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Protect Your Travel Plans: Trip Cancellation Insurance Explained and the 5 Best Policies

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Best Cheap Trip Cancellation Insurance: battleface

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You’ve booked your flight, hotel, and tours and are ready to go on your trip — but what happens if you can’t make it? Unexpected circumstances can pop up that force you to cancel your trip, such as illness or natural disasters. If you can’t get refunds from travel suppliers, trip cancellation insurance can help.

Let’s look at what trip cancellation covers, whether you need a trip cancellation policy, and what you should know before shopping for a plan.

The 5 Best Trip Cancellation Insurance Policies

You’ll have plenty of options if you want a cheap, standalone trip cancellation policy, comprehensive travel coverage, or Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage.

Consider these trip cancellation insurance policies that offer good value and coverage, quoted for a 35-year-old visiting Mexico on a $1,500 trip in September 2023:

We were quoted just $20 for a battleface Discovery Plan with trip cancellation benefits up to $1,500. But that’s all it offers — you won’t get trip interruption coverage, medical coverage, evacuation, loss or delay, or other benefits offered by comprehensive travel insurance plans.

IMG’s iTravelnsured Travel Essential plan isn’t CFAR coverage, but it has multiple covered reasons for cancellation. You’re covered for foreign and domestic terrorism, financial default, medical reasons, and accommodations made uninhabitable. Our $35.92 quote offered up to 100% of the total trip cost for trip cancellation and 125% for trip interruption. 

TinLeg’s Basic travel insurance plan covers up to 100% of your total trip cost for trip cancellation , but you’ll also get other major travel insurance coverages. This plan we were quoted $41 for offers trip interruption, travel delay, baggage delay, emergency medical, evacuation and repatriation, and more. 

Like the battleface plan, Aegis Go Ready Trip Cancellation insurance covers up to 100% of your trip cost if you need to cancel — but not much else. But a big value-add is employment layoff coverage , which allows you to get reimbursed if you need to cancel your trip due to involuntary layoff or termination of employment. We were quoted $45 for this plan.

The Seven Corners Trip Protection Basic plan offers optional CFAR coverage, which reimburses up to 75% of your trip cost for reasons not otherwise covered by your policy. Regular trip cancellation and interruption coverage offer reimbursement of up to 100% of your trip cost. Our quoted cost for this plan came to $58.

Trip cancellation insurance is a type of travel insurance. With trip cancellation coverage, you can get reimbursement for nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel your trip before departure. Trip cancellation is one of the main coverage areas for travel insurance, the other being medical emergency coverage.

Many comprehensive travel insurance policies offer trip cancellation coverage; standalone trip cancellation insurance is less common than comprehensive travel policies. Travel credit cards may offer trip cancellation coverage as a cardholder benefit, as well.

How Trip Cancellation Insurance Works

Trip cancellation insurance kicks in if you must cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances such as an illness, injury, or other covered reasons. You can get reimbursed for nonrefundable expenses if you have travel cancellation insurance and need to cancel your trip.

Covered nonrefundable expenses typically include:

• Hotels and vacation rentals
• Rental cars

Travel insurance policies with trip cancellation coverage often include trip interruption benefits. Similar to trip cancellation coverage, trip interruption benefits can help you recoup your costs if you need to delay or cut your trip short due to covered reasons.

You can usually purchase trip cancellation insurance up to the day before your scheduled departure. Still, you’ll get more value if you purchase insurance as soon as you make your first trip deposit . That way, your travel plans are covered from the start.

Unless you opt for Cancel for Any Reason travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance only applies to covered cancellation reasons. For example, you can’t use trip cancellation insurance to cancel your trip for a refund because there’s rain forecasted for your beach vacation. But, you could get reimbursement if a named hurricane forms after you purchased your policy.

Common reasons covered by trip cancellation insurance include:

• Death, including the death of a family member or traveling companion
• Government travel warnings or evacuation orders for your destination
• Home damage or burglary
• Illness, injury, or quarantine that makes you or a covered travel companion unfit to travel
• Legal obligations such as jury duty or subpoena
• Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or floods affect travel operations at your destination
• Terrorist incidents at home or your destination
• Travel supplier cancellation
• Unexpected military duty
• Unexpected pregnancy complications
• Unexpected work obligations

These are common covered reasons for trip cancellation insurance, but policies vary in coverage . Reviewing the terms and conditions of your trip cancellation insurance is a good idea so you understand what’s covered.

You should also understand what’s explicitly not covered. For example, changing your mind is not a covered reason on a standard trip cancellation insurance policy. And trip cancellation insurance typically doesn’t cover foreseeable events, routine health treatments, substance abuse, sporting events, mental health, acts of war, self-harm, or dangerous activities such as skydiving.

Need to expand your list of covered cancellation reasons? Cancel for Any Reason trip cancellation insurance is an option. 

You can use CFAR to cancel your trip for reasons not covered by trip cancellation insurance, such as changing your mind, fear of travel, unexpected obligations, weather, or budget concerns.

The catch? You’ll pay more for CFAR coverage , and it only reimburses up to 50% to 75% of your nonrefundable travel expenses. Generally, trip cancellation insurance offers 100% reimbursement for covered expenses. 

The other main stipulation is that you’ll need to purchase your coverage within a specified period , usually within 10 to 21 days of your first trip deposit. And to get reimbursement under CFAR, you must cancel your travel within the cancellation timeframe, usually at least 48 hours from your scheduled departure.

Most annual travel insurance policies, also known as multi-trip policies, cover trip cancellation for multiple trips taken within the policy period, usually 12 months. You’ll also typically get coverage for medical expenses.

Trip cancellation insurance covers your nonrefundable travel expenses if you have to cancel before departure, while trip interruption covers your trip costs after departure . For example, trip interruption coverage kicks in if you get injured while traveling and have to go home early.

