Return or One way ,when booking?

[denisejoe]

The tunnel are not charging extra for changing your return at the moment with covid regs changing so regularly as we had to change our return trip before Christmas and was told this was policy at present.

 

[Southdowners]

We get our travel insurance included with our bank accounts. They require a return trip to be booked prior to leaving the UK. Without said booking the insurance cover is voided. It would be better to check the Ts&Cs specific to your insurance cover.

 

[Minxy]

The tunnel are not charging extra for changing your return at the moment with covid regs changing so regularly as we had to change our return trip before Christmas and was told this was policy at present.

Is that referring to not charging an admin fee though or not charging if you change to a new crossing date even if that date would be more expensive?

 

[chaser]

We get our travel insurance included with our bank accounts. They require a return trip to be booked prior to leaving the UK. Without said booking the insurance cover is voided. It would be better to check the Ts&Cs specific to your insurance cover.

This is true as I and others have said, but some seem to think we are just trying to cause trouble when actually trying to help, please check your policy small print.
I have had various and all had it.

 

[denisejoe]

Is that referring to not charging an admin fee though or not charging if you change to a new crossing date even if that date would be more expensive?

No charges at all at the moment due to the regularly changing rules - at least that's what we were told when we changed our booking during the week before Christmas.

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[BDM]

This is true as I and others have said, but some seem to think we are just trying to cause trouble when actually trying to help, please check your policy small print.
I have had various and all had it.

In my experience, possible bad outcomes with Breakdown Insurance if you do not have a return booked and you breakdown.

 

[Petehvan]

I believe that if you have a breakdown and you have to be repatriated you have to have you have to have your return booking in place

 

[Minxy]

I believe that if you have a breakdown and you have to be repatriated you have to have you have to have your return booking in place

That'll be so they can assess whether to take you to a garage for repair in that country or bring you back, if you need repatriation just book a crossing before agreeing to it.

 

[denisejoe]

Breakdown will not normally repatriate if the vehicle can be repaired in the time before your return booking

 

[BDM]

Breakdown will not normally repatriate if the vehicle can be repaired in the time before your return booking

Exactly, but I was not aware of this beforehand. Long story very short, luckily Fiat Salamanca could not get parts for repair quoted at 3000 plus euros (yes, 3000, which I knew was an incorrect diagnosis) before my return date, so repatriated to Fiat Diss for a £350 repair.

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[denisejoe]

Exactly, but I was not aware of this beforehand. Long story very short, luckily Fiat Salamanca could not get parts for repair quoted at 3000 plus euros (yes, 3000, which I knew was an incorrect diagnosis) before my return date, so repatriated to Fiat Diss for a £350 repair.

We had to have a new engine from a Fiat professional garage €8500+ and it took them 5 weeks as it coincided with Fiat shutdown the breakdown paid for both of us to fly home but only one to fly back, received a text saying the mh would be ready on a certain date so flew out early on the date only to find it would be another week as Fiat had sent the wrong engine but no one told us so another week in a hotel. Most breakdown co treat you as a car once broken down we were offered a car to continue our holiday?/

 

[Petehvan]

When I was quoted €900 plus parts when I broke down in France, Aviva(Comford) gave me the option to repatriate the van which is what I did. They supplied a hire car to get me back to the uk. I had to travel via Calais as they supplied a uk registered car, we were booked to return via Dieppe so, Aviva agreed they would pay for the alternative crossing if DFDS would not supply a credit. The repair in the uk cost £329.00 including parts and VAT

 

[3 cabbages]

Just booked BF 2nd Feb flexi ticket one way to Calais .

My French house sale completes on 10th Feb, hope "Macron" lets me in!

I will book another BF flexi ticket OR eurotunnel back to uk ,before I depart these shores, just to be kosher!

Leo

 

[3 cabbages]

Thanks guys, you helped me/guided me /persuaded me, to take a chance and book!


I will keep "y'all "posted regarding this speculative booking, as they might say in "Richmond Virginia",

Leo

 

[EuroTrotters]

That’s what I always do with Brittany Ferries, why pay for the return trip 60 days before you even set off.

I wonder if we get tow £10 ? vouchers?

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[Mikeco]

I wonder if we get tow £10 ? vouchers?

Probably, we need to encourage our “Friends and Family“ to book two separate trips.

 

[Prop]

Glad I saw this thread, we had just booked a one way tunnel ticket and was going to get the return when we had enough, we are with nationwide Flex+ and looking at the T&C's in the "what we wont pay for" it says.
"Any claim for your unused return travel tickets if we have paid to get you home. If you have not bought a return ticket we will not cover any additional travel costs to get you home."
The way I read this is if you are ill while on holiday and don't have a return they wont repatriate you.

