Perks per Share

LSE: TCG

Thomas Cook Group

Holiday booking discount

Discontinued
What shareholders got 10% off 500 shares or more

Thomas Cook Group sold holidays and ran airlines, including Thomas Cook Airlines and Condor. The parent company went into liquidation in 2019.

This scheme has endedThomas Cook Group entered compulsory liquidation on 23 September 2019. The discount had already disappeared from its annual reports after 2010, but its end date is unconfirmed.

History of the perk

  1. Compulsory liquidation

    The High Court appointed the Official Receiver to wind up the company. Thomas Cook requested suspension of its shares that morning.

  2. Discount absent from the 2011 report

    The 2011 annual report no longer mentioned the holiday discount or foreign exchange benefit. Neither appeared in the 2012 and 2014 reports.

  3. Scheme announced

    The chairman announced the holiday discount and foreign exchange offer in a letter sent with the first annual meeting notice after the 2007 merger. They replaced MyTravel’s shareholder benefits, whose earlier terms were not described.

What shareholders got

Shareholders received 10% off the latest retail high-street price of a holiday booked with the group’s UK and Ireland brands.

Who qualified

You needed at least 500 ordinary shares.

Minimum holding period: 6 months before booking.

Shares held through a broker

Shares held in your own name qualified.

Nominee holders had to provide proof of ownership.

Previous claim process

Registered holders quoted the shareholder number on their certificate. Nominee holders needed confirmation from the nominee that they still owned the shares when booking.

  1. 1. Booking by phoneShareholders booked through a dedicated telephone line. Shops, travel agents, websites and other telephone lines could not apply the discount.

Exclusions and limits

Excluded: Flight-only bookings; Air Passenger Duty, fuel charges and other supplements.

The offer could not be combined with other discounts.

Practical notes

Participating brands

The 2008 letter listed seventeen brands, including Airtours, Club 18-30, Neilson, Thomas Cook Signature and Tradewinds. The 2010 annual report listed twelve.

Foreign exchange

Qualifying shareholders could also buy currency and travellers’ cheques at a preferential rate, without commission, in Thomas Cook and Going Places shops. This benefit disappeared from the annual reports alongside the holiday discount.