Coronavirus and your travel insurance...

What should I do if I need to travel to an affected area?

The Government is currently advising against all but essential travel to many destinations across the world. You should check and follow government advice if you're planning to travel.

In light of the impact that Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having globally, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause the sale of travel insurance to new customers. 

Don’t worry – if you’re an existing customer, you’re covered. 

We've put together some FAQs below, which should help. 

The impact of coronavirus on LV= travel insurance

Why have you decided to stop selling travel insurance?

Over the last few weeks the number of travel insurance policies we’ve sold has doubled. Given we’re a very small provider of travel insurance, it's important for the long-term benefit of all our customers that our exposure remains at a sustainable level of the overall business. 

We considered a number of options, such as excluding cover or increasing prices for new customers, but we believe temporarily pausing the sale of new policies and focusing on our existing customers is the right decision.

This is only a temporary move given the exceptional circumstances we find ourselves in and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and review the situation on an ongoing basis.

What if I'm an existing customer?

Don’t worry – if you’re an existing customer, you’re covered. 

All customers who have a policy with us are still covered and you can contact us in the normal way if you need to make a claim. We’re also still offering renewals to our existing customers, so you can continue to be insured with us. 

 
When will you be selling travel insurance again?
It’s only temporary and we’ll be monitoring the situation closely. 
If I already have a policy, can I make changes?
Yes, if you already have travel insurance with us, you can make changes to your policy. Just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. 
If I need to make a change, will you increase my price?
If you need to extend your cover to other countries, for example changing your policy from European cover to worldwide, then it’s likely the premium will increase because you’ll have more extensive cover.  However, the reason we’ve taken the decision to stop selling travel insurance to new customers is to ensure we don’t have to pass on large price increases to our existing customers. 
How can I be sure that I’m covered?

If you bought your policy after the FCO advised against travel, you won't be covered if you cancel your trip due to the coronavirus. If you booked before the advice changed, and your travel plans are affected, contact your travel provider.

They may be able to rearrange your trip or give you a refund. Alternatively, you may be able to claim a refund from your credit or debit card provider. If you're unable to get an alternative trip or refund, you're covered for cancellation. 
Am I covered if I have an annual policy that auto-renewed after the FCO advice changed?
Yes you would be covered, as your cover was continuous due to auto renew. But, if your travel plans are disrupted, you should contact your travel provider. They may be able to rearrange your trip or  give you a refund. Alternatively, you may be able to claim a refund from your credit or debit card provider. If you're unable to get an alternative trip or refund, you're covered for cancellation.   
 
I am planning to book a cruise, am I covered?
If you decide to book a cruise holiday, your insurance won't cover cancellation or medical for any reason including coronavirus, as the FCO are now advising against cruises.

General

What is the FCO?
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides advice for British travellers about foreign countries. In certain circumstances, the FCO will advise against travelling to certain locations for safety reasons. These warnings may result from military action or a natural disaster, e.g. an erupting volcano.  Anyone can view the FCO and Travel Aware websites. 
What is a known event?
We define known events by things such as changes to FCO advice or wide media coverage. On your policy, you’ll find an exclusion stating that there is no cover for anything you were aware of at the time of taking out the policy, or booking a trip that you knew could result in making a claim.  

You should not consider travelling against FCO advice as your travel policy will be invalid.
I have a medical condition that’s not covered by my insurance. Am I still covered for coronavirus?
Yes, you would be covered.

I've booked a holiday, but not travelled yet

The FCO advice for my destination has changed to ‘all but essential travel’ since I booked my trip. Can I cancel and claim on my travel policy?
If you took out your travel policy before the FCO advice for your destination changed to ‘all but essential travel’, you should first contact your travel provider to see if you can get a refund or rearrange your booking. 

If you’re not able to reclaim your costs and your departure date is before May 1 2020, your travel policy will cover you for the costs of cancelling your trip. As our claim teams are extremely busy, we ask that you don’t log your claim until a few days before your departure date. You can do this online at LV.com.

