Medical, repatriation and other expenses
(applicable to policies issued from 3 October 2022, for policies issued before this date please refer to the policy document sent with your original policy confirmation)
WHAT YOU ARE COVERED FOR (applicable to all policies)
MEDICAL, REPATRIATION AND OTHER EXPENSES; UP TO £10 MILLION
You will be covered for the following expenses caused by your becoming ill, being injured or dying during the period of insurance, as long as the expenses are necessary:
01. a. Medical: emergency expenses you would have to pay outside the United Kingdom and the country where you normally live for medical, surgical and hospital charges, emergency dental treatment up to £500 (for pain relief), decompression treatment, ambulance (including return to holiday accommodation by ambulance or taxi if no other means of transport is available);
b. Repatriation: the extra cost of returning to your home;
c. extra additional accommodation (room only) expenses;
d. extra travel and accommodation (room only) expenses for one person who either has to stay with you or has to travel from the United Kingdom to escort you home if you are seriously ill or injured;
e. the extra cost of funeral expenses abroad or of bringing your body or ashes home;
02. You will be covered for extra travel expenses which are reasonable and necessary if you have to return home early because a close relative or business associate is seriously ill, injured or dies during the period of insurance.
03. Physiotherapy and dental treatment: if you suffer an accidental injury while you are on your trip as a direct result of an insured accident you can claim up to £500 in total for physiotherapy or dental treatment in the United Kingdom.
04. Early return home: if you suffer a minor injury while you are on your trip and you are unable to reasonably continue with your holiday but do not need repatriation with additional medical requirements on the advice of a medical practitioner, you can claim up to £250 towards travel costs to return home early, providing you have pre booked travel which you are unable to amend.
05. Car hire return: if you are injured or ill and you are not medically fit to drive your hire car and no other person travelling with you is able to drive the car under the hire agreement, you can claim up to £250 towards any costs you incur from the car hire company in returning the hire car to its designated return point.
06. Search and Rescue expenses: search and rescue expenses which are necessary, including by helicopter, up to £100,000 if one of the following occurs during the period of insurance;
a. You are injured, fall ill or die.
b. Weather or safety conditions are such that it becomes necessary for the rescue or police authorities or your professional guide to instigate a search and rescue operation to prevent injury or illness or further danger to human life.
Activity pack (courses, lessons, hire, lift pass, green fees); UP TO £300
If you fall ill or are injured during the period of insurance, you will be covered for the costs of the part of the ski/dive/golf/activity pack that you are not able to use.
HOSPITAL BENEFIT; UP TO £1,000
If you fall ill or are injured during the period of insurance you will receive £50 for each full 24 hours that you spend as an in-patient in a hospital outside the United Kingdom and the country where you normally live. Note: Any amount you receive for this benefit will be on top of any amount that you receive under the Medical, repatriation & other expenses section. You can use this cover to help pay for out-of-pocket expenses such as taxi fares and phone calls paid for by you or someone travelling with you while you are in hospital.
PERSONAL ACCIDENT; UP TO £25,000
If during the period of insurance you are accidentally injured and lose your sight, lose a limb, suffer permanent total disability or diewithin 12 months, only as a result of the accident, you can claim one of the following amounts:
01. Death £10,000
02. Loss of one or more limbs £25,000. Loss of one or more limbs at or above the wrist or ankle, or permanent loss of all sight in one or both eyes £25,000
03. Permanent total disability £25,000.
Note: For children under 18 years of agethe death benefit is limited to £1,000. For People aged 65 or over, cover is limited to 01) and 02) only. Death or injury as a result of terrorism is limited to £5,000 under sections 01) and 02)
PERSONAL LIABILITY; UP TO £2 MILLION
If you accidentally injure someone or damage someone else’s property during the period of insurance, you will be covered for your legal liability:
01. to people who do not work for you or with you and who are not your travelling companions or a close relative; and
02. for accidental damage to property which is not owned or being looked after by you or a close relative.
For accidental damage to rented holiday accommodation, we will pay up to £100,000 for a single incident which you are legally responsible for. This cover includes legal expenses which you have paid with our permission.