 

[maison]

Ok. We don't use anything but the tunnel and most of that comes out of Tesco vouchers so makes no odds to us.

Likewise!

 

[LesW]

The way I read this is if you are ill while on holiday and don't have a return they wont repatriate you.

I read that completely different.

They will repatriate you, but won't repay you for your unused return costs if already booked.

 

[Tigertom]

I read that completely different.

They will repatriate you, but won't repay you for your unused return costs if already booked.

Yep, it reads that way and that would seem a logical thing for the insurers to do.

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[Minxy]

I read that completely different.

They will repatriate you, but won't repay you for your unused return costs if already booked.

Shouldn't that be 'not already booked'? Otherwise they would be leaving themselves open to paying for whatever you then choose to book at whatever expense?

 

[chaser]

This old argument just keeps rolling on, the only way you will find out is if something goes wrong, is it worth it for the sake of booking a return that you will need anyway, that you can easily change.

 

[LesW]

Shouldn't that be 'not already booked'? Otherwise they would be leaving themselves open to paying for whatever you then choose to book at whatever expense?

I thought that if they repatriated you earlier than your already booked return, they wouldn't reimburse you for any lost booking costs.

I would also think that they would book any returns necessary as it suited them or the breakdown company dealing with it.

Anyway, that's how I see it, though obviously only 'guessing', I do have Flexplus cover, so keeping an eye on this.

 

[Minxy]

I thought that if they repatriated you earlier than your already booked return, they wouldn't reimburse you for any lost booking costs.

Yes that bit is clear.

I would also think that they would book any returns necessary as it suited them or the breakdown company dealing with it.

Yes that's how I read it too.

The bit I was talking about is they can't be liable for the cost of a return that you hadn't actually booked.

Based on this:

"Any claim for your unused return travel tickets if we have paid to get you home. If you have not bought a return ticket we will not cover any additional travel costs to get you home."

... my view is that if you do NOT have a return booked then they will NOT repatriate you as you had not shown your intention to return so will be left wherever you are. Obviously if you have got a return booked they will repatriate you but you can't then claim the cost of the return from them even though you didn't actually use it because they brought you back. In this case you'd need to contact the company who your return crossing was through and see if you could change it but as you would have been brought home anyway you wouldn't be out of pocket.

So the best policy is to read the T&Cs as many now insist on a return crossing being booked otherwise they will not repatriate you.

 

[Minxy]

As an aside to this, some travel insurance policies also require a return crossing to be booked so you need to check their T&Cs too.

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[orridge]

Not that we have ever been asked but do you not need to show a return or onward booking to travel to France now ?

Entry requirements - France travel advice

FCDO travel advice for France. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.

www.gov.uk

Passport stamping​

Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area through France as a visitor. Border guards will use passport stamps to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

You can show evidence of when and where you entered or exited the Schengen area, and ask the border guards to add this date and location in your passport. Examples of acceptable evidence include boarding passes and tickets.

At French border control, you may need to:

• show proof of where you intend to stay, for example, a booking confirmation or proof of address if visiting your own property (e.g. second home). Further information is detailed below
• show proof of insurance for your trip. Please check the guidance on travel insurance here
• show a return or onward ticket
• prove that you have enough money for the duration of your stay. Further information is detailed below

 

[LesW]

Yes that bit is clear.

Yes that's how I read it too.

The bit I was talking about is they can't be liable for the cost of a return that you hadn't actually booked.

Based on this:

... my view is that if you do NOT have a return booked then they will NOT repatriate you as you had not shown your intention to return so will be left wherever you are. Obviously if you have got a return booked they will repatriate you but you can't then claim the cost of the return from them even though you didn't actually use it because they brought you back. In this case you'd need to contact the company who your return crossing was through and see if you could change it but as you would have been brought home anyway you wouldn't be out of pocket.

So the best policy is to read the T&Cs as many now insist on a return crossing being booked otherwise they will not repatriate you.

Hmm.. I think a phone call to Nationwide is needed here, don't fancy having to book a return journey before we leave the UK.

OK, just got off the phone to Nationwide's current breakdown company 'Brittania', at the moment no return journey needs to be booked to get all the benefits stated in the T&C's, however it would be worth checking again when the 'AA' take over in March just to make sure the cover is the same.

The chap I spoke to assumes it will all be the same, but still worth checking.

Previous to having Flexplus cover I had the cover from Adrian Flux, and no return journey need to be booked for their cover, when I did use them when in Germany several years ago, they did ask when we were returning and I just said "at the end of the month" and that was good enough (for them).