Travel insurance

 

This policy constitutes a contract between you and us and is made up of the policy schedule and this policy wording booklet, which together form the contract of insurance, and is based upon the information that you provided during your application.

In return for the correct premium, we will pay you or your personal representative if you make a valid claim.

Please be aware that this policy does not cover for every eventuality. You should read this policy wording booklet carefully to ensure that this meets with your requirements. Please keep this in a safe place and take it with you on your trip.

 

Claims - 0845 602 5279† (see full details of procedures see Part G)
Medical screening - 0845 602 5275† (see declaration in Part A for requirements before calling)
Emergency Medical Assistance 24 hour worldwide - +44 23 8064 4633†
Your policy - 0800 169 9999† (for matters not covered by any above)

Health Declaration
If there is a change in your health (after you have taken out this insurance or booked, but before you travel) and you can no longer agree with the declaration, you must contact the Post Office® Medical Screening Line immediately on 0845 602 5275† quoting Scheme code PTS2. They will tell you if the change in your health will affect your insurance cover.
For a close relative or business associate who is not insured but whose health may affect the trip.

If, at the time of taking out this insurance (or booking the trip if this was later) your close relative or business associate had a medical condition for which he or she:
· was receiving treatment at hospital (other than where you go to hospital for check-ups for a stable condition, at regular intervals which have been arranged beforehand)
· was waiting for a hospital consultation or treatment (other than where you go to hospital for check-ups for a stable condition, at regular intervals which have been arranged beforehand)
· had been given a terminal prognosis, or been told that their condition is likely to get worse in the next 12 months;
We will not pay for any claim you (or any insured person) make, that has anything to do with that medical condition of that relative.

24 Hour Worldwide Emergency Medical Assistance
(This service is only for emergencies)

Assistance International
If you need help in a medical emergency, please call: +44 23 8064 4633†
We may record or monitor calls for training purposes or to improve the quality of our service. When you contact Assistance International let us know you have a Post Office® policy. We will need some contact details for you so that we can keep in touch. Please try to have these and other useful information to hand.

Getting you home
If you are too ill to return home using your return travel tickets, Assistance International can arrange other travel for you. In special circumstances, they will arrange a road or air ambulance. Before you travel, the doctors looking after you must provide a certificate confirming that it is medically necessary for you to return home and that you are fit to travel. The conditions of Section 5 – Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses and condition 5 of the General Conditions applying to all Sections also apply to the service provided by Assistance International.

Please contact us as soon as possible if:
• you are likely to be in hospital for more than 48 hours.
• you may need to return home early.
• you do not have the funds to cover your medical costs. (It may be more convenient for you to pay smaller costs and claim afterwards).

†Calls may be monitored and used for training purposes.

 

 

This policy has been arranged by Aon Limited for the Post Office® and is underwritten by Fortis Insurance Limited apart from Section 12 – Legal Expenses, which is underwritten by DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Ltd. We are required to tell you some important features of your policy including:

Policy Wording Booklet
This policy wording booklet gives you full details of the cover and the conditions you must satisfy to ensure you are fully covered. Please read this carefully, especially the Declaration on pages 1 and 2. Call us on 0800 169 9999†  if you need any further help and advice.

Conditions and Exclusions
There are conditions and exclusions which apply to individual Sections of the policy and general exclusions which apply to the whole policy – see part E.

Eligibility
To be eligible for this insurance:
• you must be a full United Kingdom resident and;
• have a United Kingdom home address and;
• each trip must start and finish in the United Kingdom.

Age Limit
For annual multi-trip insurance you must be under 75 years of age at the start date of the policy. For single trip insurance there is no age limit.

Maximum Trip Duration
The maximum trip duration will be shown on your policy schedule. Your policy schedule will also show you when your cover starts and finishes.

One-Way Cover
This insurance is designed to cover a round trip which starts and finishes at your home in the United Kingdom. It will also provide cover for one-way trips of up to a maximum of 17 days duration, for the purpose of emigration only. The insurance will be restricted to the cover and conditions that would have applied if you had arranged to return to the United Kingdom at the end of the period of insurance.

Limit of Cover
Each Section of the policy shows the most you can claim, but other limits may apply. For example, under the Personal belongings Section the overall cover is £1,500 but there is a lower limit for valuables of £300 and any one item. Please check your policy carefully to ensure you have adequate cover.

Looking After Your Belongings
You should take all reasonable care to protect your belongings and act as if you are not insured. If you do not do this we may not pay your claim.

Cancellation Rights
You can cancel this policy within 14 days from the date you receive the policy wording booklet and policy schedule. We will then refund your premium in full. No refund of premium is available after the 14-day period. If you have any questions on this matter or wish to cancel your policy please contact Post Office® travel insurance on 0800 169 9999.† 

Excesses
Under some sections of the policy, claims will be subject to an excess. This means that each insured person will be responsible for the first part of their claim for each event.

Renewals
If you have an annual multi-trip policy, we will send you a renewal notice prior to the expiry of your policy in time to allow you to consider and arrange any continuing cover you may need.

Complaints
This policy contains a complaints procedure, which tells you what steps you can take if you wish to make a complaint – see part F.

Making a Claim
To help us deal quickly and efficiently with your claim, please read the claims procedure in Part G and the General Conditions and Exclusions. This tells you what documents you will need to support your claim. Some documents may be needed to support your claim; for example, for certain claims, a police report must be obtained while you are on your trip.

 

Medical Emergency
If you need assistance in the event of a medical emergency, please contact Assistance International immediately. Please read Section 5 – Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses of this policy for details.

Reciprocal Health Agreement
If you are travelling to a European Union Country you should apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) available from your local Post Office™ branch or by visiting www.dh.gov.uk/travellers to apply online. The EHIC allows you to receive free or reduced cost emergency medical care in most European countries from the equivalent of the National Health Service in the country you are visiting. If you make use of these arrangements or any other worldwide reciprocal health arrangement and your claim under the
Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses section is reduced, you will not have to pay any excess under this section.

