MyTrip, Travel Insurance, and a Refund That Never Came
Here is the Part 2 of Mytrip.com (bad) experience
A cautionary tale about booking flights through an online travel agency
When we book a flight online, we expect the process to be straightforward: choose the flight, pay for it, add travel insurance if necessary, and receive a refund if a covered event prevents us from traveling.
Our experience with MyTrip.com was very different.
In September 2025, we purchased two one-way tickets from Paris to Miami through MyTrip. The flight, operated by French Bee, was scheduled for October 14, 2025. At the time of booking, we also purchased cancellation insurance specifically to protect ourselves against situations such as a medical problem preventing us from traveling.
We thought we were being responsible.
We were wrong to assume that purchasing the insurance would make the reimbursement process straightforward.
A medical emergency just three days before departure
On October 11, just three days before our flight, my husband developed a medical problem that made it impossible for him to travel.
This was precisely the type of situation for which we had purchased the cancellation insurance.
We therefore cancelled the trip and submitted the documentation required to support our claim.
What followed was a frustrating experience involving MyTrip and the insurance process.
The problem is not simply that our claim was disputed. What concerns us is the way the insurance was presented at the time of booking compared with what happened when we actually needed to use it.
Why I believe consumers should be warned
When an online travel agency offers cancellation insurance during the booking process, the message is reassuring: pay a relatively small additional amount and you are protected if something unexpected happens.
But insurance is only useful if consumers can realistically understand:
- exactly what is covered;
- who is responsible for processing the claim;
- what documentation will be required;
- what exclusions apply;
- and, most importantly, whether the money they believe they are protecting will actually be reimbursed.
In our case, we believed we had purchased meaningful protection against a medical emergency.
When that emergency actually occurred, the experience was anything but reassuring.
The problem with online travel agencies
This experience has also made me question the relationship between the customer, the online travel agency and the insurance company.
When you purchase a flight directly from an airline, responsibility can at least appear relatively clear.
With an online travel agency, however, the customer can find themselves caught between several companies:
Customer → MyTrip → Airline → Insurance company
Each company has its own terms, procedures and responsibilities.
And when something goes wrong, it can become surprisingly difficult to determine who is actually responsible for resolving the problem.
That complexity should not become the customer’s problem.
My concern about MyTrip
I want to be careful with the language I use here. I am describing our personal experience and our concerns, not making a legal determination about MyTrip’s conduct (tough…).
But from our perspective, the way the cancellation insurance was sold and subsequently handled felt misleading and unfair.
The insurance was presented as protection against precisely the kind of unexpected medical problem that prevented our trip. Yet when we tried to obtain the reimbursement we believed we were entitled to, the process became difficult and frustrating.
For a travel company, trust is fundamental.
A customer should not have to become an expert in insurance contracts, intermediary responsibilities and European consumer law simply to understand why a policy they purchased does—or does not—provide the protection they thought they were buying.
What travelers should do before buying cancellation insurance
Our experience has changed the way I will book travel in the future.
Before purchasing insurance through an online travel agency, I would recommend that travelers:
1. Read the actual insurance policy.
Don’t rely only on the short description displayed during the booking process.
2. Identify the actual insurer.
The company selling your ticket may not be the company providing the insurance.
3. Save everything.
Keep the booking confirmation, insurance certificate, terms and conditions, receipts and every email.
4. Check the cancellation procedure before you need it.
Knowing whom to contact can save considerable frustration later.
5. Don’t assume that “cancellation protection” means a guaranteed refund.
Insurance policies contain conditions and exclusions.
6. Consider booking directly with the airline.
Saving a few euros through an intermediary may not be worth the additional complexity when something goes wrong.
A lesson that cost us money
Travel is already complicated enough when something unexpected happens.
A serious medical problem three days before an international flight is stressful. Having to fight afterward to understand why the protection you purchased does not result in the reimbursement you expected makes the situation considerably worse.
This is why I am publishing our experience.
Consumers need to know what they are actually buying.
And online travel agencies need to understand that selling an insurance product creates an expectation of protection. If that protection is subject to important limitations, those limitations should be made completely clear before the customer pays for it—not after something goes wrong.
Our experience with MyTrip has left us deeply disappointed.
We did not purchase cancellation insurance because we expected to cancel our trip.
We purchased it because sometimes life doesn’t give you a choice.
And when that happens, the last thing a traveler should have to fight for is the protection they thought they had already paid for.
A warning for American travelers: don’t expect the same customer support
There is another aspect of our experience that I believe American travelers should know about. If you are accustomed to dealing with U.S. companies, where customer service is often readily accessible by phone and where escalating a problem can be relatively straightforward, do not assume that an online travel agency operating in Europe will provide the same level of customer support.
In our experience with MyTrip.com, getting meaningful assistance was extremely difficult. Communication was frustrating, responsibility seemed to move between the travel agency and the insurance provider, and obtaining a clear answer to a straightforward question became a challenge in itself. When you are dealing with a medical emergency, an international trip, and potentially thousands of dollars in travel expenses, having no effective customer support can be extremely stressful.
My advice to American travelers is simple: think twice before booking through an online travel agency such as MyTrip simply to save a few dollars. The price you see at checkout may not reflect the real cost of the transaction if something goes wrong. When booking an international trip, particularly one involving expensive flights or complicated insurance, I would strongly consider booking directly with the airline or with a company that provides clear, accessible customer support and a well-defined complaint process.
Our experience taught us that the real test of a travel company isn’t how easy it is to take your money—it is how easy it is to get help when something goes wrong.
If you also have had bad Mytrip.com experience, share it with us
