Cancelling holiday - will insurance cover it?

[Waggamamma]

We're due to go on holiday next week, 1 week package holiday. My DPs sister is now in intensive care (totally unexpected no pre existing conditions) so we don't think we can go.

Is this something that our travel insurance is likely to cover? It's multi trip insurance attached to our joint bank account, holiday is booked in his name.

We can't even postpone a few weeks because I'm pregnant and can't fly after 28weeks.

We saved for two years for this holiday and don't want to just write of £1.5k. But we really need to be here for dp's family right now.

Ask the insurance company? No one here knows what your policy says (I suspect you will be covered btw, unless it's a rubbish policy). Good luck.

I think the only people who can answer that is the insurance company. I hope your SIL recovers

it really depends on the terms and conditions of your insurance. each one is different I am afraid. you need to get on to the insurance help line asap tonight if possible and explain the situation. a lot of policies cover close relative but then a lot also only cover those going on the holiday. you might have to consider going to your GP and asking them to sign you as unfit to travel due to stress (bought on by your sil's illness) and this might be your only/best way forward. dig out the policy now and start wading through it and get hold of someone to talk to.

Usually a serious medical condition of immediate family member would be covered . Can you download from the bank's website a copy of the insurance documents to check? Sorry to hear about your dp's sister .

Thanks. I did call the bank but they said they couldn't confirm either way until we have cancelled the holiday and submitted a claim.

The policy does say it covers illness of immediate family members. I just wondered if anyone else had claimed under similiar circumstances?

i woudl read the small print VERY carefully before ringing them so you get it right!

hmm that's a bit odd OP. why cant they confirm until you have cancelled the holiday? that's not very helpful. I think if you ask what a policy covers - the terms and conditions they are supposed to tell you. how about getting a friend to call as if they were a new customer and to ask if this is covered. alternatively wade through the small print. it has to be done I am afraid. not what you want on top of everything else. good luck.

I'm an ex travel insurance policy writer, wrote policies for major banks, large national institutions etc & can tell you every single policy I ever wrote would have covered you in this situation.
Cancellation is covered for medical emergencies involving non travelling close relatives as long as there is no chance of it being due to a pre existing condition.

Absolutely no need whatsoever for you to go to your dr & ask to be signed off sick.

Dame, is it usual for the bank to say that they wouldn't confirm until a claim was submitted then? just interested really.

Thanks dame that is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for .

I've gone through the policy, the exact wording is: "We will pay up to £5000 for your share of the cost of your trip as a result of the death, injury or illness as certified by a medical practitioner of you, your relative or colleague or travelling companion or relative with whom you had arranged to stay"

That reads to me that only if you were due to stay with sil?

No, Del, that's not the correct interpretation.

FWIW, I worked at the financial ombudsman service for several years before being a travel insurance underwriter & I have total confidence in the fact that they would apply the policy in the manner I suggested based on the excerpt you've quoted there IF the insurer chose to be difficult.*

*pre existing illness is by far and away the major cause of these claims being turned down & sadly there is little the FOS can so to help people in these cases.

Mummymeister, yes, it's fairly common as they can never be sure that the insured is presenting the facts accurately & wouldn't want to be seen to encourage a claim in case it wasn't covered.

what about the "you, your relative or colleague" part?

it earlier defines a 'relative' as "your family, including step, adopted, foster and grandchildren, your mother, father, sister, brother, fiancé, grandparent, inlaw, step family or next of kin"

Thanks all . definitely no pre existing conditions in this situation.

Will make the decision whether to cancel and let you know the outcome.

The same scenario happened with us 3 years ago. 1.4k lost!

Trip booked for Disney Paris - just 3 weeks before travel was due. We also got travel insurance separately. Disney also offered their own over & above this.

1 week before travel DM who lives in another country was diagnosed with serious illness. Had to drop everything & go.

The travel insurance said - since our policy start date coincided with the date of departure, they couldn't cover us (unless the trip were cancelled on that day or after)!!

Disney insurance only wanted to speak French! So we couldn't get any answers!

Anyways DM was in another country so I was sure there would be a loophole which would be used against us.

You need to decide if you want to cancel (even with losing 100%). Then go ahead & claim insurance with all your will power but knowing it 'may of come through.

Sorry for not having a positive response.

'May not'*

Also, I disagree with PP's recommendation to have GP certify you for 'stress'. This will go on your medical record & any future life/health insurance you buy in the next 5 years will exclude cover for mental health.

sorry for all going through this. OP, I think you should be covered, a sister is a close relative. What you do need to do is minimise losses, so cancel everything ASAP.

this is why travel insurance needs to be bought the day the booking is made. Cancellation cover kicks in immediately, everything else on the day you travel.

Artistic. the OP is pregnant. lots of women book holidays before they know or early on only to have to cancel when they get to 26 ish weeks which is what the OP is. I am sure that the GP would word it sensitively. surely being stressed/poorly when you are pregnant doesn't mess up future life insurance others half the female population would fall into that bracket.

Mummy - you could be right. Am just sharing what my experience has been.

OP - if you already have life/health insurance then possibly you needn't worry about this.

I think you should be OK with your insurance as it is already in place & it's your DP's sister who's seriously ill.

We had a similar scenario years back, when DH's mum became seriously ill and we had to cancel a holiday. We had booked flights and accomodation separately and it did take about 6 weeks to be processed, but we did get refunds.

"The travel insurance said - since our policy start date coincided with the date of departure, they couldn't cover us (unless the trip were cancelled on that day or after)!!"

The differnce is that the OP has annual cover so is covered all year round.

I have seen in the consumer columns that people who book travel insuracne only to cover the dates of the actual holiday are not covered for anything that threatens the holiday in advance of the cover starting. Which does make sense.

If you are initially told you aren't covered by the insurance company, don't stop there.
I contacted our insurance company to get the cost of a cancelled holiday due to hyperemesis and they said a flat 'no, we don't cover pregnancy illness'. I double checked the policy and it said it did cover hyperemesis.
They eventually paid out, but some things weren't covered (e.g. airport taxes).
Good luck.

Just thought I'd come back and update this. Our insurance claim was accepted and we'll get our money back on the holiday .

One less thing to worry about during this stressful time.