When COVID-19 hit, many travel insurance policies didn’t cover cancellations and interruptions, often because they didn’t cover pandemics. Nonetheless, the travel insurance industry launched an avalanche of new guidelines covering the illness when many foreign destinations began requiring them. All travel insurance policies do not always cover Covid-19-related trips, so it is essential to read the policy’s fine print details before you subscribe. Like any insurance, it is all in the details, including its coverage for travel insurance. Here are some things you should know.
Is It Possible To Get The Insurance That Covers COVID?
Yes, but you should clarify what aspects of the pandemic are under terms like “COVID-19 Holiday Insurance”. There are obvious ones, such as medical costs overseas and repatriation if you or someone in your family becomes ill. For example, you cannot board a flight because you have to isolate yourself or leave early due to a close relative becoming severely sick with COVID. It is also possible to compare different types of coverage from the same insurer.
Will My Policy Cover Me If I Catch COVID?
At the start of international travel again, most, if not all, newly purchased policies cover emergency medical expenses abroad as standard. The disease then became just another illness on the insurance list – so long as it was not a pre-existing condition. The same applies if you need to cancel a trip for valid reasons, so even if you catch COVID before you travel, it will cover the costs. Some policies allow you to miss your outbound flight if you do not arrive in time for your “fit to fly” Covid test. It is better to buy a policy as soon as possible. A policy may require proof of vaccination.
Is It Possible To Cancel My Vacation Before I Leave?
Cancelling your insurance policy may be possible (before travel, of course), but balancing the vacation itself is probably considered “disinclination to travel” by insurance companies. However, the policies typically recognize the need to cancel a trip due to a family bereavement. Still, there are a few other situations in which you may be able to recover the cost of tickets or deposits.
When I Test Positive Abroad, Will I Be Covered?
In Malaysia, policies vary more, but many cover the additional costs of staying in a hotel longer than planned due to a positive Covid test and the inability to travel home. It is possible to find a provision for quarantine in any section of the policy regarding emergency medical expenses, alongside valid reasons for injury or illness. When you book the trip or buy the policy (whichever comes first), you need to be symptom-free, and you should tell them if you have had Covid before.
Is Hotel Quarantine Covered?
Most likely not in Malaysia, unless you’re abroad. Depending on your policy, you might be covered if you must stay abroad longer than planned in a hotel and cannot go on excursions booked. Alternatively, you may not be covered if, after booking your trip, your destination implemented an incoming quarantine policy.
