Voyager Plus Travel Insurance – Coronavirus/COVID-19 Directive

Corona Virus / COVID-19 Directive

Voyager Plus Travel Insurance policies underwritten by Starr Insurance Companies will not provide cover if you decide to travel against the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or it’s equivalent in other EEA Countries (Refer to General Exclusion 2). This would be advice against ‘All Travel’ and ‘All but Essential Travel’.

Alternative polices (such as High Risk Voyager Travel Insurance) may be available from Voyager Insurance Services that would cover travel to a country or region the FCO advises ‘against all but essential travel’ or ‘against all travel’.

If in doubt about the region visited, refer to the FCO Website https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

or contact Voyager Insurance Services on Tel: 01483 806 680 or email: enquiries@voyagerins.com

Emergency Medical Expenses Cover

If you catch Coronavirus or require medical treatment, then yes cover will be in place for emergency and necessary treatment (subject to usual policy terms and conditions).

Customers should be aware that our policies are travel insurance policies and not private medical insurance meaning that there is no cover for any medical expenses incurred in private medical facilities or where treatment could have been received under reciprocal health agreement (unless approved by Underwriters and no other suitable medical facilities are available).

If this is the case, then clients must contact the Emergency assistance team as quickly as possible.

Cancellation and Curtailment Cover

Your Voyager Plus Travel Insurance provides cancellation and curtailment cover for costs that cannot be recovered from anywhere else for stated reasons only. In line with other retail travel insurances, it does not cover Cancellation and Curtailment under Exclusion h. due to your disinclination to travel.

This means, that if you choose not to travel or return home just because you are concerned about the Coronavirus, you are not covered for cancellation or curtailment.

• This type of event is usually not covered across the travel insurance industry for cancellation. This is because most policies have specific reasons for cancellation and disinclination to travel e.g. due to the “fear of an epidemic, pandemic, infection or allergic reaction” is not one of those reasons.

• We would advise travellers who have booked package holidays to a destination affected by the viral outbreak and looking to cancel their trip or amend their travel plans to contact their travel agent or tour operator in the first instance.

• If you are not able to amend your trip and have a medical justification for having to cancel, we would be happy to discuss your situation on a case-by-case basis.

It may be possible to obtain cover for cancellation or curtailment due to changes in FCO advice that occur after the policy or option has been bought. See next section.

Voyager Plus Travel Insurance Optional : Section 20 Enhanced Travel or Terrorism Disruption

Please Note: The Section 20 Enhanced Travel or Terrorism Disruption Option is no longer available to purchase on new policies.

Voyager Plus Travel Insurance includes an optional extension to provide an extended range of cover for Travel Disruption aimed primarily at the traveller who books their own travel arrangements independently and may not have the protection of a tour operator or package arrangement.

In regards to changes in FCO Travel Advice : Limited stated cover is available under Optional Section 20 Enhanced Travel or Terrorism Disruption for a necessary cancellation or curtailment claim for travel and accommodation costs that cannot be recovered elsewhere – if this Optional Section was purchased by the Insured prior to any such FCO travel directive being declared (as a result of Coronavirus) in relation to a specific country or region.

Refer to Voyager Plus Travel Insurance Optional Section 20 : Enhanced Travel or Terrorism Disruption as per Section 20.1 Extended Cancellation or Curtailment as to what limited cover is available in regards to costs that cannot be recovered if it is necessary to cancel or curtail a planned trip, if the following (in summary) occurs during your period of insurance:

Travel advice unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or World Health Organisation (WHO) or regulatory authority in a country to/from which you are travelling issuing a directive prohibiting all travel or all but essential travel to, or recommending evacuation from, the country or specific region area or event to which you are travelling, providing the directive came into force after you purchased this insurance or booked the trip (whichever is the later), or in case of curtailment, after you had left your home country to commence the trip…

NOTE : This Option may be purchased at time of the original purchase of the Voyager Plus Travel Insurance Policy, or it may be purchased after the date of original purchase of the Voyager Plus Travel Insurance policy during the policy period – but no cover exists prior to the date of purchase of the Option or if an event or travel directive has been declared prior to the date of Purchase in regards to that travel directive.

Underwriters reserve the right to withdraw the ability to purchase this option at time of original purchase and/or subsequently to the original purchase.

Can I cancel or amend my current Voyager Plus Travel Insurance policy and take a new policy or add an option which has cover for change in FCO advice?

• Yes, however you should be aware that there will be no cover if the FCO has already issued a directive to the specific area you are travelling to. Your new policy will only cover you for events and restrictions in areas that occur after the date you paid for your policy or added option and may have different terms, conditions and premiums applied.

Voyager Plus Travel Insurance Optional : Section 22 Cruise Plus Insurance

As of 14th March 2020, the decision was also made by insurers to temporarily suspend the sale of Section 22. Cruise Plus Insurance until further notice.

This suspension applies to the sale of new policies with these options, as well as the purchase as a mid-term adjustment on any existing policies.

Policy Amendments Due To Travel Plan Changes resulting from Coronavirus

• If your travel arrangements are cancelled by the airline, travel or accommodation provider due to Corona virus then Policyholders who booked their trip via a tour operator or travel agent or using a credit card should contact them to see if they can get a refund or have their trip re-arranged.

• If you are offered an alternative destination and or dates from your travel agent, we are pleased to advise that we will shift your insurance policy to fit the new trip without any administration charges, providing the new trip is for the same duration and to the same location or geographical area. If your new destination or trip duration requires an additional premium then this will be payable. Please call the customer service team or your broker to discuss your options.

• In the event that you are unable to move the trip to an alternative destination, and are offered a refund from your travel agent or tour operator, we are happy to offer a 50% refund of premium on Short Stay policies or a Pro-Rata Refund of the Policy Period Remaining after the Date of Cancellation for Annual Multi-Trip policies, on the understanding that no claim is to be made against the policy. This does not apply to Annual policies.
  
  Note: All refunds beyond 14 days from the date of issue are subject to Underwriters sole discretion and may be subject to a deduction from the rebate of premium of the necessary costs incurred up to the amount specified in your Terms of Business Agreement (TOBA) in processing the original sale and cancellation.

Additional Notes

Underwriters reserve the right to change or withdraw this statement.

This statement is subject to the full policy terms and conditions of the policy wording and any applicable endorsements and does not alter the policy terms and conditions.

If you have any further queries around this matter please contact the Voyager Insurance Customer Support Team at

enquiries@voyagerins.com

01483 806 680

Additional Information

More information regarding the coronavirus can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice