Can I claim on my insurance if my destination has confirmed cases of Coronavirus?
Many countries now have cases of Coronavirus and you can still travel to your destination and shouldn’t need to cancel because of there being new cases. Having confirmed cases of Coronavirus doesn’t necessarily mean the place is unsafe to travel to. In addition, confirmed cases doesn’t take account of someone who has completely recovered, or displayed no symptoms of illness to begin with.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or the World Health Organisation (WHO) make the decision whether travel to a specific destination is unsafe.
If you have booked a trip to any other country where there have been confirmed cases of the virus, but where there isn’t currently advice against all travel, then you will still be able to go on your holiday. This also means that you won’t be able to claim for the cancellation of your holiday on your travel insurance because of the coronavirus.
I have a holiday booked but don’t want to go now due to Coronavirus. Can I claim to cancel my holiday?
You will be covered if you must cancel your holiday due to Coronavirus if you fulfil all three of the following requirements:
• The FCDO advises against all travel to your destination (as opposed to all but essential travel)
• You have purchased a Traveller Plus policy
• Your policy was purchased before the FCDO advice was issued.
If your holiday is to an area or a country where these are confirmed cases of Coronavirus, but there is no “against all travel” warning issued then you cannot claim for cancellation on your policy.
My travel company has cancelled my holiday due to Coronavirus.
If your travel company has cancelled your trip, then they must refund your monies in full. This is in line with the EU Travel Directive. As regards to your insurance with us, we can change the policy start date as long as the new start date falls within 13 months of the start date showing on your current policy with us.
My airline has cancelled my flights because of Coronavirus.
Again, if an airline has cancelled your flight, you do have rights. The airline must arrange a full refund or arrange for you to travel your route at the earliest opportunity as this will be part of their Conditions of Carriage.
We have received a very small number of reports where travel agents or airlines are refusing to refund you, even when they cannot provide the services you contracted with them. This is very disappointing obviously. You can approach your credit card company for them to arrange a refund instead, if you are in the UK, as section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act of 1974 gives you legal protection if things go wrong. If this is the case, it’s best for you to contact your credit card company directly to make a claim.
I’m due to enter Canada for my IEC, but my POE letter is about to expire!
If your POE letter is due to expire, which will mean you will lose your only opportunity to work in Canada, IRCC are extending these dates by 90 days.
Just go to the IRCC secure messaging system here, and ensure you click the first dropdown to International Experience Canada. Just explain the situation and attach your current POE letter. Currently, IRCC are replying in around 7 days, attaching revised POE letters with an extended entry date for you.
Do note that effective 8 May 2020, the Canadian Authorities have changed their entry requirements for Working Holiday IEC Candidates in that now you now also now need to have a valid job offer. This used to only apply to Young Professional or International Co-op categories. It is expected that this is a temporary measure due to the job market situation in Canada right now. Click here for further information.
Your right to cancel the policy
As stated when you purchased your policy, you have the right to cancel within 14 days, as long as you haven’t travelled, or were already travelling when you purchased the policy, and also haven’t made and don’t intend to make a claim.
If you want to cancel your policy but have gone over the 14-day cooling off period, we’re unable to offer a refund. Exceptions may be made, for example if there’s a change to your circumstances which means we’re unable to cover your medical conditions.
Due to the current situation, if after the 14-day cooling off period your plans change and you cannot use the policy, you can change your travel dates up to 15 months ahead of when your policy was originally supposed to start. If you’d like to change the dates of your trip, you will need to do this before your original trip was due to start. You can also change the area of cover and duration of your policy if you need to. Depending on where you’re going there may be an additional cost, so you’ll need to pay the difference in premium.
We do need any instructions in writing to arrange a cancellation or a date change, so please just use the Contact Us form on our website.