Facebook Instagram Youtube
Search
Close
  • News
  • Destinations
  • Experiences
  • Travel Smarts
  • Deals
  • Competition
Menu
  • News
  • Destinations
  • Experiences
  • Travel Smarts
  • Deals
  • Competition
  • News
  • Destinations
  • Experiences
  • Travel Smarts
  • Deals
  • Competition
Menu
  • News
  • Destinations
  • Experiences
  • Travel Smarts
  • Deals
  • Competition

What you need to know about travelling Australia during COVID

Tallis Boerne Marcus by Tallis Boerne Marcus
04/07/2021
in Australia
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0
Home Australia

Prime Minister Scott Morrison may have spelt out a four-point pathway to international travel on Friday, but any hope of taking off from Australia is still many months away.

There are lockdowns everywhere this weekend and high-level restrictions imposed all around the country. 

This has once again left many Australians either dealing with cancelled holiday plans or feeling extremely cautious to book any future trips, with the Delta variant providing yet another example of just how quickly things can change. 

This guide will take you through the COVID and cancellation policies of the major airlines and accommodation providers, as well as well some quick tips for whether travel insurance is necessary and what it might cover. 

How can I cancel and change my flights?

Australia’s major airline’s policies are as follows.

Virgin

Virgin have a ‘flexible flying’ policy to help customers book while COVID is affecting the travel landscape. 

Any travel booked before February 28, 2022, will have unlimited changes permitted with no change fees and the option to cancel and receive flight credit without incurring a change fee. 

However, if Virgin themselves have to move or change the timing of your flight, you will be entitled to a full refund.  

The full breakdown of the flexible flying policy can be found here. 

Qantas

Qantas has a ‘fly flexible’ policy to help Australian’s book travel during COVID. 

For any domestic flights booked up till July 31 you can change the dates and times of your travel as many times as you need without incurring a change fee. However, the new date will need to be within 12 months of the original date. 

If you need to cancel your flight, you can cancel and request flight credit, however, you may be charged a cancellation fee. A cancellation fee is generally $99. 

If Qantas cancels on you, you will have the option between rebooking, flight credit and a refund. 

Full details of Fly flexible can be found here.

Jetstar 

If your Jetstar booking is “affected by border restrictions,” you’ll be eligible to receive a credit voucher for the full value of your booking. 

“Affected by border restrictions” has some listed criteria here, but essentially it’s just going to mean if you are completely unable to travel because of government enforced restrictions. 

If you want extra peace of mind, you can purchase a product called FareCredit, this will allow you to cancel your flight for any reason and automatically receive a flight credit voucher. 

If the flight is cancelled by Jetstar, you will receive either a free date change, option of a credit voucher or full refund depending on the circumstances of the cancellation.

Rex

Rex has a COVID refund guarantee, meaning you will be offered a full refund if your flight is affected by COVID related reasons. You simply go here and fill out a refund request and ensure you have all supporting documentation. 

Even if Rex is still operating normally, as long as you are unable to get on the flight due to COVID-related reasons, you will be eligible for the refund.

If you are already covered by travel insurance, Rex will only cover you for the losses that are not already under your insurance.  

How can I cancel or change my accommodation?

The general rule of accommodation is that it’s going to come down to the individual policy of who you’ve booked with, however, here are the policies of some of the major providers. 

Airbnb

Airbnb previously had a cancellation policy in place to protect you from COVID, however, as it has eased in Australia it is no longer considered an ‘extenuating circumstance’.

This means that the cancellation policy is simply up to the host of your booking. 

You can read the different cancellation policies that guests can set here, however, it will vary booking to booking what applies to you. 

Booking.com 

Generally, if you cancel, it will depend on the individual policy of your booking as to whether or not you incur a cancellation fee. 

However, you can potentially be able to cancel related to COVID and receive a full refund, date change or credit. This will depend on your destination, booking and departure dates, country of origin and reason for travel.

You will need to sign in to your account to assess your cancellation options. 

Do I need travel insurance and what will it cover?

Every insurer has different policies, so if you want to book domestic travel insurance, the most important thing you can do is read the fine print. 

