PRESIDENT Donald Trump has banned all travel from Europe to the US, excluding the UK and Ireland, for the next month.
However, this has caused confusion for Brits who are planning to visit the States – can you cancel your trip and get your money back?
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Can I cancel my flights to the US?
If you have flights booked to any part of the US from the UK, you will not be able to cancel them and get a refund.
This is because British travellers are not banned from entering the states.
As the UK Foreign Office has not advised against travel to the US, this means flights remain unaffected.
However, Brits will be affected if connecting at an airport in Europe or having travelled to Europe in the past 14 days – where you will be banned from entering the US, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “The US travel ban means travellers from the UK on connecting flights via Amsterdam, Paris and other popular European hubs will also be denied entry.”
NOT PLANE SAILING How to cancel your holiday to USA and get a refund using insurance or credit card as travel from Europe banned
He added that airlines need to make it clear regarding refunds, re-routing flights or allowing re-bookings to avoid similar problems of Brits in Italy.
Brits should contact their airline if they are travelling to the US, with Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, adding: “Today’s ban on flights from Europe to America means any UK residents who have a flight booked via a European destination should get a refund directly from their airline.”
A Norwegian Air spokesperson said: “We’re fully aware of developments concerning travel between certain European countries and the US.
“Our flights to and from the US are currently operating as normal.”
A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic also added that they were “monitoring the situation” but Brits should stay in touch with the airline.
Sun Online has also contacted British Airways.
Holidaymakers are advised to check with their travel insurance providers to see if there is something they can do, but that is also unlikely unless the government advise changes.
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Can I cancel my hotel bookings in the US?
Similarly, you won’t be able to get a refund or change your hotel dates if heading to the US because UK travellers are not banned from the country.
Independent hotels are not even required to refund money in this instance, so if you have paid in advance and choose not to turn up then you will lose your money.
If the hotel is a large chain, it could be worth asking to change your stay to another location or delay your trip but they are under no obligation to grant this.
Even if they were booked as part of a package, they are unlikely to refund you – the only time that tour operators are required to give a refund on holiday packages is if the Foreign Office changes its travel advice for a region and turns it into a no-go area, which they have not done in this case.
Here is everything you need to know about travelling to the US amid the coronavirus outbreak.
There are currently more than 1,300 cases across the states, with Washington, California and New York hit the worst.
