While shopping for travel insurance, you may wonder if your insurance provider will pay claims related to civil unrest or war. You will need to check the certificate for each policy to be completely sure, and you should do so before purchasing a travel insurance policy.
Tip: Do n’t read a summary of benefits. Read the insurance certificate. Pay close attention to the exclusions and limitations of the policy.
Exclusions for war or civil unrest
Almost all travel insurance policies exclude war and civil war, declared or not, from covered events. This exclusion means that if your trip is delayed or you have to cancel it entirely due to war or civil unrest, you will not be entitled to reimbursement from your travel insurance provider.
This does not mean that all delays related to war or unrest will not be compensated. Each travel insurance provider makes independent decisions about coverage. For example, during the attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016, some travel insurance companies chose to cover travel delays related to the cessation of flights between the US and Turkey during and after the attempt. coup for people already traveling when flights were canceled. However, the same companies issued position statements that the attempted coup did not qualify as an “unforeseen event” for the purposes of trip cancellation or interruption coverage.
Insured travelers who booked trips to Turkey were not reimbursed if they canceled their trips unless they purchased Cancel coverage for any reason.
Can I find a policy that covers war-related issues?
Some policies offer benefits that include “political evacuation” or “non-medical evacuation.” This coverage will pay to transport you to safety in the event of war or riots at your vacation location. MH Ross, RoamRight, Tin Leg, and several other insurers offer policies that include non-medical evacuation coverage. The benefits range from $ 25,000 to $ 100,000.
Other policies may include “riot” under covered reasons for travel delay claims. For example, at the time of this writing, RoamRight’s Essential policy includes “disturbances” under its covered reasons for missed connection and trip delay benefits. However, the same policy specifically excludes “war, invasion, acts of foreign enemies, hostilities between nations (declared or undeclared), or civil war” from coverage. Travel Guard’s basic policy specifically names “war,” “riots,” “insurrection,” and “civil disorder” on its list of General Exclusions; losses related to wars, riots, uprisings and the like are not covered.
Things to consider when traveling to an area experiencing civil unrest
If you know that civil unrest is likely in the destination you are considering, take a moment to think about how you will stay safe if problems arise and how you will get home if things get out of hand. Flights are likely to be canceled, and your embassy or consulate may be overwhelmed by requests for help.
If you decide to go ahead with your travel plans, you will not be able to get your money back because you are concerned about your personal safety. Here are some travel insurance tips to consider:
- You cannot cancel your trip because you feel it will not be safe at your destination and we will refund your money unless you purchase Cancel coverage for any reason. Even then, you probably only get 70% of your money back.
- Generally, you must purchase Cancel for Any Reason coverage within 30 days of paying the first deposit.
- Expect to pay more for a travel insurance policy that includes Cancel for Any Reason coverage.
- You cannot purchase Cancel for any reason coverage if your departure date is within the required cancellation period. This period is usually two to three days before your trip begins, but policies vary.
- Cancellation policies for any reason pay you a percentage of the amount you have spent on your trip if you cancel your trip and file a claim. You will not be able to recover the full amount with this type of policy, but you can cancel without having to explain why.
- Military members who have leave orders revoked due to war may or may not be covered by the cancellation of work or cancellation of trip policies. Every policy is different, so it’s worth spending some time reading through the policy certificates to see if you can find one that covers revocation of license orders due to war.
The bottom line
If you are traveling to an area where civil unrest is likely or already occurring, the only way you can be sure that you can recoup some of your travel costs if you are unable to travel is to purchase Cancel For Any Reason coverage. Even then, you must cancel your trip within the prescribed period or you will lose your benefits. If you cancel, carefully document all communications with your insurer.
