Financial protection
Your holiday money, protected from booking to departure
Trust-account protection · Supplier Failure Insurance · ATOL protection*
Protected Trust Services
Every consumer has the right to expect that they'll get what they pay for. Yet out there in the wide world of travel, unforeseen and even unforeseeable events can occur. Volcanoes can unexpectedly erupt, airlines can go bust and even the best hotels can get overbooked.
Naturally, no-one can prevent these events from happening, but we and every PTS Member can promise that you won't lose your money, because Protected Trust Services is 100% committed to ensuring that your money is safe.
Nature's Symphony
Why financial protection matters
Search. Book. Pay. Go skiing. That's it.
Travel companies and suppliers can fail. Your holiday shouldn't fail with them.
You've paid for a ski holiday. You should either get what you've paid for, or get your money back.
With Snow Dragon, your money stays protected from the moment you book until you return. If something goes wrong, you shouldn't be left chasing a failed supplier for what you're owed. You shouldn't have to rely on a card chargeback or join a liquidator's queue just to recover your holiday money.
What happens to my money after I pay?
Every travel company should be able to answer that question. Ask them.
We can answer it at every stage of your booking.
How it works
Your booking journey
A clear, protected process from your first enquiry until you return home.
01 — Find your holiday
We know the resorts, the skiing, the restaurants, the transfers, the awkward logistics and the small details that make a ski holiday work.
02 — Pay securely
Pay by credit card, secure payment link or bank transfer into the dedicated PTS Trust Account.
03 — Your money is ring-fenced
Your payment is held separately from Snow Dragon's operational funds.
At no point do we hold or control your money in our operational accounts.
04 — Payments are approved
An independent trustee reviews and approves payments before funds are released to suppliers. Supplier Failure Insurance may apply.
05 — Your booking is confirmed
You receive confirmation that your booking is secure and the relevant supplier has been paid.
06 — We support your whole trip
Arrange transfers, car hire, ski hire, travel insurance and other extras with our team (if you didn't already book it in step 01).
Protection over time
Protected however and whenever you pay
Different holidays have different payment schedules. Your protection is designed around where your money is — not simply when you paid it.
You pay
→
PTS Trust Account
→
Approved supplier payment
→
Your holiday
Protection over time
Protected within the PTS Trust Account
Your payment is held in the ring-fenced trust account, separately from Snow Dragon's operational funds. Funds are only released through the agreed trustee-approval process.
After the supplier is paid
Protected by Supplier Failure Insurance
Once an eligible payment is passed to a supplier, Supplier Failure Insurance is designed to protect your holiday in the unlikely event the supplier becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to provide the booked service.
Subject to the applicable policy terms, exclusions and claim limits.
Whether you pay a chalet deposit well in advance or a hotel balance shortly before departure, protection is designed to follow your payment through the booking journey.
Know your terms
Understanding your financial protection
Different holidays can be protected in different ways.
Snow Dragon is a member of Protected Trust Services. For selected flight-inclusive package holidays, we act as an authorised agent for the ATOL holder named in your booking documents. We are not an ABTA member, but we have explained ABTA below because it is another acronym you may encounter when comparing travel companies.
Before you book, we will explain which protection applies to your particular holiday.
Whatever logo a travel company displays, it is worth asking what protects your particular booking, where your payment is held and what happens once money is passed to a supplier.
Protection for all Snow Dragon bookings
PTS
Protected Trust Services
Our protection arrangement
PTS provides the Trust Account and Supplier Failure Insurance arrangements used to protect Snow Dragon ski holidays.
Ring-fenced customer funds
Your payment is placed into a dedicated trust account and held separately from Snow Dragon’s everyday operating funds. It cannot be used to meet our general business expenses.
Independent trust administration
The trust account is independently administered, providing additional oversight over how customer funds are held and released.
Trustee-approved supplier payments
Payments to chalet operators, hotels and other holiday suppliers are made through an agreed approval process. Snow Dragon cannot simply withdraw customer funds from the trust account.
Supplier Failure Insurance arrangements
Travel suppliers often require payment before you travel. Where an eligible payment is released early from the trust account, Supplier Failure Insurance is designed to protect that payment if the supplier subsequently becomes insolvent and cannot provide the booked service. Cover is subject to the relevant policy terms, exclusions and claim limits.
Protection is designed to follow your money: within the trust account before the supplier is paid, and through the relevant Supplier Failure Insurance arrangements after an eligible early supplier payment.
Applies to selected partner packages
ATOL
Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing
Protection on selected partner packages
Some flight-inclusive ski packages sold by Snow Dragon are organised and financially protected by one of our partner tour operators. For these bookings, Snow Dragon acts as an authorised agent. We do not provide the ATOL protection ourselves: the protection is provided under the licence of the ATOL holder named in your booking documents.
