Trip cancellation
(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 (if shown on insurance schedule)
If your trip is cancelled; up to the amount shown on the Insurance Schedule
We will repay you for your proportion of expenses you have paid or legally have to pay for your unused travel and accommodation and fees for instruction/guiding or courses/tours forming part of your trip which you do not use if you have no choice but to cancel the trip as a result of one of the following commencing during the period of insurance:
01. The death, serious injury or illness of,
a) you;
b) a travelling companion;
c) a close relative of you or your travelling companion;
d) the person with whom you intend to reside at the holiday or journey destination; or
e) a business associate of you or your travelling companion.
NOTE: For 01 a, b, and c. above, this will include being diagnosed with an epidemic or pandemic disease such as COVID-19.
02. You or your travel companion being held in quarantine by order or other requirement of a government or public authority, based on their suspicion that you or a travelling companion, specifically, have been exposed to a contagious disease (including an epidemic or a pandemic disease such as COVID-19). This does not include any quarantine that applies generally or broadly to some or all of a population, vessel or geographical area, or that applies based on where you are travelling to, from or through.
03. You or your travel companion being refused boarding of the public transport you are booked to travel, on the order of any government, public authority or carrier, due to you or a travelling companion displaying symptoms of a contagious disease (including an epidemic or pandemic disease, such as COVID-19).
04. You or your travelling companion being required by the police to stay at home as a result of burglary, or serious damage by fire, explosion, subsidence, storm flooding, vandalism, fallen tree or impact by aircraft or vehicle to your or their home or usual place of business in the United Kingdom.
05. You or your travelling companion being required for jury service or as a witness in a court of law in the United Kingdom as long as you became aware of the commitment after taking out this policy or booking the trip (whichever is later).
06. You being made involuntarily redundant if you are under 65 and have 2 years’ continuous employment with the same employer.
If your trip is cut short; up to the amount shown on the Insurance Schedule
You will be covered for your proportion of expenses you have paid or legally have to pay for travel and accommodation and fees for instruction/guiding or courses/tours forming part of your trip which you do not use if you have no choice but to cut short the trip and you return home for one of the reasons given below.
01. Any of the reasons shown under Cancellation (other than 06. Redundancy);
02. You are injured or ill and are in hospital for the rest of your trip.
NOTE: Claims for cutting short your trip are calculated from the date it is necessary for you to return to your home country or the date you are either held in quarantine or are hospitalised as an in-patient, for the rest of your trip. We will pay unused personal accommodation and other travel expenses based on each 24-hour period you have lost. If you need to be repatriated, we will not refund the cost of your unused return travel tickets. We will put the value of these tickets towards the extra transport costs we have to pay.
Delay; up to £350
(or the amount shown on the Insurance Schedule for cancellation)
If the transport on which you are booked as a passenger for your outward or return journey is delayed or cancelled due to one of the following reasons: Storm, Flood, Industrial action, Bad weather, Mechanical breakdown of train or sea vessel, Grounding of the aircraft due to a mechanical or structural defect, you will receive one of the following:
01. Compensation of £35 for each full 12-hour period that you are delayed, up to a limit of £350. We will work out the length of the delay based on the difference between your scheduled time of arrival and your actual arrival time at your final destination.
02. Your cancellation charges (up to the amount shown on the insurance schedule and subject to the excess shown on the insurance schedule) if, after a 12 hour delay to the departure of your outward journey from the United Kingdom, you decide to cancel the trip.
Missed departure
(extra travel and accommodation expenses); up to £1,000
If one of the following takes place during the period of insurance you will be covered for the cost of reasonable extra accommodation and travel expenses to allow you to carry on with your trip if you arrive at your international or final departure point and you are unable to board your booked scheduled transport:
01. Labour dispute or protest, civil disturbance, mechanical breakdown or bad weather which interrupts your scheduled public transport services including booked connecting flights.
02 An accident or breakdown involving the car taking you to your departure point.
03. Avalanche or danger preventing exit from a ski resort which delays departure for your return home.
Hijack cover up to £5,000
If during the period of insurance your scheduled transport is hijacked and you are detained against your will for a period of more than 24 hours you can claim £500 for each 24 hour period you are detained up to £5,000 in total.
Catastrophe cover up to £1,000
If during the period of insurance you are prevented from using your accommodation because of fire, flood, earthquake, you will be covered for the reasonable extra cost of accommodation and travel, to move to other accommodation.
Travel disruption up to £1,000
If during your trip your travel plans are disrupted by unexpected events as detailed below we will pay you up to the limit shown above for the following costs that you have paid less any available refunds or compensation.
