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Travel Insurance for Cancellation

For when you have to cancel your trip unexpectedly

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For information relating to policies purchased prior to 14 July 2021 12:00am UTC, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For policies purchased from 14 July 2021 please see below.

You haven’t even had a chance to pack your bags or get your passport and you get ill – so ill in fact that as much as you want to go on that planned overseas getaway you’ve been looking forward to, you aren’t well enough to do so.

That’s where our travel insurance for pre-trip cancellation kicks in. Sure, it can’t fix the disappointment you feel at not being able to travel or make you well, but it can help you recover the costs of cancelling your trip.

How does travel insurance cover pre-trip cancellation?

If you’re injured or medically unfit to travel, our policies offer cover for your non-refundable, pre-paid:

Travel costs, such as flights, rail and bus tickets you’ve already paid for
Accommodation expenses
Any tuition or course fees you’ve had to pay upfront
Tours

You’ll need to provide us evidence that your trip costs aren’t refundable, and if the airline or hotel says they’ll give you your money back, then you won't be getting a reimbursement from us.

How sick must I be to be covered for pre-trip cancellation?

This insurance is for when you’re seriously unwell and really can’t travel (for example, if you get appendicitis). If you’ve got a cold or mild attack of hay fever, we’re not going to be able to help you out.

In order to be covered, you must either be:

Declared medically unfit to travel; or
You, your fellow traveler or your close relative in your country of residence must be unexpectedly hospitalized or die as a result of a sudden serious illness or sudden serious injury.

The coverage is conditional on the death, sudden serious illness (including any symptoms) or injury being unexpected and occurring after you booked and/or paid for the trip and after you purchased the insurance.

Am I covered for Cancellation due to Coronavirus?

As part of our efforts to assist our global nomads in the Coronavirus (COVID-19)-era, we are now offering cover for some Coronavirus-related events.

While epidemics and pandemics (World Health Organization declarations of a public health emergency of international concern) are excluded from the Cancellation & Interruption and Travel Disruption sections of our policy, there may be some benefits available to you if you purchased our Explorer Plan which includes a Coronavirus Travel Costs section, providing you cover for additional Coronavirus-related events.

If you have purchased the Explorer Plan, you may have some cover for trip cancellation events which are outside of your control and caused by:

You or a member of your traveling party being diagnosed with COVID-19.
Your close relative back home being hospitalized or dying due to COVID-19.
You or a member of your traveling party who are permanently employed as a healthcare worker, residential care worker or law enforcement officer having pre-approved leave cancelled due to COVID-19.

You can check out our Coronavirus article which has more information, including benefit limits, conditions and exclusions.

What's not covered by travel insurance?

If you change your mind about your trip overseas or decide you might want to delay it then we won’t cover you for cancellation.

This coverage is for those situations where you are physically unable to hop on that plane, train or boat due to illness or injury. Other things we won’t cover include but are not limited to:

If you booked your travel insurance and/or trip after the symptoms of the injury or illness occurred.
You, your fellow traveler or your close relative had refused, not sought or given up medical treatment even though the illness had deteriorated or you should have known it needed medical treatment.
Expenses you have not taken reasonable and practical steps to recover from the carrier, accommodation provider, booking agents, travel agents, any compensation scheme, or any other source.
You cancel only part of the insured trip.
If the cancellation is due to a change of mind, disinclination or reluctance to travel; changed weather conditions; acts of terrorism; acts of war (whether war is declared or not); nuclear disaster.

The policy isn’t designed to cover everything, so take the time to read the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions in the Policy Wording for full details so that there are no surprises if you need to use it. If you’re not sure if something is covered, get in touch.

Be prepared if you need to claim for cancellation.

Depending on your claim, you'll need copies of:

Receipts
Itineraries
Doctors/death certificates
Medical history
Written documentation from the travel provider of reason for cancellation and any refunds

Reconnect with the world with our travel insurance cover for some Coronavirus-related events

Itching to travel again?

Explore the world with our plans that provide cover for some Coronavirus-related (including COVID-19 related) events, including emergency overseas medical, evacuation, cancellation cover and more. Find out what cover applies to your Country of Residence, and the key benefit limits depending on which plan you purchase. Happy and safe travels!

Overseas medical expenses

If a qualified medical practitioner diagnoses you with Coronavirus while you’re travelling, we may offer emergency medical benefits to help you get back on your feet.

Standard plan:
$5,000,000

Explorer plan:
Unlimited

Medical transport & repatriation home

If you become seriously sick or injured during your trip (and it's not considered a 'pre-existing medical condition' as defined in the policy wording) we may be able to help with cover for medical transport to the nearest or most appropriate medical facility, or back home to recover.

Standard plan:
$500,000

Explorer plan:
$500,000

Funeral expenses or repatriation of your remains

If the worst happens and you die from Coronavirus while overseas, we offer benefits to help your family with the costs of a funeral overseas, or if available, bringing you back to your home country.

Standard plan:
$15,000

Explorer plan:
$15,000

Coronavirus Travel Costs section (cancellation and curtailment pre and on-trip)

Had to cancel your trip because you, a travel companion, or your close relative back home have been diagnosed with Coronavirus? Our cover may help with your cancellation costs.