Trip cancellation insurance can be worth it if you have nonrefundable travel expenses and there’s a risk you’ll have to cancel your travel due to unforeseen events. It offers financial protection if you’re traveling to a destination with potential risks such as natural disasters or political instability — or if you have risk factors at home, such as unpredictable work commitments or family members with health conditions that could interfere with travel. 

If you plan an expensive trip with nonrefundable bookings or deposits, trip cancellation is probably worth it. But if your travel is inexpensive, or most of your travel expenses are refundable, you might not need trip cancellation insurance.

Consider the cost of insurance, the likelihood you’ll need to cancel, and the cost of nonrefundable travel at stake when you decide if trip cancellation is worth it.

What Trip Cancellation Insurance Costs

A basic travel insurance policy with trip cancellation coverage generally costs between 5% to 10% of your trip costs . So a travel insurance policy for a $5,000 trip would cost $250 to $500. Your costs will be higher if you opt for CFAR coverage.

Factors that influence how much your trip cancellation insurance costs include traveler age, trip expenses, trip length, coverage options, and how many people you need to cover.

A comprehensive travel insurance policy with emergency medical or lost baggage coverage and trip cancellation coverage can offer additional value.

If you’re mainly concerned with trip cancellation coverage, look for cheap travel insurance policies that still offer this coverage, but have either nonexistent or low coverage limits for other coverage areas, such as lost baggage or medical evacuation .

You might not have to pay for trip cancellation insurance if you have the right credit card. Some credit cards offer trip cancellation and interruption coverage as a cardholder benefit. 

Credit cards with trip cancellation coverage generally provide between $2,000 to $10,000 per person in trip cancellation benefits, often covering trip interruption. 

For example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers cardholders $2,000 in trip cancellation or interruption benefits per person. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve ® , cardholders get up to $10,000 per person in trip cancellation coverage with a maximum of $20,000 per trip and a $40,000 limit per 12-month period.

If your nonrefundable travel costs exceed the covered benefit offered by your credit card, you may prefer to purchase separate trip cancellation insurance.

If you only need trip cancellation and interruption coverage, your credit card may have adequate protection benefits.

Consider these factors as you shop for a trip cancellation insurance policy:

• Cost: Compare policy premiums and consider how the cost fits into your overall travel budget.
• Coverage Amount: Your trip cancellation coverage should cover all of your nonrefundable prepaid trip expenses. But a policy with too much coverage could be more costly than necessary.
• Policy Limits: Know the policy’s limits, including deductibles, exclusions, and limitations.
• Covered Reasons: A policy that offers a variety of covered cancellation reasons offers the most protection.
• CFAR Coverage: Understand whether CFAR coverage is included in the policy and its additional cost.
• Reputation and Customer Service: Read travel insurance reviews to learn about the experiences policyholders have had, whether they’re good or bad.
• Refund Policies: Understand what happens if you cancel your policy before the trip.

Travel insurance comparison sites such as Squaremouth make it easy to enter your trip details and get quotes from multiple insurance providers.

Trip cancellation coverage can provide valuable peace of mind if you’re concerned about losing nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses. It can be worth it if there’s a chance you’ll have to cancel your travel plans, and you’ll lose money on nonrefundable costs. Before you choose a trip cancellation policy, consider factors including cost, coverage, and cancellation reasons, and look at what’s covered with any credit cards you hold.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa ® or Mastercard ® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is trip cancellation insurance for.

Trip cancellation coverage offers financial protection if you need to cancel or interrupt your trip due to unexpected circumstances. You can get reimbursement for nonrefundable prepaid expenses related to covered travel if you have to cancel your trip.

Is trip cancellation covered in travel insurance?

Most travel insurance policies cover trip cancellation coverage. Other common coverage areas include trip interruption and medical emergencies.

Does trip insurance cover cancellation for any reason?

Travel insurance can offer CFAR coverage, usually as an optional add-on. You can select a CFAR policy if you want more flexibility in canceling your trip and receiving reimbursement.

When should I buy trip cancellation insurance?

It’s best to purchase trip cancellation as soon as you have any money at risk on your trip, usually as soon as you book travel. Buying trip cancellation insurance after booking covers you for unexpected circumstances that could cause you to cancel your trip.

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About Jessica Merritt

A long-time points and miles student, Jessica is the former Personal Finance Managing Editor at U.S. News and World Report and is passionate about helping consumers fund their travels for as little cash as possible.

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Need to Change Your Travel Plans Due to Coronavirus? These Are Your Options

The global covid-19 pandemic has canceled many travelers’ upcoming trips. in light of the crisis, numerous airlines, hotels, and tour providers have rolled out more lenient change and cancellation policies—with some now extending those policies into the fall and beyond..

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Travelers the world over are working to cancel or rebook upcoming trips due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Photo by Sanga Park/Shutterstock

This is a developing story. For up-to-date information on traveling during the coronavirus outbreak, visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

For travelers who are having to cancel upcoming trips due to the global coronavirus pandemic (and given the unprecedented scope of this international health crisis, we know there are a lot of you), airlines, hotels, and tour operators are offering cancellation and rebooking options that are (rightfully) more generous than what you would expect during non-pandemic times.

Numerous travel companies have considerably relaxed their change and cancellation policies through the summer and into the fall. Many appear to be keen on doing right by travelers who were unknowingly affected by this situation before anyone fully understood its scope and scale, even as they suffer some pretty unfathomable financial losses themselves.

However, if it’s a full refund you’re hoping for, unless the airline, tour operator, or cruise line canceled your trip (and even then it’s not a guarantee), you’re not necessarily going to get one. The U.S. Department of Transportation did recently remind U.S. airlines that they remain obligated to provide refunds to passengers for flights that were canceled by the airlines.

Travelers with existing reservations for trips that are due to take place several months from now may be in limbo for a little while longer as some travel companies wait to decide on what to do about change and cancellation options further out. While those travelers are likely anxious to make a decision one way or another, to just go ahead and cancel or reschedule, there could be some benefits in waiting a bit to see whether some of these policies do in fact end up getting extended (again).

