Travel Insurance Article Discussion

catwoman73

is there any common case / example where a claim is not covered by Travel insurance but covered by section 75

I've just been in that exact situation. Was due to fly out a couple of days after Monarch went bust. Managed to get replacement flights on the same days from the same airport which cost about £200 more than the original flight due to booking almost straight away on that Monday morning. Very fortunuate considering how much the other flights went up and how fast they sold out over the next couple of days. I saw return flights for two to Europe in October for £2k or more when normally it would be about a tenth of that.

Had travel insurance with scheduled airline failure cover so I thought that I would be able to claim the extra cost from them, but it turned out it only covered the flight home if the airline went bust after you had flown out, not covered if you hadn't travelled yet. And it also only covered costs that could not be recovered from elsewhere. Given that almost everyone books on a credit or debit card these days so are entitled to chargeback or S75 protection, the number of claims that the insurers will have to pay out will be a small fraction.

In the end I got a chargeback for the original cost of the Monarch flights and am now getting the extra £200 (consequential losses) as a S75 refund but I've had to go back and forth to my credit card to do this, as they've not really explained what they were doing throughout.

pantaiema

For the OP the Nationwide travel insurance does not cover Bankruptcy/liquidation of any tour operator. It is mentioned on Part 14 General Exclusion:

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/~/media/MainSite/documents/products/current-accounts/flexaccount/p1214-travel-cover-policy-document.pdf

Part 14 General Exclusion:
"Bankruptcy/liquidation of any tour operator, travel agent or transportation company except where cover under Part F - Optional Travel Disruption Cover exists."

timboy

The site mentions that any trip over 2 months requires 'Backpacker Insurance'. I am going for 71 days to the US. Consulting the Travels supermarket site, if I input my travel dates, several quotes pop up. Am I to assume all these companies are not viewed as MSE worthy?

koru

timboy wrote: »

The site mentions that any trip over 2 months requires 'Backpacker Insurance'. I am going for 71 days to the US. Consulting the Travels supermarket site, if I input my travel dates, several quotes pop up. Am I to assume all these companies are not viewed as MSE worthy?

I think MSE is just stating the general position. You appear to have found some exceptions.

cancunia

Not sure if this is the right place to post, so redirects welcome.

Has anyone experience of AXA Travel Insurance, specifically via the Halifax Ultimate Rewards account? All I can find on Tustpilot are 1* reviews about AXA and most of them about AXA trying to wriggle out of claims.

Thanks

atmartins

Further to this subject, NOT an academic point, but an example of Sod's Law at work!

We have an annual travel policy that expires on 31 October each year.
In June 2017 we booked a holiday with long-haul flight abroad on 20 November 2017.
As Victor_Delta above rightly said, "Just renew on 31/10 or take out a single trip policy by then."

On 30 October 2017 I was sitting at the computer about to renew the annual policy or take out a single trip policy, depending on the relative costs, when the phone rang: my travel partner had been ambulanced to hospital with severe chest pains.
Given the unknown situation, my plan to get travel insurance for the holiday evaporated.

Long story short, my partner was kept in hospital for a week of tests & angiogram that revealed no heart attack, no angina; diagnosis "non-cardiac chest pain" posing no risk to the long flight & holiday.

The next day I declared all this to my annual travel insurer who renewed the policy at no extra cost.

BUT it was a close run thing; the hospital did not diagnose until after the travel insurance had expired; what would have been the position if the hospital had said "Cardiac event, do not travel"?

If we hadn't been able to travel on 20 November, would the policy that expired on 31 October 2017 have covered our significant costs?

koru

atmartins wrote: »

If we hadn't been able to travel on 20 November, would the policy that expired on 31 October 2017 have covered our significant costs?

I doubt it, if you hadn't actually cancelled before the expiry. But it depends on the policy wording.

brookhouse

I've been advised to look at the Forces Pension Society travel insurance offer.
I qualify to join the society (at £38 per annum), but wonder if the insurance is competitively priced?

I can't get a quote without being a member.

Anyone know what the premium might be for an annual two adult, two teenage children worldwide policy?

Also how do people rate AXA if a claim is necessary?

koru

brookhouse wrote: »

I've been advised to look at the Forces Pension Society travel insurance offer.
I qualify to join the society (at £38 per annum), but wonder if the insurance is competitively priced?

I can't get a quote without being a member.

Anyone know what the premium might be for an annual two adult, two teenage children worldwide policy?

Also how do people rate AXA if a claim is necessary?

I don't know, but as there is no exclusion of medical conditions, it would be worth paying a bit more than most policies, unless none of you have pre-existings.

springburn

My wife and I are over 80. We go to Spain twice a year for two months at a time. Previously my NatWest bank account covered our insurance requirements. Bank charges and age uplift for insurance total £474.00.
My wife has a declared condition = hypertension. I now have asbestosis. I do not take any medication and my wife has one Adalat daily. We can no longer find an insurer. As we both have our EHC card the only major worry would be the repatriation costs in case of a death. Has anyone else on the forum had this problem? I wonder if it is possible to insure against a single event to cover only the cost of repatriation?