Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I qualify for my online discount?
• How do I make a payment on a booking?
• What is your deposit?
• How soon after booking will I receive my documentation?
• How do I amend an existing booking?
• How do I cancel an existing booking?
• At what age is a child classed as an adult and up until what age does an infant qualify for infant prices?
• Information on your board basis
• How do I change my flights?
• How soon before a flight should I check-in?
• What is the general luggage allowance allowed on flights and what terminal do I depart from?
• What is the usual check-in / check-out times in resort?
• What are the passport and visa requirements for British Citizens?
• What hand baggage restrictions are there?
• Why do I need to supply my passport details for my flight to the USA?
• What are the new entry requirements for the USA/What is an ESTA?
• What should I do if I have a special request on a booking?
• Booking a wedding with Thomson
• How do I qualify for a Free Wedding & Renewal of Vows Package?
• How do I qualify for a Honeymoon & Wedding Anniversary package?
• What should I do if I have a Special Needs requirement on a booking?
• What is APIS? (Advanced Passenger Information System) How do I submit my information?
• I have a question about my ATOL certificate

How do I qualify for my online discount?

Every customer who books on the Thomson website is entitled to an online saving on the price you would get through the Call Centre. To view your saving, simply click through to the Holiday Summary page, where your online discount is shown in the Price Summary breakdown at the bottom of the page.

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How do I make a payment on a booking?

Your balance can be paid in full or in instalments by clicking Pay your balance online

To make a payment you will require:

• Booking reference
• Lead passenger surname
• Departure date

You can also make a payment by calling our Accounts Department on 0844 415 5599* (Calls cost 5p per minute plus network extras)

All balances paid by credit card are subject to a 2% fee. Should you pay by debit card, then no fee applies.

The full balance of the holiday must be paid no later than 10 weeks before departure. Failure to do this may result in your holiday being cancelled and charges made accordingly. Where travel is within 10 weeks of the booking date you will need to pay the full cost of the holiday at the time of booking, by debit or credit card.

Cheques require 5 working days to clear - cheques that will not clear at least 10 weeks before departure cannot be accepted.

What is your deposit?

The deposit required at booking stage is usually £180 per person. Some airfares are booked at especially competitive rates to which the airlines may attach severe restrictions. You may be asked to pay for these in full at the time of booking and they may be non-refundable in the event of cancellation.

Please note that the deposit you are required to pay at the time of booking is clearly shown as "Deposit due now" in the Price Summary (on the Holiday Summary page). Where this does not appear it is because full payment is required at the time of booking.

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How soon after booking will I receive my documentation?

As we step up our efforts to strive for a sustainable office and minimise our paper usage and carbon footprint, we are no longer sending correspondence by post if you have provided us with an email address.

For online bookings you will receive a booking request acknowledgement email the same day. For online and telephone bookings, once your booking is confirmed by us, you will receive your confirmation invoice via email within 5 working days.

For our customers who do not have an email address, when the booking is confirmed by us, you will receive your confirmation invoice by post within 5 working days.

Your itinerary and any other required documents will be sent via email (if provided) or by Royal Mail post, a minimum of 10 days prior to departure. Please note that most of our scheduled flights now operate an e-ticket system - where this is the case, paper tickets will not be sent out and the airline reference number will be included on your itinerary.

Please ensure you retain your itinerary for all aspects of your journey as this may be required for check-in.

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How do I amend an existing booking?

If you want to change any details of your booking (e.g. departure date, airport, number of people booked to travel, change or cancel an excursion or pre-departure special offer etc), we will do our best to help.

If you or any members of your party are unable to proceed with the holiday, you can transfer the booking to a substitute person, providing they are suitable; satisfy all the conditions applicable to the original booking and are acceptable to Thomson. Both the new person taking the holiday, and the person leaving the booking, will be responsible for paying any additional costs arising from the transfer.

We charge a minimum Amendment Fee of £35 per amendment plus any non-refundable costs arising from the contract terms of our suppliers. However, if you change your booking within 69 days of departure, the cancellation charges will apply. In the case of name changes, the applicable costs and/or cancellation charges will apply as appropriate.

