Travel insurance and non-refundable air tickets

[eliphant]

I'm about to book air tickets to Asia. Managed to find some really good prices on some airline carriers, but these are stated on the airline's website as non-refundable tickets. My husband has travel insurance through his Barclays bank account, but I was wondering, if we had to postpone the trip due to illness (which, with 3 DCs is probable) would our air tickets be reimbursed via my husband's travel insurance even if the airline won't refund them?

You'd need to check the policy, but travel insurance that comes with a bank account is usually pretty poor. In any case if it's his policy rather than a family policy only his ticket would be refunded.

Would advice taking out proper insurance.

It would depend on the illness.

Also if a provable illness IE Doctors certificate most major airlines baring the low cost carriers would with refund or change for you.

But wouldn't rely on free bank travel insurance personally.

lovely I disagree that most major airlines would refund you - the rules (no refunds no changes or no refunds but changes permitted at a fee) will be applied, regardless of the carrier. As PPs have said, the insurance policy will specify who/what is covered to enable you to make a claim.

Having worked for two of them I'd disagree. If you have a legitimate provable reason you can usually sort it. Stress major carriers not the likes of easy jet or Ryanair.

For the £50 that a family annual travel insurance policy costs, I would get that and not rely on the bank's policy.

And I think it would need to be a major, communicable illness, not just a cold.

What's the issue with the bank's travel insurance, btw? We have travel insurance with our bank account and it covers everything travel insurance usually covers - I've read it!

Some are probably fine. But it always makes me nervous, and in a way I'd rather be double covered than not... to me, insurers are always looking for the loophole to not pay and for £50 I don't want to give them the opportunity...

The example above of a partner only being covered, not the whole family, in case of cancellation, or what if only the one parent and children were travelling without the account holder (as happens in my family a bit), are they covered then? Probably not.

If you don't fly the airline doesn't have to give you your money back if it's nonrefundable. In the past however I have got my taxes back in a case like this. My travel insurance then refunded the difference.

You need to get the policy wording of your husband's policy and read it. How good it is really depends. I have insurance with my amex card and it's really good (I've had to claim three times in five years - once for the flights mentioned above, once for a flat tyre on a hire car and once for a chipped windscreen on a hire car). You also want to check for a clause that says the insurance is only valid if you use the bank card associated with his account to pay for the holiday/flights/etc.

Just check you would be covered if it is a pre-existing condition.

To be honest I wouldn't be paying the bank for a monthly account so have always taken put separate travel insurance.

You are regardless of the non refundable Ness of your ticket always entilited to your taxes and some charges back. So worth trying for that at least.