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Original poster

Cancelling holiday

96 replies

Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 16:00

Ds has decided he isn't going ahead with his holiday to Greece in 3 days time. I know I know what on earth is he playing at. Anyway its been up in the air since the day they booked it with some of his mates dropping out etc and then some not having been vaccinated. Anyway ots down to 3 of them and they have lost the enthusiasm for it now. It is questionable now if ds should have gone anyway due to a ear infection and feeling unwell he is on antibiotics etc. Ds had taken out travel insurance which starts on the 2nd the date he is meant to go. Do you think he can get his money back through that because of the ear infection or would insurance only cover for something more serious.

OP posts:
knittingaddict · 30/08/2021 17:07

[quote PlumpCushion]@knittingaddict
That’s why I’m saying they’ve got it wrong- when you buy a policy you give the travel dates anyway. It just means that your ‘on location’ claims relate to those dates. That’s how insurance works. Unless you have an annual policy and then you have a ‘start date’. Literally no one could ever cancel due to illness if the scenario outlined by some posters applied ![/quote]
Ah I see what you mean. Op seems to have worded it badly.

TakeYourFinalPosition · 30/08/2021 17:11

@PlumpCushion We are taking OP at her word that the insurance starts on the 2nd. A few of us did advise her to check that as it’d be unusual.

LawnFever · 30/08/2021 17:15

@ThinWomansBrain

If an adult if able to go on holiday alone, they should be able to read their own insurance policy - or call and check with the company if its not clear?
This, if he’s booked the holiday and the insurance he needs to call up and find out himself.

I always thought you needed to be seriously ill/hospitalised before holiday insurance would pay out, not needing antibiotics for an ear infection but it’s worth a call

PlumpCushion · 30/08/2021 17:23

@TakeYourFinalPositionb
it still sounds like you misunderstand the idea of preexisting conditions!

PlumpCushion · 30/08/2021 17:27

@LawnFever ear infections may sound minor but can mean you are unfit to fly

newnortherner111 · 30/08/2021 17:28

I think DS should be finding out these questions, don't blame him for not wanting to go. Whether or not he gets some refund, I have no idea.

knittingaddict · 30/08/2021 17:30

I think most, if not all of us understand pre-existing conditions and how they work. The problem is that op made it sound like the insurance would not exist on 1st September, but would be taken out on 2nd. Doubtful as that may be.

LawnFever · 30/08/2021 17:33

[quote PlumpCushion]@LawnFever ear infections may sound minor but can mean you are unfit to fly[/quote]
And that’s why I said it’s worth a call, but I also know from experience how difficult it can be to get money out of insurance companies, if they can get out of paying they will.

Tal45 · 30/08/2021 17:36

I would phone the insurance if I were him and see if it is covered, he'll need something from the doctor I expect as insurance companies really don't like to pay out but advice seems to be not to fly with an ear infection. Best to ring them and see.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 30/08/2021 17:40

"if they can get out of paying they will."

Insurance fraud costs billions per year, they have to do a million checks before paying out a claim to weed this out.

Either way though insurance is there to compensate people when unavoidable shit happens. In this case the OP has written it like he has just decided not to go, and oh he has an ear infection so can he claim. If his ear infection genuinely means he can't fly then he can claim, if his infection is genuinely so bad that on the date of the flight he has been advised by a doctor not to fly. He will have to get a doctors note and will be charged for them to fill this out. Also as PP said it depends on when the policy start date is and if the pre existing condition exclusion is from the date of booking the policy or the date of travel (this will be clear in the policy wording)

CyclingIsNotOuting · 30/08/2021 18:00

Did you post about this holiday before and his lack of spending money/money to book pcr tests?

