ABD just cancelled my Portugal trip that's been sold out practically since opening day

[sayhello]

Sad and disappointed to hear ABD cancelled your Portugal trip. Given the timing, the number of previous ABD trips you have taken, and how active you are on this board, I would hope Disney management would go beyond what they are obligated to do in compensation.

Thanks, but I'm not going to count on it.

Sayhello

 

[motherof5]

Not unless the policy explicitly includes "Cancel for any reason" coverage, which generally makes the policy *way* more expensive, if it's even available. Generally, if available, it's usually an add-on. And even at that, most "Cancel for any reason" coverage only reimburses you for around 70% of the covered amount.

Sayhello

That's too bad. Hopefully things work out and you can enjoy your vacation.

 

[sayhello]

Well, United turned down my request for a refund. They're pretty "tricky" about it, because no-one in the help center (I've spoken to multiple supervisors) has the power to issue a refund. It's all done online, and there is quite deliberately no information or option given to contact anyone outside of the online forms. The email address on the notification I got does not accept incoming emails.

Anyways, I just got the answer that I *do* get a full credit (which is no small thing) but the downside is, I have to rebook it through Chase Ultimate Rewards, which is a *pain* to put it mildly. And I really only picked United because they were the only airline that flew to Porto with only one stop. Everyone else had at least 2 stops. I just had a few really bad flights on United pre-Covid. Who knows.

And plus, while there's no fees involved in *getting* the credit, the email said there would be a Service Charge involved in *using* the credit (aside from any fare increase). Not sure what that's all about. But pretty much what I was expecting. Sigh.

Sayhello

 

[MouseOfCards]

Well, United turned down my request for a refund. They're pretty "tricky" about it, because no-one in the help center (I've spoken to multiple supervisors) has the power to issue a refund. It's all done online, and there is quite deliberately no information or option given to contact anyone outside of the online forms. The email address on the notification I got does not accept incoming emails.

Anyways, I just got the answer that I *do* get a full credit (which is no small thing) but the downside is, I have to rebook it through Chase Ultimate Rewards, which is a *pain* to put it mildly. And I really only picked United because they were the only airline that flew to Porto with only one stop. Everyone else had at least 2 stops. I just had a few really bad flights on United pre-Covid. Who knows.

And plus, while there's no fees involved in *getting* the credit, the email said there would be a Service Charge involved in *using* the credit (aside from any fare increase). Not sure what that's all about. But pretty much what I was expecting. Sigh.

Sayhello

So sorry that this happened to you. Glad to hear that at least you’ll get a credit on the flights. We also tried to book everything with the Chase Sapphire reserve hoping that the travel insurance can cover at least some of the costs if part of the trip gets canceled.

 

[sayhello]

So sorry that this happened to you. Glad to hear that at least you’ll get a credit on the flights. We also tried to book everything with the Chase Sapphire reserve hoping that the travel insurance can cover at least some of the costs if part of the trip gets canceled.

Thanks. And I have travel insurance; we'll see if that pans out or not; I'm doubtful. And I booked the airfare using a mix of Ultimate Rewards points and cash through Chase Ultimate Rewards. So far, they have NOT been helpful.

Sayhello

 

[iuki]

So I guess the title says most of it. But the really s***y part is, I literally *JUST* purchased my airfare a DAY AND A HALF AGO!! It's now 15 hours past me being able to get it 100% refunded. I'm not sure what I want to do at this point. Switch to another departure? Switch to a different trip altogether? Cancel? I have no clue. Plus, I have a non-refundable $400 deposit down on a Douro River Cruise that was following the trip. I'm just a bit rattled, as the timing really is ridiculous. Plus, of course, no explanation for why it's being cancelled this far out. My wonderful TA is calling them, and will let me know what all my options are, but I'm a bit frazzled and not a very happy camper right now.

Sayhello

I’m confused. Isn’t ABD a travel agency? Do you need a TA to book travel with ABD? I apologize if this is a dumb question.

 

[Poohlie]

Well, United turned down my request for a refund. They're pretty "tricky" about it, because no-one in the help center (I've spoken to multiple supervisors) has the power to issue a refund. It's all done online, and there is quite deliberately no information or option given to contact anyone outside of the online forms. The email address on the notification I got does not accept incoming emails.

