Book your next vacation with confidence - Flightlayaway

When it comes to buying or booking a vacation, financial protection can be confusing. However, making sure you have the right cover is vital should something go wrong.To help you prevent any holiday disasters, we’ve put together some simple tips to ensure you can book your next break safely and securely.These days, many of us look out for charges being added to our bookings when we pay by card, which can hike the cost of our travel plans by up to 2.5%.

However, there are benefits to paying by credit card – namely that you are covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act when paying for anything by this method, as long as the amount being paid is more aAnd that means you are protected should your holiday company, airline or other travel arranger go out of business – well worth the small cost of an extra card charge.

What’s more, this is the case even if you only pay for part of your holiday by credit card and the remainder by another payment type, so long as the total payment comes more. If you don’t have a credit card or the transaction is under in value, then the best option is to pay the whole amount by debit card. MasterCard and Visa operate a chargeback scheme that will generally pay out should your travel plans disintegrate before you set off.

And that’s a lot better than paying by cash, cheque, pre-paid card or bank transfer, with which you receive no protection at all.There is a lot of confusion around the financial protection with many holidaymakers failing to understand what’s on offer and getting mixed up regarding the benefits offered by the various schemes. So, to help keep it simple, we advise looking out for companies that can book your trip which ensures that you will be looked after if either all or part of the travel you have booked goes wrong. Should something happen before you travel, for example, your travel company going out of business advising against all but essential travel to the destination you are visiting, you would receive a full refund, replacement travel or new dates of travel, depending on the situation.And should problems arise while you are away, you would get the help you need to continue your holiday as planned or assistance getting home. So, remember to ask if a travel agent is a member of one of them before confirming a booking, be it online, in a shop or by phone.

Seen an offer that looks too good to be true? An amazing price when everyone else seems to be fully booked? If in any doubt at all, put the company name into a search engine and check the reviews and comments made by other travelers.

Then double-check the memberships and licences they trade under, and remember to only pay by credit or debit card. That way, you should avoid becoming a victim of any form of travel fraud and having your dream break turning into a holiday from hell.

Now it’s time to get looking and get away for less.