Is Section 75 applicable to a cancelled credit card?

pb3

Hi all,

I have a Santander 123 credit card and am coming to the end of the 18 month 0% purchases promotion. I've just paid off the balance in full.

I was planning to cancel the card straight away, hopefully getting a pro-rata refund of the annual fee renewal that I paid recently but remembered that I booked a flight early in the new year with the card some months ago.

Assuming things go pear-shaped with the flight - am I still eligible to resort to Section 75 even though the card would be cancelled a that point?

Thoughts appreciated. Yes I can err on the side of caution and wait until after I've taken the flight, but I wish to get as large a pro-rata refund of the annual fee - provided it is refundable!. Also I'd like to have the card cancelled before I apply for another 0% purchases credit card.

Thoughts appreciated.

Ben8282

What will you do if they ask you to produce the credit card used to pay for the ticket at check-in?

grumbler

pb3 wrote: »

Assuming things go pear-shaped with the flight - am I still eligible to resort to Section 75 even though the card would be cancelled a that point?

Yes, you are.

eddddy

grumbler wrote: »

Yes, you are.

... as long as you booked directly with the airline.

If you booked through a travel agent (or other intermediary) you probably wont have s75 protection - whether you cancel the card or not.

MEM62

pb3 wrote: »

Assuming things go pear-shaped with the flight .

Why are you assuming that you will have problems with the fight?

Even if you do airlines and travel operators have their own compensation schemes in place so it is unlikely that you will have to resort to S75.

Candyapple

I'm sure I read on here within the last week about someone cancelling their Santander 123 cc and they asked for a partial refund of the annual fee and were told no.

eskbanker

Candyapple wrote: »

I'm sure I read on here within the last week about someone cancelling their Santander 123 cc and they asked for a partial refund of the annual fee and were told no.

That'll probably be this thread: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5339704

pb3

Ben8282 wrote: »

What will you do if they ask you to produce the credit card used to pay for the ticket at check-in?

Hi,

Already thought about this.

My plan is to cancel the card but not physically destroy it.

You are correct that some airlines require you to physically present the payment card used at check-in. However my understanding from a frequent flyers board is that the card does not need to be active. If you think about it - this is often the case when the payment card used has expired and has been reissued by the card issuer.

So my plan is to keep the physical card after cancellation, until after I have taken the flight.

pb3

eskbanker wrote: »

That'll probably be this thread: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5339704

Sigh... Thanks for this :mad:

I guess Santander use this touch of chicanery to cover off the fact that a fair few people will cancel once the promotional period is over.

Every little bit helps I guess

EDIT: Quite coincidentally I recently received a variation of terms and conditions letter from Santander regarding the 123 card. Among other things they are moving to an £3 monthly fee. I have the option of accepting the new T&Cs or cancelling. I'll see whether I can use rejection of their T&Cs to get a pro-rata refund of the annual fee I paid. Nothing to lose!

pb3

MEM62 wrote: »

Why are you assuming that you will have problems with the fight?

Even if you do airlines and travel operators have their own compensation schemes in place so it is unlikely that you will have to resort to S75.

I guess I'm paranoid about these things.

My flights are with a major International Airline which is unlikely to go bust by the time. But why take chances?

Prevailing wisdom is to always book flights and holidays on a credit card - if things go seriously wrong it is probably faster to recover one's outlay via this route.

thenudeone

eddddy wrote: »

... as long as you booked directly with the airline.

If you booked through a travel agent (or other intermediary) you probably wont have s75 protection - whether you cancel the card or not.

Not so. If you booked through an agent, your contract is with the agent. If the airline goes bust the agent is responsible for honouring the contract. If necessary, there would be no problem in enforcing s75 rights against the travel agent.

The fact that a third party (the airline) intends to provide the service does not make any difference to your contract with the agent.