Important Note: Name changes and/or departure changes are not always permitted by airlines and most treat name changes as cancellations and charge accordingly. These charges will be passed on to you in addition to any other Amendment Fees. Once airline tickets have been issued any changes made to the ticket(s) may result in you having to pay for the cancelled ticket(s) and purchase a new ticket(s) at full cost.

Should you wish to change the number of people in the booking, and the price is dependent on the party size booked into the accommodation, the price will be re-costed based on the new party size. Any increase in price per person payable as a result of a part cancellation is not a Cancellation Charge. A separate Cancellation Charge will be levied in respect of bookings cancelled. A new confirmation invoice will be issued as appropriate, on which the Cancellation Charges will be shown.

To make an amendment to an existing booking please call 0844 800 0749*.

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How do I cancel an existing booking?

You or any member of your party may cancel your booking, or part of it, once it has been confirmed, but the instructions will only be valid if put in writing and signed by the person who made the booking, i.e. the lead name on the booking. To compensate us for the expense of processing your booking and for the risk that we may not be able to resell the holiday, we charge a cancellation fee on the scale shown below. The amount payable depends on when we receive your written instructions - the more notice you give, the less we will charge. If you have to cancel for reasons covered by your insurance policy you should be able to recover your cancellation charges this way:

Time before departure when cancellation instruction is received by us

Cancellation charge as a % of total holiday cost (excluding any insurance premiums and any amendment fees already paid to us)

70 days of more

Loss of deposit

69 - 56 days

30% or deposit if greater

55 - 37 days

50% or deposit if greater

36 - 23 days

70% or deposit if greater

22 - 12 days

90% or deposit if greater

11 - 0 days

100% or deposit if greater

In certain cases the carrier or hotelier may apply a higher cancellation charge. Please enquire at the time of cancellation. Other holiday arrangements may have higher charges.

Please call Customer Services on 0844 800 0749* for further information.

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At what age is a child classified as an adult and up until what age does an infant qualify for infant prices?

Child costs or reductions are shown where appropriate and apply to children under 12 years of age on the date of their return travel to the UK when sharing a room with two adults. Once the child reaches their 12th birthday, they are then classified as adults. Children under the age of 2 years old are classified as infants. Infants who reach the age of 2 years while on holiday must be considered as being a child.

Infants do not automatically receive a flight seat, baggage allowance or in-flight meals.

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Information on your board basis

If you book half board, this is defined as breakfast and dinner. Meals are as specified in individual hotel descriptions and must usually be pre-booked. If included, they are generally based on a set menu, buffet, or meal voucher system unless specified to the contrary. Such meals are usually available in the main restaurant and not speciality restaurants.

Holidays that include main meals generally commence with dinner (on half board) on the day of arrival at your hotel and terminate with breakfast (on half board) or lunch (on full board) on the day of your departure. It is not usual for hotels to allow you to substitute lunch for dinner when booking half board.

Depending on the flight timings to your resort or tour, those who have booked meals may lose one due to the time of arrival at, or check-out from, their hotel. In these cases, we have calculated the basic holiday price to allow for this.

In China, meals, other than breakfast are usually taken away from the hotel. Vegetarian and other special dietary needs may be limited, and we would recommend taking holidays on either a 'room only' or 'bed and breakfast' basis and simply buying the most acceptable dishes from the à la carte menu available locally. If you have any special dietary requirements please call us at the time of booking so that we can check the availability of meals at your chosen destination, especially on tours, safaris, etc..

To celebrate festive occasions many hotels host gala events, usually a dinner (sometimes lunch) during the Christmas/New Year. Tables for two may not be available especially in the Maldives and on ships.

Where possible, you can amend your board basis in your chosen accommodation during the booking process, either at the "Hotel details" stage, by clicking the "Extras" tab at the top, or at the "Holiday Summary" stage by clicking on "Change extras" - please note that any upgrades will generally require an incremental supplement to be paid, above the original quoted price.

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How do I change my flights?

Where possible, you can change your chosen flight during the booking process, either at the "Hotel details" stage, by clicking the "Flights" tab at the top, or at the "Holiday Summary" stage by clicking on "Change flights".

Flight upgrades to Premium Economy, Business and First Class are currently not available online - please call 0844 050 2828* for prices or information on these flight classes.

