Help and support Travel Insurance FAQs

If you haven't started your trip yet, your Post Office Travel Insurance doesn't cover flight cancellations. If your flight gets cancelled before you get to the airport, talk to your airline or travel company to see what they can do for you.

Regulation EU261

This regulation protects passengers if their European flight is delayed or cancelled. If the airline is at fault and the delay isn’t due to “extraordinary circumstances” you can get up to £520 in compensation.

If you're stuck at the airport going to or coming from your trip, some of our insurance plans cover delays, missed departures and even cancelling your trip if the delay is long. There’s more information on this later in this section.  

We can't process claims for delayed flights if:

• You have a economy or core policy
• You don't get to the airport by the recommended time
• You've already claimed for a missed departure
• You travelled even though there was an FCDO warning not to, and the delay is because of that
• The delay is less than 4 hours
• You don't have a written note from your travel provider about the duration of the delay and why it happened
• You knew about strikes or other listed perils before buying your travel insurance or booking your trip
• You don't have a written note about your car breaking down or traffic delays

If you have Standard, Premier, Max or Extra cover, you're covered if you arrive at the airport and your flight is delayed because of:

1. Strikes or industrial action
2. Bad weather (but not natural disasters)
3. A technical fault or breakdown originating on public transport you're travelling on, including bird strikes
4. Not enough crew members

This includes if the delay will impact a further connecting flight or flights to your final destination.

If your flight is delayed for 4 hours or more for one of these reasons, you can claim for each 4-hour delay, up to 12 hours, when you return to the UK. Check your policy for the exact amount you can claim.

If you have a Premier policy and registered for Flight Delay Assistance Plus, you can get a lounge access voucher or £25 in your PayPal account if your flight is delayed by 2 hours or more.

Make sure to register your flights in advance. Check your emails for the registration link.

Plan enough time between connecting flights, as recommended by your transport provider.

If your flight is delayed for 12 hours or more and you decide to abandon your trip, you can make a claim. Check the section on cutting short your trip for details.

If you have Standard, Premier, Extra or Max cover, and your flight is delayed by 12 hours or more, you can cancel your trip and get a refund for unused travel and accommodation costs due to:

1. Industrial action
2. Bad weather not including anything listed as a natural catastrophe
3. A technical fault or breakdown originating on public transport you're travelling on, including bird strikes
4. Shortage of crew

If this happens and you don't get an alternative flight within 12 hours or a refund, you can claim for your unused travel and accommodation costs.

This policy is designed to provide a refund of unused travel and accommodation costs if we’re satisfied they can’t be refunded elsewhere.

Before claiming from us, you need to check with your tour operator, airline, travel or accommodation provider or payment provider (like a credit card company or PayPal) to see if they can refund you.

Make sure you leave enough time between connecting flights, as recommended by your transport provider.

There’s no cover for delay or abandonment for trips taken solely within the UK.

If you have our Standard, Premier, Extra or Max level cover and are delayed on your way to your departure point in the UK due to one of the following reasons, and this causes you to miss your pre-booked transportation (such as an outbound flight), we’ll cover it:

1. Delay or cancellation of public transport due to: 
   a. Industrial action 
   b. Bad weather not including anything listed as a natural catastrophe 
   c. A technical fault or breakdown originating on public transport you're travelling on, including bird strikes 
   d. Shortage of crew 
2. The vehicle you are travelling in is involved in an accident, breaks down, or is delayed by an incident that causes traffic jams or road closures
3. The flight you are travelling on is diverted

Please note:  Public transport includes flights

You’ll be covered up to the sum insured for either additional travel and accommodation costs to get you to your destination. Or, if the only reasonable alternative transport means you’ll lose more than 50% of your trip, you can claim for unused travel and accommodation costs. 

You are at the airport abroad, and there is a delay in your flight leaving to return to the UK.

On Standard, Premier, Extra and Max policies, there’s cover if you arrive at the airport abroad and your flight back to the UK is delayed or cancelled due to:

• Industrial action
• Bad weather not including anything listed as a natural catastrophe
• A technical fault or breakdown originating on public transport you're travelling on, including bird strikes
• Shortage of crew

Please note:  Public transport includes flights

If you’re delayed by at least 24 hours beyond your original return date, there is cover for additional transport costs to return you home when these aren’t paid for by your travel provider, up to the limit for your level of cover.

We’ll pay a delay benefit for each full 4-hour delay up to a maximum of 12 hours for the sum insured for your level of cover.

