How do you pay for your holiday?

copperclock

I'm just being nosy really. What do people normally do?

Do you save up all year specifically for a holiday? Do you book on a whim with money you happen to have in the bank? Do you put it on a credit card? (And if so do you religiously pay it off, or just as and when?) Or do you pay month by month to the travel agent?

Are there any ways I have missed out?

I'd love to know! :A

worried_jim

I work a bank holiday and get double time this normally pays for my holidays. Last year went to Egypt and then Turkey twice and all paid for by working 5 bank holidays.

heatherw_01

I usually book everything separately. This usually comes from wanting a holiday that year, seeing a bargain flight and working from there. I try to put everything on Credit Card for the protection but pay it off every month.

Blue264

Our holidays are dictated by when my OH can get time off work, so we rarely have more than a couple of weeks notice, if that. I always book the components seperately and know exactly what my OH likes, so he gives me his credit card, leaves it all to me, then pays the bill off the following day. Because our time away is so erratic, I must look at flights and hotels several times a week on the off chance.

In recent years, it's become common for him to let me know on Thursday that he's got leave the following week, I book everything Thursday night, he pays the bill on Friday and we fly out on Saturday.

stevie11

heatherw_01 wrote: »

I usually book everything separately. This usually comes from wanting a holiday that year, seeing a bargain flight and working from there. I try to put everything on Credit Card for the protection but pay it off every month.

Same here, I use credit cards for the protection and the points.

If I was purchasing a package deal I would make use of the deposit then full payment within 10 weeks of travel which is usually offered I believe.

The main thing though is if I didn't have the money or could not forsee saving for it I would not book and put myself in debt.

Doshwaster

I always pay with a credit card for the protection and cashback but then pay it off immediately at the end of the month from savings to avoid any interest payments.

michele-p

Me and my husband have a monthly standing order into a separate holiday account, and it gets added each month. When we book a holiday there's often not enough the account to cover the costs, so we add more as we can, and will "borrow" what's needed from our Isa, making sure it's all paid back asap. I try to put as much as possible on credit cards for protection, but clear the balance from the Isa.

This year we've only just got over paying for an October trip, so there's not much in the holiday account, but we've just booked for July flotilla holiday which is more than we usually pay. So we know how much we need to top it up, I'll pay the full balance on credit card in May, then do a balance transfer for 0% and pay that off monthly.

Husband has plans to do some overtime each month to help out, plus the council tax money for Feb and March is going into holiday account! We've decided not to buy birthday pressies for each other (feb and march again), so will stick another £50 in each instead.

We try to clear all holiday balances within a month or two of returning though, so we can start saving again for the next one!

sandsy

Monthly standing order goes into separate 'holiday account'.
Pay for holiday with credit card, if charges aren't too great, for added protection and Avios.
Pay bill from 'holiday account'.

gettingtheresometime

We have a fun fund.

If we get money off my mum for Christmas & birthdays it goes in there. Anything left over at the end of the month gets put in there as well.

Torry_Quine

Money comes out of savings. would never book a holiday if the money wasn't already available, holidays are a luxury

Duckyduck

I budget £250/month for trips, but if I see a good deal on flights of want to go somewhere I'll book it even if it exceeds the current holiday reserve balance. By that I mean more than I'd planned to spend, if I couldn't afford it I wouldn't go however much I wanted to.

Generally pay for everything on my credit card as theres usually some benefit (clarity card for hotels/tickets etc charged in local currency, points on anything billed in GPB and s75 protection on anything over £100). If there's a credit charge and what I'm paying for is u dear £100 I might pay using my debit card.