With the coronavirus pandemic causing excessive uncertainty abroad, 80% of others think insurance has never seemed so vital, according to insurance provider Staysure.
And while it is advised to take out travel insurance to protect your getaways, not all policies offer the same point of coverage. In addition, some have exclusions, adding coronavirus claims.
To locate the right policy for you, take a look at those key pieces when you buy, the point of the coronavirus policy should be protected in the event of a travel company failure.
Some insurers have stopped promoting insurance due to the coronavirus pandemic. And even now that many sources are on sale again, some coronavirus claims would possibly be excluded.
Companies such as AA, Abta, AXA, All Clear, CoverForYou, esure, Holidaysafe, InsureandGo, Post Office, Nationwide, Saga, Southdowns, Staysure and Trailfinders are back promoting insurance policies to new customers.
However, all policies are different, so make sure you know what will be and what will be covered in the event of a coronavirus alteration.
Some insurers will exclude all claims as a result of coronavirus, with the exception of emergency medical treatment overseas and repatriation.
The Post Office, talking about any new travel insurance policies taken out or any new trips booked that will be covered by an existing policy, advises: “This insurance policy is only able to provide cover for coronavirus-related disease, (including but not limited to COVID-19), under the Medical Expenses and Repatriation section of the policy.
“This means that we will cover the associated emergency medical expenses and costs to return you back home following you falling ill with COVID-19 overseas. However, we are unable to provide cover for any COVID-19 related claims under any other section of the policy.”
Crucially, this means that other elements, such as cancellation after a coronavirus, would be covered.
Saga takes a technique by adding an emergency medical policy after a coronavirus in the new policies. However, he says: “Claims about coronavirus in other circumstances, such as cancelling or abandoning your trip, are not covered.”
Some insurers will also cancel the canopy, such as Coverwise, but only in certain circumstances. Coverwise says it will cover you when it is mandatory to cancel a because:
Similarly, AXA covers safe cancellations for medical reasons, but states that new consumers “will not be covered in opposition to any non-medical cancellation or interruption, adding blockages, FCO recommendations or recommendations from any other country not to pass there.”
For now, it will be difficult to locate a policy that would pay for cancellation due to a replacement in the recommendation of the Department of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (FCO) related to coronavirus, as has happened recently with Spain.
Nationwide is an exception as it provides a policy for this through insurance included for consumers with their FlexPlus bank account.
However, it would possibly be covered instead of additional adjustments to the FCO’s advice, as long as this is not the result of the coronavirus pandemic.
If you are involved in this, protect your holiday in another way, for example, by booking a vacation package, because here you are legally entitled to a refund if it has been cancelled due to FCO advice.
You should also look at the cancellation and date change policies of the company you are booking your travel with, as a number of more flexible procedures have been introduced.
It’s also important to remember that the majority of travel insurance policies will be completely invalid if you travel against FCO advice.
Before you take out any travel insurance policy, insurers will ask you questions about your health. It’s essential that you answer these questions honestly and declare any conditions you have or have previously had, even if this pushes the price of a policy up.
If you are found to have lied or withheld any information, your policy could be deemed invalid and any claims could be turned down. Your insurer has the right to request access to your medical records if you make a claim due to medical reasons – including coronavirus claims.
Staysure talks about this on its coronavirus travel information page, saying: “This means that if you develop COVID-19 and need help, you’ll be covered as long as you’ve declared your pre-existing conditions.”
If you have been diagnosed with Covid-19 previously, it is worth disclosing this as a medical condition. Whether this is counted as a pre-existing condition will vary between insurers, with Trailfinders saying: “It is important that clients contact the medical screening company if they have visited their GP, been hospitalised or have been prescribed medication due to Covid-19. It must be noted on the policy as a pre-existing condition and any relevant additional premium paid.”
While Staysure says, “You still claim COVID-19 as a pre-existing condition.”
Talk to your insurance company to check.
In addition to seeing what your policy covers, pay attention to the amount you can claim for parts such as medical expenses, cancellation, and lost parts.
This varies between other travel insurance providers and many corporations are also offering policies with other policy grades, so-called bronze, silver and gold, or similar.
