Trip cancellation insurance

What reasons for cancelling are covered?

The most common covered reasons are the unforeseen sickness, injury or death of you, a traveling companion or a family member. A physician must certify that the condition prevents the trip.

Other reasons listed on most of our plans include:

• Your home or destination made uninhabitable by a natural disaster.
• Severe weather or a strike that stops your airline for a set number of hours.
• Jury duty or a court subpoena; being quarantined; a traffic accident on the way to departure.
• Involuntary job loss after a minimum period with the employer.
• A terrorist incident in a city on your itinerary within 30 days of departure.
• Go Ready Choice: for a family member who is not traveling, the sickness or injury must be life-threatening or severe enough to require your care.

The list and conditions differ by plan. See Trip Cancellation in your plan document.

Can I cancel because I changed my mind or I'm nervous about going?

Not under standard trip cancellation. Changing your mind or being afraid to travel is not a covered reason on any of our plans.

That is what the optional Cancel for Any Reason upgrade is for. It reimburses 50% or 75% of your insured trip cost, depending on the plan, must be bought within 14 or 21 days of your first trip payment (one day on Go Ready Choice), and has its own conditions. It is not part of the plans we offer to New York residents.

• Go Ready Choice: 75% of trip cost up to $7,500, only for trips costing up to $10,000 per person.

What if a family member who isn't traveling gets sick or dies?

Sickness, injury or death of a family member is a listed trip cancellation reason on our plans, even when that person is not traveling with you, if the plan's conditions are met.

• The plan document defines who counts as a family member. Trawick's definition refers to relatives who reside in the United States, Canada or Mexico, so ask a licensed agent first if your relative lives elsewhere.
• If the family member's condition existed before you bought the plan, the pre-existing condition rules can apply, so buying within the time-sensitive period matters.
• Go Ready Choice: the non-traveling family member's sickness or injury must be life-threatening or severe enough to require your care. Its pre-existing condition definition covers only family members booked to travel with you.
• The insurance company will ask for medical documentation and decides each claim.

Who counts as a family member?

Each plan lists the relationships. Across our plans the list includes your spouse or domestic partner, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, step-relatives, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

• Cousins are not listed in any of the definitions.
• Trawick's definition refers to relatives who reside in the United States, Canada or Mexico. If your relative lives elsewhere, ask a licensed agent before relying on a Trawick plan for that situation.
• Go Ready Choice: also lists ex-spouses, fiances, caregivers, guardians, foster children and wards, and its definition has no residence condition.

Do I need a doctor's note to cancel for illness?

Yes. For a medical cancellation, a physician must examine or treat the person and certify that the condition prevents travel. See the doctor before you cancel.

• WorldTrips requires the physician's certification before cancellation.
• Trawick requires the physician's advice to cancel on or before the scheduled departure date.
• Only Travel Insured Deluxe and Platinum allow for cases where seeing a physician first is not reasonably possible.
• Go Ready Choice: the sickness or injury must require examination or treatment by a physician, who must state in writing that it prevents the trip.

The insurance company's claim form includes a section for the attending physician to complete.

How much do I get back if I cancel for a covered reason?

Up to 100% of your insured prepaid, non-refundable trip cost, less any refund or credit you are entitled to from the airline, program or other supplier.

• Travel Insured caps trip cancellation at $50,000 per person on Deluxe and $150,000 per person on Platinum, and $250,000 per booking on both.
• Go Ready Choice: trip cancellation up to $50,000 per person.
• The benefit covers the cancellation penalties you actually lose, up to the trip cost you insured.

What if my traveling companion has to cancel?

A traveling companion's covered reason, such as their own illness, is a listed cancellation reason for you too on our plans, subject to the plan's conditions.

If you still travel, Travel Insured, WorldTrips and Go Ready Choice plans reimburse the single supplement you are charged because your companion cancelled for a covered reason.

Is losing my job or being required to work covered?

Involuntary job loss is a listed cancellation reason on our plans, with conditions. You must have been with the same employer for a minimum time: 1 year on most plans, 3 years on Trawick Pathway Plus (except its New York version).

• Timing matters: WorldTrips requires that you are notified of the layoff 30 days or more after your coverage began; Trawick's Florida wording requires it within 30 days of your trip.
• It generally does not apply to the self-employed, contractors or temporary workers.
• Being required to work is listed on Travel Insured Platinum and the New York plan, Trawick Pathway Premier (Florida version) and WorldTrips Atlas Journey, with written proof from the employer. It is not listed on Travel Insured Deluxe.
• Go Ready Choice: 2 years with the same employer, and the layoff must occur more than 14 days after coverage begins; a parent's job loss also counts. Being required to work is covered only with the optional Cancel for Business Reasons upgrade.