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How soon before a flight should I check-in?

It is always best to check-in early - it is recommended that you check-in at least 3 hours before departure.

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What is the general luggage allowance allowed on flights and what terminal do I depart from?

• Air Canada
• Air France
• Air Mauritius
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta
• Easyjet
• Egypt Air
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• EVA Air
• Jet Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM
• Malaysia Airlines
• Monarch
• Qatar Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• SriLankan Airlines
• Thai Airways
• Thomas Cook Airlines
• Thomson Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines
• US Airways
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

As many airlines operate different policies regarding hold baggage and depart from different terminals, we have provided the information below as a guide. Should you wish to enquire about opportunities to upgrade your flight in any way, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team.

Unless otherwise stated on your itinerary, your flight will consist of the following baggage allowance and will depart from the terminal as detailed below:

For other carriers not mentioned above regarding luggage allowance information, please contact our Customer Service Team.

Some airlines offer a greater allowance than the average on certain routes. The total allowance on some local flights using light aircraft may be restricted. Carriage of excess baggage is at the airline's discretion and often only on payment of an appropriate fee.

Airport and Airlines policies may change without notice for security or commercial reasons. This information is therefore a guide only and is subject to change without notice

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What is the usual check-in / check-out times in resort?

In most cases your accommodation will be made available to you on arrival between noon and 2pm. On some holidays where late night/early morning departures from the resort are necessary, the room may be occupied until you leave the hotel and it will count as a night of your holiday. Otherwise you will be asked to check out of your room in the morning.

Courtesy rooms may be available although an extra charge may be payable locally.

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What are the passport and visa requirements for British Citizens?

All citizens of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland require a ten year passport (valid for 6 months after completion of any journey). Infants and children must also have their own passport with photograph. If you are 16 or over and haven't yet got a passport, our recommendation is that you should apply for one at least 6 weeks before your holiday. The UK Passport Service has to confirm your identity before issuing your first passport and from October 2006 will ask you to attend an interview in order to do this.

Visas may be required, depending on your destination - it is your responsibility to check the latest requirements with the appropriate authority before travelling. Nationals of other countries should check entry requirements with the relevant Embassy or High Commission.

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What hand baggage restrictions are there?

Cabin / Hand / Carry On Baggage - All Airlines

All airlines have differing specifications for cabin baggage. Due to the nature and the number of restrictions, which may be destination specific, we advise all passengers to check the relevant airline's website for full comprehensive details.

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Why do I need to supply my passport details for my flight to the USA?

The US Transport Security Administration (TSA) requires that airlines provide certain passenger data, by electronic means, to TSA by 72 hours prior to departure. This is known as US Secure Flight. The information required is Full name (as in passport), Gender, Date of Birth and Redress* number (if held). We will provide all this information to the airline.

*A redress number is a unique number for a regular traveller who has applied for redress under the US TRIP programme. This would apply where the traveller is regularly selected for additional screening when matched against the US watch list.

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What are the new entry requirements for the USA/What is an ESTA?

Requirements to travel visa-free to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program have been changed. Nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries will still be eligible to travel without a visa but will have to obtain an approved travel authorisation prior to their travel to the United States.
Visitors who do not receive travel authorisation prior to their departure may be denied boarding, experience delays or be denied admission into the United States. Applications may be submitted at anytime prior to travel, but no less than 72 hours prior to departure.

Please click here for full information on ESTA travel authorisation. To access the website to complete your ESTA please click here.

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What should I do if I have a special request on a booking?

If you have any special requests (such as vegetarian meals, airline seats, specific floors in a hotel etc.) you must advise us of these at the time of booking or at least 8 weeks prior to travel. We shall do our best to meet your requirements but we cannot guarantee that they will be provided. Any failure to meet special requests will not be a breach of contract on our part. We regret we cannot accept any booking which is conditional upon the fulfilment of a particular request.

Once you have booked please call 0844 800 0749* to request special requirements, quoting your booking reference number.