It may be worth paying a little more for the extra canopy to have peace of mind in case of a problem. AXA, for example, will cover customers with a total of 1,500 euros for non-public and effective purposes as a component of its bronze policy, while this will accumulate up to 2,000 euros in its silver source and 2,500 euros in its gold policy.
Carefully compare grades with:
Don’t also take a look at the excess amounts in your policy— the agreed amount you’ll pay in the event of a claim.
The industry is under great monetary tension right now. If you haven’t booked a protected vacation package through ATOL, take a look at the insurance policies that come with the “ultimately supplier failure”.
This supply policy if one of the corporations you have booked ceases to operate.
Some policies offer a “scheduled airline failure” as an alternative, which will provide you financially if your airline is managed.
With either type of coverage, check the exclusions and fine print, as some airlines would possibly be excluded.
If you need this type of policy but it’s not included as standard, you may need to upload it to your policy, so ask your insurer.
When subscribing to a policy, ensure that your individual destination (or destinations if it is an annual policy) is or is covered by a popular policy, as exclusions may apply.
Always check the latest FCO advice when taking a policy out too as, if there’s advice against travel to your destination, your insurance is likely to be invalid.
The definition of what is covered through a European policy may differ from one company to another, and even among other types of policies with the same company. For example, if you subscribe to a single European policy with the post office, Turkey is not automatically included. However, it is automatically included in its annual European policies.
Many travel insurance policies around the world do not automatically include a travel policy in the U.S., Canada or the Caribbean due to the maximum medical remedy charge in that country, so you may need to pay a higher premium to charge them.
If you are planning a long break, check how many consecutive days your policy covers it. If you exceed your policy limit, even if it is only one or two days, your insurance will not be valid.
In addition to restrictions for a singles trip, some annual policies set a restriction on the total number of days you would possibly be absent in a year. Therefore, if you have multiple trips planned, also pay attention to this.
Travel insurance doesn’t just cover you for occasions that occur while you’re away. A complete policy can also protect you for having to cancel a holiday for reasons beyond your control, so take out travel insurance on the day you book the holiday to qualify for this canopy.
Look at the level of cancellation cover a policy offers to protect your money should you have to call off a trip due to circumstances such as family bereavement, injury, divorce or other reasons. Look for a policy that covers cancellation up to the same amount or more than you paid for your trip, so you don’t lose out financially.
At the moment, there are likely to be exclusions around cancellation claims as a result of coronavirus. For example, esure states that its new policies won’t cover cancellation should you need to self-isolate while you’re not ill.
It says: “If you cancel your trip due to a health professional or official Government advice telling you to self-isolate/quarantine at home but you are not ill, you will not be covered for cancellation under your policy.”
However, you would be covered through holiday cancellation insurance if you got sick before leaving the UK or if “an escort, a member of the family circle, a close co-worker or the user you were going to stay with were delivered poor health before leaving the UK.”
Do you have the concept of having a smart vacation with adrenaline-intensive activities? If this is the case, read your policy thoroughly to make sure you are covered in the event of a twist of fate in one of your adventures.
From quad biking and scuba diving to horse riding, some insurers may exclude what they class as ‘hazardous activities’, and this will differ between companies. You may be able to add extra cover on for these if you speak to your insurance company.
Also think about winter sports policy if you’re making plans for skiing, and also look for exclusions with this additional policy, such as sledding.
Traffic jams, breakdowns and delays in public shipping are an inconvenience, but if you avoid taking a flight, without you being responsible, many key insurance policies won’t protect you.
Therefore, take a look at the missed exit policy in the policies and make sure you know the terms and situations surrounding the claim; you may want to provide evidence of the delay or it may turn out that it has taken long enough.
I’ve been a journalist for more than 15 years, writing for national newspapers and editing websites and magazines. I love helping readers to save money and make better
I’ve been a journalist for more than 15 years, writing for national newspapers and editing websites and magazines. I love helping readers to save money and make better informed financial decisions, whether it’s avoiding rip-offs or choosing the best insurance for them.