Your payment is protected through STO Garant.
What is STO Garant?
Booking a trip or travel package with an organisation signed up to the STO Garant guarantee scheme? Then there is no risk of you losing any advance payment made if the organisation goes bankrupt.
And even if the organisation becomes insolvent once you are already enjoying your trip, we will be there for you. We will make sure you can continue having a good time without any worries. Or, if there is no alternative, we will ensure you return home safely.
So, when booking a trip, always check whether the organiser has signed up to STO Garant and whether the guarantee scheme has been correctly applied. You can then go on your travels with peace of mind and enjoy a worry-free holiday. Any guarantee is subject to certain conditions, and we like to be upfront about ours from the outset.
Read through the entire guarantee scheme.
How our guarantee scheme works
Once you have booked your trip, the organisation notifies STO Garant. Instead of paying the organiser directly, you pay the booking sum into an escrow account, also known as a trust account, managed by a third-party funds foundation.
The amount paid is securely held in this account until your trip or travel package comes to an end. The amount is then automatically released to the organisation on the day after that.
If the organisation is no longer financially able to meet its obligations towards you, you will receive a refund (usually within a month). If you are already travelling, you will be repatriated.
As a traveller, what should I look out for?
When making a booking, it is important that you carefully check whether the organisation is an STO Garant member and operates in accordance with the guarantee scheme. How to check this:
1. The organisation is listed on the STO Garant website as a member. If you have any doubts about whether an organisation is an STO Garant member, please contact us before booking and paying.
2. The organisation’s travel conditions clearly state that, in the event of the organisation’s insolvency or a suspension of payments, the booking sum held in reserve for you will be released to STO Garant.
3. You pay the booking amount into the escrow account managed by the Certo Escrow third-party funds foundation in respect of STO Garant. You can do this safely and easily using STO Garant’s online platform. Once you receive the booking confirmation from the organisation, you will receive an email from STO Garant containing information about the payment for your booking. So, you don’t pay any money directly to the organisation.
4. If the full booking amount for a trip has not been paid into the escrow account before travel commences, the booking amount is not covered by STO Garant.
5. You will receive an email confirmation from STO Garant as soon as your booking payment is held in escrow. The guarantee only applies if you have received the email confirmation from STO Garant before the trip starts.
What should you do in the event of insolvency?
To find out about insolvency involving STO Garant members, view the latest news. Do you suspect your organiser has gone bankrupt or has been granted a suspension of payments but you can’t find any information about this on this website? Please contact us straight away.
If your trip has not yet begun:
If your organiser has been declared bankrupt or granted a suspension of payments and your trip has not yet begun, the booking sum paid in advance will be refunded to your account. Please note that this may take some time due to the large amount of information we need to process. We aim to make refunds within a month.
If your trip has already begun:
If your trip has already started, you will be contacted as soon as possible. If you have any questions, you can contact us by telephone or email.
The benefits for you
Full protection
Your booking payment is fully protected by STO Garant, a recognised guarantee scheme.
Easy to use
Paying for your booking is quick and easy using online payment methods. You can pay in one go or in instalments.
Safe and secure
Pay safely and securely through a payment service provider registered with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB).
Information about members
Instant access to all STO Garant member organisations. Have any doubts? Please contact us.
Latest news
STO Garant members
Want to look for an organisation?
All members of STO Garant are listed on this website. Check here to see whether the organiser of your trip has signed up to our guarantee scheme.