However, it is unlikely that most insurance policies will cover all COVID related circumstances, especially as part of the general insurance policy and not a specific add on.

If you’ve booked a trip with multiple flights, hotels and tours already paid for, then it may be worth looking into some insurance policies. However, it is also a viable option to simply check in individually with airlines, accommodation providers and tour operators to see what their COVID and cancellation policies are. 

Many policies such as Travel Insurance Direct offer cover for if you or someone you know is diagnosed with COVID-19 but do not offer cover for government intervention such as border closures or new regulations. 


The same applies to Medibank, who will cover many COVID related circumstances but will not cover any losses due to government travel bans or border closures.

Explore Deals

Deal

Luxury Queenstown Ski Holiday

Destination: Queenstown

From $655

Book Now
Deal

Charming Candidasa Escape

Destination: Bali

Inclusions:

Daily breakfast for two, 1 x 90-minute couples spa treatment with flower bath at Ocean Spa for two, 1 x three-course romantic dinner for two, 1 x selected cocktail for two OR 1 x bucket of small local beer (4 pcs) at Pool Bar/Restaurant, 1 x half-day tour visit to Taman Ujung water palace,

From $1545

Book Now
Deal

Luxury Adults-only Fiji Getaway

Destination: Fiji

Inclusions:

4 nights 5-star accommodation at Sofitel Resort & Spa, Access to the adults-only Waitui Beach Club, Complimentary mini bar, Daily buffet breakfasts, Access to in-room unlimited movies and wifi,

From $2895

Book Now
Deal

Experience Vivid Sydney

Destination: Sydney

Inclusions:

2 nights in a studio room at A by Adina Sydney, Daily breakfast, 6-course degustation in Sydney Harbour dinner cruise with guaranteed window seating,

From $549

Book Now
Deal

Romantic Sydney Escape

Destination: Sydney

Inclusions:

3-night luxury city view apartment at A by Adina Sydney, Daily à la carte breakfast, 3-Course Dining Walk, Hunter Valley Scenic Wine & Dine Day Tour, Sydney Harbour 2-Course Lunch Cruise,

From $2658

Book Now
See more offers
Previous Post

Luxury Lodges launches new sustainability platform

Next Post

Cruise giants P&O Australia and Princess cancel cruises till December

Next Post
Cruise giants P&O Australia and Princess cancel cruises till December

Cruise giants P&O Australia and Princess cancel cruises till December

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Explore Deals

Deal

4 Night Ultimate Whitsundays Escape

Destination: Whitsunday Coast

Inclusions:

4 x nights at Mirage Whitsundays, Daily breakfast, Whitehaven Beach day trip, One-Hour Scenic Flight, Two-hour Sunset Sailing Cruise ,

From $1190

Book Now
No Result
View All Result

Follow us for up to the minute news, deals and more...

Facebook Instagram Youtube
Explore with us weekly

Sign up to the explore Newsletter

The most comprehensive website guide to regional Australia and city stays.

Editorial

  • Big Splash Media, Elizabeth Bay, Sydney NSW 2011
  • +61 2 9356 8888
  • [email protected]

Site Pages

  • News
  • Destinations
  • Experiences
  • Deals
  • Travel Smarts
Menu
  • News
  • Destinations
  • Experiences
  • Deals
  • Travel Smarts

Important links

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Conditions of Use
  • Contact
Menu
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Conditions of Use
  • Contact

www.exploretravel.com.au

brought to you by

ACM

Ⓒ 2021 - Website produced by Big Splash Media

Facebook Twitter

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • March 2020

Categories

  • Australia
  • Editors Choice
  • International
  • My Australia

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Ask the Experts
  • Contact
  • Deals
  • Destinations
    • Australia
    • International
  • Experiences
  • Home
  • Home
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • St Patrick’s Day quiz
  • Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • Swap Holidays
  • Terms & Conditions for the Viking River Cruise Giveaway
  • Travel Smarts
  • Viking River Cruise Giveaway Terms & Conditions
  • WIN A VIKING RIVER CRUISE WORTH $22,990​

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.