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Tauck Travel Wallet vs Tauck Dreamsaver Credit

Smiling Sam

I said I'd post Tauck's response to the question when I received it. Here is what Tauck sent me:

A travel wallet would be used for guests with a tour that has been canceled by Tauck. We would place your money from the current tour that has been canceled into the Travel Wallet so that when you are ready to rebook book, you can use the money in the travel wallet towards the deposit.

A dreamsaver is a credit for the cost of your penalties if you cancel a tour that has not been canceled by Tauck. The dreamsaver credit can be used towards the final payment of a future tour.

Hope this clears up the differences.

Comments

Ken from Vegas

You say potato and I say po-tah-to... lets call the whole thing off.

British

I am still unclear. What I hope is in my dream saver is the cost of the insurance for the tour that Tauck cancelled. We were told the money in there must be used to put towards the price of a tour that must be booked by the end of 2021. So the tour might be in 2022. That is why we are reluctant to book any more tours since if the three tours we still have booked are cancelled, that’s a lot of money that may well be lost if tours do not begin for a long time.

AlanS

British
9:15PM

I am still unclear.

Me too.

I also want a survey. For anyone who received a survey, did it come via email with a unique address that accepts replies? Can someone please post the address it or send it to me via PM? Thanks

Smiling Sam

British - I submitted another round of questions to Tauck, asking for some additional details about the Tauck Travel Wallet and the Dreamsaver accounts. I will post the further details if/when I hear back. I asked questions like a) what is the length of time money can remain in each account before it must be used, b) if travel insurance is treated any differently than tour payment money - which account it goes it, how it can be used, does it have the same duration, c) how airline change fees are handled - put into an account, if so which one, or are they always refunded, d) how long someone has to submit airline change fees, e) if an airline booked for a Tauck cancelled tour goes bankrupt can you still request the $250 change fee, f) and a few others.

AlanS

I just read there is a bill in Congress right now, that, if approved, will require airlines to refund the fare in cash, regardless of who cancels.

"In response to the growing number of consumer complaints to the U.S. Transportation Department over flight refunds in light of the coronavirus pandemic, a group of senators have signed on to a bill that would require major airlines and third-party ticket sellers to offer full cash refunds for all canceled tickets ⁠ — regardless of whether the airline canceled the overall flight or the passenger canceled their individual ticket. The new bill would make the right to request a cash refund retroactive through March 1, so that travelers who had previously asked for and received a travel voucher can change it to a refund, provided that the voucher is unused. It would also provide relief for consumers in the way of an 180-day extension after the end of the nationwide covid-19 emergency declarations, so that travelers would have six months of flexibility to request a cash refund in case fears of flying linger after the procedures in place deem it safe to fly again. The Cash Refunds for Coronavirus Cancellations Act would allow airlines to pay for the refunds using emergency money made available by Congress as long as the money designated for employee benefits and payroll by the Cares Act remains untouched. In the months of March and April, the Transportation Department received more than 25,000 complaints from consumers who said they had been denied refunds by carriers, according to reporting. The group of senators said the airline industry could be holding on to as much as $10 billion in consumer cash. Offering vouchers might be a defensible policy in ordinary times, but in a crisis of this magnitude, it is simply unfair to deny refunds to customers who canceled their flights."

British

Thanks Sam. It took two phone calls to get two different answers about this when our tour was cancelled. I love Tauck but this was so confusing, two of us were listening intently and writing things down and I am still unclear how I proceed to book a future tour, where my credits are, how they can be used and by what date.
Regarding the $250 for air fare.....when Tauck asked us to change the date for our upcoming Singapore Bali tour earlier in the year, they said they don’t usually ask for proof of the change fee if it is under that amount but if it is more they want receipts. Ours was over $1000 So we sent the receipt and were sent a check.

Smiling Sam

AlanS - I assume that bill would only apply to US carriers. Wouldn’t help me for Icelandair. I’m concerned Icelandair will go bankrupt since their government said they wouldn’t provide assistance. I’m on a waitlist just to get a voucher with them.

Smiling Sam

I received a response to my followup questions. Here's what I received.

1) Can you explain how long the money in each type of account can remain in the account before it must be used? Travel Wallet credit (250 pp) must be used by end of 2021. Dreamsaver must be applied within one year (travel does not have to be within a year)

2) Is trip insurance handled the same way for both account types? That depends on whether you transfer to a dreamsaver or travel wallet (see above

3) Can trip insurance in either account only be used for trip insurance on another trip: No. You must rebooked and the monies from the dreamsaver would be applied to the balance of a future tour.

4) Can you further delineate the penalties you mean associated with the Dreamsaver account. Does that include things like loss of trip insurance, deposits, etc: Once the monies for the protection plan is in a dreamsaver account it no longer is “trip insurance”

5) Would funds, up to the $250 limit per person, associated with changes for airline tickets be place in the the accounts or refunded? If placed into the accounts which one? You would be refunded.

6) If airline changes are required, how long does a person have to submit the change fees to receive the $250 Tauck gift? A receipt from the airline

7) If an airline that was booked to get to/from a canceled tour goes bankrupt can we still file for the $250 Tauck airline credit? I am unable to answer this question.

British

Thank you Sam, this is pretty much what I understood, except for Question 2, we were not given a choice which wallet to put our insurance in. So for those like me who have three or more tours booked through 2021, and those tours are canceled, which they could well be. Unless we book tours into 2022, we lose all the money. By then, many tours could be booked up, to prevent that, one has to book yet another tour and ransom more money. I admit, Tauck does not have to even credit us the insurance which is very good of them, but even so, it means loyal customers get the worst of the deal.

Kyle Earhart

apply my credit to down payment of a trip