Geographical Areas (applicable when selecting the correct policy type for your destination)

Area 1 UK – including Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. For annual multi-trip insurance, cover for Great Britain will be applicable only where a minimum of two nights’ payable accommodation has been pre-booked for your trip.

Area 2 Europe – all European countries including Eire (Republic of Ireland), Russia (west of the Ural Mountains), islands in the Mediterranean, the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Iceland, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

Area 3 Worldwide – including all destinations not covered by Areas 1 and 2 but excluding any cover for the USA, Canada or the Caribbean.

Area 4 Worldwide – including all destinations not covered by Areas 1, 2 and 3, inclusive of the USA, Canada and the Caribbean.

Policy Information
If you require information or advice on any aspect of this policy please contact us on 0800 169 9999†.

 

If you are going to take part in any hazardous activity, you may not be covered by this policy. If you are intending to take part in any hazardous activity and want to check you are covered, check the list below, or if still unclear you can contact us on 0800 169 9999†.

Examples of activities covered as standard:

• abseiling
• pony trekking
• archery
• quad biking (wearing wearing protective clothing and in a controlled environment)
• badminton
• baseball
• rounders
• canoeing/Rafting (to Cat.2)
• rowing
• clay pigeon shooting
• safari
• cross-country running
• scuba-diving to a depth of 30 metres
• cycling (leisure)
• shooting (range only)
• deep sea fishing
• skateboarding
• fell running
• snorkelling
• fencing
• surface water sports
• gliding (not piloting and subject to flying with qualified pilot)
• surfing 
• swimming
• go-karting
• trekking
• golf
• tug-of-war
• gymnastics
• volleyball
• hiking/trekking/hill walking (where no ropes or guides are required)
• war games/paintballing 
• water polo
• horse riding (not racing, hunting or competing)
• Water skiing
• hot air ballooning (licensed operator only, not piloting)
• white water rafting (to Cat.2)
• Windsurfing
• Jet boating
• Yachting (coastal waters only)
• jet skiing
• motorcycling (not racing or competing and subject to policy terms)
• orienteering
• parascending (towed by a boat)

Examples of activities covered in addition to the above, if you have opted for the Winter Sports Cover.

• cross-country skiing
• skiing on- or off-piste
• curling (off-piste only with a qualified guide or instructor)
• dog sledding
• snowboarding on- or off-piste
• downhill skiing (off-piste only with a qualified guide or instructor)
• glacier walking
• heli-skiing
• snowmobiling
• ice skating
• speed skating
• mogul skiing
• tobogganing
• mono skiing

If you intend to undertake any activity not shown above that may be considered hazardous or require confirmation of whether your activity is insured, please call us on 0800 169 9999†. We may be able to cover your activity as standard or in some cases for an additional premium.

†Calls may be monitored and used for training purposes.

 

Part B – Definitions

Wherever the following words appear in the policy they will have the following meanings:

Accident/Accidental
A sudden event, which happens by chance after the start date of the policy and results in your bodily injury.

Acts of terrorism
An act, including but not limited to the use or threat of force or violence, by any person or group, whether acting alone or on behalf of or in connection with any organisation(s) or government(s), committed for political, religious, ideological or ethnic purposes or reasons, including the intention to influence any government and/or to cause fear to the public, or any section of the public.

Bodily injury
Injury to your body which is caused solely by violent, accidental, external and visible means. This does not include any sickness, disease or naturally occurring condition, or gradually operating or degenerative process.

Close relative
Your mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, fiancé(e), partner, daughter, son, grandparent, grandchild, parent-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, step-parent, step-child, stepsister, stepbrother, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, niece.

Colleague
Anyone who works at your place of business and who, if you were both away from work at the same time, would prevent the business from running properly.

Curtailment / Cutting short your trip
Your early return to home before the scheduled return date.

Family
Lone parents or two adults who are married or living together as married and an unlimited number of dependent children (including sons, daughters, grandchildren, nieces or nephews of those taking out lone parent or family cover) under the age of 18. Insured adults can travel independently but dependant children must travel with the insured adult or, under an annual multi-trip policy, be travelling to or returning from the insured adult.

Hazardous activities
An activity which may increase the risk of injury or liability for an insured person or persons.

Home
Your permanent private residential address in the United Kingdom.

 

 

Part C – Cover and Conditions for Each Insured Person

Section 1 – Cancellation and Curtailment
1. We will pay you up to £5,000 for unused travel and accommodation charges (including unused kennel and cattery expenses up to £250) which are not recoverable elsewhere and which you have paid or contracted to pay should you have to cancel your trip before you leave your home or place of business as a result of the following commencing during the period of insurance:
a) Your death, injury or illness or that of your travelling companion, the person you are going to stay with, a close relative or colleague.
b) You or your travelling companion being required by the police to stay at home as a result of burglary, or serious damage by fire, explosion, subsidence, storm flooding, vandalism, fallen tree or impact by aircraft or vehicle to your or their home or usual place of business in the United Kingdom.
c) You or your travelling companion being required for jury service or as a witness in a court of law in the United Kingdom.
d) You being made involuntarily redundant if you are under 65 and have 2 years’ continuous employment with the same employer.
e) You or your travelling companion having agreed leave subsequently cancelled by the emergency services or armed forces, for operational reasons. This cover does not apply to cancellation of leave due to war, invasion, acts of terrorism, hostilities (whether war be declared or not), civil unrest, revolution, rebellion, act of foreign enemy or any similar event.