Anyways, I just got the answer that I *do* get a full credit (which is no small thing) but the downside is, I have to rebook it through Chase Ultimate Rewards, which is a *pain* to put it mildly. And I really only picked United because they were the only airline that flew to Porto with only one stop. Everyone else had at least 2 stops. I just had a few really bad flights on United pre-Covid. Who knows.

And plus, while there's no fees involved in *getting* the credit, the email said there would be a Service Charge involved in *using* the credit (aside from any fare increase). Not sure what that's all about. But pretty much what I was expecting. Sigh.

Sayhello

I’m so sorry that all this happened to you. You are have been such a helpful source of advice/information on ABD through this board.

I have had 3 trips canceled by ABD since Covid began: Greece 8/20 (ABD canceled post PIF but we didn’t want to play chicken so canceled and parked our deposit ahead of PIF), Spain 6/21 (ABD canceled 3/17/21 when PIF was 3/22/21) and New Zealand 2/22 (ABD cancelled 11/15/21 when PIF was 11/20/21). A number of the May 2022 Portugal ABD trips before ours this August were canceled due to low numbers but that was when testing requirements were still in place.

I see you used Chase Ultimate Reward Points to book the flight - can they redeposit the points portion? We have canceled a number of flights with United that were purchased (we have also booked with United Mileage Plus points but those are always redeposited) and received certificates for the $ value of the flight which needed to be used within 12 months. We did need to call reservations to use them but it worked out fine, as hopefully it will for you. I don’t remember a service fee however. We almost exclusively fly United because we live near the Newark hub so we don’t really know any better about how it compares to other airlines.

 

[Marthasor]

I’m confused. Isn’t ABD a travel agency? Do you need a TA to book travel with ABD? I apologize if this is a dumb question.

ABD is a travel company that offers packaged land tours and small ship expeditions (partnering with AmaWaterways and Ponant). You can book your trip directly with ABD or, if you prefer, you can work with an independent travel agent who will do the legwork to book your trip for you. TAs are useful if you do not want to wait on hold to speak with ABD and/or you need additional help with other components of your trip - airfare, pre- or post-night hotels, etc.

 

[iuki]

ABD is a travel company that offers packaged land tours and small ship expeditions (partnering with AmaWaterways and Ponant). You can book your trip directly with ABD or, if you prefer, you can work with an independent travel agent who will do the legwork to book your trip for you. TAs are useful if you do not want to wait on hold to speak with ABD and/or you need additional help with other components of your trip - airfare, pre- or post-night hotels, etc.

So basically, it’s like booking a cruise directly with the cruise line or having a TA book the cruise for you. Got it. Thank you.

 

[georgina]

Sorry your trip got cancelled. DH had a scuba boat trip in December cancelled last week also, it had been rebooked twice already because the Caymans kept failing to reopen to tourists. Not the reason this one was cancelled though. He also has an extra week booked there and is scrambling to get something else for the week of the boat trip. They offered him a credit for a year (I would have preferred a refund) and $400 toward airfare changes.

I see you used Chase Ultimate Reward Points to book the flight - can they redeposit the points portion? We have canceled a number of flights with United that were purchased (we have also booked with United Mileage Plus points but those are always redeposited) and received certificates for the $ value of the flight which needed to be used within 12 months. We did need to call reservations to use them but it worked out fine, as hopefully it will for you. I don’t remember a service fee however. We almost exclusively fly United because we live near the Newark hub so we don’t really know any better about how it compares to other airlines.

No, Chase can only issue a monetary credit and in our experience you have to call Chase travel to rebook using the credit. And for me it was always an hour on the phone while the agent kept putting me on hold to 'read the rules'. So frustrating rebooking the flights we cancelled from December 2020 that I have not used Chase URs to book a flight since.

 

[sayhello]

I’m so sorry that all this happened to you. You are have been such a helpful source of advice/information on ABD through this board.

