Travel insurance query

[Travelinsuranceclaim]

Hello everyone.

I paid for an annual travel insurance policy to start on 31 August, as was due to go on holiday the next day with family.

On 28th August, my Dad has a heart attack and was deemed not fit to fly (he was coming on holiday with us).

The travel insurance claim has been denied as only started from 31 August, but if I'd had single trip insurance, would have I been covered?

So annoyed at myself and gutted so please be gentle on me!

I've never had an annual policy before and it seemed like a good idea but obviously it's not as just cost me £1,000! 😭

@EmmaMaria I thought that the annual policy would cover me for this as a single trip policy would have done, as I had insurance for the dates I couldn't travel on.

Obviously this was wrong, but I really did think I would be covered!

Have you read the terms of the policy? It should be clear from that if you are covered or not. If it’s not clear, ring back and ask them to explain which clause they are basing the rejection on. If you were originally told you were covered it’s worth checking, and use their complaints procedure if you are anything other than 100% convinced.

@PancakeClock I think unfortunately based on the replies here and the fact that the claim was rejected, I'm not covered!

I could ring tomorrow to check, but it's obviously my mistake with the dates and thinking that an annual policy would cover me for cancellation in the same way a single policy would!

Must admit, I cried when I found out I wasn't covered! 🤣

Does your Dad have travel insurance included on his home insurance, or any other policy such as a CSMA policy as some policies cover as standard. It is worth checking, including if Dad is employed and has a Medicash policy, which may also have a form of cover

@lanthanum Same! I never in a million years thought we would have to cancel.

It's annoying about the money, but I suppose I just have to think that it's gone and move on!

I'd kind of spent the insurance payout in my head though, as when I rang they said I was covered!

You should probably have started cover from the moment you booked , does the policy state that cancellation beforehand is only covered from the time it is “live”. Whether they would pay anyway also depends on any medical declarations, preexisting conditions and how you booked/paid. Hope he is recovering well.

I guess it's a bit like car insurance, if you put the start date as 31st August but crashed on the 28th you wouldn't be covered.

What do the T&C of the policy actually say regarding cancellation

@RunningNananananananananana Thank you, I know that now! 🤣 I just thought I would be covered as the holiday only started 1st September and my insurance started from 31st August.

I didn't realise that the cancellation cover for a single trip policy started from the date you bought it, but annual only started from the date specified.

It seems obvious now, but it wasn't at the time and I'm just gutted!

@LIZS Yes, he's recovering well thank you and the NHS have been amazing 👏🏻

I'll have to look at the policy documents in detail, but I suspect from the closure of the claim, then it's not covered.

I can see myself taking out the insurance policy and I'm shouting at her to put in the 9th August! 🤣

Up to you, it just seems that you haven’t actually spent 10 minutes reading the policy wording which should confirm conclusively either way. If there’s any ambiguity at all it’s worth asking again for that amount of money.

Edit: cross post… I see you have now said you will look at the policy documents. Hope it offers a glimmer of hope. Best wishes for your Dad’s recovery.

I think people get very confused with travel insurance. But my point is the relevant one - no matter whether it is single or annual trip cover, you should be insured from the point of booking. In your case not being wouldn't have invalidated the insurance had you started it a few days earlier - but absolutely loads of things can go wrong from the point of booking, and that is why you make sure you are covered from that point onwards.

For annual policies most of us renew or take out a new policy on the expiry of an old one - hence the reason they have specific start dates to avoid overlap. So my policy will be renewed (or I might buy a more competitive one) on 4th November, but I absolutely wouldn't let it lapse on that date and buy another on on (say) 27th December because the holidays I have booked in January May and next September wouldn't be insured during that period.

In the same way you would only be covered on a single trip policy from the date you bought it - so anything that went wrong before that would not have been covered either.

It's a costly lesson, but the lesson is to make sure you have active travel insurance at the point of booking and going forward.

@RunningNananananananananana It said it would pay for the cancellation if somebody I was traveling with was ill, so I assumed that I was covered, but I think it's the start date of the policy where I've gone wrong.

Yes, it’s correct single and annual policies are different. Single one will cover you but annual only covers over the period from the date of policy. I never knew but Martin Lewis covered it a while ago.

If you rang and they said that it would be covered, then it’s worth pushing it with them. You can make a complaint about being mislead if they’re being inconsistent. They will have transcripts of the call.

@PancakeClock Thank you. I'll definitely have a look at the policy documents and try and ring them tomorrow.

Just puts me off how long the policy documents are! 🤣

@ScaryM0nster Yes, that wasn't great of them, so I'll definitely try and call them again tomorrow and get to the bottom of it.

Think it was just a shock today, as I thought I was covered and then the claim was denied.

Depends on what date you bought it I think. If you bought it after your dad’s heart attack but before the holiday, it wouldn’t cover you as your poor dads heart attack happened.

@Lennonjingles Thank you, I wish I'd watched that Martin Lewis!

Suppose I know for future reference, but it would have to have been the most expensive holiday we've booked recently! 🤣

@Goonie1 Thank you, I bought it before Dad's heart attack but stupidly put a start date of the day before we went on holiday so it won't cover the claim, even though we couldn't travel.

My mistake, live and learn!

Always take out the insurance on the same day you book the holiday with that date as the start date. NOT the travel date. The whole point being that you are then covered for cancellation from time of booking onwards. As you put the start date as 31st, that’s when the policy starts. You are not covered before that date, regardless of when you bought the policy. Expensive lesson learnt.

@EmmaMaria Thank you, I wish that I'd known this when I paid for my travel insurance! 🤣

I didn't understand that the single trip policy would have covered me from the date I took out the policy, but that the annual policy only covered me from the date I stated.

It seems obvious now and I feel like a total idiot and like you say, was an expensive mistake to make. I just feel so down now, but trying to shake it off!

The policy will always only cover you from the date you choose for it to start. If you want it to cover things like family illness, you have to start it on the day you buy it rather than the date you leave on the holiday.

I hope your dad is recovering ok. That’s the main thing.

If you’d had a single trip policy starting on 31 Aug, that would not cover you either.

@Fountofwisdom Thank you, I know now. I didn't realise that there was a difference between single trip policies and annual trip policies for the cancellation cover.

I feel stupidly tearful at myself now! Going to go for a walk soon to hopefully try and cheer up!

The policy is not “taken out” on the date you pay for it. It commences on the date you choose it to commence (in your case, 31 Aug).