Travel alerts

Occasionally industrial action, natural disasters or other unforeseen events can impact your travel plans. Post Office understands how stressful this can be and we will make any useful information we have available on this page to help our customers. 

We also recommend checking the latest travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Exceptional travel advisory notice

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) now advises British people against all non-essential travel worldwide. This advice takes effect immediately as of 17 March and initially applies for a period of 30 days.

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented international border closures and other restrictions. All countries may restrict travel without notice. If you now need to change or cancel your travel plans, follow these steps:

1. Contact your airline, travel company, cruise line or other transport and accommodation providers
2. Get in touch with your insurance provider
3. Continue to follow the NHS coronavirus guidance

Please be advised that in light of the coronavirus pademic and the global impact currently being experienced, Post Office has taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend all new Travel Insurance sales.

Existing Travel Insurance policies are unaffected and will remain valid. If you need to make a claim, please follow the claims process in your policy terms and conditions.

Please be aware we are receiving unprecedented volumes of calls to our contact centre and are doing everything we can to answer your queries. We are asking customers who are not travelling in the next 5 days to use our digital channels for support so that we serve customers with imminent travel dates.

We at Post Office remain dedicated to supporting our customers and will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates.

As of 31 December 2019 the World Health Organisation (WHO) was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan City in the Hubei province of China. Due to the spread of this coronavirus the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as of the 29 January 2020, have advised against all travel to Wuhan City and the Hubei province. They have also advised against all but essential travel to mainland China. 

Due to the spread of the virus the travel advice is changing every day. Areas of risk are now listed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website. To keep up to date with current travel advice please see the special FCO Travel Advice Page on coronavirus. 

At Post Office Travel Insurance, our policies do not provide any cover for customers who travel to countries or areas where the FCO have advised limited or no travel. Where possible you should try to avoid travel to these areas. We will not sell Travel Insurance policies to customers who state that they intend to travel to China or Italy, this will be in force until further notice. 

However please note that the advice from the FCO is constantly changing.  Please ensure to check the FCO Travel Advice Page for the latest advice on where you can and cannot travel to.

Please also refer to our FAQs for further information on your policy and what cover you have for coronavirus.

There is no cover provided if the FCO have already advised against all but essential travel to your destination prior to you purchasing your policy.

In the first instance the customer should be advised to contact their airline/travel provider/tour operator/accommodation provider to enquire if they can change their travel dates.

All travellers should follow the instructions of the authorities and maintain good hand, respiratory and personal hygiene and should avoid visiting animal and bird markets or people who are ill with respiratory symptoms.

If you have a Post Office Travel Insurance policy please check the details below.

If your policy number starts with TC

Existing customers:

For Travel Insurance policies sold on or after the 24 February 2020, additional cover has now been added as standard.  Should the FCO change their advice to all but essential travel or to not travel to a certain area/country, you will now be able to submit a claim for cancellation. Please ensure that the cover was purchased prior to any announcement on or after the 24 February 2020.

For customers who have purchased the additional Natural Catastrophe and Terrorism or Enhanced Trip Disruption cover, this is now activated as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Coronavirus outbreak as a ‘pandemic’.

We will accept travel date changes within 6 months of the initial purchased policy. Where the level of cover has increased the relevant additional premium will be charged. If you have purchased a Single Trip policy and no longer wish to travel, we will happily cancel the policy and provide you with a full refund. This is subject to you not currently travelling, in the process of making a claim or intending to make a claim.

New customers:

Any new customer wishing to purchase the additional cover of Natural Catastrophe and Terrorism or Enhanced Trip Disruption cover please be advised there is no cover provided for any claims related to Covid-19 for policies purchased after the 11 March 2020.

If your policy number starts with TE

Existing customers:

Customers are covered to submit a cancellation claim if the FCO change their advice to all but essential travel or not to travel to a certain are or country, providing the cover was in place before any announcement was made.

We will accept travel date changes within 6 months of the initial purchased policy. Where the level of cover is increased the relevant additional premium will be charged. If you have purchased a Single Trip policy and no longer wish to travel, we will happily cancel the policy and provide you with a full refund. This is subject to you not currently travelling, in the process of making a claim or intending to make a claim.