I have had 3 trips canceled by ABD since Covid began: Greece 8/20 (ABD canceled post PIF but we didn’t want to play chicken so canceled and parked our deposit ahead of PIF), Spain 6/21 (ABD canceled 3/17/21 when PIF was 3/22/21) and New Zealand 2/22 (ABD cancelled 11/15/21 when PIF was 11/20/21). A number of the May 2022 Portugal ABD trips before ours this August were canceled due to low numbers but that was when testing requirements were still in place.

I see you used Chase Ultimate Reward Points to book the flight - can they redeposit the points portion? We have canceled a number of flights with United that were purchased (we have also booked with United Mileage Plus points but those are always redeposited) and received certificates for the $ value of the flight which needed to be used within 12 months. We did need to call reservations to use them but it worked out fine, as hopefully it will for you. I don’t remember a service fee however. We almost exclusively fly United because we live near the Newark hub so we don’t really know any better about how it compares to other airlines.

Thanks. I had my May 2020 Rhone River cruise cancelled, but we'd PIF when COVID was just barely a thing. They offered a full refund, but I ended up having to play chicken with Delta as to whether they'd cancel my flight or change it enough that they'd have to give me a refund or I'd break down and cancel it myself. Fortunately, they changed my flight enough that I qualified for a refund. I was very lucky. I guess I'm lucky that they cancelled this one *before* PIF...

Honestly, I knew better than to book through Ultimate Rewards, but the $244 that I'd save using Ultimate Rewards points just ended up being too tempting. I've learned my lesson, for sure. Chase Ultimate Rewards is saying the credit is good through October 26, 2023 (which is a year from the date I booked it) but United's website says anything booked and credited before December 31, 2022 is good until December 31, 2023. We shall see. Hopefully I use it up before then. But that brings up the other conflict, because United says it can be used for multiple tickets, and Chase says it can only be used once, and any leftover balance is forfeit. I'm going to need to figure that one out!

I normally fly Southwest or Delta. I really like Southwest, and Delta at least has really nice flights and planes and crew, whereas I've had some horrid flights (including THE most uncomfortable seats EVER) on United. But I haven't flown them since 2015, so I keep praying they've changed since then.

So basically, it’s like booking a cruise directly with the cruise line or having a TA book the cruise for you. Got it. Thank you.

Yes. It's exactly like that.

Sorry your trip got cancelled. DH had a scuba boat trip in December cancelled last week also, it had been rebooked twice already because the Caymans kept failing to reopen to tourists. Not the reason this one was cancelled though. He also has an extra week booked there and is scrambling to get something else for the week of the boat trip. They offered him a credit for a year (I would have preferred a refund) and $400 toward airfare changes.

No, Chase can only issue a monetary credit and in our experience you have to call Chase travel to rebook using the credit. And for me it was always an hour on the phone while the agent kept putting me on hold to 'read the rules'. So frustrating rebooking the flights we cancelled from December 2020 that I have not used Chase URs to book a flight since.

Yep. I'm going to have to call Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel to rebook using the credit. They are such a pain to work with, as you say, taking FOREVER, and always blaming everything on the airline, not themselves. I will also never book through them again!

Sayhello

 

[jenmiller114]

We fly exclusively United and if you cancel a flight (anything but basic economy), the amount is automatically issued as flight credit to your United account. We have never been charged any fees (since they changed the policy last year). And the credit remains in your account until you use it all up. So it can be used for multiple trips. If you use a partial amount, they will email you with a new confirmation code for the remaining balance. That amount will also show up on the United website. When you book a flight and go to the payment page, it has a place where you click on future flight credits and it should show up there or else you can type in the code. Credits are typically good for one year but I am 99% sure they have extended all flight credits to December 31, 2023.

Unfortunately I can not speak to the Chase rewards portion. I know I converted Hilton points to pay for a cruise during the shutdown. When the cruise was cancelled, the cash equivalent of those points remained with Disney as FCC. I could have called to see about having them returned to Hilton but I wanted to keep the 25% so I didn't bother with that. From what I can tell, it depends on if you booked directly through their travel portal or if you transferred the points to United and booked from there. It sounds like if you transfer to United, they will issue FCC for the cash equivalent of the ticket. If you used the portal, the points would go back to them but that doesn't make much sense if United is controlling the terms of cancellation and providing future flight credit.