If your trip has been booked or paid for via one or more of the following, you must contact them to discuss a refund before claiming from us: a tour operator; an airline; any other travel, accommodation, or service provider; a credit or debit card provider or other payment providers such as PayPal.

What if you are delayed on your way to the airport abroad and miss your pre-booked return flight home, or you have no travel documents and are delayed in obtaining them, so are unable to make your flight?

If you are delayed on your way to the airport and subsequently miss your return flight home, stranding you abroad, for Standard, Premier, Extra and Max policy holders, we provide cover for delay or cancellation of public transport due to:

• Industrial action
• Bad weather not including anything listed as a natural catastrophe
• A technical fault or breakdown originating on public transport you're travelling on, including bird strikes
• Shortage of crew

We’ll also cover if you’re delayed travelling home if:

• The vehicle you’re travelling in is involved in an accident, breaks down or is delayed by an incident that causes traffic jams or road closures
• Your flight gets diverted
• Your travel documents are lost or stolen while you’re outside the UK

You’re also covered if you arrive at the airport and a delay to your flight for one of these reasons will impact a further connecting flight/s to return back home to the UK. 

You must have a pre-booked return journey for cover to apply. And you must plan to leave enough time between arriving at your connection point and departing for the next leg of your journey, which should be at least the minimum time recommended for transfer by your transport provider.

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 and you contact us before your single trip policy starts, we’ll happily transfer your single trip cover to your new trip dates up to 12 months from your original policy purchase date. We are unable to make changes to start or end dates to a single trip policy once it has started or expired.

Yes, Post Office Travel Insurance includes some cover for Covid-19 disruptions. This means it can help with things like cancellations, cutting your trip short, and medical costs in certain situations. If you want extra protection, you can buy the trip-disruption upgrade. This covers more Covid-19 issues, like missed departures or changes in testing and quarantine rules.

All Post Office Travel Insurance policies include cancellation cover in the following scenarios. 

• Within 14 days of the start of your trip, you test positive for Covid-19 and need to self-isolate.  This is provided you didn’t buy the policy or book a trip after you tested positive for Covid-19 (or were awaiting the results of a test). A copy of the positive test result will be required when submitting your claim 
• Self-isolation must be mandated by a medical practitioner, the NHS or a UK government body³
• You’re certified as too ill to travel due to Covid-19 by a medical practitioner³.  This is provided you didn’t buy the policy or book a trip after you tested positive for Covid-19 (or were awaiting the results of a test). Confirmation from a medical practitioner³ that it was necessary to cancel the trip will be required when submitting your claim 

Cancellation cover is also provided if: 

• You, an immediate relative², a travelling companion or their immediate relative², a person you are planning to stay with is hospitalised or dies due to Covid-19.  This is provided they test positive within 14 days of your trip starting and you did not buy this policy after they tested positive or were awaiting their test results  
• Within 14 days of the start of your trip, you, a travelling companion, or the person you are staying with are required by a medical practitioner, a UK government body or health authority to self-isolate due to Covid-19. A copy of the positive test result will be required³ when submitting your claim.

There’s no cover for cancellation in these circumstances: 

• The area where you live or where you are departing from for your trip is locked down (UK Government advice of local lockdowns) 
• The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against travelling to your intended destination due to Covid-19 
• The government introduces compulsory quarantine for travellers coming back from your intended destination and you no longer want to travel 
• You no longer want to travel because you are concerned you may catch Covid-19 
• When self-isolation is not mandated by a medical practitioner, the NHS, or any UK Government body³ 

In these scenarios we suggest you try to rearrange your trip. Please contact us to discuss altering your insurance policy to match any new dates. We can allow change in trip dates for single-trip policies providing you contact us before the original policy was due to start, up to 1 year from the original purchase date. If the destination or duration changes, you may need to pay an additional premium. We are unable to make changes to start or end dates to a single-trip policy once it has started or expired.

Other cancellation scenarios our policies don’t cover are: 

• Your GP advises you not to travel due to Covid-19 due to your existing medical conditions (unless your GP issues a certificate confirming that, following a medically approved test, you have contracted Covid-19 and advise you against travelling, within 14 days of your trip starting)
• The travel/flight operator has cancelled your flight due to Covid-19. We suggest contacting your tour operator, airline or travel/service provider in the first instance 

If an immediate relative², a travelling companion or their immediate relative² or a person you are planning to stay with dies from Covid-19 back in the UK while you’re on your trip, we’ll pay for travel and accommodation costs you couldn't use. Please note, we can’t cover the actual cost to return you back home. 