01. Replacement transport or accommodation: We will pay you up to the limit shown above for the cost of additional travel expenses and of extra accommodation (room only) expenses which are of a similar standard to that of your pre-booked travel and accommodation, if you have to make alternative arrangements to reach your destination and/or you have to make alternative accommodation arrangements at any point during the trip, as a result of one of the following commencing during the trip:
a. The booked scheduled transport on which you are a passenger for your outward or return journey is cancelled or delayed for at least 12 hours.
b. A catastrophe, outbreak of food poisoning or infectious disease means you cannot use your booked accommodation due to it being closed on the orders of a local authority.
02. Enforced Stay:
We will pay you up to the limit shown above for the cost of additional accommodation (room only expenses and local transport costs if you have to move to different accommodation), which is of a similar standard to that of your pre-booked accommodation, if your return home is delayed and you have to remain at your destination because the booked scheduled transport on which you are a passenger for your return journey (including connections) is cancelled or delayed by the booked scheduled transport operator and they cannot provide alternative transportation for at least 12 hours.
Additional cover applicable to wintersports holidays only or annual multi trip policies with wintersports cover.
PISTE CLOSURE; UP TO £500 (IF CANCELLATION SHOWN ON THE INSURANCE SCEDULE)
Piste closure is only available for holidays starting after the 10th of December and ending before the 30th of April. If the weather prevents skiing at the resort you are booked into, you will be covered for the reasonable transport costs to take you to a different resort and for the cost of a lift pass there. If it is not possible to arrange transport to a different resort, you will receive £50 for each whole day’s skiing lost.
As well as the general exclusions and general conditions on page 17, the following exclusions and conditions also apply:
EXCLUSIONS FOR PISTE CLOSURE
01. You will not be covered for any amount you can get back from someone or somewhere else.
02. You will not be covered if you take out this insurance within 14 days of going on your trip, unless you booked the trip at the same time (or for annual cover, at the time of booking any trip).
03. You will not be covered if the weather prevents ski racing, training or competition.
04. You will not be covered for holidays within the United Kingdom.
CONDITIONS FOR PISTE CLOSURE
01. Cover will only apply for as long as there are poor snow conditions at your resort.
02. You must get written confirmation from the appropriate authority to confirm that the piste was closed or that it was not possible to travel to another resort.
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:
EXCLUSIONS FOR CANCELLATION AND CUTTING SHORT A TRIP
01. You travelling against medical advice or to get medical treatment.
02. Amounts you can get back from someone or somewhere else.
03. Costs which have been paid for on behalf of a person who is not insured under this policy.
04. If, at the time of taking out this insurance (or booking the trip if this was later) your close relative, business associate or travel companion had a medical condition for which he or she was; \
a. receiving treatment at hospital (other than where they go to hospital for check-ups for a stable condition, at regular intervals which have been arranged beforehand)
b. was waiting for a hospital consultation, investigations or treatment (other than where they go to hospital for checkups for a stable condition, at regular intervals which have been arranged beforehand)
c. had been given a terminal prognosis, or been told that their condition is likely to get worse in the next 12 months;
d. we will not pay for any claim you (or any insured person) make, that has anything to do with the medical condition of that close relative, business associate or travel companion.
05. We will not pay the excess amount of every claim made for each of you (£10 for each of you for deposit only claims unless you have paid the additional premium to remove the policy excess).
06. Claims arising if you or your travel companion or close relative had symptoms associated with coronavirus at the time of buying this insurance policy or booking your trip.
07. Claims arising if you or your travel companion or close relative are awaiting results after undertaking a coronavirus test or had tested positive within 15 days prior to booking your trip.
08. Claims relating to coronavirus that are not supported with a positive coronavirus NHS antigen test in the UK prior to departure or a private test with a CE mark, with diagnosis through a registered laboratory, in the UK prior to departure or an official government certified coronavirus test from the country of destination prior to your return home.
ADDITIONAL EXCLUSIONS FOR CANCELLATION
01. You are not covered for:
a. your deciding you no longer want to travel;
b. labour disputes;
c. government regulation, acts of parliament or currency restriction;
d. your financial circumstances or unemployment other than redundancy (if you qualify for payment under the redundancy payment legislation, that is, you are under 65 and have 2 years’ continuous employment with the same employer);
e. the tour operator or anyone you have made travel or accommodation arrangements with failing to provide the arrangements.
f. If you fail to get a valid passport or other travel document you need.
CONDITIONS FOR CANCELLATION
01. You must do all that you can to get to the airport, port or station you are leaving from on time.
02. If you do not tell the travel agent, tour operator or organisation providing transport and accommodation as soon as you need to cancel your trip, the amount we pay will be limited to the cancellation charges that would have applied at that time.