As for what’s on the table right now, here is a roundup of coronavirus-related change and cancellation policies.

Will airlines refund tickets due to coronavirus?

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, airlines have had to cancel thousands of flights due to travel restrictions that have been put in place by various governments (including by the United States ) and due to a drastic drop in demand as large swaths of the population are sheltering in place and practicing social distancing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Given the avalanche of cancellations, airlines have been steering customers toward the option of obtaining a future flight credit—versus a refund—if their flight has been canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. But in early April, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a notice to U.S. and foreign airlines reminding them that they remain obligated to provide “a prompt refund to passengers for flights to, within, or from the United States when the carrier cancels the passenger’s scheduled flight or makes a significant schedule change and the passenger chooses not to accept the alternative offered by the carrier.” (Lawmakers in Europe followed suit days later , with Europen Union Transport Commissioner Adina Valean rejecting calls from airlines to relax refund rules.)

The DOT stated that it had been receiving a growing number of complaints and inquiries from ticketed passengers who said they have been denied refunds for flights that were canceled or significantly delayed.

For flights that passengers choose to cancel, the airlines are offering future flight credits, allowing travelers to cancel their ticket and basically set aside that money to be used on a flight at a later date—and thankfully, you don’t have to book that flight now (which is good because it’s impossible to know how this pandemic is going to play out). American and Delta are currently offering that flexibility for flights that were scheduled to depart all the way through the end of September, and United’s flight change waiver now extends to the end of the year.

American Airlines: Any flights booked on American up until May 31, 2020, for travel through September 30, 2020, can be rebooked without change fees for travel that takes place by December 31, 2021; flights booked between March and May 31, 2020, for all future travel can also be canceled and changed without a change fee (while the fees will be waived, you will be charged a fare difference).

The airline is encouraging those who don’t plan to travel anytime soon to simply cancel their flight online and then rebook at a later date. When you’re ready to rebook, call the reservations department and be prepared to give them your 13-digit ticket number and 6-character confirmation number.

If a flight was canceled by American Airlines (either due to travel restrictions or capacity reductions), American said it will send affected passengers an email, and they can either rebook the trip or request a refund for the remaining ticket value and any optional fees.

United Airlines: For a flight booked with United between March 3 and April 30, 2020, you can change it for free—one time—for travel that takes place within the next year. Any flights booked prior to March 3 (regardless of whether they are domestic or international) with original travel dates through May 31, 2020, can be canceled and rebooked for a flight that takes place within 24 months with no change fees. Flights booked prior to March 3 with original travel between June 1 and December 31, 2020, can be canceled and rebooked within 24 months with no change fees but the change or cancellation must be done by April 30, 2020 .

With regards to requests for refunds for canceled flights, United now has an online form that customers can fill out to see if they qualify for a refund. The airline said it could take up to 21 business days to process each request.

Delta Air Lines: Any Delta ticket for domestic or international travel through the end of September can be canceled and rebooked without a fee for travel that takes place up until September 30, 2022. Flights purchased between March 1 and May 31, 2020, can be changed without a fee for travel up to a year from the date of purchase. For flights canceled by Delta, the airline said that passengers will either be issued a future flight credit for the value of the ticket or they can  request a refund .

JetBlue: Customers who were due to travel with JetBlue through January 4, 2021, on any flight that is booked by May 31, 2020, can cancel and bank the funds to use for travel up to 24 months from the date the flight credit was issued.

Southwest Airlines: Southwest’s standard refund policies hold, with a few coronavirus-related adjustments. The carrier has tier fares that include refunds (Business Select and Anytime) and a tier fare (Wanna Get Away) that doesn’t include refunds. Those remain the same. But regardless of the type of ticket purchased, it can be canceled sans fee for a future travel credit for up to a year from the original date of purchase. However, if you had travel funds that were set to expire between March 1 and June 30, 2020, those will now expire on June 30, 2021; travel credits from flights canceled for travel that was originally scheduled to take place between March 1 and June 30, 2020, will expire on June 30, 2021.

Alaska Airlines: Alaska flights purchased on or before February 26, 2020, for travel that was originally scheduled to take place March 9 through December 31, 2020, can be canceled, the money set aside in an Alaska account, and the flight rescheduled for anytime up to one year from the original travel date. Any tickets purchased between February 27 and May 31, 2020, for travel anytime through April 30, 2021, can also be changed with no fee for travel up to one year from the original travel date.

British Airways: The U.K. carrier is allowing customers who have booked or who book new flights between March 3 and May 31, 2020, to change those flights for free—and any existing bookings for departures through May 31, 2020, can be changed without a fee as well. Those who would prefer a refund have been asked to call the airline.

Air France: The French airline is offering a travel voucher for flights that were scheduled to depart through July 2, 2020, which will be valid for one year on any Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic flights.

How are Expedia, Priceline, and other online agencies handling coronavirus refunds?

Online travel agencies such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline serve as “middlemen” between travelers and travel suppliers. They have different working relationships with all the suppliers on their sites, which can complicate things a bit.

For instance, Expedia , Orbitz, and Travelocity can help change or cancel reservations for some of the air carriers they sell tickets for, but not all of them. For the ones with which they lack that ability, customers will have to work directly with the airline. But the bottom line is: The airline’s policy will be the policy that customers of Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity will have to work with.

Priceline advises its customers that “if your airline does not allow you to cancel or change your flight, we are not able to help you at this time.” The travel booking site offers a very comprehensive contact list, including websites and phone numbers, for all its partner airlines.

On the hotels front, Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz are allowing customers to cancel with no penalty all hotel stays through May 31, 2020, that were booked prior to March 19, 2020. For hotel stays after May 31, 2020, Expedia advises customers to check back with the site closer to the departure date.

Coronavirus refunds for hotels and vacation rentals

Hotels have always been pretty flexible when it comes to changing and canceling reservations, but in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, they are being even more so.

