Can we get our Russian trip refunded before January?

Simon Calder on trip refunds and which countries are safe from quarantine

St Petersburg is particularly bright and beautiful in early summer (Getty)

Q We booked a holiday to Russia in May for nearly £2,300 for two people. Needless to say, it was eventually cancelled because of coronavirus. But before that, because things looked uncertain, we rearranged the holiday to mid-September – and paid another £300 between us to make the change.

The Moscow and St Petersburg trip has now annoyingly been cancelled, and we have been told that we can rebook for a future date, accept a credit note or request a refund. We want our money back but have been told they can’t get it to us until January, and that Abta has approved that decision.

Is the company allowed to hang on for six months? We are sympathetic to the problems of the travel industry at the moment but to keep our cash until 2021 seems a little unfair.