Travel Insurance Direct

Travel Insurance and Cancellation Cover

Cover for when you have no option but to cancel your trip

What is cancellation cover?   

At TID, you can choose how much cancellation cover you want. That’s awesome, you think, but what does it mean? This cover is available on The Works, The Basics, Domestic and the Annual Multi Trip plans. 

When you go to buy just select the level of cancellation cover you want and we’ll quote for your chosen limit accordingly.  You’ll have cover for those things that are covered under cancellation up to your chosen cancellation benefit limit – so, if you have to cancel your trip, cover may be available for costs on things like unused flights and pre-paid tours. The thing is, you can’t cancel a trip for any old reason. If something unexpected or out of your control happens and you have to cancel, cover is available. If you just don’t fancy going anymore, that’s all on you. Whether you need an emergency operation right before you’re supposed to jet up the coast or severe weather strikes, a travel insurance policy may be able to cover your out of pocket cancellation costs. 

Why should I consider my cancellation limit? 

Unfortunately, unexpected stuff happens. Of course, after booking a trip, you’ll be thinking of all the fun you’ve got planned, but it pays to have your bases covered. If the unforeseen happens before you set off, there is cover available from TID for 11 specific events outlined in our policy. If one of these occurs and you're caught out and have to cancel, then cover is available to the maximum of your chosen benefit limit.

It's also why buying travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked, instead of last minute, may be beneficial.

Some of the events we offer cancellation cover for after you've purchased your policy include:

  • You, or a travel buddy, are struck by illness (or worse) before or during your trip
  • A close relative or business partner suffers a serious illness or injury
  • A natural disaster hits the place you're travelling to
  • A natural disaster or fire destroys your home in Australia
  • You’re made redundant or your employer cancels your pre-approved leave
  • Travel insurance benefits if your trip is cancelled

Is there cover for cancellation due to a coronavirus-related event?

There is separate cover for cancellation for some coronavirus-related events under our Coronavirus travel costs benefit which is available on the Domestic, The Works and Annual Multi Trip plans. Pandemic related events are excluded from our cancellation cover – this means if you want cover for cancellation for coronavirus-related events, you’ll need to purchase a plan with the Coronavirus travel costs cover benefit.

Travel insurance benefits if your trip is cancelled

The main advantages of cancellation insurance are the costs that are covered if you can no longer go on your holiday. Cover may be available for:

    • The cost of unused pre-paid travel and accommodation.
    • Costs of return travel, accommodation and meals if you have to cut your trip short 
    • The cost of rearranging your trip before you travel
    • Travel agent cancellation fees – depending on the policy or if the full cost or deposit has already been paid.
    • Value of airline points you may have lost due to the cancellation 

What's not covered when considering trip cancellation

  • Loss of income. If you have to miss a few days of work, we hope your boss is the forgiving type!
  • Expected costs. If you’re mid-trip, you were alwaysgoing to be spending money on meals and accommodation anyway, regardless of the disruption. This is what’s called an expected expense.
  • If you don’t follow government advice to ‘Do Not Travel’ to or through a destination or location. 
  • A loss due to a pandemic, epidemic or World Health Organization declaration of a public health emergency of international concern. This does not apply to the Coronavirus travel costs benefit available on the Domestic, The Works and Annual Multi Trip plans, which offers some limited cancellation benefits. 

Trip cancellation FAQ's

Does travel insurance cover cancellation due to illness?

Yes, we can offer cover for cancellation due to an illness or injury. An illness or injury is a condition which first occurs during your period of cover and results in you being certified as unfit to continue with the trip you had planned. If this happens before your trip starts, we can offer cover for prepaid airfares and accommodation that you're out of pocket for.' 'There are some terms like 'illness or injury' that have specific definitions in our PDS.

What happens if you need to cancel your trip after you depart?

If you need to cut your holiday short, don’t worry; our travel insurance cover accounts for this. If you have to interrupt your trip and head home as quickly as possible, we can cover travel, hotels and even meals that you need to pay for to get you back home. However, travel expenses are only covered if you have to stop the trip because you’re no longer fit to continue due to an illness or injury. Read the PDS for details.

What about cancellations due to changes at work?

If you’re taking some hard-earned holiday leave from your job and your employer decides you have to stay and cancels your pre-approved leave, then you’ll be able to make a cancellation claim. However, this only applies to permanent employees. So, if you’re a temp or just doing some freelance work for a company, you may not be covered. Similarly, if you or one of your travel buddies is made redundant from a full-time job in Australia and you have to cancel your trip because of this, then we can offer cover if you have to cancel your trip, if you weren't aware that the redundancy was going to occur when you bought the policy.

This is a brief summary of cover only and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Read the PDS before purchasing.

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