COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of our lives, including our personal finances. Here are same personal expenses you can recoup:
1. SKY Sports and BT Sports
Sky Sports customers can now ‘pause’ their subscription & BT Sport customers can get two months’ credit (or donate it to the NHS).
2. Cancelled flights and package holidays.
If your flight or package holiday was cancelled, you are legally entitled to a refund. State your request clearly, in writing, to the firm concerned. If you still struggle to get your refund, you could try to claim through your card provider.
The company which took your money is responsible for issuing your refund.
Consider whether you 100% need a refund, or if you’d be happy with a voucher.
At the moment, many airlines are really struggling. This means of course that it’s safer to demand a refund rather than settle for a voucher in case the airline collapses before you can use it. But it’s also worth considering whether you’re in a position to show a bit of forbearance.
3. Refunds for train tickets
- Advance, off-peak and anytime tickets are now fully refundable and you won’t need to pay any admin fee. You should also be able to get a partial refund on any part-used return tickets, again with no fee.
- Season tickets. With these, you should be able to get a partial refund for the bit you haven’t used, so long as you have at least three days left on a seven-day ticket, or at least seven days left on a monthly or longer season ticket. Many firms have waived the usual £10 admin fee for this – although contrary to what was initially announced, some have said they will still charge it, so check.
If you’ve bought a Transport for London travelcard which is loaded onto your Oyster card, TfL has said it will waive its usual £5 admin charge if you request a refund as a result of being told to self-isolate.
4. MOT Extension
Drivers who have an MOT due from 30th March onwards will be granted a six-month extension because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Transport Secretary has announced.
So for example, if your vehicle’s MOT was due to expire on the 3rd May, it will now run out on 3rd November 2020. However, you will still have to keep your car in a roadworthy condition. Garages are remaining open for any repairs that might be needed.
5. Cancelled Events.
If you’ve bought a ticket for an event that has been cancelled, you should usually get a refund, though do first double-check the terms and conditions. Ticketmaster has confirmed that customers will be able to get a full refund if an event is cancelled due to coronavirus. However, it’s less certain if you’ll get booking and delivery fees refunded too, so check.
While you may be entitled to a refund, also consider that many firms – especially small independent businesses – will struggle as a result of coronavirus cancellations. So if you can afford it, it could be worth practising forbearance by waiving your right to a refund and accepting a voucher or credit note instead if you’re offered one.
6. Gym Memberships.
Most major chains are simply pausing all memberships for the whole time they’re closed – and will freeze monthly payments automatically.
If you’ve paid upfront for an annual membership, it will be extended by the number of days the venue was shut for once it reopens.
A few of the big gym chains have confirmed that any days paid for in March that could not be used due to closure will be refunded once they open up again.
It’s a good idea to contact your gym directly to find out what’s happening if you’ve not heard from them.
7. Cinema Memberships
Odeon and Cineworld have confirmed that they are pausing any memberships and freezing payments until they reopen.
