For information relating to policies purchased prior to 8 November 2022, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For policies purchased from 8 November 2022, please see below.
Yes, there’s cover for your non-refundable trip cancellation fees if you have no option but to cancel your trip before you were due to leave your home country due to a sudden, unforeseen, and unavoidable insured event which is outside your control.
What’s covered
As soon as you buy your policy, there’s cover for loss of your pre-paid non-refundable travel, accommodation and tour expenses and tuition/course fees if you can’t travel anymore because of:
- Accidental injury; serious illness; sudden death of you, any person with whom you are intending to travel or stay, or of your close relative (as defined in the policy wording).
- You being called for jury service, attending court as a witness (but not as an expert witness); or the unexpected, involuntary redundancy for you or for any person with whom you had arranged to travel.
- Your home or place of business being made uninhabitable, within 14 days of your travel ‘start date’ noted on your policy; or the police asking to see you after a theft from your home which occurred within 14 days of your travel ‘start date’ on your policy.
- For Explorer plans: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for your country of residence or other regulatory authority of the country in which you are or will be travelling advising against all travel or all but essential travel to the area you are travelling to/in, providing the advice:
- is not issued due to a pandemic or regional quarantine;
- came into force after you purchased this insurance or booked the trip (whichever is the later); and
- was still in force within 21 days of your departure date.
- For Explorer plans, under the Coronavirus Travel Costs section, if a close relative (defined in policy wording) in your home country is diagnosed with Coronavirus after you’ve started your trip and is then hospitalised or dies, and you have to cancel your trip, you may be covered for your non-refundable pre-paid travel arrangements. Please note this section has its own benefit limit which applies. You can read more about it in our Coronavirus cover article which has all of the details, including benefit limits and exclusions.
What you need to do if you can’t travel anymore
You must tell the travel agent, tour operator or provider of transport or accommodation if you can no longer travel as planned and where possible obtain any available refunds.
When making a claim, you’ll need to show evidence of your cancellation fees and any refund you may have received. You will also need to show that the reason for your cancellation was unexpected and occurred after you purchased your policy and after you booked or paid for any travel arrangements, whichever is later.
What’s not covered
Here are some of the main things that aren’t covered:
- Any expenses related to a pre-existing medical condition as explained in the policy wording
- The policy excess
- Medically related claims where a certificate has not been obtained from a medical practitioner confirming that cancellation of the trip is medically necessary
- Additional costs incurred as a result of not immediately telling the travel agent, tour operator or provider of transport or accommodation that you need to cancel the trip
- Anything else that’s listed in the General Exclusions and Specific Exclusions in the policy wording.
The policy isn’t designed to cover everything so take the time to read the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions in the policy wording for full details, so there are no surprises if you need to use it. If you’re not sure if something is covered get in touch.