Travel Insurance

For policies bought before 12 March 2020, cover remains in place and you should check your policy Terms and Conditions.

For policies bought on or after the 12 March 2020, including the Natural Catastrophe and Terrorism, Enhanced Trip Disruption (Collinson policies) or Extended Travel Disruption (ERGO policies) optional extras, there is no cover for claims relating to coronavirus (including, but not limited to COVID-19) or any related or mutated form of the virus, except under Section B, Medical and Additional Expenses (Collinson policies) and Section 4: Emergency Medical and Repatriation Expenses (ERGO policies) for trips taken after 1 June 2020.

From 17 June 2020, Post Office Travel Insurance is back on sale – so you can buy it now to cover any trips you’ve already booked or are planning. But it’s important to know what these do and don’t cover before you book or travel in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Please note, any policies sold from 17 June 2020 onwards will not provide cover, under any section, if the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) already advised against all or all but essential travel to your destination at the start of your trip.

If you take your trip and then fall ill with coronavirus, we’ll cover your medical expenses and costs to return home. If you’re ill due to coronavirus and unable to travel before departure, you won’t be able to claim for cancellation.

Please check if your airline, tour operator or travel company can move your trip.

There’s no cover under any section to reclaim costs for quarantine or similar restrictions issued by any government at your destination, including if you need to cut short your trip or on your return to the UK.

The above is subject to the Terms and Conditions of your policy and benefit limits.

Your policy will only be valid once official advice indicates travel to your destination is safe. Government guidance on travel within the UK and FCO advice on international travel may change at short notice. So it's important to check the latest advice regularly.. Restrictions on movement within the UK are also in force.  If you decide to travel against this advice, your Post Office Travel Insurance policy won’t cover you. So please check the latest FCO travel advice and the latest Government guidance on UK travel before you book, and again before you go to be sure.

Yes, from 17 June 2020 you can buy our Natural Catastrophe and Terrorism cover or Extended Travel Disruption cover (Collinson policies) or our Enhanced Trip Disruption (ERGO policies). These optional extras won’t cover claims for coronavirus. But they could provide cover if your plans are disrupted by something else, such as flight delays or cancellation due to airspace closure, or a natural disaster. Please check the policy wording for the terms that apply in these situations.

If you bought Post Office Single Trip or Annual Multi-trip Travel Insurance on or after 17 June 2020, you’ll get a full refund if you cancel your policy within 14 days. There’s no refund if you cancel after that.

If you’re able to move your trip to later in the year, we can move your Single Trip cover to the new dates, within 12 months of the original policy start date. If it’s to a different country or duration, or you have a new or changed medical condition, you may have to pay a bit more. Please call us on 0330 123 3690 to arrange a refund or to move your policy dates.

This will depend on when you bought your policy. If you bought it before 12 March 2020 (for ERGO policies) or from 24 February 2020 (for Collinson policies) then yes, you can claim for cancellation under the following circumstances: 

When you booked your trip or bought your policy (whichever was latest) the FCO had NOT advised of ANY restrictions to your destination.

AND

Since you booked your trip or bought your policy (whichever was latest), the FCO have NOW advised against all, or all but essential, travel to your destination (for a reason other than a coronavirus).

If you buy your policy from 17 June 2020 onwards the above would apply. However, if the FCO changed its travel advice to advise against all or all but essential travel for a coronavirus related reason, then this would not be covered.

If your travel or accommodation providers cancel, please contact them first. If an airline or tour operator cancel your flight or trip, they must reimburse you or provide an alternative.

If you’ve booked independently, some accommodation and car parking providers won’t give refunds. So, if you booked with a credit or bank card, contact your card issuer first to see if you’re covered.

If you’re able to rearrange your travel plans, we’ll happily transfer your cover to your new trip dates up to 12 months from your original policy start date. Please note that if a trip is booked whilst the FCO are advising against all or all but essential travel to a destination that there is no cover under the policy.

Under policies purchased before 12 March 2020, cutting your trip short for fear you may catch coronavirus isn’t a valid reason to claim. So we suggest you first contact your travel provider to see if you can be moved to a different area.

If your airline cancels a planned flight, cutting your trip short, they must pay for meals, overnight accommodation and get you a replacement flight as soon as possible. They’re not liable if you cut the trip short but your original flight is still scheduled to operate.

If a tour operator cuts short your trip, they’re obliged to get you home as soon as possible, paying for up to three more nights’ accommodation if needed. Under policies bought on or after 17 June 2020, there would be no cover for cutting short your trip due to a coronavirus such as COVID-19.

Suppose you buy a policy on or after 17 June, travel to a destination the FCO or Government declares safe but that advice changes to avoid all or all but essential travel while you’re there. Can you claim for unused travel and accommodation costs? If the advice changes for reasons other than coronavirus, (subject to the policy terms and conditions) the answer is yes – from the date the advice changed. But if it’s coronavirus-related, the answer is no. Please check your policy wording for more information on this.

If you’re delayed due to coronavirus, it’s not covered by the Delayed Departure section of your policy. But, if your flight’s cancelled and you have to extend your trip (i.e. you’re stranded), the airline must provide food, drink, overnight accommodation and source a new flight home under EU regulations. The same applies if any further flights are cancelled.