TRAVEL INSURANCE - CANCELLATION COVER

Definition of Cancellation or Curtailment

Cover for any irrecoverable unused Travel and Accommodation costs (including Excursions) and other pre-paid charges, which you have paid or are contracted to pay together with any reasonable additional travel expenses incurred.

If Cancellation of the trip is necessary and unavoidable or the trip is Curtailed before completion as a result of any of the following events occurring; the death, bodily injury, illness, disease or complication arising as a result of a pregnancy, of you or any person with whom you are travelling or have arranged to travel with or any person whom you have arranged to stay with or your close relative.

It should be noted the difference between Cancellation and Curtailment. The difference is that Cancellation cover is before your departure on a trip and Curtailment is cutting short a trip that you are already on.

On our Travel Insurance website, we can provide Cancellation or Curtailment from £2,500 (JS Essential and JS Essential Plus) and to £5,000 (JS Superior). This benefit is per person, so if you are a couple, the cover would be double the stated cover limits, if you both have to cancel. We can provide cover up to £10,000 per person, if you require this level of cover, please contact us for a quote by email or by telephone.

If you have a pre existing medical condition and you have declared this on our Medical Conditions website, then you will be covered if you need to cancel your trip or curtail your trip if the medical condition was to prevent you on taking the trip or you require medical treatment back in your home country.

The only exception to this is if you are on a waiting list for medical treatment for hospital admission and you are unable to travel or you need to cut short your trip due to an appointment that you have been waiting for and has been confirmed after you have purchased a Travel Insurance policy. The claim would not be considered in this instance as you were aware of the possible clash or disruption to your trip.

One of the most frequent questions that is asked, can a Travel Insurance policy only cover you for Cancellation or Curtailment. Unfortunately we are unable to offer this, as our policies start with Medical Expenses as standard and you can add on extra benefits such as Cancellation and even Baggage if you wish. You do have the option with the policy JS Essential to cover just Medical Expenses and Cancellation or Curtailment.

It is important to note that the cover for Cancellation cover on a Single Trip or an Annual Multi Trip policy is different. If you purchase a Single Trip policy, the cover for Cancellation begins on the date of purchase. If you purchase an Annual Multi Trip policy, the commencement of the Cancellation cover begins when your policy starts from. So for example if you purchase an Annual policy today and the policy starts a week from today, that is when the Cancellation cover will commence on that date.


Frequently Asked Questions regarding Cancellation or Curtailment cover.


You should contact the Claims Department  that is on your Travel Insurance documents, In some cases there is only a telephone number, with some underwriters there is also an email address that you can use. You should not send any documentation or financial details at this time. The Claims Department will send you the forms to complete and they will let you know the documents that they require to process your claim. When sending the Claim forms and additional documentation (for example a flight invoice) make sure that you send originals and also photocopy the paperwork, so that you have a record in case the documents are lost or misplaced. Always send correspondence via recorded delivery and request a signature at the destination.


Yes, you should be able to make a claim for any Travel or Accommodation costs, up to the limits shown on your Travel Insurance policy. 



This will depend on your circumstances, being pregnant is not considered a pre existing medical condition so it does not need to be declared when purchasing a policy. However if your Doctor has told you that you should not travel as this may put your pregnancy or the unborn child at risk and they will be willing to put this into writing, then you would be able to make a claim for Cancellation.


Yes if at the time of purchase of the policy there was no restrictions on travel to the country or the area, the you will be able to make a claim for Cancellation. If however there was a restriction on travel and you chose to ignore the Foreign Office website advise, then this may invalidate your claim. If you are planning to go to a country or an area that has recently had a natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake, you should check the Foreign Office website, before purchasing a Travel Insurance policy.


This will depend on the circumstances of the situation and the reason why the person or persons have decided not to travel. For example, if the person has been taken ill and has been advised not to travel, then you should be able to make a claim. If however they have just decided they just don't want to go on the trip and there is no valid reason for this, it is unlikely to be a valid claim for Cancellation.

When is it NOT necessary to include Cancellation cover on a Travel Insurance policy.


  1. If you have purchased a Travel Insurance policy shortly before departure, for example 24 hours before you leave your home, it is unlikely that having Cancellation cover on your policy is necessary as it is unlikely that you will require to make a claim for cancelling your trip. This is the case in reference to a Single Trip or Longstay policy but in the case of an Annual Multi Trip policy, you should still include Cancellation as you are planning to do more than one trip a year and will be travelling throughout the year.

  1. If you have booked a flight with flexible booking and you need to change the dates of travel, for a small administration fee, you should be able to change the dates of travel and not require you to cancel the trip itself.

  1. If you are driving or taking a coach or train, you should consider if you require the cover for Cancellation.


It is always important to read the Terms and Conditions of the Travel Insurance policy that you are thinking of purchasing or you have purchased. There you will find the complete definition and exclusions of the benefit: Cancellation or Curtailment.

If you have any questions or if you are unsure if you need Cancellation or Curtailment cover, please feel free to contact us.

www.jsinsurance.co.uk

0800 047 5065 / 01273 773 017

info@jsinsurance.co.uk