The Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents is a financial protection plan administered by the Office de la protection du consommateur. It can complement the protection provided by travel insurance.

You benefit from this protection free of charge when you purchase services through a travel agency that holds a licence from the Office. If you deal directly with a service provider (carrier, hotel, cruise line, etc.), without going through a licensed travel agency, the Fund does not protect you.

You can check whether an agency holds a licence using the Getting information about a merchant search tool.

The Fund could reimburse or compensate you if you do not receive the services you have paid for as a result of: 

  • a provider not rendering them;
  • a travel agency closing its doors;
  • a natural disaster or a political crisis;
  • the issuance of an official advisory by the Government of Canada, after the services have been purchased, against any travel or non-essential  travel to the destination.

What if a service is not delivered, and this prevents you from receiving another service for which you have paid? You could also be reimbursed. In certain cases, you could be entitled to an additional reimbursement if a service is not rendered. You could apply for a reimbursement of reasonable costs paid to:

  • receive a service in replacement of a service that was not rendered;
  • meals or accommodations (a maximum of $217 per day, per person, is reimbursed).

To establish a reimbursement, the Office evaluates whether the amount claimed is reasonable. The fact that you cannot unjustifiably enrich yourself is taken into consideration, among other things. 

The page titled Situations Covered by the Fund provides detailed information on this subject.

The Fund is, among other things, composed of contributions paid by customers when they entered into a contract with a Québec travel agent.

Given its current value, you are no longer required to contribute to the Fund. As a result, on the invoice you will receive from the travel agent, you will see that the amount of the contribution is charged, and then credited. You will not be paying any amounts, but you are still protected.

The Fund generally reimburses all amounts paid to a licensed travel agent for tourism services, if they have not been rendered. 

Furthermore, if you receive a reimbursement from a third party, such as an insurer or your credit card issuer, you are not entitled to a reimbursement from the Fund.

If, however, you only receive a partial reimbursement from this third party, you may claim the difference from the Fund. Example: You paid $1,000 for services that were not provided. You received a $400 reimbursement from your insurer. You can claim $600 from the Fund.

Among other things, the Fund does not cover:

  • any purchases of insurance or goods (travel insurance, travel guides, luggage, etc.);
  • services not rendered due to the absence of a passport, an expired passport or a passport of which the validity period does not meet the requirements of the destination country;
  • damages stemming from services that were not received, such as vacation days lost, or lost wages caused by a cancelled flight;
  • travel services you have received, but with which you are dissatisfied (e.g. a cruise whose meals were not up to the quality you had expected).

In some of the situations described above, you could initiate legal proceedings against your travel agent. You could then be reimbursed or compensated by the Fund if you are awarded an amount as part of a judgment, in accordance with the terms set forth in the Regulation respecting travel agents. Refer to the page titled Recourse Against a Travel Agent to find out more.

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Last update : March 22, 2024

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The information contained on this page is presented in simple terms to make it easier to understand. It does not replace the texts of the laws and regulations.