Spain is preparing new holiday refund rules and package travellers could get stronger protection

Holidays should be about escaping it all and having a real break, but sometimes even the most solid plans can change out of your control. Thankfully, if you book package holidays from Spain, tougher rules on refunds, vouchers and cancellations could be on the way.

What is changing for holidays booked from Spain

Good news for anyone booking a package holiday from Spain. Stronger refund rights, better protection if travel companies collapse, and clearer rules on vouchers are all on their way. The changes come from a major update to Europe’s package travel rules, Directive (EU) 2026/1024, and they’re designed to fix exactly the problems that left so many travellers frustrated during the Covid-era travel chaos.

The directive has already been officially adopted, and Spain, along with every other EU member state, is now working it into national law over a standard 28-month transition period. Once that’s done, anyone booking a trip that combines flights, accommodation or other travel services should find it much easier to get their money back when a holiday is cancelled or disrupted.

Why the rules are changing

The reform traces back to years of frustration from travellers who struggled to get refunds when the pandemic upended their holidays. Many waited months for repayments. Others were pushed toward vouchers instead of cash, and often it wasn’t even the travel company’s fault. They were stuck waiting on airlines, hotels and other suppliers to pay them back first, so the money simply wasn’t there to pass on.

The new rules look to fix that chain reaction at the source. A strict 7-day B2B refund rule now requires suppliers to reimburse tour operators quickly, which in turn should let operators meet the 14-day deadline for refunding customers. In practice, that means fewer travellers caught in limbo while airlines, hotels and agencies point fingers at each other.

Vouchers get a safety net

Vouchers were one of the most contentious issues of the pandemic, and this reform gives them more power. Travellers will get clearer information before being offered a voucher in the first place. If one is accepted, it’s now protected even if the travel company goes under with any unused voucher automatically refunded once it expires. The aim is to give people genuine confidence in choosing between a voucher and a refund, rather than feeling cornered into one.

What this means for travellers

Once these rules are fully in place in Spain, package holiday customers can look forward to clearer repayment terms, more transparency before booking, and stronger guarantees when something outside anyone’s control disrupts a trip, including protection if a tour operator becomes insolvent, whether that affects an active booking or an unredeemed voucher. This applies to package holidays sold across the EU, including the flight-and-hotel bundles booked through Spanish agencies and tour operators that so many residents, expats and tourists rely on every year. Worth noting that none of this touches flight-only bookings, which remain governed separately under Regulation (EC) 261/2004.

Before you book, a few things worth checking

The rules aren’t in force in Spain quite yet, but there’s nothing stopping you from protecting yourself now

– Confirm whether your trip actually qualifies as a package holiday.
– Read the cancellation and refund terms before you pay.
– Keep every booking confirmation and payment record.
– Ask how refunds work if the organiser cancels.
– Check exactly what insolvency protection is included.

Package holidays already offer stronger legal protection than piecing together flights, hotels and transfers separately, and that gap is only getting wider under the new rules.

What happens next and other questions answered

Spain still has to write the directive into its own national law, so nothing changes for travellers yet. Once it does, refunds should be faster, vouchers safer, and cancellations less of a fight.

Will deposits get bigger under the new rules? No. An earlier draft proposed capping upfront deposits at 25% of the package price, but that was dropped from the final agreement. Booking and payment patterns should stay much as they are.

What if I take a voucher instead of a refund? Vouchers must now be voluntary, protected if the company goes insolvent, and valid for up to 12 months (extendable). If you don’t use it in time, it must be automatically refunded.

Will complaints get handled faster? Yes. Organisers will have to run formal complaint procedures with set response deadlines, so a complaint can no longer just sit unanswered.

Does booking flights and a hotel separately still count as a “package”? Not automatically. The old “linked travel arrangements” category is gone. An add-on like a transfer or excursion only triggers full package protection if it’s at least 25% of the total cost, or clearly essential to the trip.

When does this actually apply to my booking? Spain has until 29 September 2028 to write it into law, and it becomes fully applicable from 29 March 2029