Marriott International: Marriott is allowing all guests at all of its more than 7,300 properties around the world with existing reservations, for any upcoming stay regardless of the date and regardless of whether the original rate had some restrictions, to change or cancel without a charge up to 24 hours prior to arrival—here’s the key thing to note— as long as the change or cancellation is made by June 30, 2020 . For those who make new reservations now through June 30, 2020, they will be allowed to change or cancel at no charge up to 24 hours before arrival, regardless of the date of stay.

Hilton: For guests who have booked stays that were scheduled to begin on or before June 30, 2020, at any of Hilton’s more than 6,100 global properties, the change fee is being waived and the company is offering full refunds for all cancellations (including on reservations described as “non-cancellable”) up to 24 hours before arrival. New reservations booked between now and June 30, 2020, for any future arrival date, can be changed or canceled at no charge up to 24 hours before arrival.

Accor: The 5,000-hotel Accor hasn’t offered much detail on its coronavirus-related change and cancellation policies other than to say that it has advised all of its hotels to adopt flexible change and cancellation conditions for travelers with new or existing bookings through April 30, 2020.

Intercontinental Hotel Group: IHG has waived cancellation fees for existing bookings that were made by April 6, 2020, at all of its hotels the world over for stays through June 30, 2020. It is handling groups and meeting bookings on a case-by-case basis. The company has also developed some new rates and booking options for future travel such as its “book now, pay later” rate, which doesn’t require a deposit and can be canceled up to 24 hours before your stay for bookings made up to September 3, 2020, for travel until December 30, 2020.

Airbnb: Vacation rental powerhouse Airbnb recently issued an updated global change and cancellation policy. Reservations for stays and experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020, and May 31, 2020, can be canceled for a full refund by guests, and hosts can cancel without a charge or impact to their Superhost status (and Airbnb will refund all service fees). Reservations made on or before March 14 with a check-in date after May 31, 2020, as well as any reservations made after March 14, 2020, will not be covered unless the guest or host has contracted COVID-19. Otherwise, the host’s standard cancellation policy will apply.

What are tour operators’ policies for coronavirus changes and refunds?

Given the global health crisis that the coronavirus pandemic presents, most reputable tour operators have gone ahead and proactively canceled a good portion of their upcoming itineraries (similar to what the cruise lines did—see below). Here are some examples.

Tauck: Long-time tour provider Tauck has canceled its scheduled tours and cruises through June 30, 2020—and for those tours it will refund the affected guests. For tours that were scheduled to take place between July 1 and July 31, 2020, guests can cancel and receive a future travel credit for any tour in 2020 or 2021 (but airline change fees will not be covered). Standard change policies remain in place for tours scheduled to take place August 1, 2020, and beyond.

Abercrombie & Kent: Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent has temporarily suspended ground operations globally from March 17 to May 31, 2020. A&K is offering guests on those journeys a future tour credit (that will include a 10 percent discount) for any trip for travel that takes place up to December 31, 2021.

Intrepid Travel: Global tour company Intrepid Travel has also suspended its tours through September 30, 2020. For those tours, travelers will receive a 110 percent future tour credit that they can apply toward any itinerary up until September 30, 2022. For tours departing October 1, 2020, and beyond, Intrepid said they are continuing as planned at this point, but that if customers choose to cancel, they can do so and receive a credit for whatever they had paid to be used for travel that takes place by September 30, 2022.

Collette: Family-owned tour operator Collette has canceled all its tours through June 30, 2020, and all affected guests are being offered either a future travel credit or the generous option to receive a refund.

What about cruises?

On March 14, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a 30-day “ No Sail Order” for all cruise ships to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As of April 15, 2020, the CDC extended that order, and cruise ship operations (in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction) have been suspended until July 24, 2020, or until the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services declares that coronavirus no longer constitutes a public health emergency, or until and unless the CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order.

Affected customers are being offered anywhere between a 100 percent and 200 percent future cruise credit by the cruise lines.

How travel advisors can help

During a complicated and overwhelming global crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, a travel advisor can serve as a great ally. While travel advisors can’t force travel suppliers to refund their clients, they typically have stronger relationships with suppliers and thus more sway. They will be better able to help you navigate through the options for changing your trip plans. And as travel professionals (who likely have dealt with numerous crises in the past), they can offer their advice based on their myriad of contacts in the industry and from their own personal experience.

They will also have greater insights into the kinds of trustworthy and reliable travel companies you will want to book your future travel with as we navigate this ever-changing pandemic landscape.

Can travel insurance help you get a refund?

With regard to the current coronavirus crisis, travel insurance providers consider it to be a known event as of January 21, 2020 (or thereabouts, the date can change slightly depending on the provider, but usually falls sometime between January 21 and January 27, 2020). Travel insurance purchased before that date will cover disruptions resulting from the outbreak, but any travel insurance purchased after that date will not.

An exception to that is Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage , an optional upgrade to a travel insurance policy that covers cancellations for reasons not otherwise covered by a standard travel insurance “such as fear of traveling due to coronavirus or simply not wanting to travel to a country that may be affected,” according to Megan Moncrief, chief marketing officer for travel insurance search and review site Squaremouth.

There are some limitations, however. The CFAR upgrade has to be purchased within 14 to 21 days of making the initial trip deposit and it will reimburse travelers for up to 75 percent of their trip cost—for a price. Cancel for Any Reason coverage typically costs between 5 and 10 percent of the total trip cost.

This story originally appeared on February 24, 2020, and has been updated to reflect current information.

>> Next: How Cancel for Any Reason Travel Insurance Can (and Can’t) Help You

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How Travel Insurance Can Help with Trip Cancellation

One of the most common reasons people consider travel insurance is the worry that they may have to cancel their trip and lose money they’ve already paid for it. If you think you're spending more on your vacation than you can afford to lose, you may want to consider purchasing travel insurance with Trip Cancellation coverage.

