The Coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted global travel in unprecedented ways. We understand many of our customers will have been affected by these changes and will be keen for information on what they can and cannot claim for under their insurance policies.
We have highlighted the key points in our travel policy below and included some Frequently Asked Questions to help answer your queries.
If you have any further specific questions about your policy, please contact your local Agency or Mutual Direct for clarification.
When booking a trip, you must not be aware of:
- Any reason why it might have to be cancelled or re-arranged; or
- Any condition which is likely to need medical treatment while you are on your trip.
Is my trip covered under cancellation cover?
In July 2020, notice was given that an exclusion would be applied under our cancellation section. The exclusion applies to any cancellation claims caused by a pandemic, epidemic or Coronavirus including any quarantine. This applies to all travel policies - single trip, annual travel and business travel - and has been added to any policy renewing from September 2020 renewals onwards.
This means all trips that are due to commence after this exclusion is added to your policy will not have any cancellation cover for any pandemic, epidemic or Coronavirus.
In line with the special condition within the policy, when booking a trip, you must not be aware of any reason why it might have to be cancelled or rearranged as this may affect the cover under the policy. As the FCDO was advising against travel and a global pandemic was a known event when the booking was made, costs will not be considered under the policy.
As the FCDO was advising against travelling to the destination at the time of the booking and a global pandemic was a known event when the booking was made, along with the exclusion applying, costs will not be considered under the policy.
As the policy does not require a specific reason for a travel provider entering administration, where costs cannot be recovered from any other source (travel/credit card provider, ABTA/ATOL schemes etc.), reasonable costs can be considered.
As the policy does not require a specific reason for a travel provider entering administration, where costs cannot be recovered from any other source (travel/credit card provider, ABTA/ATOL schemes etc, reasonable costs can be considered.
No, you should not travel against Foreign and Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice as any loss abroad will not be covered. You should regularly check the FCDO advice before travelling.
Yes, continuous cover is required for a claim to be considered, subject to terms and conditions of the policy.
As the exclusion for any pandemic only relates to the travel cancellation section of the policy, providing that you had not tested positive for COVID-19 or were presenting symptoms prior to travelling, costs can be considered.
We no longer offer a single trip policy at NFUM. The decision was taken to offer only Annual Travel policies going forward.
No. NFU Mutual will only pay for cancellation expenses that cannot be recovered from elsewhere. We would recommend that customers discuss their refund options with their travel provider.
The Government has introduced a traffic light system which assesses Covid-19 risks in each country and defines entry and/or quarantine requirements for travellers when returning to the UK. This is separate to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) which also assesses Covid-19 risk in addition to any political issues or any other risks to UK travellers.
As this is an ever-changing situation, please refer to the Government website for more information on each country's criteria:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england
It is important to note that the Government's 'Traffic Light' does not supersede the FCDO's travel advice, which should always be checked before making a booking, and before travelling to a booked destination. You should not travel against FCDO advice as any loss abroad will not be covered in line with the policy wording.
Yes, if you tests positive and is required to stay in additional accommodation that is not funded by the country in question, and have not travelled against FCDO or any other medical advice not to travel, where costs cannot be recovered from any other source, reasonable costs will be considered under the Medical Expenses section of the annual travel policy which provides cover for additional accommodation following ILLNESS that has occurred during the trip.