Making a reservation

We accept Visa and MasterCard payments and process them via our secure credit card processing system.

This system is administered entirely by our bank (Bank of New Zealand) and Windcave (A secure online payment system).

When completing the booking form, the final stage is the payment process. From there, follow the instructions.

When your payment is made, the screen will display a reference number, and a receipt will be emailed to you.

We will automatically be notified of your payment, and one of our travel consultants will contact you to confirm your booking within 48 hours of payment. Once in contact with an agent, you can adjust your itinerary. 

The balance due date is displayed on the costs page of your itinerary.

• If you've made a reservation well ahead of time, the remaining balance is to be paid 60 days before the start of your itinerary.
• If you've booked recently and your tour start date is less than 60 days away, you'll need to pay the remaining costs as soon as you receive the confirmation document for your tour.
• The final payment for a group booking is required 60 days before the start date of your tour.

We recommend confirming this information with your consultant.

We may have made some special arrangements that require payment in advance. We will advise you of this at the time of booking. Our itineraries have no hidden costs and pricing pages update instantly as you or our specialists make any alterations.

Yes. The payment system we use offers the highest levels of safety and security available.

The system we use is administered entirely by Windcave -- a world leader in secure online payment technology -- and our bank, the Bank of New Zealand. When you click through to the payment system the transaction is completed within a secure page and the information entered is only seen by Windcave and our bank.

Yes. You can choose to pay for your tour in another currency.

Choose your preferred currency on the payments page and our system will convert your balance into your currency using BNZ (Bank of New Zealand) exchange rates.

Paying in Your Local Currency

For example, selecting to pay us in $US will mean you will be charged that exact $US amount if your card was issued by a US bank.

Paying in NZ Dollars

If you choose to pay in $NZ using a non-New Zealand credit card, your credit card company or bank may charge you a currency conversion fee. This can sometimes be around 3% of the transactions. So check with your bank or credit card company first to determine your best option.

Note: the cost in currencies other than $NZ may fluctuate with exchange rate changes. We use the NZ$ price as the base cost.

If you don't have a credit card or prefer not to use one, please contact us so that we can supply all the information you need to make a direct credit to our New Zealand or Australian bank account.

If you decide to make payments via direct credit, please note that the payments need to be made in New Zealand dollars, and any bank fees incurred need to be covered by you. Depending on your location and bank, this transaction may take up to 10 days to process, so please keep this in mind while making the payment. Transfer the money as early as possible to avoid any delays. We won't be able to confirm your plans or make any arrangements until we receive the full deposit amount.

We recommend having a Credit card with you while travelling through New Zealand.

Even if you have prepaid for your arrangements, they may request your credit card details as a precautionary measure for incidentals. These may include charges for mini-bar, room service, and restaurant bills at hotels, as well as when collecting your rental vehicle. We recommend obtaining a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card before starting your trip to New Zealand.

Yes. It is a simple process to make partial or split payments.

Once the deposit is paid, there's no need to make a balance payment until 60 days prior to the start of your itinerary. Your balance payment date will be outlined in your tour confirmation.

How to make partial, split or additional payments?

You can make partial payments through your online tour itinerary, select 'make/view payments' in the right hand side menu. At the bottom of this page is a white box showing the balance due, which can be edited. Edit to the amount you wish to pay, and then click through to process your payment through our secure credit card system.

If you have not made your deposit payment yet but want to split the deposit between travel companions or different credit cards, please get in contact with us. We need to make a small manual adjustment before you can enter the deposit amount in the white box. Once your full deposit payment has been received, we will be in touch to confirm this with you and can begin to book your holiday.

Yes. You can use as many different credit cards as you wish to pay for your trip.

The system processes each card individually and allocates to your account. So splitting costs between fellow travellers is easy. all you need to do when you pay the deposit is advise us you wish to split this across cards or fellow travellers and we will switch to multiple payments.

For the balance payment select 'make/view payments' in the right hand side menu of your online tour. At the bottom of this page is a white box showing the balance due and this can be edited simply edit to the amount you wish to pay and then click through to process your payment through our secure credit card system.

No. We do not charge an additional fee for paying with your credit card.

Yes. Your bank may charge you some additional fees for paying in foreign currencies, for example paying NZ dollars with your US credit card. We recommend contacting your card provider to confirm whether your bank or credit card company charges additional fees.

Many banks or credit card companies offer multiple types/conditions of credit cards and normally there is an option for a credit or debit card which does not have any foreign exchange charges - this option may give you the best currency exchange when paying for your trip in NZ dollar and whilst you are in New Zealand.

Paying in New Zealand dollars
Our tours are priced in New Zealand dollars. If you choose to pay with NZ currency your credit card supplier may charge you a foreign exchange/currency conversion fee, much like if you went to a bank and purchased foreign currency.

Paying with other currencies
We do give you the option to pay in an alternative currency. When paying with a credit card issued in the US and using US dollars, there shouldn't be any foreign exchange or currency conversion fee applied by your credit card company.

Currency conversion rates
Every bank or credit card company has a different foreign exchange/currency rate, which changes daily and usually is higher than online exchange information based on the share market. The only foreign exchange/currency conversion rates you should use are those of banks, credit card companies or ours, which our New Zealand-based bank supplies.

To be clear, any additional fees incurred at the payment stage are due to bank fees or currency conversions, not us.
 

Simply make an enquiry via the Fine Tours New Zealand website to begin the tour booking process. Your trip planner will arrange everything for you and accept your payment.

To see an indicative price for a suggested itinerary and save it for your future reference, click on the 'Get Indicative Price' button and complete the short form.

Suggested itineraries can and should be customised to suit your particular interests and desired style of New Zealand travel experience. Our itinerary planners have a wealth of experience planning New Zealand vacations and can ensure that you have the best possible time on your visit.

At the time of booking we ask for a deposit payment of 20% of the quoted tour cost or NZ$200 per person, whichever is higher.

Occasionally, items such as domestic airfares may also need paying for at the time of the deposit. These are usually paid for immediately after you book; so we collect payment along with your deposit.

The deposit amount will be calculated automatically and displayed on the payment page.

Book early! Especially if there are experiences that the travellers must do, there is an incredible amount of pending trips that have been postponed for a couple of years now, so 2023 will be a busy year. If you are planning to travel over the school holiday period (End of Dec to Early Feb) book well in advance.
Have travel insurance! We can help with that
Don't be scared of New Zealand's off-peak times - aka the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn. Large numbers of people will begin travelling again soon and if you'd like to avoid the crowds, try these quieter periods. They hold their own reward with spring being prime wildlife/farm animal spotting, not to mention the beautiful natives including rata and manuka coming into flower! Autumn is a time for crisp bluebird days and some of the calmest weather of the year. The beautiful fall colours are not to be missed, and are best seen around Hawkes Bay and Central Otago.

Completing our booking form will supply us with the information we need to arrange your holiday.

The booking form asks you for the information we need such as names, address, phone number etc. We also ask for your flight details if you have those arranged already (if not you can still book and supply those later).

Requesting Special Requirements

There is a section on the form which allows you to add special requests such as dietary requirements or preferred bedding configurations or anything else you want to let us know.