Package holidays have strong legal protections. Describe your situation and get instant plain English guidance on your rights to a refund or compensation.
↓ Try the Checker NowFlight delay and cancellation compensation under UK261 is covered by our flight delay checker. ATOL protection covers flight-inclusive package holidays — if your operator fails, you are entitled to a full refund or repatriation.
If the organiser has to make a significant change to a main part of your package holiday before you go, you can accept it or cancel without a fee and get a full refund, paid within 14 days. How much notice they gave does not matter.
Key areas covered: package holiday rights, ATOL protection, flight delay compensation, UK261, tour operator, cancellation. Checked against official sources.
A significant change typically means a substantial alteration to departure times, accommodation, or destination — where this occurs, you can accept it, choose a genuinely comparable alternative, or reject it and receive a full refund, and operators sometimes try to downplay changes that genuinely qualify as significant.
If your operator ceases trading, ATOL claims are handled by the Civil Aviation Authority directly, not the failed company — covering refunds for future trips or repatriation and continued accommodation if you're already travelling when the failure happens.
This checker gives you a plain English read on your specific situation, answered only from its own guide for your part of the UK, checked against official sources. No login needed, and your answer is generated instantly based on what you tell us.
Our guidance covers many common situations, but complex or high-stakes cases need professional advice. Official information: Civil Aviation Authority: ATOL protection and GOV.UK. For free help, contact Citizens Advice (England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020), Citizens Advice Scotland (0800 028 1456) or Advice NI (0800 915 4604), or speak to a solicitor.
What you need to know
The checker below answers from our verified guide. These are its key points.
Full guide: Am I Owed a Refund for a Cancelled Package Holiday? Last verified: 25 September 2026.
This guidance is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify current figures and legislation on GOV.UK or seek professional advice for your specific situation.
Free to use: Run any checker, read your full results and download them as a printable report — no account needed.
Describe your situation and we'll check your holiday rights
Tip: Focus on one issue at a time for the clearest answer. If you have multiple issues, run them separately for a full picture on each one.
Include what you booked and who with, when you booked, what happened and when you were told, how you paid, and what you want.
Pick the closest one — any boxes you need will appear below.
Free · Guidance only, not legal advice
Do I get a refund if my package holiday is cancelled?
If the travel company cancels your package, you get a full refund of everything you paid, within 14 days.
Can the travel company change my holiday after I book?
If it has to make a significant change to a main part of the holiday before you go, you can accept the change or cancel without a fee and get a full refund. A price rise after you book is only allowed in limited cases, and you must be told at least 20 days before the package starts.
What if the travel company goes bust?
The protection it must have (ATOL for package holidays with a flight) should refund you, or get you home if you are away.
Analysing your situation...
Checking against current UK law
Generating...
The checker answers only from this guide (one guide for the whole UK; lines that differ by nation are marked), plus what you tell it. If your question is not covered there, it says so instead of guessing. Each guide was checked against primary sources on 25 September 2026.
Spotted something missing, wrong or out of date? Tell us, or comment on the guide.
Directed and published by Matt Thompson, founder of UK Work Rights. Guidance checked against GOV.UK, ACAS and legislation.gov.uk. This is general rights guidance, not legal advice.
UK Work Rights is completely free and always will be. If this guidance helped you, a small donation helps keep the site running and updated for everyone.
100% goes to running and maintaining this free service. No pressure — the guidance is always free.