How and When Does Travel Insurance Provide Cover for Natural Disasters?
The most important thing when it comes to natural disaster travel insurance is to make sure you have your policy in place before the natural disaster occurs. Once a natural disaster event has taken place it will be too late for you to take out coverage.
To make a claim due to a natural disaster, you must have purchased Insure&Go’s Natural Disaster policy upgrade option and the option must be shown on your policy schedule.
Insure&Go makes it easy to obtain travel insurance quotes where you can compare our three different levels of cover. You can organise coverage for trip cancellation or having to cut your trip short if a natural disaster occurs and you have purchased the right level of cover with a natural disaster add-on included.
Depending on your level of cover, you may also be covered for additional emergency expenses. These are expenses you incur after departure that are over and above what you had originally budgeted to pay if your trip is disrupted or you are required to return to your home in Australia because of a natural disaster. These expenses can include things such as accommodation, meals, and travelling costs.
Note that medical cover due to any natural disaster is automatically included in all international policies without purchasing this policy upgrade.
What is Covered?
For natural disasters that were unknown at the time of purchase and where you have taken out the natural disaster coverage upgrade option, Insure&Go will provide the following coverage:
- Cancelling Trip Before Departure: If you have to cancel your trip due to a natural disaster, we will cover your pre-paid travel, visas, accommodation, and meal expenses, which you cannot be reimbursed elsewhere, as well as costs of pre-paid excursions, tours and activities. (Note: Only applies to our Silver and Gold levels of cover)
- Cutting Your Trip Short: If cutting your trip short is necessary and unavoidable as a result of a natural disaster, coverage you choose could include pre-paid travel, accommodation, and meal expenses as well as pre-paid costs of excursions, tours, and activities. (Note: Only applies to our Silver and Gold levels of cover)
- Additional Emergency Expenses: We will pay your reasonable and necessary additional travel costs, incurred after departure due to a natural disaster that disrupts your trip or requires you to return to your home in Australia. You may be able to claim travel delay expenses for necessary food and accommodation costs related to a natural disaster under this coverage.
- Medical Expenses: Note that unlimited overseas medical cover is automatically included in all international policies without purchasing the natural disaster policy upgrade. We consider all pre-existing medical conditions and provide quality travel insurance for seniors up to 100 years of age.
- Avalanche Cover: Take out our additional Winter Sports Coverage to cover you in the event of an avalanche. We will pay up to the amount shown in the Table of benefits for the necessary and reasonable extra travel and accommodation expenses that you need to pay overseas if you are prevented from arriving at or leaving your booked ski resort during your trip for more than 12 hours from the scheduled arrival or departure time because of an avalanche.
Should you have any questions in regards to what natural disasters are covered or any other travel insurance-related queries, you can read our Product Disclosure Statements or contact one of our helpful and knowledgeable staff who will be happy to assist you.
What Isn’t Covered?
- Purchasing Travel Insurance After a Natural Disaster Occurs: To make a claim due to a natural disaster, you must have purchased this policy upgrade option and the option must be shown on your policy. Note that there is no coverage for costs incurred relating to a natural disaster if an event is already known prior to purchasing a policy.
- Overlooking Government Travel Warnings: It pays to check current government travel warnings and discuss any concerns over travel insurance coverage with one of our knowledgeable Insure&Go staff so you don’t find yourself abroad without qualifying for proper coverage.
- Bad Weather: Natural disaster coverage does not cover you for bad weather such as rain, wind, or normal storms which may put a damper on your travel plans.
- Choosing to Not Travel: Just because a natural disaster has occurred in your chosen travel destination does not mean you will be unable to travel. If travel to and from your chosen destination is still possible you may not be covered for simply not wanting to go due to a lack of facilities or activities available due to a natural disaster.
- Policy Limits & Reasonable Expenses: Be aware of your policy’s limits when it comes to coverage. You will be responsible for any costs incurred which go above the allocated sum insured for a certain event. Likewise, you will only be covered for reasonable expenses you acquire from delays or interruptions caused by natural disasters, so book accommodation and travel accordingly or check to make sure your expenses will be covered under your policy.
Please note that these benefits are a summary, so please see our PDS for full terms & conditions.