What is Trip Cancellation Insurance?

Trip Cancellation insurance is designed to make you "whole" again, reimbursing you for unused, non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs if you’re prevented from taking your trip due to a covered reason. 

If you’re forced to cancel your trip, how much of that pre-paid trip cost could you get back? There are often cancellation penalties tied to travel purchases and you could get a portion of your trip costs back or none at all. Those penalties tend to get more severe as the departure date gets closer. This is where travel cancellation insurance can help you. 

Many things can happen between the time you book your trip and the start of your vacation that could affect you, your traveling companions or family members and force you to cancel your trip—sickness, job loss, and even flight cancellations due to adverse weather or an airline strike. Luckily, travel insurance is a small investment against the full cost of a trip and usually includes Trip Cancellation coverage that can provide reimbursement for a canceled trip.

Learn more about travel insurance: •  What is Travel Insurance? •  How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost? •  Top 5 Reasons to Get Travel Insurance •  Guide to Understand, Purchase and Use Trip Insurance

When Trip Cancellation Insurance Can be Used

Trip Cancellation is the only travel insurance coverage that can be used before a trip begins. Travel insurance can help protect you from certain unexpected events that are out of your control, but only specific events are covered.

Consider these scenarios that might cause you to cancel your trip and could be covered by trip cancellation insurance:

Sickness, Injury and Death:  You or a traveling companion become sick or injured and can’t travel. Or a non-traveling family member is hospitalized or passes away and you are unable to make the trip.

Adverse Weather:  You experience flight cancellations due to adverse weather such as a hurricane or snowstorm.

Job Loss:  After at least one year of employment you are laid off and can't go on your trip.

Extension of School Year:  Your son or daughter attending school must complete a new operating session that was extended beyond the pre-defined school year.

Military Duty:  Due to a natural disaster, a traveling companion has been called into active military service to provide relief efforts and must cancel his or her trip.

Home Uninhabitable:  A flood, fire or other natural disaster renders your home residence uninhabitable.

These are some of the common situations where you could be reimbursed for trip costs if you have trip cancellation insurance, but not a complete list of possible covered situations. See our full list of covered reasons for trip cancellation

If you’re worried that you might lose your vacation investment if you’re forced to cancel your trip, travel cancellation insurance might be right for you.

Also read:  Cancel For Any Reason Travel Insurance—Is it Really that Simple?

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How does the refund process work?

Because of the pandemic, the airline industry is facing a difficult situation with a large number of flight cancellations and pending payment refunds. If you wish to change or cancel your flight reservation, we will contact the airline on your behalf, although please keep in mind that airline rules vary from airline to airline and we cannot guarantee that the airline you are traveling with will be able to meet your request. Please know that we are doing our best to support you in this challenging situation. Read more about our fee for the manual handling here.  

We handle all refunds or change requests in the order we receive them and the expected handling time is longer than usual due to the pandemic and the increased volume. We are doing our very best to assist you as quickly as possible. 

How will you keep me informed about updates? 

You will receive an email when your change or refund has been processed and we ask you to wait for such further information via email before contacting us. Remember that you can check your refund status by logging in to "My Bookings", which you can access through the top right corner of our site, or by clicking here. Log in with Facebook or Google if you used your linked email account to make the booking, or enter your order number and the email you used when booking.

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Can My Credit Card Help Me Get a Refund on Canceled Trips?

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Whether you’ve booked your trip a year in advance or you just planned it a few weeks ago, sometimes life gets in the way. Maybe you have a family emergency, or you get a nasty ear infection right before you’re due to fly. And who could have predicted the coronavirus outbreak that brought virtually all travel to a screeching halt?

If you’re wondering if your travel credit card can help you get a refund on your canceled trip, the answer is maybe. There are many circumstances where a credit card would give you protection, but there are also many scenarios that won’t be covered.

Here’s what you can do if you’re faced with nonrefundable charges for a trip you can’t take.

Check your card’s travel protection

The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , like some other cards , offer varying levels of trip cancellation insurance that’s designed to protect you for some unforeseen circumstances like:

Sickness, accident or injury that affects either you or an immediate family member or traveling companion.

Severe weather that affects the start or continuation of your trip (Note: if the severe weather is already a known event, like a declared hurricane, it may not be covered).

Jury duty or court subpoena.

Terrorist activity.

It’s important to note that the travel must have been booked on the credit card that offers travel protection. Simply holding the card but paying with a different one won’t help.

While that coverage can be very useful in some situations, it doesn’t cover everything. During the coronavirus crisis, for example, the credit card would likely only cover your trip cancellation if you or your traveling partner contracted the virus and were unable to travel. If you canceled your trip because you were afraid of getting sick, your credit card would probably not refund your trip.

Here are a few other things that most travel protection from credit cards explicitly will not cover:

Change of plans or financial circumstances.

Pre-existing conditions.

Travel arrangements canceled or changed by a tour operator or any travel agency unless it is the result of severe weather or an organized strike affecting public transportation.

Traveling against the advice of medical professionals.

If you have to cancel a nonrefundable trip, the first course of action is to check the benefits of your credit card. If your canceled trip is covered, you’ll need to file a written claim within 20 days of the event with Chase, or 60 days with American Express.

» Learn more: 9 credit cards that provide travel insurance

Know your rights with flights

There are times when you’re entitled to a refund on your canceled flight, but it may be hard to get if the airline insists on offering a voucher instead. If you’re having trouble getting the refund you’re due, your credit card company may be able to step in and help.

According to the Department of Transportation, passengers are due a refund if their flight is canceled. Even if the airline offers to put you on a different flight instead, if you choose not to travel, you are entitled to a refund. Sometimes airlines will offer vouchers in place of a refund, but you don’t have to settle for a voucher if it doesn’t make sense for you.

» Learn more: What to do if an airline changes or cancels your flight

Even if your flight is changed instead of canceled, you still may be eligible for a refund. This rule is a bit more vague. According to the Transportation Department, you’re entitled to a refund if the airline has made a “significant schedule change and/or significantly delays a flight.”