For customers who have purchased the Enhanced Travel Disruption cover please refer to the terms of the policy. Cover will apply for cancelation claims related to the coronavirus pandemic and the World Health Organisation (WHO), or FCO advice not to travel, up to the maximum insured shown in the policy wording.

Customers will also be able to claim for curtailment, alternative accommodation costs, repatriation costs and other costs due to ‘enforced stay’ – ie if you are not allowed to leave due to restrictions on travel.

New customers:

Any new customer wishing to purchase the additional cover of Extended Travel Disruption please be advised there is no cover provided.

If your policy number starts with TT

For Classic, Superior and Superior Plus customers there is no cover for customers who wish to cancel their trip due to the risk posed by coronavirus. We therefore advise these customers to contact their travel agent or tour operator in the first instance.

Travel Money

Post Office is closely monitoring the coronavirus pandemic, following advice from Public Health England (PHE) and travel alerts the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). These developments may have an impact on your travel plans, and we’re here to help.

Refund guarantee

We guarantee to buy back any unused foreign currency you have purchased from us at its original sale value.

To do this, you will need to sell your currency back in a branch and send both of your receipts and evidence of your cancelled holiday to customercare@postoffice.co.uk. Unfortunately, we cannot give full refunds over the counter, but we will post a cheque with the difference once your refund has been processed. For more information, visit our refund guarantee page.

There will be no disruption to our Travel Money services. You can continue to use our app, website, branches and your Travel Money Card.

International Money Transfer

In times of stress such as the one we’re experiencing, you may have a greater need to send money abroad. There will be no disruption to our International Money Transfer service, whether in-branch or using the web or mobile.

To learn more about sending money abroad, you can visit our page for cash transfers or our page for online transfers.

As of the 5 March 2020 the airline company Flybe has ceased to trade. Post Office wishes to extend its sympathies to all who are affected by this situation. Flybe have advised for customers "not to travel to the airport unless you have been able to arrange an alternative flight with another airline".

If your flights were booked as part of a package, refunds may be available through your travel provider provided that they were ATOL protected. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has specialist information on their website found here.

Check your Travel Insurance

If you are unable to reclaim your costs via another means, you may be able to claim on your travel insurance policy.

If your policy starts with TC

For Standard and Premier customers you will be able to submit a claim under Section O - Financial Failure. Please note there is no cover under this section of the policy for Economy policies. 
To make a claim please call +44(0) 345 266 1872 or email 
insolvency-claims@ipplondon.co.uk. Website: ipplondon.co.uk/claims.asp and quote ESFI V2-20

If your policy starts with TE

For Prime and Elite policy holders you will be able to submit a claim under the 'Financial Failure' section of the policy. There is no cover under this section of the policy for Lite policy holders. To make a claim please call +44(0) 345 266 1872 or email insolvency-claims@ipplondon.co.uk. Website: ipplondon.co.uk/claims.asp and quote ESFI V1.19

If your policy number starts with TT

For Classic, Superior and Superior Plus customers you will be able to claim under sections A2 and B1 of your policy. To make a claim please call 0203 829 3819 or download a claim form here

Sadly we live in a world where terrorist attacks happen and can cause our travel plans to be disrupted. As such it is always best to understand the areas most at risk and plan accordingly. Checking the FCO website for further information will guide you on the at risk areas.

If you are due to travel to an affected area you may wish to check the guidance from your travel insurance provider. In many cases there is no coverage for certain sections when a terrorist attack happens in the affected area. In some cases you will be covered for any medical costs that you may need. However you will not be covered should you decide not to travel to your destination if it is close to where the attack happened. You should contact your holiday company to establish if they can transfer you to another destination. Following that you may be able to transfer your travel insurance to a different area and date in the year. However we strongly recommend that you speak to your travel insurance provider at your earliest convenience to discuss your options with them.

Post Office is monitoring the development with Brexit. Until the details of our departure from the European Union are definite, we will be unable to advise on Travel insurance cover. However we would always advise that our customers read the terms and conditions of their policy wording to understand the policy and it's cover levels.

For more information, please visit the Gov.uk website.

Due to Britain's changeable climate we repeatedly experience periods of adverse weather. From heat waves to snow storms, we can never rely fully on the weather forecast when it comes to travel disruption. Make sure you check the details of your policy wording if the weather is looking unsettled.

Check your airline's website for any updates if you are delayed.