Aviva single trip travel insurance - but cover doesnt begin until 28 May 2019?

podgy

Going on a family holiday to New York in June 2019 so, being a bit worried about the closure of airspace post-Brexit I took MSE's advice and had a look at Aviva's single trip insurance which includes an airspace closure add-on.

I rather assumed that our cover for our week-long trip in June would cover any eventuality between now and June - but having made the payment saw that the cover only begins in May next year - and well after the Brexit exit date.

Can this be right?

agrinnall

I'd be surprised it if was right, as that's not generally the way single trip insurance works, but presumably you agreed to it when you took out the policy so it shouldn't now be a surprise to you. Are you sure it's the entire policy and not just a specific part of it that is time limited?

uk1

podgy wrote: »

Going on a family holiday to New York in June 2019 so, being a bit worried about the closure of airspace post-Brexit I took MSE's advice and had a look at Aviva's single trip insurance which includes an airspace closure add-on.

I rather assumed that our cover for our week-long trip in June would cover any eventuality between now and June - but having made the payment saw that the cover only begins in May next year - and well after the Brexit exit date.

Can this be right?

Unless I have totally misunderstood you, if you are covered in June 2019 against the risk of an airspace shutdown before your trip because of a shutdown on March 29th then as you won’t be able to travel due to the shutdown on your date of travel you will be covered I woud have thought

The only restriction I can see - which doesn’t apply is:

“And we won’t be able to cover you if you knew when you booked your trip or took out your cover that you wouldn’t be able to travel.”

At the moment you do not know and that is the reason for taking the insurance. Perhaps I’m missing something.

Aretnap

Looking at Aviva's policy documents the only reference to a start date I can see (other than the start date of the holiday itself) is a reference to a cancellation cover start date. Is it this your looking at? If so my reading was that this is the date from which you can actually cancel the holiday and claim a refund. Which makes sense... if you get ill next week the insurer would reasonably expect you to wait and see how you are closer to the departure date before cancelling, rather than cancel the holiday now and claiming a refund from your insurance (which you might be tempted to try if you just didn't fancy the holiday anymore). The same would apply if flights were disrupted for a few days around Brexit... you would be able to claim for cancelation if the disruption was still ongoing close to your departure date but not if the disruption gave you second thoughts about the holiday regardless of whether it was still possible.

The alternative reading, that it only applies if the event that forces the cancellation happens after the 28th May, would also mean that any injury or illness that befalls you between now and then that stops you going on holiday would also not be covered, and that's not how Travel Insurance works.

podgy

Mark_Bedford wrote: »

I refer you to some earlier posts - as an example of what can happen.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5926543/holidaysafe-front-page-of-times-newspaper-20-nov&page=2#26

You need a couple of things:

Firstly: a reputable underwiter....that is your last back stop. In the end, you can write to them directly and they must be creditworthy. It will be long winded but if you are atriculate you can always write to compliance officier there.
Secondly and in many ways FIRST: You need a claims handling broker that is good and honest and not fraudulent in some way as the Times article dossier alledges. Even if you have a solid underwiter if your agent can earn fees from rejecting your claim unfairly or enhance their buisness in some way that is a problem. It almost will rear its ugly head over time if management are so inclined.

ANY document, can be in some way be slanted one by person who is intent on not being fair and honest. Going direct to the large insuer is probably a better way until the FCA starts to close, fine and ban some of these brokers and claims handlers that are clearly crossing the lines illegally.

A word on ratings and polls. Imagine you have 100 boxes each with the promise of £100 in each. i.e. a claim payout. Around 3% of people need to claim statistcally. Now imagine there was no £100 in each box and is was a fraud say. What would be the rating? The answer is 97% postive becuase only 3% of people had cause to open the box an discover there was no money for a claim. The other 97% did not need to claim and had no idea that they were going to no be paid out. They rated their expericne on the website look and feel or to win money or an amazon vouchure....

Cheap insurance. Rip off insurance aside it is impossible. Why? Because a missed flight or an broken leg operation costs the same whatever insurance company you are with all things being equal. If the probability of your house burning down is x:1000 and your house costs £100k what is the chapeast your insurance can be? Well they need to sell 1,000 polices at £100 each. If they sell it for £50 when it comes to pay the unlucky person they only have £50k...a simplfied example but very true actually.