WingingItEveryDay7 · 30/08/2021 18:13

If it's a single trip policy he has bought then cancellation cover would have started the minute he purchased it. If it's an annual policy he purchased cancellation cover won't start until the start date of the policy. In regards to whether it will cover your son's ear infection, he would need to have seen a doctor who has said he can't travel. If he just decides to cancel but has no proof as to the reason why (which must be an insured peril), then they won't pay out I'm afraid x

SpiderinaWingMirror · 30/08/2021 18:15

You might have misread or misunderstood the policy.
The travel dates will be specified I.e 2nd Sept to 9th or whatever. Those are the dates that he is covered for stuff that happens on the holiday.
He should have cancellation cover from the date he paid for the policy.
Get medical cert from the doctor ASAP and confirmation he is not fit to fly. Ring the insurer.

SpiderinaWingMirror · 30/08/2021 18:15

X post!

Original poster
Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 18:35

The insurance starts on date he goes

OP posts:
Original poster
Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 18:54

Pre existing means things like cancer and diabetes

OP posts:
mrcow · 30/08/2021 18:55

Yes - lots of people here seem very confused on how travel insurance works! You don’t need to book it the minute after you book your trip! If you’ve booked and it covers the dates of your trip, you’re covered, as long as it’s not a pre-existing condition that should have been declared at the time of the insurance purchase.

If he has single trip insurance, of course it will start on his travel date - that’s how it works. He needs to read his policy and double check the terms and any excess payments. He’d also need to be signed off by a doctor as unfit to travel (which they will probably charge for). The doctor will also have to sign that he was fit when the holiday was booked.

Changing your mind because a couple of your mates have dropped out, and using an ear infection as an excuse to let his other friends down is pretty lame btw….

whenthedoveslie · 30/08/2021 19:05

Changing your mind because a couple of your mates have dropped out, and using an ear infection as an excuse to let his other friends down is pretty lame btw….

AS if the travel industry isn't *** enough they have to deal with folk like op son and his mates.

Original poster
Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 19:25

He isn't letting anybody down if anything others let him.down and now all 3 left have no enthusiasm.

OP posts:
Original poster
Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 19:27

Its also very true that he has a badly infected ear and has been in alot of pain which just so happens to have occurred near holiday departure date so the choice to just up and go as really been taken from him

OP posts:
knittingaddict · 30/08/2021 19:31

@Tevion28

Pre existing means things like cancer and diabetes
It can be anything you are suffering with at the time of buying the policy that subsequently stops you travelling. You can declare conditions at the time of purchasing and the insurance company either won't cover that condition or charge you extra for covering it.

I'm assuming your son bought his travel insurance when he booked the holiday?

FAQs · 30/08/2021 19:32

I flew with an ear infection on a work trip, which got worse on the trip, the pain was awful on the flight and I was told I shouldn’t have flown by the doctor when I returned for antibiotics.

knittingaddict · 30/08/2021 19:33

@Tevion28

Its also very true that he has a badly infected ear and has been in alot of pain which just so happens to have occurred near holiday departure date so the choice to just up and go as really been taken from him
Has he seen the doctor and is he on antibiotics?
StarcourtMall · 30/08/2021 19:37

My opinion is yes he would be covered. Go to the GP to get evidence of an ear infection and contact the insurance company. He should be covered. (I used to work in the industry). The date is just the date you travel, you are covered from the day you book it as long as it’s not a condition you already had.

WingingItEveryDay7 · 30/08/2021 19:38

Irrespective whether the OPs son is letting anyone down or not, travel insurance will only pay out for an insured peril. OP your son needs to check what type of policy he purchased - single trip (which specifies the exact travel dates) or an annual policy which will have a start and end date covering a year. If its a ST policy he's purchased, he will have cancellation cover now. If it's an annual (or multi-trip as they're referred too) then he won't have cancellation cover yet. He will need to check what is covered under the cancellation section as to whether his decision to cancel is covered. I can already guarantee that changing his mind won't be, but if he really does have an ear infection he will need to see or speak to a doctor. Part of the claim form will require proof from the doctor that the ear infection existed and that he couldn't fly. They will only pay out for situations that are covered under the policy, and many people try their best to scam insurers which is why they have to carry out so many checks first x