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Booking a wedding with Thomson

Whilst we will discuss detailed arrangements with you personally, it may be worth noting that arrangements should generally be made at least three months ahead of travel. Local law may dictate that you are resident a minimum of seven nights in your chosen destination before getting married and you may have to complete certain formalities locally before the wedding. It is recommended that you contact the relevant embassy or consulate in the UK to clarify legal and documentary requirements. There is a £95 non-refundable deposit payable at the time of booking for all wedding packages, in addition to the standard deposit.

Please confirm this at the time of booking by calling 0844 050 2828* for details.

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How do I qualify for a Free Wedding & Renewal of Vows Package?

In certain instances FREE Wedding & Renewal of Vows packages may be subject to varying Booking Conditions. Depending on the package chosen, it may be possible that additional legal or government fees will apply or that specific rules will stipulate that the chosen package be based on a particular board basis, room type, date range or party size.

Please confirm this at the time of booking by calling 0844 050 2828* for details.

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How do I qualify for a Honeymoon & Wedding Anniversary package?

A copy of your wedding certificate may need to be presented upon check-in at resort to qualify for featured offers, so please be sure to take one with you when you go to avoid disappointment.

Wedding anniversary offers generally apply to those celebrating silver (25th), pearl (30th), ruby (40th), gold (50th) and diamond (60th) only.

Please confirm this at the time of booking by calling 0844 050 2828* for details.

Calls cost up to 10p/min (0871 numbers) and 5p/min (0844 numbers) plus a 3p set up fee from a BT landline. Mobile and other providers' charges may vary.

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What should I do if I have a Special Needs requirement on a booking?

If you or any of your party have a Special Needs requirement (for disabled or less mobile passengers).
Please call 0844 050 2828* with your quote reference number and we will endevour to make sure your requirements are met before booking.

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What is ATOL?

ATOL was established nearly 40 years ago by the government to ensure holiday makers booking an air-package or flight booking (flights must be international and leaving from or arriving in to the UK) were financially protected if their tour operator ceased trading. We are ATOL bonded so you have always had this protection when you book with us. It means that if you book a protected holiday you are looked after in resort and brought back to the UK, or if you are yet to travel, and ATOL are unable to source your holiday from another operator you could apply for a refund of anything paid to that point.

Since ATOL was first established, more people are booking their holiday components separately, rather than booking a package holiday. This has led to confusion over what parts of a holiday might be protected by ATOL and inconsistency between some agents and operators and what they have protected under their ATOL licence. ATOL reform therefore took place and to ensure you are clear over the ATOL protection that you will have for your booking a certificate is being issued for all protected bookings.

Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays we sell are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking when you make it. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see the below information and our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate

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Why have you sent me an ATOL certificate?

The government recently proposed changes to the ATOL regulations that will provide clarity over exactly what is and is not financially protected under the ATOL scheme. As an ATOL-licensed tour operator we are pleased to have always provided our customers with the highest level of protection. However, since 1 October 2012, we are now obliged by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to issue certificates with all our air package or flight bookings. Your certificate confirms that your money is protected and details which parts of your booking are covered under the ATOL scheme.

We have always protected our customers in this way, so there is no change to your level of financial security, the only difference is that we will now provide you with a certificate to prove this. There are three different types of certificate - Flight Only, Flight Plus and Package. We will issue you with the correct type of certificate.

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Why have you not sent me an ATOL certificate?

If you made your booking after 01 October, and greater than 72 hours before departure, and did not receive an ATOL Certificate then your booking is not ATOL protected. ATOL only provides financial protection for package holidays with a flight, or flight only bookings so some bookings are not protected under the scheme. Also, only bookings with an international flight in to or out of the UK are included. If you have booked a package holiday with us that does not include a flight, we will provide you with financial protection by way of a bond held by ABTA. For further information, visit the ABTA website at www.abta.com. If you book arrangements other than an ATOL protected flight or a package holiday, we do not provide financial protection.

For new bookings made within 72 hours and for amendments made within 72 hours, we will not issue a certificate. You are still protected, but must have your Booking Confirmation and Invoice with you on holiday instead.

If your holiday has items on-request you will not receive a certificate until all items are processed and your booking is confirmed.

If you made an air package or flight booking with us prior to 01 October, you will only receive a certificate if an amendment is made that changes the details listed specifically on the certificate. If you made your booking prior to 01 October and do not amend your booking to receive a certificate, you are still protected at the same level you were previously. Keep your Booking Confirmation and Invoice safe and take it with you on holiday, as this is what you will need to produce if a claim is required.

