Like TripInsuranceStore.com has always been, I (Steve) am being direct about your choices. This could change in the future if the companies themselves make changes to their procedures.
If you cancel your trip for a not-Covered Reason, you will still have a payable claim if your travel insurance includes the Cancel For Any Reason coverage and you cancel your trip not less than 3 calendar days before your departure date.
Are you still taking your upcoming trip? If not, there are likely three reasons why:
1) You have a covered claim. For example, you, a close family member or a traveling companion gets hurt or sick before you leave. You must consult with your doctor must see you in person before you cancel your trip and must advise that your current injury or illness is so disabling that they recommend that you do not travel. There’s an Attending Physicians Report which that doctor will later need to fill out as a part of your claim. There are many other covered reasons, which can be found in your policy.
Q. What happens if someone can’t see a doctor in person due to a State lockdown, but only by a phone consultation?
A. The backup documentation will likely indicate what an insurance companies would need in order to consider the claim. Insurance companies collect this documentation as completed by a Physician. I can’t say for sure but I can only presume this would be acceptable. More than a few procedures are changing and will continue to change to reflect the reality of this severe situation.
If you are thinking of cancelling for the risk of getting the Coronavirus, but are not ill right now, read this: Don’t Cancel for Your Medical Reasons If You’re Not Ill or Injured
https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/dont-cancel-for-medical-reasons-if-youre-not-ill-or-injured/
2) Your Travel Supplier(s) cancels your trip due to the Coronavirus. If this happens, your Travel Supplier will have to make it up to you in some way. Many airlines are waiving the change fees when you re-book. Some airlines and travel suppliers are giving full refunds in cash. Others are giving future travel credits and / or a very good deal if you switch your dates to a future trip.
Is your Travel Supplier cancelling the trip because of the Coronavirus a Covered Reason for trip cancellation? The answer is “No”. The following wording is a part of the exclusions on all policies, it is not a new addition to the policy language.
- Failure of any tour operator, common carrier, person or agency to provide the bargained-for travel arrangements. If a travel supplier changes the itinerary, but still gives you a similar trip or a future travel credit or waives the change fees, there’s no payable claim.
- Government Actions, Advisories or Recommendations
Now is a good time for you to get out your travel documents you received from your travel supplier(s) and read them again.
For an airline ticket, look at the Contract of Carriage. For your other travel suppliers, look at the Terms and Conditions you agreed to when you booked your trip. These documents will tell you what will happen if your supplier cancels or makes changes. With the Coronavirus crisis being widespread, and because they care for their guests, many travel suppliers are waiving penalties and making it easier to change your dates to a future trip. Some other suppliers are also allowing full refunds.
It’s possible the Terms and Conditions you agreed to were vaguely written. If so, contact your trip’s organizer and / or the travel agent that sold you the trip. Do this even if you may not cancel so you understand your options.
Click here to find out what you can do with your policy if your trip’s affected by the Coronavirus
- If you do not have any penalties, but you have Future Travel Credit(s) due to the Coronavirus:
You may change your dates on your policy providing you didn’t take the trip and have no penalties. The insurance company will require documentation (including, but not limited to) documentation from your cancelled trip as well as your new travel itinerary. - If you got a 100% refund on all your travel arrangements in cash:
Some companies (not all) will refund the premium you paid for the policy. You will have to furnish all your documentation of what and when you paid the money along with proof of the refunds and other items.This is important: Getting a future travel credit or any ability to re-use a travel arrangement (i.e. – the airline change fee waivers) is not the same as a cash refund.
Each insurance company has different limits for how far in the future you may have new travel dates. Some have relaxed their rules recently because of the Coronavirus, so check with us if you will be rescheduling your trip. Go here to see what the companies are doing.
It’s likely you will not have a new trip booked by your original departure date. Be sure to tell us that you are not taking your trip so we can notify the insurance company. I have been adding links to company-specific forms on my detailed desciption pages at TripInsuranceStore.com if a company has a specific online form.
If you already booked a replacement trip, make sure you contact us. You are free to contact the insurance company directly, or simply call on us to help you with you travel date change.
3) You voluntarily cancel your trip because of the Coronavirus. You may be doing this as a precaution. It’s possible your travel supplier offered you a future travel credit and / or a very good deal if you switched your dates to a future trip. Some airlines are waiving the change fees when you re-book.
You have Future Travel Credit(s) and no penalties:
- You may change your dates providing you didn’t take the trip and have no penalties. The insurance company will require documentation of your cancelled trip as well as your new travel itinerary.
If you do not have any penalty, but you got back some cash back along with Future Travel Credit(s):
- You may change your dates providing you didn’t take the trip and have no penalties. The insurance company will require documentation of your cancelled trip as well as your new travel itinerary.
If you incur any penalties:
- Let us know. Some plans will still let you change the dates, while others won’t.
- If you incur any penalty, you need to know that changing the dates means that you are not able to make a claim on the trip you are cancelling. You will want to first find out if the reason you are cancelling is a covered reason or not.
I (Steve) keep adding to my Coronavirus page here:
https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-epidemic-coverage/
Read these: I have more on the way. If you don’t subscribe to my Blog, you may Subscribe Here
What You Should Do If You Have a Trip Booked Now:
https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/what-you-should-do-if-you-have-a-trip-booked-now/
Don’t Cancel for Your Medical Reasons If You’re Not Ill or Injured:
https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/dont-cancel-for-medical-reasons-if-youre-not-ill-or-injured/
I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we'll help you figure it all out.
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