Applies to selected flight-inclusive packages
ATOL protection applies only where the particular holiday has been sold under the named tour operator’s ATOL. It does not automatically apply to every chalet, hotel or travel service shown on our website.
You will receive an ATOL Certificate
When you make your first payment for an ATOL-protected booking, you will be issued with an ATOL Certificate. It identifies the services covered and the ATOL holder responsible for protecting the trip.
ATOL protects against the ATOL holder’s failure
ATOL is designed to protect customers if the named ATOL holder fails. Depending on the circumstances, this may involve refunding eligible payments, helping customers continue their holiday or arranging their return home.
ATOL is not travel insurance
ATOL does not provide personal cover for illness, cancellation by the traveller, medical expenses, lost belongings or winter-sports risks. Appropriate travel insurance is still required.
Selected flight-inclusive holidays are ATOL protected by the tour operator named on your ATOL Certificate. Snow Dragon acts as an authorised agent for that operator.
Explained for comparison
ABTA
ABTA — The Travel Association
An industry association explained
ABTA is a trade association for travel agents and tour operators. Its members agree to follow the ABTA Code of Conduct and have access to customer-support and dispute-resolution arrangements.
Industry membership and standards
ABTA membership indicates that a travel company has agreed to comply with ABTA’s rules and customer-service standards.
Customer advice and dispute support
ABTA may provide information and help eligible customers resolve disputes with current ABTA members. It is not an ombudsman or government regulator and does not itself award compensation through its general customer-support process.
Membership does not describe one single protection method
ABTA members can protect eligible bookings through different arrangements, including bonding, financial-failure insurance or trust accounts. The presence of the ABTA logo alone therefore does not explain exactly where a customer’s payment is held or which arrangement applies at each stage of the booking.
Snow Dragon is not an ABTA member
We include this explanation simply to help customers understand the difference between ABTA membership, ATOL protection and the PTS trust-account arrangements used by Snow Dragon.
Know your terms
How protection works in real bookings
A chalet booked 12 months ahead
A chalet may require an early deposit, followed by a balance eight to twelve weeks before departure. Your payment begins in the PTS Trust Account, with Supplier Failure Insurance added when payment is released to the supplier.
A hotel paid close to arrival
Some hotel payments are settled shortly before — or sometimes after — your stay. This can mean your money remains within the trust arrangement for longer. If the hotel isn't there, your money still is, to be used for alternative arrangements.
A flight-inclusive package holiday
All flight-inclusive package deals are financially protected under the operator's ATOL scheme. Full details in your booking confirmation and ATOL certificate.
Extras added to your holiday
Transfers, ski hire, car hire and other services may have their own payment schedules. But they are all processed through the Trust Account, and Supplier Failure Insurance applies too, where relevant.
A chalet booked 12 months ahead
A chalet may require an early deposit, followed by a balance eight to twelve weeks before departure. Your payment begins in the PTS Trust Account, with Supplier Failure Insurance added when payment is released to the supplier.
Beyond financial protection
Why you need travel insurance
Financial protection protects your booking money. Travel insurance protects you against many of the personal risks associated with travelling.
Travel insurance can feel daunting, with many different policies, options and exclusions to consider. However, it is important to arrange appropriate cover as soon as you book your holiday.
Many chalet operators list adequate travel insurance as a requirement for booking. And in Italy, third party liability insurance is compulsory for skiing.
Winter-sports cover
Standard travel insurance does not always include skiing or snowboarding. Check that your policy includes the activities you plan to undertake, along with any relevant equipment, piste-closure, rescue and medical cover.
Lost or stolen items
Travel insurance may cover the cost of lost or stolen luggage and personal belongings, provided you have taken reasonable care of them.
Medical costs
Your
GHIC card covers public healthcare in some countries, but it is not a replacement for travel insurance. Appropriate insurance can cover unexpected medical treatment and, depending on the policy, repatriation costs.
Cancellation costs
Events beyond your control can sometimes prevent you from travelling — for example, an accident, illness or being called for jury service. An appropriate policy may cover cancellations.
Travel Insurance for Your Ski Holiday?
While we don't sell travel insurance directly, we highly recommend securing coverage for your trip.
Snow Dragon has partnered with Covered2Go, a Which? Best Buy and Trustpilot "Excellent" provider of travel cover.
Please note that we are not advising you on this policy, and cannot confirm if they fit your specific circumstances. If you buy any of their policies, we may receive a referral fee. Covered2Go are authorised and regulated by the FCA.
What about credit-card protection?
Paying by credit card may provide an additional right to claim against your card provider under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act for qualifying purchases. However, this depends on the payment method, value and transaction circumstances. It does not replace the trust-account, supplier-protection or travel-insurance arrangements associated with your holiday.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Book with confidence
Ski holiday package details will highlight where ATOL protection applies, as will your booking confirmation. For other bookings, your holiday will be protected by the PTS Trust Account and Supplier Failure Insurance (where applicable).
