Am I covered if I have to cancel due to catching Coronavirus?
For all policies issued from 1600 GMT on 22 December, due to the Omicron Variant of COVID-19 resulting in much higher transmission levels, Cancellation Cover has been suspended in its entirety for departures until 1 February 2022.
For departures from 1 February 2022, if you, or someone you’re due to be travelling with, contracts Coronavirus before travel and you have to cancel your trip, then you can claim costs for any non-refundable travel related expenses up to the limits of cover on the policy you have. In addition, if you are quarantined before travel by a relevant authority as there is a suspicion you have been exposed to Coronavirus, again you can claim cancellation.
Am I covered if I contract Coronavirus on my trip?
It depends on where you are travelling to, or where you are, if you’re already travelling. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issue travel warnings on their Travel Advice Pages. You may check the country you are going to (or are in already) by using this link, and if there is a specific warning on the Summary section for “all but essential travel on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks”, this means your policy will not cover any costs in the event you contract Coronavirus. However, your policy may cover any other sudden unexpected illness or accidents which may require medical attention.
If you arrive in a country when there was no FCDO warning for COVID, but then a warning is subsequently issued whilst you’re still there, you will remain to have medical cover for COVID in that country for the duration of your policy.
Am I covered if I have to quarantine abroad?
If you have been newly diagnosed with COVID-19 by a medical practitioner overseas and are therefore required to undertake mandatory quarantine during, or at the end of your trip, you may claim reasonable and necessary additional accommodation (room only), or for any specific accommodation provided by the local health authorities.
Should this happen, you must contact our 24-hour Medical Assistance Service at the time of being diagnosed for authorisation of cover. As stated above, if you are in a country where the FCDO has advised against all but essential travel due to COVID-19 risks, any claim would be denied.
Must I be vaccinated against COVID?
Yes, there is an exclusion in the policy that any claim relating to your failure to obtain any recommended vaccinations for your trip may be declined. Consideration will be given where you are medically unable to be vaccinated which is supported by your medical records. If you are not fully vaccinated for COVID this means that claims specifically for COVID may be declined, but any other unrelated sudden illness or accidents requiring medical attention will be covered as normal. You’re considered fully vaccinated 14 days after you have completed a course of an approved vaccination i.e. 1 or 2 doses, as prescribed by the vaccination programme.
I need a document which states my insurance specifically covers COVID?
On checking entry requirements on the FCDO website (as above) you will note some countries require confirmation that your medical cover specifically states that it includes COVID-19. At time of writing, the only countries who require this are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Egypt, Indonesia, Mauritius, Paraguay, Singapore, and Thailand. Apply for cover online as normal, and when you receive your policy documents from us by email, simply reply to that email requesting a Covid Declaration Statement from us, remembering to state which country you require it for, your expected date of entry and confirm that you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Note we can only issue these declarations within 28 days of your expected arrival date.
We will email the relevant document to you within 24 hours.
Am I covered if I travel to a country on the Red List?
There are no countries on the "Red List" as at 0400 GMT on 15 December 2021.
What if my holiday or flights are cancelled?
If your holiday or flights are cancelled due to new COVID travel restrictions (rather than you having to cancel due to illness etc.), your airline or tour operator will either offer you revised travel dates, or refund you, in accordance with the Law. You have a right to cancel any travel insurance policy within 14 days of purchase, as long as travel hasn’t commenced. If you have gone over the 14-day cooling off period, we can change the start date of your policy to any new date within 12 months of the original policy issue date.
If you’d like to change the dates of your trip, you must 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.