Nationwide Travel Insurance

Puddocks

I was due to go with my family on a ski Holiday to the USA on the 6th April but under FCO advice my travel Company cancelled my Package Holiday saying i would have to claim through my Travel Insurance (Nationwide) which i did, it has taken until now for the Nationwide to say they will not pay out as the Travel Company cancelled! Surely this can't be correct? Anybody else had the same experience? Any advice please? Thanks

Life__Goes__On

Puddocks said:

I was due to go with my family on a ski Holiday to the USA on the 6th April but under FCO advice my travel Company cancelled my Package Holiday saying i would have to claim through my Travel Insurance (Nationwide) which i did, it has taken until now for the Nationwide to say they will not pay out as the Travel Company cancelled! Surely this can't be correct? Anybody else had the same experience? Any advice please? Thanks

That is the correct advice, it's the travel company that owes you a refund.

Nebulous2

Insurance will only pay out when you have exhausted other avenues. They will expect you to claim from your travel agent and your bank / credit card company first. 

If you booked everything from your travel agent they have an obligation to refund you. 

mattyprice4004

As above, if the company cancelled they need to refund you. Insurance would be the fallback if you decided not to go, but the trip still went ahead. 

ic

If you travel company cancelled, they should refund you.  If they are refusing, speak to bank about a chargeback.

Puddocks

Thanks for all this, Nationwide were happy to pay out on Friday then today decided not too, any point going to the Financial Ombudsman?

ic

No, go back to the travel company and ask for your refund.

SevenOfNine

Puddocks said:

Thanks for all this, Nationwide were happy to pay out on Friday then today decided not too, any point going to the Financial Ombudsman?

None, not at this point. You should read the Specific Exclusions, clause 1.

You'd have to show you can't recover the costs from the agent or your card provider first.

chrisaliz

Jan 2020 we booked a villa in Orlando for April 2020 and the villa company would not provide a refund as they said they had to pay the villa owner (third party) and a credit could be made for a future booking.  TUI refunded flight/car hire no problem.  We do not intend to travel to the USA at any point in the foreseeable future.  Made a claim on the Nationwide FlexPlus travel insurance (UK Insurance) and this was rejected due to the villa company offering a credit.  We do not want a credit, we want our money back.  Have now gone to the Financial Ombudsmen. 

SevenOfNine

chrisaliz said:

Jan 2020 we booked a villa in Orlando for April 2020 and the villa company would not provide a refund as they said they had to pay the villa owner (third party) and a credit could be made for a future booking.  TUI refunded flight/car hire no problem.  We do not intend to travel to the USA at any point in the foreseeable future.  Made a claim on the Nationwide FlexPlus travel insurance (UK Insurance) and this was rejected due to the villa company offering a credit.  We do not want a credit, we want our money back.  Have now gone to the Financial Ombudsmen. 

Feedback on progress would be interesting.
The 'credit' won't buy you the same stay, price will go up.  I doubt the 'credit' has any, or safe enough, financial protection.  Being obliged to accept the 'credit' means you'd be committed to travel at a later date with no/minimal pandemic cover.  Staysure have started including it, but only if you come down with it abroad & need medical assistance (or it all kicks off again & you need repatriation), as far as I know you wouldn't be covered if you got it just before travel therefore could not even leave UK! So you'd be risking your entire holiday costs.  I don't think N/W FlexPlus Ins are even going that far (yet anyway).

blindman

SevenOfNine said:

chrisaliz said:

Jan 2020 we booked a villa in Orlando for April 2020 and the villa company would not provide a refund as they said they had to pay the villa owner (third party) and a credit could be made for a future booking.  TUI refunded flight/car hire no problem.  We do not intend to travel to the USA at any point in the foreseeable future.  Made a claim on the Nationwide FlexPlus travel insurance (UK Insurance) and this was rejected due to the villa company offering a credit.  We do not want a credit, we want our money back.  Have now gone to the Financial Ombudsmen. 

Feedback on progress would be interesting.
The 'credit' won't buy you the same stay, price will go up.  I doubt the 'credit' has any, or safe enough, financial protection.  Being obliged to accept the 'credit' means you'd be committed to travel at a later date with no/minimal pandemic cover.  Staysure have started including it, but only if you come down with it abroad & need medical assistance (or it all kicks off again & you need repatriation), as far as I know you wouldn't be covered if you got it just before travel therefore could not even leave UK! So you'd be risking your entire holiday costs.  I don't think N/W FlexPlus Ins are even going that far (yet anyway).

+1
I may have to so the same re a flight "credit" on Air new Zealand.