2.We will pay you up to £5,000 for expenses which you have paid or legally have to pay for travel (including pre-paid excursion fees) and accommodation which you do not use if you cut short your trip as a result of:
a) Your death, injury or illness or that of your travelling companion, the person you are going to stay with, a close relative or colleague.
b) You or your travelling companion being required by the police to stay at home as a result of burglary, or serious damage by fire, explosion, subsidence, storm flooding, vandalism, fallen tree or impact by aircraft or vehicle to your or their home or usual place of business in the United Kingdom.
c) You becoming injured or ill and being admitted to hospital for the rest of your trip.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions the following conditions and exclusions apply.

Cancellation and Curtailment Exclusions
1. You are not covered for claims caused directly or indirectly from the following:
a) Any circumstances you were aware of at the time this insurance was bought, or at the time of booking your trip, which later led to your trip being cancelled or cut short, unless we agreed in writing, before the trip, to cover it. 
b) Booking and/or travelling against the advice of a doctor.
c) Your disinclination to travel.
d) You not having the correct passport, visa or other entry documents.
e) Your decision not to go or continue with the trip for reasons other than those listed above.
f) Your suicide, attempted suicide, intentional self-injury or deliberate exposure to danger (unless in an attempt to save someone’s life).
g) You being under the influence of alcohol, solvents or drugs (except drugs prescribed by a doctor other than for the treatment of drug abuse).
h) Pregnancy or childbirth, where the due date is less than eight weeks after the intended date of returning home. (This will not apply to claims for loss of deposit where the pregnancy occurs during the period of insurance.)

  2. We will not pay any claim resulting directly or indirectly from you participating in any hazardous activity.

3. If you do not tell the travel agent, tour operator or organisations providing transport and accommodation as soon as you need to cancel your trip, the amount we pay will be limited to the cancellation charges that would have applied at that time.

4. We will not pay the first £50 (reduced to £10 for loss of deposit only claims) for any loss, charge or expense incurred in respect of each claim under this Section. The maximum excess you and your family will pay in respect of any one event claimed for is £100.

Conditions Applying to Curtailment
1. If you have to return home early Assistance International must be called immediately or as soon as reasonably possible to authorise any expenses. If you do not do this we may not pay your claim.
2. You must not arrange in-flight medical care for your return journey without the permission of Assistance International. Our medical advisers will consult with the doctors treating you to decide on reasonable grounds if this is necessary and will make the most appropriate arrangements for you.
3. We may instruct you to return home if our medical advisers and the doctors treating you decide on reasonable grounds that you are fit to travel. If you refuse to be repatriated all cover under the policy will cease.
4. Before you return home for medical reasons you must get a doctor’s certificate to confirm that this is necessary and you are fit to travel.

Section 2 – Delayed Departure
If the transport on which you are booked as a passenger for your outward or return journey is delayed or cancelled due to:
• A serious fire, storm or flood damage to the departure point
• Industrial action
• Bad weather
• Mechanical breakdown of the international train or sea vessel; or 
• The grounding of the aircraft due to a mechanical or a structural defect.

We will pay you one of the following:

Either
1. Compensation of £20 for the first full 8 hours you are delayed and £20 for each completed 12 hours thereafter, up to a maximum £300. Delay benefit will be based on the difference between the actual time of departure and the scheduled departure time.
or
2. Abandonment – Up to £5,000 (plus up to £250 unused kennel or cattery fees) in total for your part of the costs or the journey which have been paid or where there is a contract to pay before the start of the journey which you cannot recover from anywhere else, if, after you have been delayed for more than 12 hours, you decide to abandon the journey before you leave the United Kingdom.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions the following conditions and exclusions apply.

Delayed Departure Exclusions
1. You are not covered for claims caused directly or indirectly from the following:
a) Claims caused by strike, industrial action or any other reason which was public knowledge when this policy was bought or your trip was booked.
b) Delay as a result of your failure to check in at your departure point on time.
c) Any amounts you can recover from someone or somebody else.

2. We will not pay the first £50 of any claim under Abandonment. No excess is payable in respect of claims for delay compensation only. The maximum excess you and your family will pay in respect of any one event claimed for is £100.

Conditions Applying to Delayed Departure Claims
1. You must ask the airline or transport company to confirm in writing:
a) the cause of delay or cancellation
b) the period of the delay
c) the scheduled time of departure and arrival, and
d) the actual time of departure and arrival

 

Section 3 – Missed Departure
What is covered

If one of the following takes place during the period of insurance you will be covered up to £1,000 for the cost of reasonable extra accommodation and travel expenses to allow you to carry on with your trip.
1. Labour dispute, civil disturbance, mechanical breakdown or bad weather which interrupts scheduled public transport services including booked connecting flights;
2. An accident or breakdown involving the vehicle in which you are travelling in and which causes you to arrive at the airport, port or station you are leaving from on your outward or return journey too late to start the journey you have booked.
3. A road traffic accident involving another vehicle en route to the airport, port or station you are leaving from on your outward or return journey which causes you to arrive too late to start the outward or return journey you had booked.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following conditions apply.

Conditions applying to Missed Departure
1. You must do all that you can to arrive at the airport, port or station you are leaving from on time.
2. In the case of a labour dispute, you will only be covered if the dispute is announced and begins during the period of insurance.
3. If you miss the departure because your vehicle breaks down or you are involved in an accident, you must send us a repairer’s report or police accident report.
4. If you miss the departure because a road traffic accident involving another vehicle, you must send us confirmation from the police or motoring authorities (e.g. Highways Agency, RAC, AA etc) to confirm the delay.

Section 4 – Hijack
We will pay you £50 (£1,000 in all) for each complete 24 hour period that you are unable to reach your trip destination or return to your home because the plane or ship you are travelling on is hijacked.

Subject to the general conditions and exclusions.