What will they do? Simple they either take a loss or they find a way not to pay you. I will be astonished in Holidaysafe, Alpha travel insurance, Covered2Go ...the TIF brands remain unsactioned by the FCA.

My advise is use the sewrvice of a large insurer direct and cheap no-frills is a concept that does not apply to insurance really becuase the payout costs are fixed. You can pay for third party, a limit on the cost of an iPhone....65% of a broken leg?? not so easy.

Thanks, but I would have thought Aviva is a reputable insurer, but hopefully I wont have to call on them.

podgy

Aretnap wrote: »

Looking at Aviva's policy documents the only reference to a start date I can see (other than the start date of the holiday itself) is a reference to a cancellation cover start date. Is it this your looking at? If so my reading was that this is the date from which you can actually cancel the holiday and claim a refund. Which makes sense... if you get ill next week the insurer would reasonably expect you to wait and see how you are closer to the departure date before cancelling, rather than cancel the holiday now and claiming a refund from your insurance (which you might be tempted to try if you just didn't fancy the holiday anymore). The same would apply if flights were disrupted for a few days around Brexit... you would be able to claim for cancelation if the disruption was still ongoing close to your departure date but not if the disruption gave you second thoughts about the holiday regardless of whether it was still possible.



The alternative reading, that it only applies if the event that forces the cancellation happens after the 28th May, would also mean that any injury or illness that befalls you between now and then that stops you going on holiday would also not be covered, and that's not how Travel Insurance works.

Thanks, but I have opted for the optional extra of airspace closure. If no deals are reached on air flights as part of the Brexit process, then there may not be any airflights: see this MSE article: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/brexit-what-it-means-for-you/#travel

If there are no air flights then one is not covered by cancellation insurance, hence my wish to take out the closed airspace option but am unsure whether I am even covered for this having found out that my policy does not begin until May next year - n.b. the cancellation part of the policy begins immediately.

podgy

agrinnall wrote: »

I'd be surprised it if was right, as that's not generally the way single trip insurance works, but presumably you agreed to it when you took out the policy so it shouldn't now be a surprise to you. Are you sure it's the entire policy and not just a specific part of it that is time limited?

It is clear that the cancellation part of the policy is effective immediately, but the rest of the policy only takes effect next May (whcih was not clear when I took the policy).

podgy

Aretnap wrote: »

Looking at Aviva's policy documents the only reference to a start date I can see (other than the start date of the holiday itself) is a reference to a cancellation cover start date. Is it this your looking at? If so my reading was that this is the date from which you can actually cancel the holiday and claim a refund. Which makes sense... if you get ill next week the insurer would reasonably expect you to wait and see how you are closer to the departure date before cancelling, rather than cancel the holiday now and claiming a refund from your insurance (which you might be tempted to try if you just didn't fancy the holiday anymore). The same would apply if flights were disrupted for a few days around Brexit... you would be able to claim for cancelation if the disruption was still ongoing close to your departure date but not if the disruption gave you second thoughts about the holiday regardless of whether it was still possible.



The alternative reading, that it only applies if the event that forces the cancellation happens after the 28th May, would also mean that any injury or illness that befalls you between now and then that stops you going on holiday would also not be covered, and that's not how Travel Insurance works.

Thanks, but the cancellation part of the policy is effective immediately whereas the airspace closure only become effective next May (which wasnt set out in Aviva policy docs). I only opted for Aviva and their airspace closure add-on because of this MSE article: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/brexit-what-it-means-for-you/#travel

sheramber

But what is the problem?

If airspace is closed in March but open again on 30 April then there is no problem with your flight in June.

If air space is closed in March and is still closed in May then you have cover for cancellation.

Are you assuming if airspace is closed in March that the airline will cancel all future flights immediately?

podgy

Cancellation insurance alone doesn’t cover you for no flights due to closed airspace.

sheramber

If the airspace is closed on 29 March they are not going to pay out in April as it may be open again before you go and your flight would go as usual.
They will only cover you at the last minute - for your flight in June that is May. For someone travelling in May the cover will probably start in April.

Any closure due to Brexit will not happen between now and 29 March.

Why do you need cover now if you are not travelling until June?