Travel Insurance With Cancellation

Whether it’s due to bad weather or because you fall ill and can’t travel, cancellation cover has your back when you need to call time on your holiday, sometimes before it’s even underway.

Some of the covered reasons for cancellation can include:

1. Severe illness: Falling seriously ill and being too unwell to fulfil your travel plans.
2. Accidents: Suffering a bad fall or being involved in a serious accident which means you’re physically unable to travel.
3. Family emergencies: A sudden and serious illness affecting a close relative or business partner.
4. Natural disasters: An earthquake, avalanche, bushfire or related catastrophe forces the closure of your accommodation and cancellation of your flights.
5. Pregnancy: Falling pregnant before you’re set to go on holiday and/or being advised not to travel.
6. Cancellation of course: A seminar or course you were intending on travelling to is called off.
7. Loss of job: You are made redundant or lose your job before your travel.
8. Annual leave is cancelled: You’re a full-time essential worker, such as a police officer or firefighter, and your annual leave is scrapped to deal with a crisis.

Some of the costs you can claim back due to these and other extreme events include:

Non-refundable deposits

If you’ve part-paid your flights and accommodation, you can get your deposit back if you need to cancel your trip due to a covered event. It’s always handy to book with airlines and hotel chains which offer ‘flexible’ bookings, as you’ll be able to rework your bookings instead of calling the whole thing off. However, you won’t be covered if you turn up late and miss your flight.

Visas

Visas can cost you a pretty penny and some countries require them if you wish to travel there, even as a tourist. While this won’t be an issue if you’re travelling to the United Kingdom, America or most other countries, you’ll need to pay for one if you visit Indonesia or India, for example. If something happens and you need to cancel your trip, you can claim back the cost of your visa under cancellation cover.

Pre-paid activities

Have you pre-booked some tours for your next holiday? You can recover the cost of these holiday activities through your insurance company if you need to call off your travel plans.

Lost Frequent Flyer points

If you paid for your flights with Frequent Flyer points, some travel insurance companies would allow you to claim back the frequent flyer or similar reward points you used if you cannot fly due to a covered event. However, you may not be able to get back your points if your flight was purchased at a discount.

Travel agent commission

Booking your flights and accommodation through a travel agent can give you peace of mind. You have someone looking out for you while travelling home or abroad. If your agent charges a commission and you need to cancel your trip at the last minute, most insurers will allow you to claim back the commission you’ve paid and any cancellation fees they charge.

COVID-19

Most comprehensive policies cover you in the event your travel plans are impacted by the pandemic. Many will allow you to claim back about $2,500 if you need to cancel your holiday due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis or are required to self-isolate.