Section 5 – Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses
1. If you are travelling outside the United Kingdom we will pay up to £10,000,000 for any necessary and reasonable expenses caused by your illness, injury or death commencing and occurring during the period of insurance for the following:
a) Expenses you would have to pay, outside the United Kingdom and the country where you normally live, within 12 months of the start of your illness or injury. The expenses must be for medical, surgical and hospital charges, ambulances, nursing homes and nursing.
b) Emergency dental treatment up to £200 for the immediate relief of pain only.
c) The extra cost of you returning home.
d) Extra accommodation (room only) expenses if you are advised by a doctor that you should stay longer than you intended.
e) Extra travel and accommodation (room only) expenses where a doctor has advised it is necessary for one person to stay with you or to travel from the United Kingdom to escort you home if you are seriously ill or injured.
f) Up to £2,500 for funeral expenses abroad.
g) The additional cost of bringing your body or ashes home.
h) Up to £150 for unrecoverable expenses in respect of excursions you have paid for before your departure but which you have not made.
i) You will be covered for extra travel expenses which are reasonable and necessary if you have to return home early because a close relative or business associate is seriously ill or injured or has died during the period of insurance. 

  2. If you are travelling within the United Kingdom we will pay you up to £10,000 for any necessary and reasonable expenses caused by your illness, injury or death occurring during the period of insurance
for:
a) Extra travel and accommodation expenses if you are advised by a doctor that such travel or accommodation is necessary.
b) Extra travel and accommodation expenses where a doctor has advised it is necessary for one person to stay with you or to travel to be with you if you are seriously ill or injured.
c) The extra cost of bringing your body or ashes home.
d) Extra expenses necessarily incurred to transfer you by ambulance to a hospital or nursing home nearer your home.
e) Extra expenses necessarily incurred to recover your car and your personal belongings to your home if you and no other person travelling with you at the time of your discharge from hospital are able to drive the car.

Section 6 – Hospital Benefit
If you are travelling outside the United Kingdom we will pay you up to £800 (£15 for each completed 24 hour period) if you are kept in hospital during the period of insurance as an in-patient. Any amount you receive under this Section will be in addition to any amount that you receive under the Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses Section. You may use this benefit to help pay for incidental expenses incurred such as telephone calls and taxi fares.

A medical certificate must be obtained from the treating doctor showing the period of admission to hospital.

  Section 7 – Personal Accident
If you sustain accidental bodily injury during the period of insurance and the injury results in your death or disability (as listed below) within 12 months from the date of the accident we will pay you (or your legal personal representative(s) in the event of death) the following benefits:
1. Death – of a person aged 18 to 70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£15,000
2. Death – of a person under the age of 18 or over the age of 70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£1,000
3. Loss of one or more limbs at or above the wrist or ankle, or permanent loss of sightin one or both eyes . .  . . . .£25,000
4. Permanent total disablement which means you cannot do any kind of paid work – of a person aged 18 to 70 years  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .£30,000
5. Permanent total disablement – of a person under the age of 18 or over the age of 70 . . . . . . . . . . . .£ Nil

As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following exclusions and conditions apply to Sections 5, 6 & 7.

Exclusions Applying to Sections 5, 6 & 7 – Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses, Hospital Benefit and Personal Accident
1. You are not covered for claims arising directly or indirectly from any of the following:
a) Any circumstances you were aware of at the time this insurance was bought, or at the time of booking a trip that would result in the trip being cancelled or cut short, unless, before the trip, we agreed in writing to cover it.
b) Where you have travelled against the advice of a doctor or in order to obtain medical treatment or advice abroad.
c) Any treatment or surgery which our medical advisers reasonably believe is not essential or could wait until your return home.
d) Any treatment or surgery or exploratory tests which are not directly related to the illness or injury for which you originally went into hospital (unless agreed by Assistance International beforehand).
e) Cosmetic or elective surgery.
f) Medication and treatment which you knew you would need while you were away.
g) Any extra costs incurred for a single or private room unless medically necessary.
h) Treatment or services provided by a health spa, convalescent or nursing home or any rehabilitation centre.
i) Repairs to or the provision of dentures or artificial teeth or any dental work involving the use of precious metals.
j) Any claim arising from motorcycling where you are the driver or passenger unless you or the driver holds a current and valid licence which allows you or them to ride a motorcycle and you are wearing a helmet.
k) Your suicide, attempted suicide, intentional self-injury or deliberate exposure to danger (unless in an attempt to save someone’s life).
l) You being under the influence of solvents or drugs or their effects (except drugs prescribed by a doctor other than for treatment of drug abuse) or where in the opinion of the treating doctor excessive alcohol consumption has caused the injury or illness.
m) Pregnancy or childbirth, where the due date is less than eight weeks after the intended date of returning home.
n) Any claim resulting directly or indirectly from you participating in any hazardous activity.

2. We will not pay the first £50 for any loss, charge or expense incurred in respect of each claim under Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses. The maximum excess you and your family will pay in respect of any one event claimed for is £100.

  Conditions Applying to Sections 5, 6 & 7 – Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses, Hospital Benefit and Personal Accident
1. Assistance International must be called immediately or as soon as reasonably possible to authorise any expenses for medical treatment abroad or if you have to return home early. If you do not do this we may not pay your claim.
2. You must not arrange in-flight medical care for your return journey without the permission of Assistance International. Our medical advisers will consult with the doctors treating you to decide if this is reasonably necessary and will make the most appropriate arrangements for you.
3. We may instruct you to return home if our medical advisers and the doctors treating you decide on reasonable grounds that you are fit to travel. If you refuse to be repatriated all cover under the policy will cease.

Conditions Applying to Section 7 – Personal Accident
1. We will not pay you personal accident benefits for more than one benefit to any one insured person for injuries caused by one accident.
2. If you make a claim, you must allow our medical advisers to examine you as often as they need to. (We will pay any costs and your expenses for these examinations if we accept your claim.) 