If you're travelling after May 1 2020, you’ll need to wait until nearer the time of your travel date, as the situation is changing very quickly and you may be able to travel.
 
I booked my trip to go to a theme park or resort, which has since closed. I don’t want travel - can I cancel the trip and make a claim?
If the FCO advice is that the country is safe to travel to, you can’t make a cancellation claim.
 
I booked my trip to attend an event but the event has been cancelled. As I no longer need to travel, can I cancel the trip and make a claim?
This reason for cancelling isn’t included in your policy, so you won’t be able to make a claim.
I've been refunded for my flights and accommodation by my tour provider. Can I claim back any other costs I organised separately (e.g. hire car, transfers and excursion tickets)?
If you have an LV= Premier policy, you may be able to claim back additional costs you've paid that can't be claimed back from anywhere else.
I bought a package holiday and the FCO is now advising not to travel to my destination. Can I cancel my trip and make a claim?
First, talk to your package provider as they should provide a refund or an alternative trip. If they can’t refund you or find an alternative, contact our claims team.
My trip is booked for a couple of months’ time. Can I cancel my trip today?

Due to the rapidly changing situation, we are monitoring the FCO advice on a daily basis. If your trip departure date is on or after May 1 2020, we ask that you continue to monitor FCO advice or speak to your tour operator for a refund or amendment.

If I cancel my travel plans, can I claim any cancellation costs on my travel insurance?
If the FCO advises against 'all but essential travel', you're able to claim non-refundable expenses back through your insurance policy. The amount you can claim for will be documented on your schedule and in your document of insurance, and is dependent on the level of cover you've selected. 
My trip is later this year but I need to pay the final balance of my holiday now. If I need to cancel later, will I be covered?
As long as your trip was booked, and insurance was in place, before the FCO advice against travel was issued, you will be covered for cancellation if you’ve paid the full balance or a deposit and need to cancel.
If I can reschedule my trip with my travel provider, will you be able to change my travel policy to cover me for the new dates?
Yes, we can cancel your policy and set you up with a new one. As long as the destination and duration are the same, your premium won't change.
If my doctor or GP says I fall into a high-risk group and mustn't travel, will my policy cover me for cancellation?
If you have an underlying health condition that puts you at additional risk from coronavirus, we will cover your cancellation if you’ve been screened for the condition and we have agreed to cover it. We will also need you to provide evidence of the condition, such as prescription or medical notes. This applies to respiratory conditions, heart conditions and any condition with requires you to take immune suppressing medication.

I'm currently on holiday

If the FCO changes its advice to ‘all but essential travel’ while I’m in that area, and I'm quarantined, can my trip dates be extended to cover this?
Yes, we can extend your policy so the same cover will continue until you return home. 
If I’m quarantined, how will I get essential medicine?
Your policy will cover an emergency replenishment of medication if your quarantine period goes beyond your trip dates. Wherever possible, we recommend you take enough medication with you just in case.
If I’m infected with the virus while I’m on my trip, am I covered?
As long as the country you visited wasn’t a known event and you haven’t travelled against FCO advice, you would be covered.
If I’m quarantined, and am asked to pay for food, can I make a claim?
If you have LV= Premier cover, you can make a claim for additional costs that can’t be recovered from elsewhere. 
If I’m quarantined at the airport for my return flight and can’t fly as a result of a medical assessment, will I be covered for a full refund of my trip? Will the policy cover the cost of another flight home?
If you are quarantined at the airport for your return flight, we will extend the policy to include any additional period. We will work with the authorities to provide assistance to return you back home.
If I have to be quarantined when I return from abroad, and miss my next trip because I am still quarantined, am I covered?
As long as the country you visited wasn’t a known event and you haven’t travelled against FCO advice, you could claim for the second trip if you missed the departure.