All of that said, If it is in fact offered as FCC through United, your money will not be lost. I have cancelled and rebooked multiple trips and never had any problem using my credits. But I have never dealt with a third party vendor and that is really where it gets tricky. Sorry this happened. I hope you get it all sorted out soon.

Jennifer

 

[DCLMP]

Thanks. I do have travel insurance I already purchased for this trip. But they RARELY will cover provider cancellation. They expect the provider to make good on it. I *will* be checking with them, but I am 99.9% sure that unless the provider declares bankruptcy, travel insurance won't help. Plus, you can't buy travel insurance "after the fact". ABD has already cancelled the trip. If I hadn't already purchased the insurance (which means they already know about the ABD) I guess I could pretend I was buying the insurance just for the flight. But you still can't cancel "because I couldn't find a tour" and get reimbursed for that. I wish insurance worked that way, but unfortunately it doesn't.

Thanks. I may do that, but honestly, I'm a bit burnt out right now, and not really up to it. We'll see how this progresses. What do you mean by "an independent tour"? By myself? Privately, with a guide and just me? I can't afford the latter, and the former doesn't appeal to me, especially in a country where I don't speak the language.

Sayhello

I've traveled to many countries and toured with my family on our own, I don't understand the need to be a part of a tour group, but I don't travel alone. I've never had a problem with language barriers most people around the globe know some English.

After my dad passed away my mom traveled all over the world on a tour groups, but I can't remember which one. It seems like a great way to travel if your solo and want company.... again I don't know your circumstances.

I love chase points ,but I usually transfer them to partners. I didn't have a good experience booking through their portal

 

[sayhello]

We fly exclusively United and if you cancel a flight (anything but basic economy), the amount is automatically issued as flight credit to your United account. We have never been charged any fees (since they changed the policy last year). And the credit remains in your account until you use it all up. So it can be used for multiple trips. If you use a partial amount, they will email you with a new confirmation code for the remaining balance. That amount will also show up on the United website. When you book a flight and go to the payment page, it has a place where you click on future flight credits and it should show up there or else you can type in the code. Credits are typically good for one year but I am 99% sure they have extended all flight credits to December 31, 2023.

Unfortunately I can not speak to the Chase rewards portion. I know I converted Hilton points to pay for a cruise during the shutdown. When the cruise was cancelled, the cash equivalent of those points remained with Disney as FCC. I could have called to see about having them returned to Hilton but I wanted to keep the 25% so I didn't bother with that. From what I can tell, it depends on if you booked directly through their travel portal or if you transferred the points to United and booked from there. It sounds like if you transfer to United, they will issue FCC for the cash equivalent of the ticket. If you used the portal, the points would go back to them but that doesn't make much sense if United is controlling the terms of cancellation and providing future flight credit.

All of that said, If it is in fact offered as FCC through United, your money will not be lost. I have cancelled and rebooked multiple trips and never had any problem using my credits. But I have never dealt with a third party vendor and that is really where it gets tricky. Sorry this happened. I hope you get it all sorted out soon.

Jennifer

Thanks. I booked the ticket on Chase Unlimited Reward's travel site. I used a bunch of Ultimate Reward points to pay for a portion of the ticket. But United issued the future travel credit, because they said I had to cancel the trip on their site before I could submit the request to see if I could possibly get a refund. (The site would only submit the request for a canceled ticket). But the credit was issued to Chase Ultimate Rewards travel. When I go to travel credits and look it up on United's website, all that shows up is a blurb that says "This reservation is already canceled. Please contact the original ticketing agency to rebook your trip." And it says the credit is good until December 31, 2023. That's it. So I have to do any rebooking through Chase, who are considered the ticketing agency. But it hasn't shown up on Chase's site yet, either. Chase's site still shows it as an active trip (and I did call Chase to let them know the ticket had been cancelled on Friday). I'm hoping it hasn't shown up yet because it's the weekend, and I'll see the credit there tomorrow some time. I will be calling Chase tomorrow to verify what's going on. And calling United. And calling my trip insurance company. Sigh. Such a mess for half a day!