Section 8 – Personal Belongings
If you accidentally lose or damage your personal belongings or they are stolen, during the period of insurance, you can claim up to £1,500 to replace or repair them (after any suitable deduction for wear and tear and depreciation if applicable). You can claim up to £300 for any one item, pair or set. The overall limit for valuables is £300.
If your personal belongings are temporarily lost for more than 12 hours on the outward journey from the United Kingdom we will pay you up to £250 for the purchase of necessary items. If your baggage is permanently lost we will deduct any payment made for temporary loss from the final settlement. All receipts must be produced as proof of purchase. You will need to report your loss and obtain proof. As well as the general conditions and exclusions on, the following exclusions apply to section 8.

  Personal Belongings Exclusions
1. We will not pay for:
a) More than £300 per person in total for valuables.
b) More than £300 per person for any one article, pair or set of articles.

 

  Conditions Applying to Personal Liability
1. You must send us any writ, court claim form or other legal documents as soon as you receive them. You must also give us any information and help we need to deal with the case and your claim. You must not negotiate, pay, settle, admit or deny any claim without our written agreement. 

  Under this Section, we will negotiate for your legal rights after an insured incident. We will also help in appealing or defending an appeal as long as you tell us within the time limits allowed that you want us to appeal.
Before we pay legal costs for appeals, we must agree that it is always more likely than not that the appeal will be successful. If you use a representative, we will pay the legal costs for this. The most we will pay for all claims for an insured incident resulting from one or more events arising at the same time or from the same originating cause is £25,000.

What Is Covered
We agree to provide legal expenses cover, keeping to the terms, conditions and exclusions, as long as:
– any legal proceedings will be dealt with by a court or other body which we agree to; and
– in civil claims, it is always more likely than not that you will recover damages (or other legal remedy) or make a successful defence; and
– the insured incident happens during the period of insurance.
As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following conditions and exclusions apply.

What Is Not Covered
1. Any claim reported to us more than 180 days after the date you should have known about the insured incident.
2. Any legal costs incurred before we agree to pay them.
3. Any claim relating to the following: 
– Any illness which develops gradually or is not caused by a specific or sudden accident.
– You driving a motor vehicle for which you do not have valid motor insurance.
– An application for Judicial Review.
4. Defending your legal rights (but defending a counter claim is covered).
5. Any disagreement with us that is not in condition 18 of this Section.
6. Any legal action you take which we or the representative have not agreed to or where you do anything that has a negative effect on us or the representative.
7. Any legal action against the travel agent, tour operator, carrier or any of the insurers listed on page 10.
8. Fines, damages or other penalties, which you are ordered to pay.
9. Any legal costs that you have to pay under a contingency fee arrangement (a contingency fee is when the lawyer takes a percentage of the damages as the fee).
10. Any insured incident intentionally brought about by you.
11. Any claim relating to your alleged dishonesty or alleged violent behaviour.
12. Any claim relating to written or spoken comments which damage your reputation.

  Conditions
You must do the following:
1. Send everything we ask for in writing and give us full details of any claim, and any information we need.
2. We can take over, in your name, any claim or legal proceedings at any time. We can negotiate any claim on your behalf.
3. You are free to choose a representative (by sending us a suitably qualified person’s name and address)
if:
(i) we agree to start court proceedings and it becomes necessary for a lawyer to represent your interests in those proceedings; or
(ii) there is a conflict of interest.
4. We may choose not to accept your choice of representative, but only in exceptional circumstances. If there is a disagreement over the choice of representative in these circumstances, you may choose another suitably qualified person.
5. In all circumstances (except those in 3 (ii) above), we are free to choose a representative.
6. We will appoint a representative to represent you according to our standard conditions of appointment. The representative must fully co-operate with us at all times.
7. We will have direct contact with the representative.
8. You must co-operate fully with us and the representative and must keep us up-to-date with the progress of the claim.
9. You must give the representative any instructions that we ask for.
10. You must tell us if anyone offers to settle the claim.
11. If you do not accept a reasonable offer to settle a claim, we may refuse to pay further legal costs.
12. You must not negotiate or agree to settle a claim without our approval.
13. We may decide to pay you the amount of damages that you are claiming or is being claimed against you instead of starting or continuing legal proceedings. 
14. If we ask, you must tell the representative to have legal costs taxed, assessed or audited.
15. You must take every step to recover legal costs that we have to pay and must pay us any legal costs that you recover.
16. If your representative refuses to continue acting for you or if you dismiss your representative, the cover we provide will end immediately, unless we agree to appoint another representative.
17. If you settle or withdraw your claim without our agreement, or do not give suitable instructions to your representative, the cover we provide will end immediately and we will be entitled to reclaim any legal costs we have paid.
18. If we and you disagree about the choice of representative, or about how a claim is handled, we and you can choose another representative to decide the matter. We and you must both agree to this in writing. Whoever loses the disagreement will have to pay the costs of settling it.
19. We may ask you to get (at your own expense) an opinion from a barrister chosen by you and us about whether a claim or proceedings will be successful. If the barrister believes that it is more likely than not you will recover damages (or reach a solution that we have agreed to) or make a successful defence, we will pay the cost of obtaining the opinion.

  Section 13 – Legal Consultation
In the event that criminal proceedings are brought against you in a court outside the United Kingdom as a result of any accidental action by you to a third party which happens during the period of insurance, we will pay up to £100 for a local lawyer to visit you. Under this Section you will need to make your own arrangements to obtain legal assistance and make a claim.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following exclusions apply to Section 13.

  Section 16 – Homecare
We will pay you up to £250 for emergency repairs necessary to secure your home following a burglary, or serious damage caused by fire, storm, flood, explosion, subsidence, vandalism, fallen trees, impact by aircraft or vehicle at your home when on your trip.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following exclusions apply to Section 16.

Homecare Exclusions
1. We will not pay for:
a) The cost of any repairs where damage occurred before the start of your journey.
b) The cost of any repairs where damage occurred after you returned to your home.