WHAT YOU ARE NOT COVERED FOR
AS WELL AS THE GENERAL EXCLUSIONS AND GENERAL CONDITIONS ON PAGE 17, THE FOLLOWING EXCLUSIONS AND CONDITIONS ALSO APPLY:
01. You are not covered for claims arising directly or indirectly by:
a. activities other than those for which the appropriate premium has been paid, riding or driving in any kind of race, flying except if you are travelling as a passenger in a fully licensed passenger carrying aircraft, or any other dangerous activity;
b. knowingly or deliberately putting yourself at risk (unless you are trying to save someone’s life);
c. your taking part in manual work in connection with profession, business or trade;
d. your suicide or attempted suicide, deliberately injuring yourself, solvent abuse or the effect of alcohol or drugs;
e. you travelling on a motorcycle, unless the driver holds a valid UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man motorcycle licence and all insured persons are wearing a crash helmet.
02. You are not covered for treatment or surgery which our medical advisers and the doctor treating you believe is not essential or could wait until your return home.
03. You are not covered for extra costs for single-room or private accommodation.
04. You are not covered for any treatment you receive after you have returned home other than that specified under ‘What you are covered for, condition 3 on page 8.
05. You are not covered for treatment or surgery whilst on your trip where the requirement for this was known prior to your travelling.
06. You are not covered for any sums which can be recovered by you and which are covered under any National Insurance Scheme or Reciprocal Health Agreement.
07. We will not cover any claim related to you falling as a result of you climbing or moving around the outside of any building (apart from access ways), sitting, planking, balconing, owling or lying on any part of any building, and you jumping from any height (unless in an attempt to save someone’s life).
08. We will not cover any claim as a result of;
a. the effect of your alcohol, solvent or drug dependency or long term abuse
b. you being under the influence of alcohol, solvents or drugs, or doing anything as a result of using these substances (this excludes drugs prescribed by a GP, unless they are for the treatment of drug addiction).
09. We will not pay the excess amount of every claim made for each of you unless your claim has been reduced because you have used a reciprocal health agreement or private health insurance. (Only applicable to medical, repatriation and others expenses).
CONDITIONS
01. If you go into hospital and are likely to be in for more than 48 hours, or you have to return home early, someone must contact our emergency medical assistance service for you immediately.
02. You must not arrange to be taken home without our permission. Our medical advisers will consult the doctors treating you to decide whether it is necessary.
03. We may instruct you to return if our medical advisers and the doctors treating you decide that you are fit to travel.
04. If we pay for your additional travel arrangements to return to the United Kingdom, we will not also pay for your unused travel.
ADDITIONAL EXCLUSIONS FOR PERSONAL ACCIDENT
01. You are not covered under this section for any claim if:
a. it was caused by medical or surgical treatment, unless it was necessary after the accident; or
b. at the time of the accident, you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, unless the drugs were prescribed by and taken on the instructions of a doctor, except to treat drug addiction.
02. You are not covered if the accident was caused by a medical condition that existed before your holiday.
ADDITIONAL EXCLUSIONS FOR PERSONAL LIABILITY
01. This section does not cover liability caused directly or indirectly by your owning or using any aircraft, motorised vehicle, boat (other than sailing dinghies, canoes, sailboards and surfboards) or any form of motorised leisure equipment.
02. This section does not cover employer’s liability or liability caused by your carrying out contracts, supplying goods and services, or doing your job.
03. You will not be covered for damage, injury, illness or disease caused directly or indirectly by an infectious disease.
04. Claims caused by something you deliberately did or did not do.
05. The first £250 of every claim to do with rented holiday accommodation will not be paid.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS FOR PHYSIOTHERAPY AND DENTAL TREATMENT:
01. Treatment is subject to your having been involved in an insured accident for which the insurers agree to cover the expenses.
02. You must obtain a letter from your GP confirming that the treatment is necessary and urgent as a result of the insured accident.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS FOR EARLY RETURN HOME:
01. Arrangements for any early return home must be notified to and agreed by our emergency medical assistance service who may be able to help make the arrangements on your behalf.
02. Your claim must be supported by a doctor’s letter confirming your injury prevents you from reasonably continuing with your planned holiday activities.
03. If you claim under this section of the policy, you cannot also claim under the Cancellation and cutting short your trip section. This cover only applies to the person who has the injury.
04. This cover will end 48 hours before your scheduled return to your home.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS FOR CAR HIRE RETURN:
You must be able to provide receipts from the car hire company for the additional expenses incurred.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE EXPENSES:
01. Expenses are only payable for your proportion of a search and rescue operation.
02. You must comply at all times with local safety advice and adhere to the recommendations prevalent at the time.
03. You must not knowingly endanger either your own life or those in your party if your experience or skill levels fall below those required to participate in your activity, particularly when you are not with a professionally qualified guide or instructor.
04. Costs will only be covered up to the point where you are recovered by Search and Rescue or at the time where the Search and Rescue authorities advise that continuing the search is no longer viable.