03. We will only consider claims relating to coronavirus that are supported with a positive coronavirus NHS antigen test in the UK prior to departure or an official government certified coronavirus antigen test from the country of destination prior to your return journey.
04. If you are denied boarding as a result of displaying symptoms of a contagious disease (including an epidemic or pandemic disease such as COVID-19) you must have documented proof of this from your transport provider.
ADDITIONAL EXCLUSIONS FOR CUTTING SHORT A TRIP
01. You are not covered for:
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. We will not cover any claim related to you falling, 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).
03. 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).
CONDITIONS FOR CUTTING SHORT A TRIP
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. Before you return home early for medical reasons, you must get a doctor’s certificate to confirm that this is necessary and that you are fit to travel.
03. If you return home early because of illness or injury to a close relative or business associate, you must contact our emergency medical assistance service before making arrangements to return home and get a doctor’s certificate confirming that this was necessary.
04. If we pay for your unused travel, we will not also make payment for your additional travel.
EXCLUSIONS FOR DELAY
01. You are not covered for:
a. insurance taken out within 4 weeks of the date you are due to leave if it is public knowledge that the journey could be delayed;
b. claims caused by the tour operator, or any other provider of transport and accommodation, who stops trading; or
c. amounts you can get back from someone or somewhere else if you decide to cancel the trip.
d. any delay or cancellation which was announced before your trip began.
EXCLUSIONS FOR MISSED DEPARTURE
01. Claims in respect of the financial failure of your scheduled airline.
CONDITIONS FOR MISSED DEPARTURE
01. You must do all you can to arrive at the airport, port or station you are leaving from on time.
02. In the case of a labour dispute, you will only be covered if a dispute is announced and begins during the period of insurance.
03. If you miss the departure because your car breaks down or you are involved in an accident, you must send us a repairer’s or police accident report. If your missed departure was caused by an accident not involving the car you were travelling in, you must obtain written confirmation from the police that the accident resulted in traffic delays to your airport, port or station.
EXCLUSIONS FOR HIJACK COVER
01. You are not covered for your acts, which would be a criminal offence in the United Kingdom if committed in the United Kingdom.
02. You are not covered for claims where you are held for less than 24 hours.
CONDITIONS FOR HIJACK COVER
01. Your company, you or your family must not be involved in any political or other activity which would increase the risk under this insurance.
02. Following a hijack, compensation will start from the time the hijack of your transport is reported to the authorities and will finish when you are released. You must provide written confirmation of this from the releveant authorities
03. You are not covered if you travelled against Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advice or if you disregard safety or travel advice given by any government or other authority.
EXCLUSIONS FOR CATASTROPHE COVER
01. You are not covered for the following:
a. Costs which may be refunded from someone or somewhere else;
b. Costs which you would have had to pay during your trip if the problem had not occurred;
c. Any claim where you do not produce a receipt for the costs you have incurred.
CONDITIONS FOR CATASTROPHE COVER
01. The accommodation that you move to must be near to the accommodation that you had originally booked and of a similar standard.
02. You must provide written confirmation from the police or the company you had booked the original accommodation with confirming that you were unable to use it and stating the reason.
EXCLUSIONS FOR TRAVEL DISRUPTION COVER
01. Claims which relate to an event arising after you purchased this insurance or the date you booked any trip (whichever is the later) which was occurring or you were aware could occur at the time you purchased this insurance or booked the trip (whichever is the later).
02. Claims which relate to any event which had been announced or made a matter of public knowledge before you started your trip.
03. Any costs incurred by you which are recoverable from any other sources, including your credit/debit card provider or for which you receive or are entitled to receive compensation or reimbursement.
04. Any travel and accommodation costs, charges and expenses where the booked scheduled transport operator (or their handling agents) has or would have been able to offer alternative travel arrangements within 12 hours.
05. Any costs arising from the financial failure of your booked scheduled transport operator, your accommodation provider, any travel agent, tour organiser, booking agent or consolidator with whom you have booked travel or accommodation.
CONDITIONS FOR TRAVEL DISRUPTION COVER
01. You must check in according to the itinerary supplied to you unless your tour operator, the booked scheduled transport operator (or their handling agents) have requested you not to travel to the departure point.
02. You must comply with the terms of contract of the booked scheduled transport operator and seek financial compensation, assistance or a refund of your costs from them in accordance with such terms.
03. If the same costs and charges are also covered under any other section of the policy you can only claim for these under one section for the same event and/or costs.
04. Cover applies for additional expenses only and so the value of any refunds or reimbursements you are entitled to receive toward the cost of your original booked scheduled transport, pre-booked accommodation or other unused trip costs will be deducted from the value of the additional transport and accommodation claimed for.