The problem is that the DOT has not explicitly defined what “significant” means. In general, if your flight is changed by many hours, or changed from a nonstop to one with multiple connections, you have a good case for getting a refund.

First, pursue a refund directly with the airline. If you’re not making progress or it's flat-out refusing a refund, you can consider disputing the charge with your credit card. Make sure you can show that you’ve made good faith attempts to resolve this directly with the airline.

» Learn more: 3 effective ways to get airlines and hotels to bend their rules

How to refund a nonrefundable airline ticket

Using a credit card dispute for a nonrefundable airline ticket should be your last resort after exhausting all other possibilities. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, credit card chargebacks give consumers a way to recoup costs when a merchant doesn't deliver the product promised at the point of purchase.

As noted above, you're going to need to show that you've made a good faith effort to resolve the issue with the airline first. A successful chargeback often hinges on documentation.

Save screenshots and relevant emails documenting both the reason your flight ran into issues and the airline's response to your refund request. It can be difficult to document the content of phone calls, so it would help to stick to email and customer service chat services when pursuing a refund directly from the airline.

So what happens if you dispute an airline charge? That will depend on the airline's willingness to play ball. Chargebacks can be long and drawn out, so be ready to remain persistent. It's in the airline's best interests not to approve a chargeback, so even if your credit card company is willing to process the chargeback, you may still face pushback from the airline.

Merchants are free to appeal chargebacks and, ultimately, arbitration may be necessary if the airline refuses to cooperate.

The bottom line

There are many cases when your credit card can help you get a refund on your canceled trip. Next time you book travel, make sure you use a credit card that provides travel protection. Or, explore adding extra travel insurance to your trip to guard against other scenarios that your credit card won’t cover.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice: Find the best travel credit card for you Snag these hotel loyalty perks, even if you’re disloyal Earn more points and miles with these 6 strategies

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring Automatic Refunds of Airline Tickets and Ancillary Service Fees

Rule makes it easy to get money back for cancelled or significantly changed flights, significantly delayed checked bags, and additional services not provided  

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule that requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed. The new rule makes it easy for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their checked bags, or fail to provide the extra services they purchased.

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . “Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.”  

The final rule creates certainty for consumers by defining the specific circumstances in which airlines must provide refunds. Prior to this rule, airlines were permitted to set their own standards for what kind of flight changes warranted a refund. As a result, refund policies differed from airline to airline, which made it difficult for passengers to know or assert their refund rights. DOT also received complaints of some airlines revising and applying less consumer-friendly refund policies during spikes in flight cancellations and changes. 

Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:

• Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.  
• Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.  
• Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service.

DOT’s final rule also makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. In addition, passengers would receive a travel credit or voucher by default from some airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.  

The final rule improves the passenger experience by requiring refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.   
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.  
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.    
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees, regardless of whether the taxes or fees are refundable to airlines.

The final rule also requires airlines to provide prompt notifications to consumers affected by a cancelled or significantly changed flight of their right to a refund of the ticket and extra service fees, as well as any related policies.

In addition, in instances where consumers are restricted by a government or advised by a medical professional not to travel to, from, or within the United States due to a serious communicable disease, the final rule requires that airlines must provide travel credits or vouchers. Consumers may be required to provide documentary evidence to support their request. Travel vouchers or credits provided by airlines must be transferrable and valid for at least five years from the date of issuance.

The Department received a significant number of complaints against airlines and ticket agents for refusing to provide a refund or for delaying processing of refunds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, refund complaints peaked at 87 percent of all air travel service complaints received by DOT. Refund problems continue to make up a substantial share of the complaints that DOT receives.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• Thanks to pressure from Secretary Buttigieg and DOT’s flightrights.gov dashboard, all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov .  
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.   
• Under Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.  
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.  
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel.  
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs.

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect against surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, and the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.  
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.   
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity . The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

The final rule on refunds can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and at regulations.gov , docket number DOT-OST-2022-0089. There are different implementation periods in this final rule ranging from six months for airlines to provide automatic refunds when owed to 12 months for airlines to provide transferable travel vouchers or credits when consumers are unable to travel for reasons related to a serious communicable disease. 

Information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance and orders, can be found at   https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

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Ring home security customers will get refunds over security-lapse claims

The Biden administration is sending out $5.6 million in refund payments to certain Ring home security system customers after the company settled a federal complaint accusing it of security lapses.

In a statement this week, the Federal Trade Commission said it would be sending out 117,044 payments via PayPal to affected customers as compensation for claims that Ring allowed employees and contractors to access consumers’ private videos. The agency accused Ring last year of failing to implement proper security protections, enabling hackers to take control of consumer accounts, cameras and videos.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Ring, which Amazon purchased in 2018, said bad actors took emails and passwords that were “stolen from other companies to unlawfully log into Ring accounts of certain customers."

It said it promptly addressed the situation by notifying any customer “exposed in a third-party, non-Ring incident” and acting to protect affected accounts.

Many of the violations the FTC alleged predate Amazon's acquisition.

Ring did not immediately address the FTC’s allegations that employees and contractors unlawfully accessed video, the AP said. Amazon has said that it disagreed with the FTC’s claims but that it was eager to “put these matters behind us.”

The FTC said customers who have not already been contacted about refunds or who have questions about their payments should contact the refund administrator, Rust Consulting Inc., at 1-833-637-4884 or visit the FTC website to  view frequently asked questions  about the refund process. 

Rob Wile is a breaking business news reporter for NBC News Digital.

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Help! Megabus Canceled My Trip But Won’t Refund the Booking Fee.

A traveler spent $53.98 to reserve a bus ride from Philadelphia to Boston. But the company canceled the trip and returned only $49.99, prompting an 18-month fight over a principle.