What if there is a hurricane, snowstorm or natural disaster?

Weather is covered when it has specific effects listed in the plan, such as stopping your airline for a set number of hours or making your home or destination uninhabitable.

• Airline stopped by weather: at least 12 hours on most plans (6 on Travel Insured Platinum and Go Ready Choice; 24 on Trawick Pathway Plus Florida and the Travel Insured New York plan; 48 on the Go Ready Choice New York version).
• An official NOAA hurricane warning for your departure or destination city shortly before departure is a listed reason on Travel Insured and WorldTrips plans.
• Not covered on Travel Insured, Trawick and WorldTrips: a storm that was already named when you bought the plan (Trawick: also one already forecast). An ordinary bad-weather forecast is not a covered reason.
• On Trawick's Florida plans, damage from a named hurricane counts as a natural disaster only in limited cases.
• Go Ready Choice: lists a mandatory evacuation at your destination as a reason; the plan document does not mention NOAA warnings or named storms.

What if the airline cancels or changes my flight?

Ask the airline first for a refund or rebooking. Insurance pays only losses that are not refunded.

• If the cause is a covered event (for example weather or a strike that stops the airline for the required hours), trip cancellation, interruption or delay benefits can apply.
• During the trip, travel delay benefits can reimburse meals and lodging once the delay reaches the plan's minimum hours.

Keep the airline's written notice of the cancellation.

Is jury duty or an extended school year covered?

Jury duty and being subpoenaed as a witness are listed cancellation reasons on our plans, with conditions.

• Travel Insured and WorldTrips: the notice must arrive after your coverage begins, and you must not be a party to the case.
• Trawick: the jury duty or subpoena must fall within 10 days of departure.
• Go Ready Choice: you must not be a plaintiff or defendant in the case, or appearing as a law enforcement officer or attorney. An extended school year is also listed.

An extended school year is listed on Travel Insured Platinum and the New York plan, and on WorldTrips Atlas Journey. It is not listed on Travel Insured Deluxe or the Trawick Florida plans.

What if there is a death in the family before the trip?

The death of a family member, as defined in the plan, is a listed reason to cancel or interrupt a trip on all of our plans, including a family member who was not traveling with you.

• Trawick's definition refers to relatives who reside in the United States, Canada or Mexico, so ask a licensed agent first if your relative lived elsewhere.
• The insurance company will ask for a copy of the death certificate.

Tell the airline or program you are cancelling as soon as you can.

How soon do I have to cancel with the airline or program?

Cancel with your travel suppliers as soon as the covered reason arises, and no later than 72 hours after it. Travel Insured and WorldTrips will not pay extra penalties that built up because you waited longer than 72 hours.

Then report the claim to the insurance company promptly. Trawick requires written notice of a claim within 7 days in its Florida version; its New York version reduces benefits if the claim is reported after 72 hours.

• Go Ready Choice: written notice of the claim within 90 days of the loss, or as soon as reasonably possible.

If the program or airline gives me a credit instead of cash, does insurance pay me?

Insurance pays only what you actually lose. A refund, credit or voucher from the airline or program reduces the claim by that amount.

Whether a credit counts depends on the plan and the insurance company's review of your claim.

What if I can't get a visa or my passport doesn't arrive in time?

Not getting a visa or passport in time is not a covered reason on most plans. Travel Insured Platinum is the exception: it covers a passport or visa that cannot be issued for a reason beyond your control, if you applied at least 8 weeks before.

A documented theft of your passport or visa is a listed cancellation reason on Travel Insured plans, Trawick Pathway Premier, and WorldTrips Explore and Elevate (WorldTrips: only if it cannot be reissued in time). Get a police report.

• Go Ready Choice: a documented theft of passports or visas is also a listed cancellation reason.

What if I am quarantined or test positive before the trip?

Being sick is handled as a sickness: a physician must certify that you cannot travel. Being quarantined is also a listed cancellation reason on our plans (on Trawick, if it falls within 10 days of departure).

Quarantine means strict isolation imposed by a government authority or physician. A country closing its borders or refusing entry is not a quarantine.

• Go Ready Choice: quarantine means forced medical isolation while you are traveling outside your home country, so isolation at home before departure is not described as a quarantine (New York version: not one resulting from an epidemic or pandemic).