Travellers can be forgiven for assuming that their travel insurance covers just the things that happen on their trips abroad. However, it is before they even get to their destination that the value can also be felt.
Nearly one quarter of all claims from SportsCover Direct’s customers travelling overseas were a result of incidents occurring prior to arrival in their country of choice last year.
These included claims for trip cancellation, flight delays and missed departures. In total they made up 24% of all claims from our travel customers, a rise from 19% in 2015.
Although the total number of travel claims only represents around one in every 40 customers, the value of these reinforces the need to buy insurance early.
The average value of claims resulting from the need to cancel a trip surpassed £700 last year, a far cry from the cost of an insurance policy; around £49 on average!*
Upon purchase of any travel insurance, the traveller is immediately covered under the cancellation section of the policy. Therefore, like SportsCover Direct’s customers, should they be unable to go on their trip due to unforeseen circumstances, they could be eligible to claim**. Most insurers will look at these claims on a case-by-case basis. Therefore it is worth checking what the cancellation benefit of your insurance policy covers when purchasing.
Reasons for cancellation
The reasons for trip cancellations fell mostly into three categories last year, these were:
– Illness of the insured
– Injury that meant they couldn’t travel or take part in the sporting event they were travelling for
– Illness or death of a close relative.
As a specialist sports insurer SportsCover Direct received a number of claims as a result of injuries that, in turn, ruled out the possibility of a pre-booked sporting trip. This included a claim from one customer set for a ski racing trip in Austria who broke a thumb in a training accident, and another who needed to cancel a cycling trip to Spain because they required hip surgery.
Illness was a more common cause of cancellation in 2016, than 2015; rising from 7% of all cancellation claims, to make up 37% of all such claims.
The costliest of those came when one customer was diagnosed with a brain tumour. This meant that he was unable to travel on a trip to Australia – resulting in a claim totalling £1,750.
All told, four-figure claims were not rare when it came to issues occurring before travel. Of all cancellation claims in 2016, a concerning 18% surpassed the £1,000 mark.
Knowing you’re covered
Remember to check exactly what your insurance covers you for, as insurers will offer varying levels of cover for cancellation. It’s always good to make yourself fully aware exactly what your insurance covers.
Travel insurance is there to protect travellers from situations out of their control that may have an effect on their trip, but the figures show that the value of insurance can become apparent well before you touch down in your target destination.
We advise you to purchase your Sports Travel Insurance at the earliest possible convenience for maximum cancellation cover. Click here to get a quote today.
*Relates to Sports Travel Insurance claims during 2016
** SportsCover Direct’s Sports Travel policy includes; death, injury or illness of the insured, the person with whom they are due to travel or a close family member; being called on jury duty; being made redundant; burglary or flood damage within 10 days of departure as reasons to claim under the Cancellation benefit.