By Seth Kugel

Dear Tripped Up,

On Oct. 3, 2022, I reserved a seat in a Megabus coach for the busy Sunday after Thanksgiving to return to Boston after visiting family in Philadelphia. With a $3.99 booking fee, the total came to $53.98. On Oct. 26, I received an email from Megabus canceling the trip “due to a schedule alteration,” and promising a refund. But I only received $49.99. I wrote every few months demanding my $3.99 back, receiving no response until nearly a year later, when an agent named Danielle wrote back to explain that the service fee was nonrefundable. I understand why a company would keep a fee if I had canceled or rebooked, but this was their decision. Can you help? Gabriel, Boston

Dear Gabriel,

This may be small potatoes compared to typical Tripped Up fare, but no one likes getting nickeled and dimed and $3.99-ed with fees that seem arbitrarily designed to pad companies’ bottom lines. In this maddening case, you didn’t even get the service you paid for and still paid the service fee. Considering the effort you put into this sub-$4 quest, I suspect you care more about the principle than the money.

When I reached out to Megabus, Meghan O’Hare, a spokeswoman for Megabus and its parent company, Coach USA, was unwilling to discuss your request or return the service fee. “Unfortunately, we do not comment on the details of interactions with customers,” she wrote in an email.

Luckily, we have the details, thanks to the mostly one-way email string you forwarded to me. After you sent four emails between November 2022 and September 2023, you finally received a response from Megabus on Sept. 22, one day after you threatened “to file a formal complaint” with the U.S. Department of Transportation. (Good move!)

“The $3.99 booking fee is a nonrefundable charge that is associated with completing a booking that you agreed to by accepting our terms and conditions on our website,” wrote Danielle, a member of the customer-support team. “Unfortunately, that amount won’t be added when totaling the value toward refunds.”

When I wrote back to Ms. O’Hare to confirm this was company policy and to ask what the service fee actually went toward, she did not respond.

You did not end up filing a complaint with the Transportation Department, because when you got in touch with the agency, an official there pointed you to federal regulations that do not appear to require the return of fees for canceled intercity bus trips. (The Biden administration’s recent announcement that it would require airlines and travel agents to disclose fees “the first time that fare and schedule information is provided” do not apply to bus trips. Megabus and its competitors add fees late in the booking process.)

So that leaves us with only Megabus’s terms and conditions, which mention a “$3.99 nonrefundable booking fee” levied “to cover administration charges related to your reservation,” and note that if a customer changes a reservation, this fee is not returned and, in fact, charged again. There is no mention of what happens to the fee if the company itself cancels a trip.

Jeff Sovern, a professor of consumer protection law at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, told me in an email that if “the contract is ambiguous, the ambiguity is construed to benefit the party that accepted the contract — here, the consumer.” But, he added, “I don’t know if a court would buy that interpretation.” And taking Megabus to court for $3.99 might nudge your already quirky quest into tilting-at-windmills territory.

Chris Elliott, the consumer advocate who has helped many travelers through his nonprofit, Elliott Advocacy , suggested a simpler solution for consumers in a similar situation: a credit card chargeback. “Banks take a dim view of these kind of shenanigans,” he wrote. (Since chargebacks usually have to be initiated in 60 to 120 days, this advice applies more to others than to you.)

So why would Megabus keep an administrative fee when it has inconvenienced a customer by not providing a service?

I suppose you could argue that it did incur some costs to schedule the route in the first place and, perhaps, by processing your credit card order. But it’s hard to see how that’s your problem.

Even companies whose business model revolves around booking fees often promise to return those fees if a service is not provided. Both Ticketmaster and Broadway.com specify in their terms and conditions that they refund those fees if a concert or event or show is canceled.

At least two of Megabus’s major competitors do return service fees. Flixbus, which owns Greyhound, provides “the full amount of the ticket fare(s), including any fees,” according to its terms and conditions .

Trailways’ terms and conditions are vaguer. But Alex Berardi, the president of Trailways.com (Trailways’ ticketing and sales platform) told me that when a trip is canceled through no fault of the passengers, “We’re going to get them that money back and that includes the fee.”

“It’s just good customer service,” he said, adding that fewer than 0.75 percent of trips by Trailways carriers are canceled, more than half of those because of weather.

Mr. Berardi also noted that through an agreement between the two companies, you can book Megabus seats on Trailways.com and be protected by Trailways terms and conditions.

Amtrak, in case you are wondering, does not charge a booking fee. And no need to dive into the airlines’ labyrinthine conditions of carriage, since the Transportation Department clearly requires them to refund “the ticket price and/or associated fees” when they cancel a flight.

Guess who else returns service fees? Megabus in Britain. The company, which has been under different ownership since 2019, refunds “the fare and transaction fees,” if it cannot provide suitable alternative transportation, according to its terms and conditions .

Gabriel, you told me that prices had gone up for bus and train fares from Philadelphia to Boston by the time Megabus canceled your trip.

Luckily, thanks to a flexible work schedule, you were able to leave on Tuesday and fly back from Philadelphia on a JetBlue flight you booked with 5,000 miles (worth about $65, according to a 2022 Points Guy valuation ), and a $5.60 fee. Total that up, tack on the lost $3.99 Megabus fee, and you ended up out somewhere around $25.

If you are anything like me, you easily made up for your losses with Thanksgiving leftovers consumed at your relatives’ house Sunday through Tuesday. So they’re the ones that should really be mad at Megabus.

If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to [email protected] .

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation.

Seth Kugel is the columnist for “ Tripped Up ,” an advice column that helps readers navigate the often confusing world of travel. More about Seth Kugel

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Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

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Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

Business | Terry Savage: Where’s my tax refund? How to…

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Business | Terry Savage: Where’s my tax refund? How to check your federal or state refund status

What do you do if your IRS tax refund still hasn’t arrived? Now that the IRS has received most 2023 tax filings, and should have sent your refund, it’s worth investigating.

