So I was trying to book tickets for this work-related trip to Iloilo City. And similar to many budget-conscious Filipinos, I compare and contrast prices; and when we do, budget airline Cebu Pacific almost always comes on top, locally competing with Air Asia when it comes to affordability, though definitely much cheaper than Philippine Airlines.
However, Cebu Pacific started implementing an act that gravely affected its competitive pricing.
Particularly, when you book in Cebu Pacific’s online portal now, you are forced to avail of their insurance: the CEB TravelSure.
It is preselected for you as an add-on.
And no, you can’t unselect it.
Being insured is always a good idea, obviously. But imposing this on passengers is a money-grab, to be honest. What if you don’t like their insurance provider? What if you have a different travel insurance? What if you don’t want to be insured at all?
Cebu Pacific does not seem to care; you’re forced to pay. The only “option” you have is not to book Cebu Pacific at all.
This forced insurance actually boosted the price of our booking, from over ₱8,000 for three persons to over ₱10,000. That’s after each was charged over ₱500. Magugulat ka na lang sa laki ng tubo ng presyo. So you’d think na nakamura ka sa Cebu Pacific… pero hindi pala.
You have to read through Reddit posts to know the processes undergone by people to reclaim their money paid for this forced insurance, with some claiming it took months for the refund to be returned, and not by engaging with Cebu Pacific but with the insurance company itself, Chubb Insurance, by calling (02) 859-2774. If you have patience, contact Cebu Pacific’s customer service (02) 7020-888, (02) 8859 2774, 1800 803 548… or whatever number you can find (i.e. it hasn’t been easy identifying a number, TBH).
All unnecessary, really, if only Cebu Pacific didn’t impose this unwanted insurance on its customers.
At the time of Bongbong Marcos when lack of transparency is what’s normalized, we actually expect to know where our money is going. But yeah… here we are with this.
Kayo, ano experience nyo with booking with Cebu Pacific? And agree ba kayo sa galawang Cebu Pacific?
