the supplier of the service and see if you can change your booking or get a refund – even if it's officially not allowed, it's worth explaining the situation and seeing if the firm will make an exception. While most Thomas Cook customers who were abroad at the time of the company's collapse will now be back, if you're still overseas here are the other key need-to-knows: If you have a booking for a future trip it's likely to be cancelled, but there are different ways you may be protected and able to get a refund. - Trish. Some of its subsidiaries in some other countries are still trading as normal but are also in danger of closure. Find out how much income you keep and how much the taxman takes. For example, some MoneySavers have told us that although they've booked their wedding with Thomas Cook, some members of their party booked flights with other airlines and these aren't covered if the wedding can no longer take place. If you have booked via our site to fly with Thomas Cook Airlines, here’s what you need to know. Here's the latest: The CAA has confirmed that ATOL refunds will be for the full cost of your booking – including any extras you paid for as part of the booking, such as seat reservations or in-flight meals. Thomas Cook was no ordinary travel company. If you do have ATOL protection, see full help on how to get an ATOL refund above. (Some 13,500 current and former Thomas Cook staff, of whom 3,000 are now retired, are in this situation.). If you've spotted another firm making concessions to help Thomas Cook customers, let us know at news@moneysavingexpert.com. What I Learned from Reading about Thomas Cook. If you had a booking at a Thomas Cook-run hotel, but didn't make the booking via Thomas Cook, we're checking your rights – but you should contact the firm you made the booking with as a first step. If you're not protected by ATOL or ABTA, see below for what you can try to get your money back – including claiming from your card provider if you paid by card. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally binding MSE Editorial Code. It should work for most people. Of course, there are many costs associated with a wedding that may not be part of the wedding package provided by Thomas Cook – and so won't have ATOL protection. A staff member leaving the company's headquarters in Peterborough said the liquidation was "inevitable". Before then, the rules were slightly different – see our Holiday Rights guide for more info. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there needs to be new legislation to ensure the taxpayer isn't left footing the bill to repatriate customers of failed travel operators. A friend had a call from a “Thomas Cook refund agent” saying they were able to refund straight away if she gave them her card no and the 3 digits on the back that was less the 24hrs after news went out, I had a call when I was walking back from school run this afternoon saying they working with a team to recover my money from TC for a holiday I've booked (haven't booked one) so I played along and told them which one as I had many many business trips booked around the world lol. Founded back in 1841 by businessman and Baptist preacher Thomas Cook, the company is widely considered to be the world’s oldest travel firm. Mortgages, credit cards, loans, payday loans, car finance and more, NHS and care worker staff freebies & discounts, Amazon Warehouse – get returned items or mildly damaged products for knock-down prices, 10-piece Lottie London cruelty-free make-up bundle for £19 all-in (£50ish bought separately), Meerkat trick: Spend £2ish to get 2for1 at cinemas AND restaurants for a year. The news of Thomas Cook ceasing trading on Monday, 23 September 2019 is a worry for many people and our thoughts go to everyone who is affected. "It's the employees of Thomas Cook and all those due to go on holiday I feel for," she added. Thomas Cook is associated with many more brands than you might think (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Thomas Cook is facing a £200 million black hole and could go … Mr Shapps said dozens of charter planes had been hired to fly customers home free of charge and hundreds of people were working in call centres and at airports. Thomas Cook has ceased trading and went into administration when the stock market opened at 8am Customers due to fly out of the UK with Thomas Cook … You may be able to claim from the card firm. The CAA also said you may be protected if you bought a flight with Thomas Cook Airlines through a travel agent that had ATOL protection, though it said most bookings with the airline were made directly. Thomas Cook is being resurrected as an online-only travel business, exactly a year after the 178-year-old company ceased trading, stranding 150,000 holidaymakers abroad. The Insolvency Service has told us that if you have a Thomas Cook gift card, you will have to register as a creditor in a bid to try and claim some money back from Thomas Cook – but bear in mind that you'll join a long list of creditors, many of whom will be owed a lot of money by the business. Here's what you need to know, Coronavirus Self-Employed & Small Limited Company Help, British Airways extends vouchers for trips disrupted by coronavirus to 2023, Martin Lewis helps furloughed worker save £450+ on car insurance using his 21 day renewal trick - here's how you can do the same, Tesco Bank to raise minimum repayments by average £20/month for up to 125,000 customers, Martin Lewis: Working from home due to coronavirus, even for a day? This depends on whether or not you have ATOL protection: If you paid for your holiday on a credit or debit card and don't get what you paid for, you may be able to claim from your card provider using Section 75 or chargeback – see more on how this works below. Package holidays that include a flight are covered by the Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL) scheme. If you booked with a gift card and your holiday is ATOL-protected, your refund will be paid in cash. Founded in 1841, it changed the face of British travel. The … For example, some UK train firms are now waiving admin fees for refunds or date changes. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. Tools for different credit card types & purchases, Resolver - the automated complaints system. Airtours, Manos and Thomas Cook Signature, for example, are all directing customers to the liquidation notice. MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MoneySupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. In France for example, Thomas Cook France advises customers to ring 01 41 05 40 81 if they are abroad and experiencing difficulties getting home. "I know that this outcome will be devastating to many people and will cause a lot of anxiety, stress and disruption.". In some cases they're offering to help, for example with free transport – though you may find that in order to get to the same game you may need to pay again. The CAA says if you bought an ATOL-protected package holiday from another tour operator, but your flights were operated by Thomas Cook Airlines, it's down to your tour operator to find you alternative flights. Our site uses cookies to provide you with the best possible user experience, if you choose to continue then we will assume that you are happy for your web browser to receive all cookies from our website. However, this may not work if you booked via an agency, as that break in the direct transactional relationship can stop it working – we wait to see how widespread that problem will be. Full information can be found on Travelex's website. Holiday dreams left shattered - what now for those stranded overseas facing hotel bills and flight uncertainty? We've looked at the top tourist destinations to sort out where you can go without needing to quarantine, The coronavirus outbreak is causing major travel disruption around the globe, Martin Lewis has issued an important warning to customers and former customers of HSBC, First Direct, M&S Bank and John Lewis Finance. Pay UK told us that any direct debits due to go out from Wednesday 25 September onwards would automatically be cancelled. If it's not Thomas Cook, contact the tour operator immediately to find out if your holiday is still going ahead. Very happy to see my money again and will definitely be following MSE's tips from now on. By contrast, Thomas Cook will cease trading immediately and all its assets will be used for a mass fire-sale to pay back its most senior lenders. All companies in the Thomas Cook group ceased trading in the early hours of 23rd September 2019. See full details on what's happening to Thomas Cook defined benefit pensions, 'Severely mentally impaired' council tax discount, Travel insurance for pre-existing conditions. Both Mastercard and Wirecard have confirmed to us that these cards won't be impacted by Thomas Cook's collapse. We've asked the CAA what you should do if you have filed a claim but haven't yet heard if it's been successful, and will update this guide when we hear back. Travel firm Thomas Cook is closing 21 stores across the country and cutting more than 300 jobs. If you're not protected by ATOL, see below for what you can try to get your money back – including claiming from your card provider if you paid by card. I went to Barclays just to ask for help and they have already refunded the full amount of money to my account. However, some who bought flights via Thomas Cook Tour Operations have since told us they don't have an ATOL certificate and the CAA hasn't been able to confirm what Thomas Cook told us, so you should check. In the words of Thomas Cook Group’s chief executive officer, Peter Fankhauser, the demise of the company was a “matter of profound regret”. But they're certainly not MoneySaving, with the most expensive – the S21 Ultra 5G – costing up to £1,329. Unique tool uses probability to estimate winnings. Martin Lewis: Payment holidays coming to an end – but should you take one? What if I bought an ATOL-protected package holiday from another firm, but the flight was with Thomas Cook? See its full Thomas Cook scam help. Thomas Cook chief executive Peter Fankhauser said his company had "worked exhaustively" to salvage a rescue package. 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