COVID-19 (Coronavirus) - How the outbreak affects your
single-trip or backpacker policy

If your travel started before 23:59 on Thursday 12^th March 2020 we want to make sure that you have peace of mind in light of the WHO declaring that Coronavirus is a pandemic. We will not be enforcing the epidemic and pandemic exclusion and you will be covered as per the usual terms of your travel insurance policy. This would include you not having travelled against FCO advice at the time of departure and continuing to follow all FCO advice. Should you need to make a claim, please contact us directly to discuss your options. 

If you are still abroad and your travel is non-essential, you should be making every effort to return to the UK in light of the current FCO advice. Please contact your airline or travel provider to arrange your return travel as soon as possible. If you are unable to arrange travel to the UK please contact the FCO or local embassy or consulate for advice. Staying abroad for non-essential reasons is considered to be going against FCO advice and as such you will not be covered under your travel insurance policy.

Should you contract Coronavirus during travel, follow any advice given by the local authorities and contact your travel provider to notify them as soon as possible. If you are suffering with Coronavirus abroad, please contact our 24-hour emergency medical assistance line for advice. Provided that the FCO was not advising against all or all non-essential travel at the time of departure and you are continuing to follow all FCO advice, you may be able to claim under the medical expenses section of your travel insurance policy for expenses incurred from receiving medical treatment. Please note that all claims relating to the Coronavirus will be handled on a case by case basis. If you are unable to return as per the current FCO advice as a result of your medical circumstances and you need to extend your policy, please contact our customer services team to discuss your options. 

If your airline cancels your flight as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, you should contact the airline or travel provider you booked with to discuss alternative travel options or to request  reimbursement. If your trip was booked as a package holiday, you should contact your tour operator to arrange alternative travel. Many travel providers will enable customers to cancel or alter their booking free of charge. Costs over £100 that are not recoverable from your airline and/or travel provider may be recoverable from your credit card company if your credit card was used to make the purchase. You may also have buyer protection if payments were made through PayPal. Your travel insurance policy will not cover financial losses for cancelled flights if you are not reimbursed by the airline or travel provider. If your trip needs to be extended as a result of flight cancellation, please contact us to discuss your options in relation to extending your cover. If you are unable to arrange an alternate return flight, please contact the FCO or local embassy or consulate for advice.

Contact your airline and/or travel provider to discuss your options for amending your return travel. If you are unable to arrange an earlier return flight, please contact the FCO or local embassy or consulate for advice.

As long as your travel started on or before 12^th March and the FCO wasn’t advising against all or all non-essential travel to your destination when you departed, you may be able to claim for your medical expenses under your travel insurance policy. Please note that all claims relating to the Coronavirus will be handled on a case by case basis and you should get in touch with us directly to discuss your claim.

Please follow the government advice on self-isolating when returning from destinations with outbreaks. If you have travelled to a destination against FCO advice, you will not be covered under your travel insurance policy. 

Allianz Assistance UK, alongside many other key travel insurance providers in the UK, is supporting and aligning with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on the below statement:

“ABI members are committed to supporting their customers who are stuck abroad at this difficult time.

Most travel insurance policies already automatically extend so that people can continue to be covered against the risk of emergency medical treatment when they are stuck abroad due to ongoing travel restrictions. 

Sometimes these extensions have a limit of up to 30 days, however, given the exceptional circumstances leading ABI members will look to extend this protection to cover the risk of emergency medical treatment for up to a minimum of 60 days, provided customers are making every effort to return home. 

We welcome the Government’s announcement to assist with repatriation given the challenges that many people stuck abroad are facing.”

If you are stuck abroad at the moment and need emergency medical treatment, our emergency medical assistance phone line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on +44 20 8686 1666.