🏖️ Can I cancel a package holiday and get my money back?

With conditions

Quick answer

It depends on the terms, but you have tangible rights — cancelling does not automatically mean “the money is gone”. The myth is that the deposit is never refunded and the agency decides as it pleases. Law no. 93/2015 on tourism, together with the consumer protection law, requires the package contract to state clearly the notice deadlines and the penalties in case of cancellation — by you or by the organiser. When the organiser cancels or changes the substance of the package, you have the right to choose an alternative package at no extra cost or a refund, which must be made within 7 working days of the written request. When the price rises, you have 2 working days to decide whether to accept or withdraw; silence is read as acceptance. So the rule protects you, but within deadlines — and the cancellation penalties on your side depend on how close to departure you cancel, as the contract states.

📋 The rules

Law no. 93/2015 requires the package contract to set the notice deadlines and the penalties in case of cancellation by the consumer or the organiser.
When the organiser cancels, the consumer may choose an alternative package at no extra cost or a refund of the amount.
The refund must be made within 7 working days of receiving the written request to return the money.
When the price rises or changes, the consumer decides within 2 working days whether to accept or withdraw; no reply is read as acceptance.
The cancellation penalties on the consumer's side depend on how far before departure the cancellation is, under the written contract terms.

🔓 Exceptions

If the alternative package offered is of lower value than the first, the consumer is refunded the difference.
Extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances (force majeure) may change the rights to cancellation and refund case by case.
A single plane ticket or a separate booking is not a “package holiday”; the protection of law 93/2015 relates to the combined package of services.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

The typical mistake is to rely on the spoken word and not act within the deadlines. The refund request must be in writing; without it the 7-day deadline does not start to run and the agency keeps an excuse for delay. When the price rises and you stay silent beyond 2 working days, the law reads the silence as acceptance — so you have bought the change without meaning to. On the other side, if you cancel close to the departure date, the contract penalties can swallow a good part of the amount, so every day's delay costs you. If the agency refuses the required refund or hides the terms, the complaint goes to the Consumer Protection Commission. Mind the figures in lek: values in new lek are often reproduced tenfold in old lek, so the sum you hear in conversation sounds bigger than the real obligation.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Do I get my money back if I cancel a package holiday?

It depends who cancels and when: when the organiser cancels, you have the right to either an alternative package at no extra cost or a refund within 7 working days. When you cancel yourself, the refund depends on the contract penalties, which usually rise the closer you are to the departure date.

How quickly must the money be refunded?

The refund must be made within 7 working days from the moment your written request to return the money is received. So always submit the request in writing, because the deadline starts to run from it and gives you a provable starting point.

What do I do if the agency raises the price?

When the price rises or changes, you have 2 working days to decide whether to accept or withdraw from the package. If you do not reply within this deadline, the law considers the silence as acceptance, so do not leave the notice unanswered.

Does the law protect me for a single plane ticket?

Not in the same way: the protection of law no. 93/2015 relates to the package holiday, that is, the combination of several services such as travel and accommodation. A single ticket or a separate booking follows other rules, not the combined-package regime.

Where do I complain if they will not refund me?

If the organiser refuses the required refund or hides the cancellation terms, the complaint goes to the Consumer Protection Commission. Keep the contract, the written request and every communication, because this evidence strengthens the complaint and the calculation of the amount.

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