I've traveled to many countries and toured with my family on our own, I don't understand the need to be a part of a tour group, but I don't travel alone. I've never had a problem with language barriers most people around the globe know some English.

After my dad passed away my mom traveled all over the world on a tour groups, but I can't remember which one. It seems like a great way to travel if your solo and want company.... again I don't know your circumstances.

I love chase points ,but I usually transfer them to partners. I didn't have a good experience booking through their portal

You answered your own question. You are talking about traveling with your family, not alone. I *do* travel alone. I mentioned in the post you quoted that I wasn't comfortable traveling alone in a country where I don't speak the language. I got lost in Florence, and it was quite uncomfortable not being able to communicate with anyone who could tell me how to get back to where I wanted to be. No one I spoke to spoke English. I lucked out that it was the middle of the afternoon, I had plenty of time to figure it out (it was before cell phones) and I did eventually make it back to my destination. And that's really only one reason (not that I really need to provide reasons -- it's just how I feel). I like knowing that someone expects me to be at a certain place at a certain time and will come looking for me if I don't show up. I will do short trips on my own in foreign countries, but I'm just not comfortable with doing it for 11 days. I also like the continuity of having the same people around for the duration of the trip, that shared experience, who you can turn to and say "OMG, did you see that?". Who can understand what you're seeing in the context of the rest of the trip. I just enjoy that.

I love Chase points, too, but I will never book through their travel portal again!

Sayhello

 

[DCLMP]

Thanks. I booked the ticket on Chase Unlimited Reward's travel site. I used a bunch of Ultimate Reward points to pay for a portion of the ticket. But United issued the future travel credit, because they said I had to cancel the trip on their site before I could submit the request to see if I could possibly get a refund. (The site would only submit the request for a canceled ticket). But the credit was issued to Chase Ultimate Rewards travel. When I go to travel credits and look it up on United's website, all that shows up is a blurb that says "This reservation is already canceled. Please contact the original ticketing agency to rebook your trip." And it says the credit is good until December 31, 2023. That's it. So I have to do any rebooking through Chase, who are considered the ticketing agency. But it hasn't shown up on Chase's site yet, either. Chase's site still shows it as an active trip (and I did call Chase to let them know the ticket had been cancelled on Friday). I'm hoping it hasn't shown up yet because it's the weekend, and I'll see the credit there tomorrow some time. I will be calling Chase tomorrow to verify what's going on. And calling United. And calling my trip insurance company. Sigh. Such a mess for half a day!


You answered your own question. You are talking about traveling with your family, not alone. I *do* travel alone. I mentioned in the post you quoted that I wasn't comfortable traveling alone in a country where I don't speak the language. I got lost in Florence, and it was quite uncomfortable not being able to communicate with anyone who could tell me how to get back to where I wanted to be. No one I spoke to spoke English. I lucked out that it was the middle of the afternoon, I had plenty of time to figure it out (it was before cell phones) and I did eventually make it back to my destination. And that's really only one reason (not that I really need to provide reasons -- it's just how I feel). I like knowing that someone expects me to be at a certain place at a certain time and will come looking for me if I don't show up. I will do short trips on my own in foreign countries, but I'm just not comfortable with doing it for 11 days. I also like the continuity of having the same people around for the duration of the trip, that shared experience, who you can turn to and say "OMG, did you see that?". Who can understand what you're seeing in the context of the rest of the trip. I just enjoy that.

I love Chase points, too, but I will never book through their travel portal again!

Sayhello

I don't read this forum enough to know your circumstances. I can understand not wanting to travel alone... if for no other reason than it's not as much fun as being part of a group. I've considered an ABD a couple of times, but that I come here and bad reviews scare me off. I'm not a big fan of anything that requires a non-refundable deposit.. that's a real sticking point for me.

 

[iuki]

We fly exclusively United and if you cancel a flight (anything but basic economy), the amount is automatically issued as flight credit to your United account. We have never been charged any fees (since they changed the policy last year). And the credit remains in your account until you use it all up. So it can be used for multiple trips. If you use a partial amount, they will email you with a new confirmation code for the remaining balance. That amount will also show up on the United website. When you book a flight and go to the payment page, it has a place where you click on future flight credits and it should show up there or else you can type in the code. Credits are typically good for one year but I am 99% sure they have extended all flight credits to December 31, 2023.

