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Have you ever gotten stung by cancellation fees for canceling a vacation?

Fortunately, there may be a few things you can do to eliminate or cut these fees substantially.

What should you do if you have to cancel?

None of us plan or want to cancel, but sometimes things happen, and that's why it's a good idea to make sure to check into cancellation policies, especially if you are booking online.

If you booked online with a travel company, keep in mind, you need to talk with them first.

Your hotel or airline may not be able to do anything for you if it was booked from a travel company.

You might also want to consider purchasing travel insurance, which may be able to reimburse you for a loss of you need to cancel.

However, if you did not do this and now you need to cancel, here is what you might want to try:

• Cancel as early as possible and write down confirmation numbers and who you spoke with. You may need this later. By canceling early, hotels and airlines may be more willing to work with as they have extra time to re-book the room or flight.
• If a no refund or penalty fee applies, try to negotiate with a manager to see if they can waive these policies for certain reasons such as a death in the family, illness or weather related concerns.
• If you cannot get them to waive the fees, see if they will allow you to change the name on the booking. If this is allowed, you may be able to sell your vacation.
• Most important, remember to be polite and open minded, especially if you are asking them to make an exception for you.

What do you do if you have tried all of these things and have gotten nowhere?

• Ask to speak to a manager or contact the corporate office.
• Ask for a voucher that can be used in the future.
• If you paid with a credit card, contact the issuer. They may have policies to protect you against cancellation fees.

If nothing else, contact our Call 4 Action office. Our volunteers have had some success in helping to mediate resolutions for consumers for some of these situations.