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Daily Mail '£15' Holidays

Stay in holiday parks in the UK from £43 per family

Laura Berry
Laura Berry and Lucia Ariano | Edited by Gary Caffell
Updated 15 July 2019

The Daily Mail markets these as £15 per person holidays, but you can actually bag a family break at a UK holiday park from £43 for four people when you collect passwords in the Daily Mail.

There are a few steps so you'll need a bit of patience with this. Plus, there are a bunch of extra charges, so this guide explains how to avoid them and save £100s. You'll need to collect three passwords in papers between Mon 15 Jul and Thu 18 Jul, for holidays between Mon 2 Sep 2019 and Mon 18 May 2020.

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See also: This is a limited promotion. For step-by-step help on getting the cheapest holidays at any time, see our Cheap Package Holidays, Cheap Hotels & Cheap Villas guides, also Cheap Days Out and Cheap UK Travel.

Are they really £15?

The Daily Mail's title 'Holidays from £15pp' is based on choosing 'comfort plus' accommodation, which includes multi-room heating. However, you can actually get even cheaper holidays from £10 per person – plus the cost of newspapers – by staying in the very basic 'comfort' UK accommodation, which only has a gas or electric fire in the lounge. There are also holidays to parks outside of the UK, which start from £20 per person – plus the cost of newspapers – but we've focused on '£15' UK holidays in this guide.

Although these prices sound ridiculously cheap, and it's true you can make a great saving, the breaks can end up costing a lot more if you're not careful.

Basic charge

The basic cost is in fact £10 per person for three or four nights, but the price goes up with extras, upgrades and the time of year you choose.

Beach huts and toys

You always have to pay for at least four people, even if only two of you are going. So you'll pay at least £42.71 to get this offer – £40 for accommodation, £2.10 for three newspapers (70p Mon-Fri), plus 61p for a second class stamp.

On top of this, most parks add a service charge, which costs £4.50-£15 per unit per night.

The service charge covers cleaning and gas & electricity, and most parks charge it. Here's a handy link to see which holiday parks have free service charges.

This offer is for accommodation only, so you'll need to think about the cost of travel (read our Cheap Trains guides) if you won't be driving.

Other extras:

There are also some extras for you to think about, and this is where parks make their money.

  • Bed linen

    The Daily Mail hasn't confirmed how much bed linen costs, but it's not included at any of the holiday parks unless you upgrade to 'Premier Plus' accommodation. So bring your own sheets, or you'll pay to hire them.

  • Entertainment – £3-£30 per person

    Parks offering entertainment programmes may charge for optional entertainment passes from £3-£30 per person, per break. 

    This may include access to facilities such as the swimming pool, bars and restaurants at some. Check out which parks and dates have free entertainment passes.

  • Food

    This offer is for self-catering accommodation, so no meals are included in the price. Some parks have catering facilities, but this will be charged on top.

  • Peak-dates supplement – £3.50-£6 per person

    Choosing peak dates often results in an extra £3.50-£6 charge per person per break. Dates vary per park for these charges, but you can check  holiday parks and peak charges online.

If you're organised you can avoid paying these costs – cook your own grub and bring your own bed linen and a board game, and you'll save money!

Step 1: Collect your passwords

Collect three passwords, printed in the Daily Mail (70p weekdays) between Mon 15 Jul and Thu 18 Jul. These passwords need to be from papers published on different days, so the last day you can start collecting is Tue 16 Jul. 

Cut out your passwords or note them down and keep them safe – once you've got three, you can sign up to book online or send off your postal application. The closing date to apply via both method is Fri 30 Aug.

Step 2: Pick your dates

If booking online, you can go through what's available and pick a holiday that suits you. If you're applying by post though, you'll need to pick FOUR dates and FOUR parks you'd like, and keep your fingers crossed you'll get one of them.

Weekend breaks are three nights and weekday holidays are four nights. The holiday dates are between autumn 2019 and spring 2020, but you'll pay more for peak dates.

You can actually join breaks together to make a holiday longer. So book a Mon-Fri and Fri-Mon break separately but back-to-back at the same park and you'll get a seven-night break. Once you receive confirmation, contact the park to link the breaks – although it can't be guaranteed you'll be able to remain in the same accommodation.

List of dates

  • Friday-Monday (three-night breaks)

    Here are the different dates your three-night break can start on:

    2019
    Aug 30
    Sep 6, 13, 20, 27
    Oct 4, 11, 18, 25
    Nov 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
    Dec 13
    2020
    Jan 31
    Feb 7, 14, 21, 28
    Mar 6, 13, 20, 27
    Apr 3, 10, 17, 24
    May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

  • Monday-Friday (four-night breaks)

    Here are the different dates your four-night break can start on:

    2019
    Sep 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
    Oct 7, 14, 21, 28
    Nov 4, 11, 18, 25
    Dec 9, 16
    2020
    Jan N/A
    Feb 3, 10, 17, 24
    Mar 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
    Apr 6, 13, 20, 27
    May 4, 11, 18, 25

Note: Not all parks will be available on these dates

Step 3: Pick your parks

The accommodation will either be caravans, chalets or apartments at one of 170 parks in the UK or 55 in Europe. You can find the park listings on the Mail Holidays homepage.

The price will depend on the type of accommodation you pick as well as the time of year you choose to go. If you're applying by post you must pick FOUR parks. Check reviews on TripAdvisor first and compare service charges.

If you want to take a pet, contact the park first. No groups all aged under 25 are permitted at any of the parks.

Step 4: Book online or by post

boy at adventure park

You can either book online or by post. The advantage of booking online is that you can see what is available and can book the park and date you want straightaway, whereas by post, you get what you're given and you can't change it.

How are you booking?

  • I'm booking online

    Go online to the Daily Mail from Wed 17 Jul, enter all three passwords and your email address, and click 'sign up'. You'll then automatically be taken to the booking page. You'll need to pay via credit/debit card and there's a £3 charge per booking.

  • I'm booking via post

    As soon as you've got three passwords, print the application form (available online from Wed 17 Jul and printed in the paper on Thu 18 Jul), fill it in and send it with the cut-out passwords to: BreakFree Holidays / Daily Mail, PO Box 29, Colchester, CO2 8GZ.

    You must pay by cheque and include the basic charge of £10 per person. So, the minimum payment is £40 as you have to pay for at least four people. For every person on top of the four, you'll need to send an extra £10, up to a maximum of eight people.

    If you select a break for more than £10 per person though (eg, upgraded accommodation or peak dates), still only send £10 each as the holiday park will invoice the extra cost, as well as any service charge.

    The Daily Mail says it will try to get you a holiday, but there ares no guarantees – book as early as you can to give yourself a greater chance of getting your chosen break. Make sure you keep a record of your parks and dates.

If you require adapted access accommodation for those with disabilities, call 0800 138 3241 to discuss requirements before booking. 

The closing date for both booking methods is Fri 30 Aug. You'll be sent confirmation from the park by post within 21 days with an invoice for any extra charges which need to be paid prior to arrival. These charges must be paid usually within two weeks of receiving it.

If you're unsuccessful, you'll be contacted within 21 days to see if an alternative can be arranged. If not, you'll be refunded.

If you haven't heard anything call 0344 543 9700.

WARNING! You can't make ANY amendments or cancellations after the application has been confirmed. Only book if you're sure about the dates and parks you picked. Here are the T&Cs (click on the 'Terms and Conditions' tab for the full list).

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