Consumers who have been affected by the recent COVID-19 restrictions and have been unable to travel should follow these steps.
- Contact their travel agent, accommodation, airline or other transport company. They may be offering penalty-free options for customers to amend or cancel their travel arrangements.
- If a consumer booked travel with a credit card, they should also contact their credit card company.
- Contact their insurer to find out what their policy covers, and to make a claim.
- If a consumer runs into problems during the claims process, and the issue can’t be resolved directly with their insurer, they can contact AFCA.
- The best way to submit a complaint to AFCA is through our easy to use online form. If a consumer has any questions or can't access the form, they can call our hotline on 1800 337 444.
For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, visit AFCA’s COVID-19 support hub.
AFCA has also published an approach document outlining how it will apply legal principles, industry codes and good industry practice to complaints about denied requests for travel credit/refunds and other COVID-19- related claims.
The approach document can be found here.
Published: 23 December 2020
Media enquiries media@afca.org.au
About AFCA
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) is a non-government ombudsman service providing free, fair and independent help with financial disputes. It is a one-stop-shop for consumers and small businesses who have a dispute with their financial firm, over things such as banking, credit, insurance, advice, investments or superannuation. Where an agreement cannot be reached between parties, AFCA can issue decisions that are binding on financial firms.
