Holiday cancellation insurance

No one wants to cancel their holiday. But sometimes, unfortunate circumstances mean you might have to. Not only does this mean you’ll lose out on a holiday, but you might also lose out on the money you’ve paid for it. Travel cancellation is a key part of travel insurance and can help you avoid this.

If you know your holiday is going to be cancelled, please let us know as soon as you can so you lose as little as possible.

What is travel insurance cancellation cover?

Holiday cancellation insurance protects you against losses if you have to cancel your trip. For example, if you unexpectedly had to cancel and could not get back the cost of your flights or accommodation.

Note that cancellation insurance for holidays only covers payments that you’ve lost and can’t recover – you should always try to get a refund from your holiday provider first.

What does holiday cancellation insurance cover?

There are a number of reasons for which we’ll cover you to cancel or cut your holiday short with our trip cancellation insurance, such as:

• You become seriously ill or injured
• Someone you’re travelling with becomes ill or injured
• Jury duty
• Becoming pregnant (if, by the time of travel, you’ll be over 32 weeks or your doctor says you can’t travel)
• There’s an accident with a vehicle you were planning to travel in
• Becoming redundant (as long as you’ve been employed continuously for two years, not including self-employment or voluntary redundancy)
• You’re a member of the armed forces, police, fire, nursing or ambulance service and you have to stay because of an emergency or you’e posted overseas unexpectedly
• For more information about what’s included with holiday cancellation insurance, have a read of our policy documents or visit our FAQs page for any questions you may have.

Will my travel insurance cover cancellation due to Coronavirus?

Yes, all InsureandGo policies cover you for cancellation due to catching Coronavirus (including Delta and Omicron variants), or because you’ve been personally instructed to self-isolate. There is no cancellation cover if you can’t travel due to a lockdown or other government-imposed restriction.

For more information, read about our Coronavirus travel insurance.

From when am I covered by holiday cancellation insurance?

If you buy a single trip policy, cover for holiday cancellation starts from the date you book your trip or pay the insurance premium, whichever is later – so try not to leave buying insurance until the last minute!

If you’ve got an annual multi-trip policy, cover for cancellation starts at the either the time you book your trip or the start date shown on your insurance certificate, whichever is later.

If, due to unexpected circumstances that are beyond your control, you can’t finish your holiday within the period of insurance, we’ll extend your cover for up to 30 days, at no extra cost.

What does holiday cancellation insurance not cover?

Holiday cancellation insurance only covers unexpected events. It won’t cover you if you decide you don’t want to travel for any reason, and it won’t cover you for anything you already knew about when you bought the policy. For full details of what’s excluded from holiday cancellation insurance, read our policy wording.

What does curtailment mean in travel insurance?

Curtailment cover is cover for cutting your holiday short and returning home early. This could be due to someone you were staying with unexpectedly becoming seriously ill, or due to an emergency in the UK that you have to return to deal with. See the policy wording for full details of our curtailment travel insurance.

How does cancellation cover for holidays work with different types of policy?