Travel and Health Insurance during Covid 19 Pandemic

Now that the FCO guidance on travel to France for “essential reasons only” has been lifted, you will want to make sure your travel insurance policy is up to date and not impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

Points to watch out for:

Does your policy include medical expenses and repatriation if you or anyone in your family contracted Coronavirus while on holiday? Some policies now do include Covid 19 cover, for example those provided by The Post Office and Saga. However, be aware that there is a difference between medical treatment on location and emergency repatriation expenses. Which type of cover does your policy provide?

If you have an existing policy check that it is still valid in all respects or has it been amended to take account of coronavirus? Is there a revised offer that would be more suitable?

Check the terms of your policy with regard to cancellations of bookings for travel and accommodation. As has been widely reported, some holiday companies have been slow to refund deposits and fees. What level of claim could you make on your insurance policy of there were further cancellations due to unexpected spikes in coronavirus cases?

Should you begin to show Covid-19 symptoms while in France, even if your insurance doesn’t cover treatment, your European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) is valid until the end of the year.

Sarah Page, Brand manager for Alpha travel insurance said: “With the lockdown being eased and restrictions on travel abroad being lifted many people are now thinking about going abroad again and France is top of a lot of people’s lists.

“The UK Foreign Office (FCO) travel warning, which has been to avoid all but essential travel, has invalidated travel insurance which won’t cover you if you travel against their advice . Once that advice changes people should start looking for a policy like ours/Alpha, that will cover them for any medical expenses incurred as a result of coronavirus. Not all policies do this.

“At the moment there are no policies offering comprehensive cover if your holiday is cancelled or curtailed as a result of coronavirus-related issue, such as a sudden lockdown or refusal of entry to a particular country.

“But you should still take out a travel insurance policy not only for medical cover but also if your baggage is lost or the holiday is curtailed or cancelled for any other reason than coronavirus.

“It’s also really important that people book their insurance at the same time they book their holiday to cover them for other issues that may arise before they leave. Our advice is don’t leave it till the last minute. It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.”

Get a travel insurance quote here.