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Only two of the 263 ‘complete’ insurance policies offered by U.K. travel insurance providers for COVID-19 coverage actually offer comprehensive coverage, consumer body Which? has discovered.
The small number totals just 1 per cent of policy providers giving full coverage for COVID-19 related travel disruptions, The Guardian reports.
Of the 263 policies, only HSBC Select and Cover and Barclays Travel Pack were found to provide full coverage, allowing travellers to cancel trips because of changes in advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FDCO) or because of new government lockdowns banning travel; if they tested positive for COVID-19 or were told to self-isolate; or if they were charged medical and repatriation costs.
In its research, Which? ranked 85 policies as superior – which meant they would give coverage for travellers who had to self-isolate without a positive test, but would not cover advice change from FCDO. The group ranked 142 policies as low, and 34 – including those offered by companies Esure and Sheilas’ Wheels – were given the lowest ranking of basic.
Basic policies cover travellers for related emergency medical costs and repatriation, but the policies will not cover trip cancellation if the traveller contracts COVID-19.
According to The Guardian, most travel insurance providers rewrote their policies last year in response to COVID-19 to stop cancellation claims from travellers impeded by government lockdowns.
Which? found that although providers claim to offer COVID-19 disruption coverage and travellers are urged to purchase insurance, most policies give barely any coverage and leave travellers with a false impression of the level of coverage they would be entitled to.
“As the removal of Portugal from the green list shows, last-minute disruption to holiday plans can happen, and our research shows that many travel insurers don’t offer much protection if it does,” Gareth Shaw, the head of Which? Money, told The Guardian.
Kevin Pratt, of the comparison website Forbes Advisor UK, told The Guardian that it would be highly unlikely that anyone who cut their trip to Portugal short due to the country being added to the amber list would be able to claim on their travel insurance.
Have you tried to claim on your travel insurance for a holiday disrupted by COVID-19? Let us know your experience in the comments section!
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