Can’t bloody believe insurance won’t cover if FCO restricts flights!

[ChoccyJules]

We have the holiday of a lifetime booked at Easter, costing more than our honeymoon did, no idea why but this year we decided after lots of caravan type hols to push the boat out.

Obviously we got insurance the day we booked everything, used the same place we always do because it covers pre-existing medical conditions.

We are starting to assume that flights may not go in April. We checked the policy and were quite shocked to see FCO advice not to travel is not covered. I‘m reeling, actually, yes we were lucky to have that money to spend but it was a first and last time and we may end up losing it all. Gutted.

This is why I never get travel insurance, if anything goes wrong they won't pay out anyway

My policy is very clear that it will pay out for cancellation due to FCO advising not to travel or essential travel only. But it won’t cover if I travel against FCO advice.
Mine is though my Nationwide bank account. Get yourself an account opened OP, worldwide family travel insurance is included for only £13 per month (plus some other insurances)

I'm afraid your first reading was correct. You won't be covered on the basis of FCO advice and you won't be covered in the event of a pandemic. Unless you actually contract the virus yourself (or get some other medical contition) that stops you from going, in which case you would be covered as usual.

Yes Gnarly I got told that today by AXA when I renewed my policy too. Covered for FCO denial of traveling until 30 April

I am fervently hoping we can just go.

Mine said the same thing about AXA covering until the end of April. I didn't fully understand it.

All policies differ. Some will cover it, some won't. Many though will have an overarching exclusion re pandemics - so now WHO has declared it as one that would come in. Airlines equally are not obliged to refund you (other than refunding taxes) as it is extraordinary circumstances. Some may however - or more likely offer to move your tickets to another date or destination (maybe with an admin fee, definitely based on current price which may be higher than you paid). Same with accommodation - again some may refund small amount eg cleaning fee. They still have to pay their staff, so it's not as if they don't have almost the same costs as normal if you're not there, just a bit less in food/drink/washing.

Unfortunately, the moral of the story is to read the policy carefully before you buy. There is usually a correlation between price and cover, although that doesn't mean more expensive automatically means better. And realistically none of us could have foreseen this, so not surprising you didn't think to check "will they cover a pandemic?" or "will they cover if FCO says don't travel". I think for most of us, we'd read it more carefully if going somewhere we saw as being a bit more dangerous (eg Ebola region or warzone), but not for what we'd see as "just a normal holiday to Western European destination".

I paid extra to add Travel Disruption to my travel insurance. This is in the small print. I think I MAY be covered 🤔 could you not take out a new insurance? Or is that not an option for you right now?

Read the ABTA advice.

Your insurance doesn't pay out, because if the FCO advise against travel you get a refund from the company you booked with.

www.abta.com/help-and-complaints/frequently-asked-questions/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-advising-against

I’m with Columbus and they specifically state that cancellation due to FCO advice (including epidemics) are covered. I’d get new travel insurance pronto before anything about travelling to your destination is questioned.

Shit. I've just checked mine and the same applies. No cover for cancellation due to fco advising against travel. But the tour operator would refund in that case. The tricky area is if its looking too risky to travel with airports etc, then no cover and will lose the lot

But if you are too ill to fly will you be covered? If you have a cough and a temperature for example?

I am due to be flying out on the 26th of March and we are covered by our tour operator who have said if the FCO's advice is not to travel that we can either rearrange or get a full refund.

Did you use a credit card to pay for any of it? You might have grounds to claim with them if all else fails, providing you paid at least £100, you may be able to get back something that way.

It is worth checking out.

Also if it’s a big chain hotel like Hilton Holiday inn IHG Marrriot Starwood then a lot of these are offering free changes and cancellations at no charge in area that have been affected up till the end of April
I’ve had emails from them offering free cancellation or changing reservations

A force majeure clause will be written into all insurance policies. This absolves the company from their contract responsibilities in case of events out of their control. Nuclear and biological events are the usual.
Saving face and future customers may stop companies applying this. Guess it depends if they remain solvent tho.

@GnarlyOldGoatDude thanks! Spent all afternoon yesterday trying to get through to axa to clarify, but they just keep hanging up and dropping me out of the queue. I'm assuming there are a lot of other people also trying to get through for the same reason!!

EasyJet currently letting you reschedule (not cancel) your flights without fees

Our insurer is Chubb via Santander. They have confirmed that if you cannot claim via your tour operator (in our case we don't have one as it was all booked separately) then they will pay. The actual policy document doesn't say either way, there's no mention of anything remotely close.

OP - so travel hasn’t been advised against for the country you’re going to? Can you take out new cover now?

Ah bugger. I think my insurer is the same! This is the list of exclusions. Am I reading point 7 correctly? This is what I’m not covered for.

MsJaneAustin
As far as I know generally they mention the FCO advising against all but essential travel and they won’t pay out if this happens
But yours isn’t saying exactly that so it might be the case of like some countries where they aren’t allowing entry to people from certain countries
However it mentions claims arriving from prohibitive government regulations so that probably covers there ass regardless .

But if you have booked a package holiday or one where you book flight & hotels separately but as a dynamic package and not on separate websites for flights and hotels you will have a ATOL /ABTA certificate which means you will get it all back if the FCO says you can’t go or the airlines go bust

But if you booked flights say with BA and then booked a villa hotel separately then you would only be covered under ATOL / ABTA rules your villa / hotel you would have to try and get that back separately

Jet2 has just cancelled all flights to
Spain/Canaries so that’s the decision made for me anyway. I’m waiting to hear what they’ll offer but I think it’s Jet2 I’m waiting for, not the insurer. Tbh, I’m mostly just pleased that I no longer need to make the decision about whether to go or not.

@MsJaneAusten where have you seen that?? I can't see anything on their website and I haven't received an email or anything?? We're due to fly 2nd April...

Don't worry, I've just seen the headlines. Not sure what time frame it refers to but it's looking unlikely for 2nd April

Yep my insurance is the same, no cover for FCO cancellations. We book everything seperately and i make sure it gives good health cover as we go the USA and end supplier failure incase airline or hotels go bust.
What i didnt check properly was the cancellation bit....or cover for a pandemic! Lesson learned the hard way I suppose 😞