If you've bought a policy including the optional trip disruption upgrade (including Covid-19, terrorism, natural catastrophe and airspace disruption), you'll have cover for other curtailment scenarios. 

We wouldn’t provide cover in the following circumstances:  

• Travelling against advice of the FCDO where they state against ALL travel, or any government restrictions (including UK lockdowns) 
• Changes in any advice from the FCDO or any local government where it was safe to travel to but is now being declared as unsafe and restrictions are again being put in place due to Covid-19 
• Not wanting to travel for fear of catching Covid-19 
• Costs that exceed the maximum benefit as per the level of cover you choose 
• If you bought your policy after receiving a positive coronavirus test result or while waiting for a coronavirus test result and your trip starts within 14 days 
• Claims made for any Covid tests or results 
• Providing written confirmation of a positive test, but the test was not taken by an independent authority 
• Self-isolation has not been mandated by a medical practitioner, health authority or government body³
• Claims for additional accommodation and/or travel expenses when you’ve elected to self-isolate following a positive test, and self-isolation has not been mandated by a medical practitioner, health authority or government body³

At the time of writing this, there are no entry requirements to enter the UK. Should this change, there's no cover as standard on our travel insurance policies but you can easily add it by adding our trip disruption upgrade. This upgrade can be added providing you have not yet started your trip, or are aware of any event that you may need to claim for.

With this optional additional cover, if while you’re away you, someone you’re travelling with or someone you’re staying with test positive for Covid-19 and you have to self-isolate, you'll have the reassurance of extra cover to reimburse you for expenses incurred up to the limits.

The Covid-19 upgrade also offers protection in case the hotel you’ve pre-booked to stay in or the cruise ship you’re travelling on (but not the wider geographical area it’s in) is put into compulsory quarantine(4) due to the virus.

You can also claim if you’re now required to take Covid-19 tests to re-enter the UK that you weren’t liable for when you booked your trip or bought your policy.

You can claim up to the sum insured towards the costs of the unexpected quarantine and/or additional Covid-19 tests. This is providing no restrictions were already in place in the area where you live, or there was no Government warning prior to purchasing this policy, booking your trip or within 14 days prior to travelling.

All policies provide cover in the following scenarios for medical and repatriation costs incurred during your trip abroad:

• You fall ill with Covid-19 and are hospitalised. In this event, you can claim for any medical expenses you incur while abroad. You’ll need to provide a medical certificate, issued by a medical professional³, confirming that, following a medically approved test, you had been diagnosed with Covid-19 which resulted in you being hospitalised. Please note that we do not have any vaccination requirements
• You fall ill and are hospitalised with Covid-19 and require a medical escort to help you home. If you do, we’ll pay to return you to the UK with a medical escort if deemed necessary by the local doctor and with the approval of our Assistance Helpline Medical Service

There’s no cover, for additional accommodation or repatriation, if you test positive for Covid-19 but are not admitted into hospital and do not require medical treatment.

Gadget cover is an optional add on available for an additional premium. 

It’s a way of adding to the limited cover provided for devices on our standard travel insurance policies.

It covers the following devices:

• Mobile phones and smartphones
• Laptops (including custom-built)
• Tablets
• Digital cameras
• Games consoles
• Video cameras
• Camera lenses
• Bluetooth headsets and speakers
• Satellite navigation devices
• E-readers
• Head/earphones
• Smart watches
• Wrist-worn health and fitness trackers

Check the policy wording for full details.

Cover for mobile phones is up to the single-article limit:

Economy: £150

Standard: £250

Premier: £400

Policies bought with the gadget cover add-on include cover for the following devices:

Mobile phones, smart phones, laptops (including custom-built), tablets, digital cameras, games consoles, video cameras, camera lenses, Bluetooth headsets and speakers, satellite navigation devices, e-readers, head/earphones, smart watches and wrist-worn health and fitness trackers.

Cover is up to £2,000 per person, per policy.

If you bought your travel insurance and added the trip disruption option, it provides extra cover for Covid-19 related disruption that’s not covered by standard policies.