How to proceed depends on how you filed, who filed for you (such as an accounting firm, online tax prep service or tax preparer) and how you expected your refund to arrive.

First, if you’re expecting an online refund deposit, carefully check your tax return to make sure you listed your banking information correctly. And check your bank statement online, which you’ve probably been doing regularly.

If you used a tax preparation service, contact them first. Many services designate your refund to come back to THEIR account — and you might not have noticed that. Often, they say they will take their tax prep fees out of your refund — and this is their way of making sure they have access to the money! You might need to contact them to get your remaining refund.

Check your return to see if the person who prepared it gave instructions that your anticipated refund instead be applied to next year’s taxes! Perhaps you missed that in the discussions.

If, at this point, you’re still frustrated and have tried to call the IRS but can’t get through, here are some suggestions. Do them in this order:

— Where’s my refund? Go to www.IRS.gov and in the search box put the term “where’s my refund.” That will take you to a page that explains that your refund information should be posted 24 hours after you e-file a current-year return, three or four days after you e-file a prior-year return, or four weeks after you file a paper return.

Or go directly to www.IRS.gov/refunds . Click on the “search” button and you’ll be asked to input your Social Security number, tax year, filing status and the exact whole dollar refund amount shown on your tax return.

When you click “submit,” you’ll get the latest status on your refund.

If the refund is for the current (2023) filing, you can also call their specific toll-free number: 800-829-1954. For previous years, you must check online.

If you see that your refund has been issued, but you haven’t received it, you can start a “trace” to track it down.

— Office of Taxpayer Assistance. If you’ve followed the above steps and still can’t find your refund, it’s time to turn to the Office of Taxpayer Assistance. Go to www.IRS.gov and in the search box put in “taxpayer assistance.” That will lead you to the appropriately named Form 911. It’s a short form, and the way to get the process started.

The form comes in both English and Spanish, so scroll down to get the correct form you need.

— Taxpayer Advocate Service. The Taxpayer Advocate Service is a separate, independent organization within the IRS. They offer free help to guide you through the process of resolving tax problems that you haven’t been able to solve on your own. To reach the closest office (each state has at least one), go to www.IRS.gov and enter “taxpayer advocate” in the search box. That leads you to a page explaining how the Taxpayer Advocate Service works, and on that page there is a search box that will give you the closest office. You can also call the Taxpayer Advocate Service toll-free at 877-777-4778.

— Create an IRS.gov account. This little-known process allows you to see exactly what’s going on in your “account” with the IRS! It’s what the IRS telephone reps turn to when answering your questions. To create your own IRS.gov account, go to www.IRS.gov/Account .

The first thing you’ll see is a “Sign-In” box, which will be confusing since you don’t already have an account. Click anyway, and the next page will allow you the option to create an ID.me account via a secure service provider to the IRS. To create that account, you’ll need your Social Security number as well as a government-issued picture ID, such as your driver’s license. It’s worth the time to go through this process.

The IRS may seem impenetrable. But if you use the technology correctly, you can get answers and help. And that’s The Savage Truth.

(Terry Savage is a registered investment adviser and the author of four best-selling books, including “The Savage Truth on Money.” Terry responds to questions on her blog at TerrySavage.com .)

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Sources: Rory McIlroy set to return to PGA Tour policy board

Rory McIlroy hopes golf's top players can compete against each other sooner rather than later. (0:51)

• Senior college football writer
• Author of seven books on college football
• Graduate of the University of Georgia

Four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy is poised to return to the PGA Tour's policy board, pending a vote by the board, which could come as early as this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

One of the PGA Tour's most vocal supporters during its three-year battle with LIV Golf, McIlroy abruptly resigned as a player director on the tour's influential policy board in November.

He is expected to replace policy board player director Webb Simpson , who intends to step away before his two-year term expires in 2025.

McIlroy's potential return comes at a time when the PGA Tour is attempting to negotiate a final agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League.

McIlroy, the No. 2 golfer in the world, previously joined the tour's policy board in 2022 and was expected to serve through 2024. He cited personal and professional commitments in making his decision to leave the board in November.

With players from both sides bickering about money and what the sport's future should be, TV ratings for PGA Tour events are down about 20% this season. Even the Masters, the first major championship of the season, wasn't immune from golf fans' fatigue. TV ratings for the final round at Augusta National Golf Club earlier this month (9.58 million viewers) were the lowest since 2021 (9.45 million).

"I know this isn't a be-all, end-all, but if you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they're down 20% across the board," McIlroy said at the Valero Texas Open this month. "That's a fifth. That's big. I would say the numbers on LIV aren't great either in terms of the people tuning in.

"I just think with the fighting and everything that's went on over the past couple years, people are just getting really fatigued of it and it's turning people off men's professional golf, and that's not a good thing for anyone."

McIlroy, 34, would also join the board of directors of PGA Tour Enterprises, the for-profit entity the tour launched with Strategic Sports Group earlier this year. The other six player directors from the tour's policy board -- Patrick Cantlay , Peter Malnati , Adam Scott , Simpson, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods -- are serving simultaneously on both boards. Former tour member Joe Ogilvie was added as a board liaison.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and policy board player directors met with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas on March 18.

McIlroy has previously met with Al-Rumayyan to discuss the future of men's professional golf. McIlroy said Al-Rumayyan wanted to do the "right thing" with PIF's investment in golf.

"I think I've said this before, I have spent time with Yasir and his -- the people that have represented him in LIV I think have done him a disservice, so [LIV Golf CEO Greg] Norman and those guys," McIlroy said at the Players Championship in March.

"I see the two entities, and I think there's a big, I actually think there's a really big disconnect between PIF and LIV. I think you got PIF over here and LIV are sort of over here doing their own thing. So the closer that we can get to Yasir, PIF and hopefully finalize that investment, I think that will be a really good thing."

The Guardian of London first reported McIlroy's potential return to the PGA Tour policy board.

McIlroy is competing in this week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event with Ireland's Shane Lowry .