Unfortunately I can not speak to the Chase rewards portion. I know I converted Hilton points to pay for a cruise during the shutdown. When the cruise was cancelled, the cash equivalent of those points remained with Disney as FCC. I could have called to see about having them returned to Hilton but I wanted to keep the 25% so I didn't bother with that. From what I can tell, it depends on if you booked directly through their travel portal or if you transferred the points to United and booked from there. It sounds like if you transfer to United, they will issue FCC for the cash equivalent of the ticket. If you used the portal, the points would go back to them but that doesn't make much sense if United is controlling the terms of cancellation and providing future flight credit.

All of that said, If it is in fact offered as FCC through United, your money will not be lost. I have cancelled and rebooked multiple trips and never had any problem using my credits. But I have never dealt with a third party vendor and that is really where it gets tricky. Sorry this happened. I hope you get it all sorted out soon.

Jennifer

Thank you for that info. We recently acquired the Chase United Airlines Mileage Plus credit card. Did you book your cruise through the United Dot Com website using your Chase UAL credit card?

 

[DCLMP]

I booked a refundable Lufthansa flight through the chase portal. I ended up having to cancel and then found out to reinstate my points I had to a pay 75.00 per ticket fee. Chase said that was a Lufthansa policy. I checked Lufthansa website and clearly stated the 75.00 cancellation fee, but nowhere in the booking process for chase did it state that. I even had the CSR do a mock booking to show him that their website did not disclose the fee. He agreed with me and escalated it, but I got nowhere.

I just booked another Lufthansa flight from Munich to Rome, but I transferred the points to united to do it. United is a partner of Lufthansa. I can't see myself ever using the Chase portal for flights again.

 

[Chirple]

@sayhello I am so sorry this happened to you. We are choosing to not book any trips with ABD (or any tour company) at this time. ABD still appears to be on shaky footing, and it requires too much of a monetary investment to make us feel secure in the choice to make the commitment.

 

[pjacobi]

I always take Chase Rewards as a cash credit to my balance. Yes, you may get better deals on using points, but there always seems to be some kinda of gotcha or problem. Cash applied to the balance always works!


-Paul

 

[sayhello]

I booked a refundable Lufthansa flight through the chase portal. I ended up having to cancel and then found out to reinstate my points I had to a pay 75.00 per ticket fee. Chase said that was a Lufthansa policy. I checked Lufthansa website and clearly stated the 75.00 cancellation fee, but nowhere in the booking process for chase did it state that. I even had the CSR do a mock booking to show him that their website did not disclose the fee. He agreed with me and escalated it, but I got nowhere.

I just booked another Lufthansa flight from Munich to Rome, but I transferred the points to united to do it. United is a partner of Lufthansa. I can't see myself ever using the Chase portal for flights again.

Yep. After this experience, I am totally with you. I unfortunately will have to re-book my travel credit flight through the Chase portal, but that is IT. I also don't see myself ever using it after that. Lesson learned!

@sayhello I am so sorry this happened to you. We are choosing to not book any trips with ABD (or any tour company) at this time. ABD still appears to be on shaky footing, and it requires too much of a monetary investment to make us feel secure in the choice to make the commitment.

I know this in my head. I just have loved the trips I've taken with ABD so much, it's hard to give up on them, but I think I'm there. I am not re-booking with ABD for 2023, and it's highly likely that unless I hear there's been a BIG turnaround (unlikely at this point) that I'll be booking with them again. I'm starting to look at Tauck and a few other companies to see what they offer.

I always take Chase Rewards as a cash credit to my balance. Yes, you may get better deals on using points, but there always seems to be some kinda of gotcha or problem. Cash applied to the balance always works!


-Paul

Normally, I do that, too. But plane tickets are just so freakin' expensive these days, I went against my better judgement and booked through them to get the extra value. I've learned my lesson!

Sayhello