Help with Thompsons and terminally ill mom

HXDave

Unfortunately, with it being so close to departure I cannot see Thomson offering to 'postpone' the holiday, as it will be them that lose out if the holiday is not resold to someone else (hence the cancellation charges on a sliding scale - getting higher as it get's nearer).

You really need to check the insurance. The majority of insurance companies that I know (although we are only allowed to deal with 1) will ask for any health declarations for anyone travelling, OR ON ANYONE ELSE WHO'S HEALTH THE TRIP DEPENDS ON. If this is the case, then if you did not pre-screen for your nan, then chances are the insurance company will not pay out. If she did pre-screen for your nan, then you might be OK (dependong on exactly what was agreed).

If it is a company that does not require a medical pre-screen for someone that is not actually travelling, then you may have a better chance. However, again it will be totally down to the terms of the insurance company, and what their cover offers.

Whatever your views are of Thomson, just put them to one side. At the end of the day they are a business too, and allowing your mother to amend her holiday at this late stage is a financial risk to them too, and imagine if everyone asked Thomson the same.

Best advice is to speak with both the doctors & travel insurance. THe doctor might advise your mother goes as normal, as your nan may be fine until she comes back. Alternatively, having a chat with the insurance company might just reveal she is fully covered for cancellation, and therefore you are worrying about nothing.

Finally, sorry to hear of your gran's problems, and hope you get something sorted out.

Regards

HXDave

ceejayblue

When I travel I have severak pre-existing conditions that I declare and I have also been asked if anyone in the family, whether travelling with me or not, have any pre-existing conditions that may cause me to cancel my holiday, ie my late mother was ill for many years and I had to include her details or they wouldn't have paid out if I had to cancel or come back mid holiday if she deteriorated.

ferf1223

malkie76 wrote: »

I don't think this is correct. I have never been asked the medical history of my relatives when getting travel insurance.

They only seem to care about your medical history in the event they have to pay for medical treatment abroad or the extremely high costs of getting you home with a medical emergency.

I've checked the wording of my policy, and it's very clear that I need to declare my medical history, and anyone in my party. My policy covers me for cancellation due to illness of an immediate relative (which does include grandparents).

ie - you should be covered even though it was not declared.

However, I have a pretty comprehensive travel insurance policy, so please check the wording of yours. Mine even pays out (no excess) for golfing holes-in-one.

I think in most cases (that I've seen anyway) the standard T&Cs exclude coverage for things like medical conditions which you have had or a close relative (term defined) has had or been diagnosed with within a particular time period...the only way you could get cover that would pay out in those circumstances would be to declare it in advance and pay any additional premium.

It was something that never occurred to me until reading these forums some time ago - I just assumed it was me and my husband they were interested in - but when I actually looked into it, there it was in black and white. I suppose it makes sense - if someone books a holiday knowing their XX relative is terminally ill - it wouldn't be reasonable to expect insurance to cover that if something dreadful happened and the trip had to be cancelled as a result.

Skysky - I am sorry to hear about your nan.