If your booking changes from an air package or flight to an accommodation-only booking, or it changes to a non-flight package a certificate will not be issued. This is because your booking will no longer be protected under the ATOL scheme.

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When should I receive my ATOL certificate?

If you made your booking through a Travel Agent your certificate will be handed to you at the agency.

If you made your booking online direct with us, a certificate will be sent to you via email shortly after your complete your booking.

If you made your booking direct with us via our Call Centre, your certificate will be emailed to you shortly after we complete your booking, or if you do not have an email address your certificate will be posted to you within 24 hours Monday-Friday / 48 hours Saturday-Sunday.

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What do I have to do with my ATOL certificate?

Keep your latest ATOL certificate safe with your Booking Confirmation and Invoice and your Departure Documents and take it on holiday with you.

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Why have you issued me a new ATOL certificate?

If there are changes to your booking and the information provided on the previous certificate changes (more than 72 hours prior to departure), we must issue a new ATOL Certificate. For example, if the flight number of your flight changes, or new passengers are added to the booking. If changes are made to your booking that are not separately detailed on the certificate we will not send you a new certificate. For example, the name of your hotel, or a minor flight time change.

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Why has the type of ATOL certificate you issued me changed?

There are 3 different types of ATOL certificate and any air-package or flight booking will fit in to one of the categories. If your booking changes, it may require a different type of certificate or a certificate may be required when it was not previously appropriate.

For example, if you had a flight-only booking and received your flight-only certificate, but then added on an overnight accommodation or a car hire you would then receive a package certificate.

For example, if you booked accommodation-only initially, but then added on a flight, you would initially have received no certificate, but would then receive a package certificate.

If your booking changes from an air package or flight to an accommodation-only booking or a non-air package, a new certificate will not be issued as your booking will no longer be protected under the ATOL scheme.

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Why do I have a different price on my ATOL certificate vs. my Invoice, or there is no amount at all stated on the certificate?

The amount protected under the ATOL scheme shows on Flight-Only and Flight Plus certificates, but does not show on a Package Certificates.

The amount shown is protected under the ATOL scheme. Certain parts of your booking, such as UK domestic flights, insurance premiums and credit card charges are not included, and therefore will not be part of the protected amount shown.

This does not affect the price or the details of your booking with us and you should check your Booking Confirmation and Invoice for what we have confirmed to you, what you have paid already and the balance that must be paid.

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Why are the number of passengers different on my ATOL certificate vs. my Invoice?

Infants are excluded from the number of passengers, however their names will be included in the list of passengers.

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Why are everyone’s names not listed?

It is a requirement for all passengers names to be listed on the Flight Only and Flight Plus certificate. Package Certificates may contain only the Lead passenger name under the CAA guidelines. Whether all the names appear on a Package Certificate depends on the party size, however all names will be listed on the Booking Confirmation and/or invoice. In addition, only those passengers utilising all of the package or Flight Plus trip will be listed, so if some of your party are only using the accommodation their names will not show.

This does not affect the people who are included in your booking with us and you should check your Booking Confirmation and Invoice for what we have confirmed to you and to make sure that all names are spelt correctly.

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Why are some of my Flights and Extras not listed on my ATOL certificate?

There are certain rules that apply to what is protected by ATOL. Certain parts of your booking, such as UK domestic flights, insurance premiums and credit card charges are not included and therefore will not show on your certificate.

This does not affect the price or the details of your booking with us and you should check your Booking Confirmation and Invoice for what we have confirmed to you.

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Why has my Travel Agent issued my certificate not you?

We have agreed with a number of the Travel Agents we work with that they will issue an ATOL certificate to you. This does not affect the level of protection you will receive, we just wanted to make sure you received your certificate as quickly as possible.

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If I'm not protected under ATOL do I have any financial protection?

If you have booked a package holiday with us that does not include a flight, we will provide you with financial protection by way of a bond held by ABTA. For further information, visit the ABTA website at www.abta.com. If you book arrangements other than an ATOL protected air package or flight booking, or a package holiday we do not provide financial protection.

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