Cancellations due to Coronavirus, what does travel insurance cover?

La coronavirus health crisis is hitting the world of travel with great force.

The need to stop the spread of the virus forces us to establish rules to restrict the mobility of people around the world as much as possible, which is causing a flood of cancellations and incidents for tourists and travelers.

There are many of us who, at the time of declaring the global pandemic and establish the state of alarm, we had flight and hotel reservations, and now we want to recover the amounts paid in advance.

In this situation, it is time to be clear What coverage does travel insurance give us? that we have contracted, and various insurance companies are starting to report what they cover and what they don't cover said insurance.

IATI travel insurance coverage against coronavirus

This is the case of IATI, a company whose travel insurance we have been using in recent years.

If that is also your case, this information provided by the company itself will be useful to you and will clarify What IATI travel insurance covers and what it does not cover against coronavirus, depending on your personal circumstances.

Coronavirus contagion, does IATI insurance cover medical care?

All insurance covers medical assistance in case of epidemic/pandemic or in case of coronavirus infection, if mobility limitations have caught you on a trip.

Any insured person who becomes infected coronavirus at destination you will have insured medical coverage up to the limit indicated in the policy, which includes medical expenses such as hospitalization, medical transportation, possible repatriation, expenses for extension of stay, etc...

My flight is canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, border closure or quarantine in the destination country, does the insurance cover the costs of plane tickets?

No, the cancellation of flights is not a reason for cancellation trip cancellation insurance.

In the event that previously purchased flights are cancelled, either due to border closures, quarantine declaration or a recommendation not to travel due to a pandemic, the insured must claim reimbursement from the airline.

The country of destination or origin declares a quarantine or pandemic, and for that reason I cannot start my trip. Does the cancellation insurance reimburse the costs of flights and accommodation?

No, cancellation insurance does not cover trip cancellation due to a pandemic.

On March 11, World Health Organization (WHO) declared the pandemic status, and this circumstance is found in the cancellation coverage exclusion clause.

Therefore, if you are thinking about insuring a trip in the event of cancellations due to coronavirus, it is not recommended to take out cancellation insurance.

Of course, said cancellation insurance covers other possible circumstances, the details of which you can consult in its general conditions.

I am traveling and due to quarantine I have to stay longer in the country, does the insurance cover the expenses of my stay?

In the case of IATI, insurance Iati Star y Iati Estrella Premium They are the ones with the highest medical assistance coverage.

They include coverage of “extension of stay due to natural disaster”, which covers accommodation costs up to a maximum of €100 per day for a maximum of 10 days in case of not being able to return to your country or due to quarantine.

I am traveling and I need to return to my country in advance due to flight cancellation, visas or border closures. Does travel insurance cover return costs?

The only cases in which there are early return coverage are:

– Early return due to hospitalization or family death (all our insurances)
– Early return due to a serious accident at the residence/professional premises of the insured (all except Basic Iati)

Other reasons for early return are not contemplated in the policy.

Does my insurance cover repatriation?

Yes, in the event of an accident or illness, insurance covers repatriation if there is a medical recommendation.

If the insured is in a hospital where the medical problem can be adequately treated, repatriation can be delayed as long as necessary so that his or her health can improve, so that the return takes place in the best medical conditions.

If I can't travel because I have been infected with coronavirus, does the insurance cover me?

In the event that you have hired a cancellation insurance and you have a medical recommendation not to travel, you will be covered by the insurance, since the reason for cancellation is indicated in the general conditions.

Specifically, the coverage refers to if you cannot travel “due to the death or hospitalization, for at least one night, serious illness or serious bodily accident of the insured, his or her spouse, or any of the first or second degree descendants or ascendants (parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren) of a sister or brother, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or in-laws".

If I decide not to travel for fear of being infected, does the insurance cover this situation?

In this case, insurance does not cover trip cancellation.

To benefit from the cancellation coverage It is necessary that the reason for it be contemplated in the general conditions, and the fact of deciding not to travel
For personal reasons it is not one of the clauses.

My trip was cancelled, can I request a refund of the amount paid by the insurance?

Policies can be canceled before the start of the trip, and said cancellation entails management costs of 10 percent of the insurance value, with a minimum of 15 euros and a maximum of 50 euros.

However, given the delicate situation due to the pandemic, and exceptionally, IATI allows the modification of travel dates at no cost, as long as the rate for the new travel dates is the same as that of the policy you want to cancel (same duration and coverage).

For request modification of dates, you must send an email to info@iatiseguros.com with the subject: MODIFICATION POLICY Nº (policy number) informing about the new dates.

In case you do not have a new travel date and want cancel insurance, send an email to the same address with the subject: RETURN POLICY Nº (policy number) and your consent regarding the cancellation policy.

I returned to my country before the scheduled date, can I request a refund of the value corresponding to the days that I did not use the insurance?

Partial refund is not possible relating to unused days of insurance.

However, IATI will offer policyholders who are in these circumstances a discount for the next trip; If that is your case, you can contact us through the aforementioned email info@iatiseguros.com and they will provide you with more information.

Of course, as is happening with many other companies in the travel sector, IATI advises that given the large volume of messages they are receiving, the response may
take a little longer than normal, although it is ensured that they will respond to all queries as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, due to the teleworking situation during the current state of alarm, IATI is currently unable to maintain the service Whatsapp for 24-hour assistance until everything returns to normal.