Marks & Spencer Travel Club

macalloa

Anybody use the M&STC ?

For anybody who is unfamiliar - if you have an M&S credit card you can book Thomas Cook holidays with 8% discount (less or more sometimes it seems) using your M&S credit card, as deposit or full payment, depending on when you make the booking.

However, if you try to book through the M&STC website (an offshoot of the normal TC website) you'll find it not as user friendly as the standard TC website.

Whereas the regular TC website lists the basic package holiday price "up front" without optional extras - the M&STC website lists them as the initial default quote. You can leave out some at the options update step, but it still leaves add ons that many customers would rather do without.

For example, the extra 5kg luggage (£30) is determined to stay.

These unwanted extras can only be dumped by 'phoning the call centre.

Anybody else had issues ?

bcl999

I never even knew about the M&S Travel site. Will post further if I have any problems when using.

macalloa

It seems that there is also an HSBC Travel Club which uses the same website but with their brand identity.

I believe only certain types of HSBC credit cards entitle the holder to use it though ?

The Marks & Spencer credit card is also from HSBC, so you can only assume there is a tie up.

I've also found a Thomas Cook Holiday Club, again it seems to be this same website under a different appearance.

Not sure who is entitled to use and why they can access the discount. It would be interesting to know.

http://www.thomascook-holidayclub.com/

BTW - for some reason I don't understand, it's better to use the Advanced Search link at the bottom of the yellow panel on the right to make the proper connection.

It's worth noting that the Thomas Cook Holiday Club charges a 2.5% fee for credit card use, whereas the Marks & Spencer Travel Club has no such fee, as long as you settle by their own M&S credit card.

Presumably the HSBC Travel Club also imposes no fee if paying with their card ?

ellay864

I have access to a TC holiday club through the company I work for. When I was pricing up a cruise holiday it got really complicated as the regular TC site offers several online discounts, while the holiday club prices doesn't discount on those but on the 'standard' price. In the end I worked out the holiday club price to come in at around £200 less than the TC discounted online offers. But because I had a load of vouchers I was paying with, I wanted the convenience of a high street branch, to avoid the hassle of having to post off the vouchers and wait for them to get credited back. So I went into the branch, told them the price I could get it through the holiday club (about £400 less than the store was offering) and they agreed to price match it

bcl999

macalloa wrote: »

It's worth noting that the Thomas Cook Holiday Club charges a 2.5% fee for credit card use, whereas the Marks & Spencer Travel Club has no such fee, as long as you settle by their own M&S credit card.

Will keep that in mind for future. Thanks.

macalloa

I have access to a TC holiday club through the company I work for. When I was pricing up a cruise holiday it got really complicated as the regular TC site offers several online discounts, while the holiday club prices doesn't discount on those but on the 'standard' price. In the end I worked out the holiday club price to come in at around £200 less than the TC discounted online offers. But because I had a load of vouchers I was paying with, I wanted the convenience of a high street branch, to avoid the hassle of having to post off the vouchers and wait for them to get credited back. So I went into the branch, told them the price I could get it through the holiday club (about £400 less than the store was offering) and they agreed to price match it

Hi there - that's very interesting. I've been wondering if a High Street branch of Thomas Cook would match online offers from the M&S (or HSBC) Travel Club. I know they are very keen to get the business rather lose it to web deals, especially as TC are planning store closures as a major cost cutting exercise.

Incidentally the TC Travel Club responded to my enquiry to advise that it was only open to employees of firms etc. (like yours) that are signed up for the scheme.

However, I read on another forum that you can go right through their booking process online until the final payment stage - I might try that the next time.

How the internet has changed the trading practices of our travel agents !!!

macalloa

bcl999 wrote: »

Will keep that in mind for future. Thanks.

Just heard that the M&STC credit card zero fee benefit will be ditched as of 01/12/2012 - and that the holiday discount will drop from 8% to 6% as of that date.

macalloa

Had no official word from either M&S or Thomas Cook since first advised that discount was to drop and credit card surcharge to apply.

Just checked the M&STC website (a TC variation) and the discount is quoted at 5%.

Also, looks like the only benefit of using an M&S credit card is to obtain card user points - which is very poor recompense for a 2.5% surcharge.