What is Cancellation?

Sometimes unforeseen circumstances can force you to cancel your dream holiday. If this happens, your travel insurance policy may reimburse pre-paid, non-refundable costs.

Most travel insurance policies provide cancellation cover for a limited range of specific reasons, which typically include:

• Death, injury or illness of you or a travelling companion
• Death, injury or illness of a close relative not travelling with you
• You or a travelling companion being called for Jury Service
• You or a travelling companion being made redundant
• Leave being cancelled for members of the Armed Forces, Police, Fire Service and medical professionals

It’s worth noting that some travel insurance policies offer more extensive cancellation protection. Be sure to check your policy wording carefully to understand the full range of reasons covered and ensure it meets your specific needs.

Yes. Cancellation is one of the most common reasons people claim on a travel insurance policy, and as no one can predict the future, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when booking a holiday and arranging cover.

If you’re someone who books last-minute city breaks just a day or two before departure, you may feel cancellation cover isn’t necessary. However, if something were to happen while you’re away and you needed to return home early, you would only be protected if your policy includes this type of cover, as cancellation and curtailment are sometimes combined within the same benefit.

On the other hand, you may have spent weeks planning your dream family trip to Disney World and feel confident nothing will go wrong. But unfortunately, illness and injury can happen at any time, even when you’re careful. Without cancellation cover, you could be left out of pocket if you or a travelling companion become unwell and are no longer able to travel.

It’s also important to remember that travel insurance should be purchased as soon as you book your holiday, so you’re protected straight away if the worst happens — and this applies to annual multi-trip policies as well.

Cancellation cover is generally included as standard in most travel insurance policies. However, because the cancellation limit can vary significantly between providers, it’s important to read your policy wording carefully to ensure you are covered for the full cost of your holiday.

For example, a policy may offer sufficient cover for medical expenses and personal belongings, but what if the cancellation limit is only half the value of your trip? In this case, insurers will typically only pay up to the cancellation limit.

While policies with higher cancellation limits may cost slightly more, paying a little extra upfront could save you from significant financial loss later on.

It’s also important to check exclusions. Most standard policies will not cover cancellation caused by events such as natural disasters. To ensure you are fully protected, you may want to consider a policy that includes Force Majeure or large scale events cover.

No one enjoys making a claim—the paperwork, insurance jargon and waiting around aren’t exactly anyone’s idea of fun. But imagine if making a claim meant you could recover the cost of a cancelled holiday and put it towards booking another one—that certainly changes things!

If your policy includes cancellation cover, your travel insurer will assess your claim and reimburse eligible pre-paid, non-refundable expenses.

It’s important to note that when submitting a cancellation claim, your insurer will usually require supporting documentation. This may include (but is not limited to) receipts and proof of purchase, medical letters from a GP or consultant, or official documents confirming events such as jury service.

We recommend reviewing your policy wording carefully in advance so you know exactly what evidence you’ll need, helping to make the claims process as smooth as possible.