  Section 17 – Scheduled Airline Failure
We will pay up to £1,500 in total for each insured person named on the policy and airline ticket for:
1. Irrecoverable travel and accomodation costs paid in advance in the event of insolvency of the scheduled airline not forming part of an inclusive holiday prior to departure; or
2. In the event of insolvency after departure:
a) additional pro rata costs incurred by the person insured in replacing that part of the flight arrangements to a similar standard to that originally booked; or
b) if curtailment of the holiday is unavoidable – the cost of return flights to the United Kingdom to a similar standard to that originally booked.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following exclusions apply to Section 17.

We Will Not Pay For:
1. Scheduled flights not booked within the United Kingdom.
2. Scheduled flights not booked through a bonded travel agent or direct with a scheduled airline.
3. The financial failure of:
a) any scheduled airline in Chapter 11 insolvency at the date of issue of the travel insurance policy or booking.
b) any scheduled airline who is bonded or insured elsewhere (even if the bond is insufficient to meet the claims).
c)any travel agent, tour organiser, booking agent or consolidator with whom the insured has booked a scheduled flight.

  If you have bought annual multi-trip insurance to include winter sports cover, you are covered up to 21 days in any single policy period for winter sports cover. For single trip cover, you must pay the appropriate additional premium to include winter sports cover for each trip where you intend to participate in winter sports activities.
The following winter sports are not covered: ski-racing, ski-jumping, off-piste skiing unless accompanied by a qualified guide or instructor, ice hockey, bobsleighing, the use of skeletons, toboggans or luges, freestyle skiing, competitive skiing.

The following additional cover is provided:

Section 18 – Winter Sports Equipment
We will pay you up to £700 for the replacement cost (less an amount for wear and tear) of skis, bindings, boots and poles owned or hired by you if they are lost, stolen or damaged.

Section 19 – Ski Hire
We will pay you up to £300 (£20 per day) if your own equipment is temporarily lost in transit for longer than 12 hours on the outward journey or is lost, damaged or stolen during the trip.
As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following conditions and exclusions apply to Sections 18 and 19.

Winter Sports Equipment and Ski Hire Exclusions
1. We will not pay for:
a) Loss or damage caused by general wear and tear.
b) Any amounts you can get from someone or somewhere else.

2. We will not pay your claim for Winter Sports Equipment if:
a) You fail to exercise reasonable care for the safety and supervision of your property.
b) You fail to obtain a written police report within 24 hours of the discovery in the event of loss or theft.
c) You fail to obtain a carrier’s report or in the case of an airline a “Property Irregularity Report” where your property has been lost or damaged in transit. N.B. If you cannot report the loss, theft or damage to the airline straight away, you must do so in writing within seven days.
d) Your personal belongings are delayed, detained, or confiscated by customs or other officials.

3. The first £50 of each claim you make under Section 18 will not be paid. The maximum excess you and your family will pay in respect of any one event claimed for is £100.

Section 20 – Ski Pack
We will pay you up to £250 for the unused part of ski pack costs that you have not used if you fall ill or become injured during the trip (ski pack means ski hire, ski lessons and lift pass).
As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following exclusions apply to Section 20.

Ski Pack Exclusions
1. We will not pay for Accidental injury, illness or death caused directly or indirectly by your participation in the following winter sports – ski-racing, ski-jumping, snowboarding without a leash, off-piste skiing unless accompanied by a qualified guide or instructor, heliskiing, ice hockey, bobsleighing, the use of skeletons, toboggans or luges, freestyle skiing or competitive skiing.

  Section 21 – Piste Closure
We will pay you up to £300 (£20 per day) for extra costs for transport and ski lift pass if you have to travel to another resort if you are unable to ski due to adverse weather conditions at your pre-booked resort (only available for trips between 15 December and 31 March).

If it is not possible to travel to another resort or it is not possible to ski, we will pay up to £300 (£20 per day) you are unable to ski.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following conditions and exclusions apply to Section 21.

Piste Closure Exclusions
1. We will not pay for:
a) Any expenses you can claim under any other insurance.
b) Any claim if you take out this insurance within 14 days of going on the trip, unless you booked the trip at the same time.

Condition Applying to Piste Closure Claims
1. You must obtain written confirmation from an appropriate authority to confirm that the piste was closed and/or it was not possible to travel to another resort.

Section 22 – Avalanche and Landslide
We will pay you up to £150 for extra travel and accommodation costs if an avalanche or landslide delays your arrival at or departure from the booked resort for more than 12 hours.

As well as the general conditions and exclusions, the following condition and exclusions apply to Section 22.

Avalanche and Landslide Exclusions
1. We will not pay for:
a) Any expenses you can claim under any other insurance;
b) Any claim if you take out this insurance within 14 days of going on the trip, unless you booked the trip at the same time.

Condition Applying to Avalanche and Landslide Claims
1. You must obtain written confirmation from an appropriate authority to confirm the period of and reason for the delay.

  General Conditions
You must comply with the policy conditions as failure to do so may result in you not being fully covered and a claim not being paid. These conditions apply to the whole policy.
1. Material facts – You must tell us any facts we ask for in the Health Declaration on page 1 of this booklet and which could affect this insurance. If you do not, you may not be fully covered. In particular, you must give us any information which may influence our decision to provide or continue your cover or the way we work out your premium (for example, your health or the health of a close relative).

2. Proof you must provide If you cancel the trip
Please give the reason for cancelling the trip and send us your booking invoice or receipt and your cancellation invoice. We will need written proof of the reason for cancellation. If cancellation is due to illness or injury, the medical certificate on the cancellation claim form will need to be filled in by the doctor of the person who was ill or injured.

Curtailment / Cutting the trip short
Please give the reason you cut your trip short, confirming that you had to come home early. Before you return home early for medical reasons, you must get a doctor’s certificate to confirm that this is necessary and that you are fit to travel. You must then send this with your claim form.

