Times when travel insurance has paid off for you

We've claimed twice, first time was for a luggage incident. Second time was for a trip to the US that we had to cancel less than 24 before we were due to fly as we tested positive for COVID (back in 2022 when a negative test was a travel requirement!). Both claims paid out in full apart from the excess

Husband had a horrendous virus in Greece, paid for treatment in medical centre. Pram was broken flying to Portugal, paid for it to be repaired in England.

We booked to go sailing in Turkey. A few weeks before I became I sick with gall stones and I had jaundice. The GP told me not too go on holiday. She referred me to the hospital and did a letter for the insurance company. The insurance paid every penny of the holiday, and didn’t query anything.

It's an odd question OP, as if there is a kind of assumption that insurance rarely 'works', when surely it usually does.

We've claimed three times I think - lost luggage on outward journey, spinal fracture skiing a few years ago for DH, and extended hospital stay for my dad for an infection in Cyprus again a few years ago.

We let our toddler have a good old run around in a playground just before our journey home, hoping to tire her out before hours of sitting. She fell, and sliced her chin open - gaping wound raining blood. So instead of catching our train to Paris, and connection to London, we ended up in an ambulance to a paediatric hospital.

Because we'd booked our eurostar and onward travel months before, we'd got a great deal and had upgraded to first class for an extra £40. Insurance were insisting that our class of travel be the same as original tickets so the next day we trundled up to the station and spent around €800 just on replacement first class tickets to London. Im not sure what the medical costs were as hospital just took insurance details but our hotel for the night was reimbursed too.

Insurance company was really easy to deal with. We just sent them copies of ticket receipts, hotel receipts, extra parking charges, and they paid us back within about 2 weeks.

Surely he got the money back after claiming though to repay them?

Hope he is OK now.

That's awful is he OK now?!

8 weeks pregnant on holiday in the US and started bleeding heavily. Covered an emergency scan and blood tests - luckily all was well and it was just a haematoma. Wasn't hugely expensive, but so glad we didn't have to sort out money on top of an already stressful experience, and didn't have to worry about needing more treatment later.

My late husband was taken ill at the airport, so we didn't get further than the departure lounge. Cancellation of flights, accommodation and car hire all refunded.
Luggage didn't reach our destination on another trip. Given funds to buy clothes and toiletries etc, and when luggage turned up ripped to shreds, new luggage funded.

Please also remember the GHIC cards. Not a replacement for insurance but saves the faff sometimes. Entities you to receive the same care at the same cost to locals. My FIL cut his head open in Croatia. Ambulance came in 5 mins, stitched in hospital. Produced ghic. Cost €8 in total as he produced the card.

I've got a time it didn't help at all...

We got stuck in Cambodia when Bangkok airport was taken over by protesters. We were meant to change in Bangkok so our flight home was cancelled.

We were stuck for 3 days trying to get in touch with / a straight answer from the airline. ended up booking an alternative flight home because they were saying it would be at least 10 more days before they could get us home.

Insurance wouldn't pay as it was civil unrest.

The airline only refunded about 10% of the return flight because they said that was the 'return' portion, and wouldn't compensate for any of the £££ we'd paid for the flight home.

I think most policies cover more random things like this now but back then terrorism, acts of god etc were pretty standard exclusions.

I had a claim refused for flights to what was essentially a disaster zone thanks to a horrific weather event. Apparently because it was two separate flights they wouldn't cover either which makes no sense. I've always gone for a 5 star defacto rating ever since on travel insurance - who knows whether it makes a difference. Luckily I haven't had to find out.

Fifteen years ago DH ended up in hospital with sepsis and just avoided amputation of his leg. No way he would be fit to travel in 3 weeks with a gammy leg. The insurance company were amazing and refunded all costs which we deposited in savings until he was fit and healthy.

I worked for an emergency repat service - I could give you 000's of cases from someone having insect bites to a broken limb while skiing needing a stretcher and nurse to get home to an air ambulance in the many many thousands.

I get a yearly premium with my health insurer. Because we tend to travel outside Europe it’s not much more expensive for a yearly worldwide policy vs a single trip policy. And we don’t have to declare pre existing conditions (of which DH has a few)

A basic £12 annual European policy from Coverwise (so AXA I think) through internet - Money Supermarket or similar - covered a fortnight in Spain in March 2020. Cancelled as first few weeks of Covid. Paid out in full, £1,600 reimbursed.

2 occasions:

one was a weeks stay in a Middle Eastern hospital and other was for breaking a tv in a hotel room

all for £40 excess apiece

Insurance is always booked at the same time as the holiday in this house, ever since a friend went in to very early labour overseas on holiday. Insurance ended up caring for her and her micro-preemie daughter until she was strong enough to fly home, then put them both on a private plane with a doctor and a nurse. It was just standard travel insurance through her bank account that she had.

Broke my camera in Israel. Insurance got me brand new one. Also for some reason they did not charge me the excess and I did not remind them.

Lazy journalist looking for things to quote?

DH collapsed with a virus in NYC and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. There a few hours then prescribed medication. Had to reschedule a flight as not well enough to fly. It cost thousands and thank goodness we had it all covered.

When I was a child I fell over on holiday and cut my head, had to go to hospital by ambulance and have stitches. Travel insurance covered all of the costs.

They paid when I couldn't fly to Turkey as I was diagnosed with kidney stones at the hospital near Uk airport. And doctors said I couldn't fly.

Meant I couldn't go on holiday but they paid up for everything and went on a similar holiday when I was better