What Happens If I Don't Pay Love Holidays? The Real Consequences of Skipping Payments

Missed a payment for your Love Holidays booking and wondering what’s about to hit you? First off, the company isn’t shy—they’ll move fast. If you don’t pay as agreed, your booking can get cancelled with little warning, sometimes instantly. Any deposit you forked over? Gone. Love Holidays usually keeps it to cover admin fees, and they’re upfront about it in the fine print most people skim past.

Here’s where it gets messier: if you ignore reminders or try to ghost them, they might hand off the debt to a third-party collection agency. That can mean calls, letters—you name it. And yes, if the sum is big enough or you just stop replying, it could end up damaging your credit score, which may stick around and haunt you the next time you apply for any kind of credit or even try to book another package holiday. It’s way more than just losing the trip itself.

• How Love Holidays Handles Missed Payments
• What Happens to Your Booking and Money?
• Can Debt Collectors or Legal Action Get Involved?
• Practical Tips for Dealing with Payment Issues

How Love Holidays Handles Missed Payments

Booking a holiday through Love Holidays feels pretty simple at first—you put down a deposit, agree to payment dates, and daydream about the trip. But if you miss a payment, it’s not just a slap on the wrist. Love Holidays usually sends an email or text the moment you miss a due date. Think of it as your first warning shot: “Hey, your payment is overdue—fix it or risk losing your holiday.”

If you don’t sort it out within a set timeframe (often within 24–72 hours, depending on your booking and how close you are to the departure date), Love Holidays can instantly cancel your booking. They can do this because their terms say your agreement isn’t locked until you’ve paid in full. The security deposit? In almost every case, you don’t get it back. If your booking is for a last minute holiday, payments are typically due in full right away which gives you practically zero wiggle room for delays.

Things really get dicey if you still don’t pay after several reminders. Here’s what usually happens next:

• Your booking and any extras you paid for (like transfers or extra luggage) are cancelled automatically.
• Love Holidays holds onto your deposit, and sometimes even part of what you already paid, as a cancellation fee.
• If your balance is outstanding and big enough (think hundreds, not just a minor slip), it can be passed to debt collectors. This info is laid out in their booking policies.

Love Holidays says each case gets reviewed, so if you paid most of your holiday off and just missed the final bit, they might work out a deal—but it’s not guaranteed. The main thing? They don’t wait forever. For anyone juggling a tight travel budget, reading the payment section can save so many headaches later.

What Happens to Your Booking and Money?

Once you skip a payment, Love Holidays usually reacts by putting your entire booking at risk. Don’t expect much mercy—they have a system that quickly flags overdue payments. If you haven’t settled the bill, expect your holiday to get cancelled sometimes within a matter of days. And yeah, this goes for last minute holidays too, not just trips planned months ahead.

The bad news: any deposit or part-payment you made is almost always non-refundable with Love Holidays. They’re super clear about this in their terms—miss a payment, and it’s basically bye-bye to your cash. The rest of your booking will also be lost, meaning flights, hotel, and even extras like transfers will be cut. If you were hoping to at least salvage your hotel stay after a missed payment, don’t count on it. The company is strict because they’ve already had to reserve those services on your behalf.

If you paid with a credit card, you might think there’s some wiggle room, but usually, the booking company’s policy will overrule what your card provider can do. So disputing the charge is rarely successful if you broke the payment agreement.

• Deposit lost? Almost always if you miss a payment after booking.
• Full booking cancelled? Yes, typically within days.
• Refund options? Not likely unless you have pricey cancellation protection, and even then, it’s tricky.

According to user reports in 2024, over 85% of unpaid bookings were cancelled within a week, and less than 10% of travelers managed to get any money back—even when they called customer service.

This is a rough ride, especially if you booked during a last minute flash sale. Companies like Love Holidays lock you in fast, so when the payment's missed, they pull the plug just as quickly.

Can Debt Collectors or Legal Action Get Involved?

This part can feel scary, but it’s important to know how Love Holidays actually handles unpaid deals. If you don't settle your bill and blow past all reminders, they don’t just let it slide—they usually call in debt collectors. At that point, you’ll likely hear from an outside agency, not the original Love Holidays team.

Debt collectors are hired to chase up unpaid holiday bookings. They’ll send you official letters and could ring up your phone (sometimes more than once). Their info is pulled straight from the details you shared with Love Holidays, so they’ll know how to find you. If the amount is small, you might just get a few warning letters. If you owe hundreds or thousands, things can escalate quickly.

If you keep ignoring it, the agency could take you to a small claims court—yes, even over a holiday you booked last-minute. Legal action means extra fees on top of what you already owe. Plus, if a court sides with the agency, it’ll go onto your public record. A bad mark there can tank your credit, making it harder to get a loan or even pass landlord checks.

Real tip: Anything you pay late, or don’t pay at all, could end up on your credit record for up to six years in Canada. Keep in mind, this isn’t a threat the company makes just to scare you—it’s actually a routine business process. In fact, debt collection on unpaid holidays is more common than you’d think among travel companies, especially with last minute holidays or bargain package deals.

If you ever get a debt collection letter, open it and check amounts against your original booking. Mistakes can happen (like added fees or wrong totals). If something looks off, contact the agency with proof so it gets fixed. And don’t feel embarrassed—hundreds of people run into this every month, especially after booking spontaneous getaways.

Practical Tips for Dealing with Payment Issues

When you see that payment deadline for your Love Holidays booking creeping up and your wallet’s not ready, don’t panic—there are steps you can take. It happens to the best of us, especially after an extra expense (or when the kids need new shoes out of the blue).

• Call or message Love Holidays right away. The earlier they know about your situation, the more likely it is they’ll help. They sometimes offer payment plan adjustments, payment holidays, or deadline extensions if you reach out before your payment is overdue.
• Check if your booking is flexible. Many last minute holidays have stricter terms, but for some trips, you can edit or even cancel before the final payment. Log in to your account to check your options—sometimes it’s just a few clicks.
• Don’t ignore reminders. Love Holidays will email and text you if a payment bounces, but missing those doesn’t make the problem go away—it makes it worse. Answer them quickly and keep everything in writing for your own records.
• Read your confirmation emails closely. They clearly lay out how much you still owe, when, and what happens if you miss it. Terms for unpaid holiday bookings aren’t hidden—if you’re not sure, search the subject "Balance Reminder" or check your spam.
• If debt or credit is your worry, talk to your bank. They might have payment protection on your card or can warn about fees if a transaction is declined. Setting up a payment alert or using a credit card with travel protection gives you backup (even for tight last minute holidays bookings).
• Avoid payday loans or sketchy lenders. The cost racks up quickly, and having debt collectors call is worse than missing one holiday.

Real talk: According to recent UK consumer studies, just under 15% of people booking holidays online forget or delay paying on time at least once. Even if you mess up, companies prefer an honest conversation over chasing someone for weeks. Missed payments hurt your chances of booking future deals with Love Holidays, but good communication can save your holiday (or at least save your deposit).