Medical emergency and associated expenses
Please send details of the illness or injury and original receipts and bills for any expenses you have paid.

Personal accident
Please send full details of the accident and injury.

Personal belongings, temporary loss and winter sports equipment
Please send full details of the belongings which have been lost, stolen or damaged. You should also send receipts to prove their values or bills for the cost of repairs. For loss or theft claims, you must also send a police report. If your belongings were lost, stolen or damaged while in the care of an airline, you must send a “Property Irregularity Report” as well as the flight tickets and luggage receipts the airline gave you when you checked in. For temporary loss claims, please send receipts for the replacement items you have bought and a “Property Irregularity Report”.

Money and documents
Please send full details together with a police report and cash withdrawal slips or similar proof of the money you withdrew.

Loss of passport
Please send a police report and any bills or receipts for travel and accommodation expenses.

Personal liability
You must send us any writ, summons or other legal documents as soon as you receive them. You must also give us any information and help we need to deal with the case and your claim. You must not negotiate, pay, settle, admit or deny any claim without our written permission.

Missed departure
Please send confirmation of the delay from the carrier or tour operator. You must also send receipts or bills for your expenses. For car breakdown or accident claims, send the repairer’s report or police accident report and details of how you got to the port or airport.

  Legal expenses
Please provide full details as part of your claim.

Delay
When you claim you must ask the airline or transport company to confirm in writing:
a. the cause of the delay or cancellation;
b. the period of the delay;
c. the scheduled time of departure and arrival; and
d. the actual time of departure and arrival.

Mugging
Please send a police report and a certificate from the doctor confirming the injuries you received and the period you were in hospital receiving in-patient treatment.

Ski hire
Please send receipts for the cost of the snowboard or ski hire and full details of what was lost, damaged or stolen.

Ski pack (lessons, hire, lift pass)
Give the reason for cutting short the use of your ski pack and a medical certificate confirming that this was necessary.

Piste closure
Please ask the relevant authority to confirm in writing that the piste was closed. You must also send your receipts for transport to the other resort and the cost of the lift pass.

Avalanche closure
You must get written confirmation from the appropriate authority that getting to or from your resort was not possible for the period claimed, due to avalanche, landslide or landslip.

3. Excesses
If we agree to a claim for medical expenses which has been reduced by your using a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) form or private health insurance, you will not have to pay the excess. The maximum excess you and your family will pay in respect of any one event claimed for is £100.
4.You must do all that you can to keep your claims as low as possible and to prevent theft, loss and damage.
5. If we pay any expenses which you are not covered for, you must pay these back within a month of the end of the period of insurance.
6. If you, or anyone acting for you, deliberately make a false claim or statement, the insurance will end and we will not pay any claims. We have the right to inform the police about any false claim.
7. We may take action in your name to get compensation or security for loss, damage or expenses covered by this insurance. You will not pay anything towards this action, but any amount or security handed over will belong to us.
8. If we have to pay any amounts under the law of another country and we would not usually have to pay these amounts under the policy, you must repay the amounts to us. 9.All the sums insured and limits set out in this policy include VAT.
10. All claims under the insurance will be governed by English law. Any legal disputes will be heard in an English court.
11. The premium for this insurance includes insurance premium tax where necessary.
12. If we pay a claim because your trip is cancelled, we will not pay a claim under any other Section of the policy for the same trip.
13. The parties do not intend any term of this agreement to be enforceable pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
14. Unless agreed otherwise, the contractual terms and conditions and other information relating to this contract will be in the English language.

  General Exclusions
You will not be covered for the following.
1.Any other loss resulting directly or indirectly from the cause of your claim.
2.Any claim which you could make under any other insurance or any amount you can get back from someone or somewhere else. This does not apply to claims for Personal Accident or Hospital Benefit. You are obliged to inform us of any other insurance that may (or may not) cover the claim you are making.
3. Any claim caused directly or indirectly by the following.
a) Ionising radiation or radioactive contamination from nuclear fuel or nuclear waste, or any risk from a nuclear device or other nuclear equipment.
b) Your property being held, taken, destroyed or damaged under the order of any government or other authority.
c) Pressure waves caused by aircraft or other flying machines travelling at or above the speed of sound.
d) War, invasion, hostilities (whether war be declared or not), civil unrest, revolution, rebellion, act of foreign enemy or any similar event. (This does not apply to Section 5 – Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses, while you are away from the United Kingdom. You must follow any relevant suggestions or recommendations made by any government or other authority before or during the period of insurance.)
e) Acts of Terrorism (This does not apply to Section 5 – Medical Emergency and Associated Expenses, Section 6 – Hospital Benefit, Section 7 – Personal Accident, Section 8 – Personal Belongings and Section 9 – Personal Money, while you are away from the United Kingdom. You must follow any relevant suggestions or recommendations made by any government or other authority before or during the period of insurance).
f)The use, release or threat of any nuclear weapon or device or chemical or biological agent.

Signed for the insurers
B. D. Smith
Chief Executive
Fortis Insurance Limited 

Part F – Complaints Procedure
We do everything we can to make sure that our customers get a high standard of service. If you have any cause for complaint regarding the medical screening, emergency medical assistance or claims please contact:

The Customer Service Adviser
Fortis Insurance Limited
Fortis House, Tollgate
Eastleigh, Hampshire
SO53 3YA

If this matter has not been sorted out to your satisfaction, you can write to Barry Smith, Chief Executive at the same address.

If you feel you have any cause for complaint regarding the sales literature, the way in which your policy was sold to you, or regarding the information and advice about your policy, please contact:

Customer Services
Post Office® Travel Insurance
Freepost RLTY-KHYY-XLGR
Vaughan Way
Leicester
LE1 4SB

  If you are not satisfied with the final decision following referral to the appropriate party above, you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service at:

The Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR
Telephone: 0845 080 1800

This complaints procedure will not affect your right to take legal proceedings.