Missing a scheduled departure’s covered if:

• You or someone you’re travelling or staying with tests positive for Covid-19 and you have to self-isolate³
• Your hotel or cruise ship(4) gets put into compulsory quarantine³ due to Covid-19

It covers the unused part of your trip on your return if:

• You have to self-isolate and miss the rest of your trip³ if someone you’re travelling or staying with tests positive for Covid-19
• Compulsory quarantine³ of your hotel or cruise ship (4) prevents you completing the rest of your planned trip
• You return home early when UK rules for your destination change to avoid having to quarantine away from home (5)
• You have to self-isolate due to testing positive³ so miss the rest of your trip

And, if regulations for your destination change while you’re there, you can claim for:

• A contribution towards mandatory quarantine accommodation costs on your return to the UK
• Costs towards Covid-19 tests you weren’t liable for when you booked your trip or bought your policy – whichever you did last (6)

If you bought your travel insurance and added the trip disruption option, it provides cover if regulations for your destination change while you’re there and you’re now required to quarantine in a hotel. You can claim for unexpected costs of mandatory quarantine accommodation on your return to the UK. 

You can also claim if you’re now required to take Covid-19 tests to re-enter the UK that you weren’t liable for when you booked your trip or bought your policy. 

You can claim up to the sum insured towards the costs of the unexpected quarantine and/or additional Covid-19 tests. This is providing no restrictions were already in place in the area where you live, or there was no Government warning prior to purchasing this policy, booking your trip or within 14 days prior to travelling.  

If you add this optional trip disruption cover to your policy, the protection it provides in the event of airspace disruptions applies to both outbound and inbound flights. If you’re prevented from returning to the UK due to airspace closure at your destination airport, and the delay is longer than 24 hours, then you can make a claim there too.

Imagine you’re stuck in the air, endlessly circling the airport because the runways are closed. Or you’re re-routed to a different airport and need to take an alternative means of returning home from the new destination due to airspace closure. In these instances, you may be able to claim for additional accommodation and travel expenses incurred.

The easiest way is to make a claim online. It’s secure and available 24/7. There’s a handy checklist of everything you’ll need. And, for some claims, you’ll get a decision straight away.

You can also call us 0333 333 9702¹.

Please call the emergency medical assistance line as soon as possible. It’s open 24/7. The number to call is 0203 865 3074¹.

When you buy an annual multi-trip policy, it’s your reassurance of continuous cover for all the trips you’ll take in a year. For reassurance that extends beyond that, your policy can be renewed automatically or manually. You can also make sure your policy doesn’t renew if you don’t need it to. Whatever you choose, we'll write to you around 28 days before your renewal date and advise of any cover changes that we've made and include your quote for the following year's cover. We'll also let you know what you need to do if want to renew the policy.

Automatic renewal: when you buy your annual multi-trip policy providing you do not declare any medical conditions, it will be set up so that it automatically renews at the end of its term to keep you covered. If you want to opt out, you can do so then or at any time during the policy. Equally, you can turn auto renewal on later, by calling our contact centre.

Manual renewal: if you’ve opted out for auto renewal, you can opt in manually later, such as when we send your renewal reminder or by calling our contact centre to set this up. It’s easy to renew through your online account or by calling our contact centre. If you miss the renewal date, you can still take out a new policy later. You’ll need to start a new quote, as the renewal quote is only valid until your current policy’s expiry date. This may also mean a gap in your cover until the new policy starts.

Turning off auto-renewal: if your policy’s set to renew automatically but you change your mind later, you can turn it off at any point during the life of the policy. You can do this yourself in your online account or call our contact centre team. If you’re within the last 8 days of your policy, you’ll need to call our contact centre to do so. The later you do this the greater the chance a renewal payment will be taken by the bank. If this happens before your renewal cancellation is processed, we’ll make sure your payment is refunded.

For complaints about the sales literature or information about your policy, how it was sold to you on the phone or online, or the Medical Screening Service, please:

Call 0330 123 1382¹

Email: travelinsurancefeedback@postoffice.co.uk 

Or write to:
Post Office Travel Insurance
67 Hope Street
Glasgow
G2 3AE

Please head any written correspondence 'COMPLAINT' and include copies of supporting material.

For complaints about a claim or assistance you received while travelling, please email quality@intana-assist.com or write to:

Quality Department
Collinson Insurance Services Limited
Sussex House
Perrymount Road
Haywards Heath
West Sussex RH16 1DN

If you’re not satisfied with our response

If you’re still not satisfied or don’t get a final answer from us within eight weeks of us receiving your complaint, you may have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for consideration. You can contact the FOS here:

Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower Harbour Exchange Square
London
E14 9SR
Call: 0800 0234 567 or 0300 1239 123¹

Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsmans.org.uk