Which? said on Friday (13 October) that even though Jet2holidays customers pay a higher deposit of £60 per person, that is all they will stand to lose in the event of cancellation. 

Jet2holidays said it was pleased with the consumer champion’s assessment and that it has always strived to make “the terms and conditions of our low deposit scheme very clear”.

“Our low £60 per person deposit helps customers when it comes to budgeting, with the remaining balance due 10 weeks before travel,” the tour operator said in a statement.

“Customers booking with Jet2holidays can be assured that they are paying the full deposit payable when they book with us.”

It follows a wider investigation by the consumer champion into low deposit schemes and the potential dangers they present to customers.

According to Which?, a number of travel firms are not clearly explaining the terms and conditions of their low deposit schemes, leaving customers liable to pay hundreds of pounds if they want to cancel a holiday.

As part of its investigation, Which? highlighted how some operators and OTAs, it alleges, have failed to make adequately clear to customers that what they initially pay goes towards a larger, non-refundable deposit.

“We have found many of these schemes can be confusing for holidaymakers, with cancellation fees and ‘top up’ deposit payments sometimes buried in the terms and conditions,” said Naomi Leach, Which? Travel deputy editor. 

Michelle Simons, a Tui customer from Northampton, opted to go ahead with a holiday to Turkey after finding out she would be liable to pay an additional £650 – on top of a £150 "low deposit" – to cancel the trip.

Simons told Which? Tui failed to verbally explain she’d lose significantly more than £150 if she cancelled. “I had no reason to think that the deposit I’d paid wasn’t the full deposit,” Simons said.

Policy reviews

OTAs On The Beach and loveholidays were among several other companies whose T&Cs around deposits were examined by Which?. Both firms, said Which?, refer to further charges as an installment, causing more confusion.

Commenting on the feedback, Tui and loveholidays both committed to reviewing their low deposit processes, pledging to “further improve the bookings journey”.

“We will review how we communicate our low deposit offering during the online booking process as our customers tell us they value our low or no deposit offers and the option to spread the cost of their holiday via direct debit,” said Tui.

A loveholidays spokesperson added: “We always have our customers best interests at heart, so we are committed to reviewing this feedback from Which? in the context of further improving the bookings journey.”