 

  Sharing information to prevent fraud
We may share your personal information with operators of registers used by the insurance industry to check information that is given to us and prevent fraudulent claims. We may pass information relating to your insurance policy and any claim, to these registers.

Dealing with others on your behalf
To help you manage your insurance policy, we will deal with you or your husband, wife or partner or any other person whom we reasonably believe to be acting for you if they call us on your behalf in connection with your policy.

Sensitive information
Some of the personal information that we ask you to provide is known as sensitive personal data. This will include information relating to your health, race, religion and any criminal convictions that you have. We will only use sensitive personal data about you to manage your policy and to provide the services described in your policy documents.

Monitoring and recording calls
We may monitor and record telephone calls to monitor and improve our service and to prevent or detect fraud.

Further information
You are entitled to receive a copy of the information we hold about you. Please contact our Data Protection Officer, giving your name, address and insurance policy number. We are entitled to charge you a small administrative fee for this. 

Post Office® Travel Advice Helpline
24 hour travel advice helpline 023 8068 4040 (for medical assistance see page 2 for contact details). This service is available to all Post Office® travel insurance policyholders. Please note that this service is not able to assist with general policy, claims or medical screening enquiries.

  Travel Advice
A 24 hour helpline giving information on:
Visa and passport requirements and procedures
Emergency telephone numbers
International direct dial codes
Local times
Currency rules
Climate
Driving requirements
Capital cities
Duty free allowances
Clothing
Business hours
Languages spoken
Local banking facilities
Transit, re-entry and exit permits
Business and social advice
Electricity voltages
Health issues (AIDS risks, local epidemics, child issues)
Airport facilities (shops, terminals, car rentals, etc.)

Message Forwarding
Forward up to three emergency messages from within the United Kingdom from policyholders abroad to family, friends or business associates.

Advice with lost luggage, tickets, passports or credit cards.

Provide advice and guidance to help you with the following:
Lost luggage – help trace lost personal possessions if you provide a luggage tag number and a “Property Irregularity Report”.
Lost travel tickets / passports – liaising with the relevant travel organisations and authorities to help replace lost or stolen travel documents.
Lost credit or charge cards – provide notification of the loss of credit or charge cards abroad to the relevant organisations in the United Kingdom. You will need to give the Post Office® travel assistance helpline your credit or charge card details.


†Calls may be monitored and recorded for training purposes.

 

Additional Hazardous Activities
Cover is subject to the payment of the appropriate premium.
If your policy confirmation indicates that you have purchased cover to include Additional Hazardous Activities the policy will be extended to include participation in one of the additional hazardous activities listed below.
There is no cover for any activity undertaken on a professional basis.
Each insured person named on the policy confirmation must purchase additional Hazardous Activities.

• athletics
• australian Rules Football
• biathlon
• bungee Jumping
• canoeing/Rafting - above Category 2
• cattle Driving
• cricket
• cycle Racing
• endurance tests (Triathlon)
• gymkhana
• heptathlon 
• high Diving (pool only)
• hockey
• hurling  
• lacrosse
• mountain biking
• pelota  
• pentathlon
• potholing
• rugby  
• scuba Diving (30 - 40m)
• sea Kayaking (coastal waters only)
• shinty  
• squash
• team building
• tennis  
• trampolining
• triathlon
• weightlifting

  Excess Waiver
Where your policy confirmation shows that you have added Excess Waiver and the appropriate premium has been paid you will not have to pay the £ 50 Excess shown under Sections 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 18 of the policy.
Excess waiver may be added only at the time of purchasing the Post Office Travel insurance policy and must by purchased by each insured person named on the policy confirmation.

  Conditions applying to Section C - As well as the general conditions in Part E, the following exclusions and condition apply.
What you are not covered for
1. You will not be covered for any amount you can get back from someone or somewhere else.
2. You will not be covered if you take out this insurance within 14 days of going on holiday, unless you booked the holiday on the same date.
Condition
1. You must get written confirmation from the appropriate authority to confirm that the golf course was closed, if due to adverse weather.

  Extended Baggage Cover
Cover is provided only if your policy confirmation shows that extended baggage cover has been added and you have paid the appropriate extra premium for each person requiring the extended baggage cover. Extended baggage cover is only available to adults aged 18 and over.
What you are covered for.
Section 8 (Personal Belongings) of the policy will be endorsed to increase the maximum amount you may claim for any one item, pair or set of articles or valuable up to a maximum sum insured of £1,000 (after any suitable deduction for wear and tear and depreciation if applicable). Cover is restricted to audio, visual, photographic, computer equipment, sports equipment and watches.
The maximum we will pay in total under Section 8 (Personal Belongings) is £1,000.
As well as the standard exclusions applying to section 8 (Personal Belongings) on pages 18 and 19 of the policy and the general policy conditions and exclusions on pages 28 to 30 of the policy booklet, the following additional exclusions and conditions apply to extended baggage cover.
What you are not covered for.
1. We will not pay for:  
a) Loss, theft or damage to the specified article or valuable unless owned by you or a member of your family.
b) Loss, theft or damage to jewellery and mobile phones (these items will only be covered up to the standard policy limits)
Condition
1. All claims must be supported by the original purchase receipt.

  Annual Multi-Trip Period of Insurance – Extension of maximum trip limit to 45 days
This additional cover is provided only if you have paid the appropriate extra premium. In the event of a claim you must submit this endorsement along with your policy schedule.
If you have paid the appropriate additional premium the maximum trip duration permitted under this annual multi-trip policy is extended from 31 days to 45 days. There is no limit to the number of trips you may take, but each trip must be shorter than 45 days.

Please note that the extended trip limit does not apply to winter sports trips.