No one thinks their holiday will be cut short due to an unforeseen circumstance, but this can sound all too familiar to some travellers! Travellers who take out insurance with us have provision to claim for Trip Disruption on all policies except the Basics policy. If your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, shortened or delayed because of a strike, riot, hijack, civil protest, severe weather or natural disaster you may be reimbursed for your reasonable additional travel, accommodation and meal expenses under your travel insurance policy.

What is trip disruption?

When travelling, anything can happen on your trip that can bring it to halt. From relatives being hospitalised or passing away to cancelled flights/tours, anything can pop up and disrupt the best laid plans. An example of a trip disruption is that your travel plans are impacted because during your trip, your mode of transport is cancelled or delayed.

Travellers may be able to claim for the reimbursement of the reasonable additional costs for accommodation and travel expenses during your overseas trip if your travel companion or close relative in Australia:

• passes away,

• is disabled by an injury, or

• becomes seriously sick and required hospitalisation.

What is the difference between a delay and a disruption?

Although these two benefits sound the same, in the context of travel insurance, a travel delay and a trip disruption are not the same thing.

A travel delay is where you are not able to get on your booked transport at its original scheduled departure time, because it has been cancelled and rescheduled, or postponed for a specified period of time due to circumstances outside of your control. This can include situations like severe weather, mechanical issues or strikes stopping your flight from leaving the airport. In this situation, you can claim up to the benefit limit for your additional meal and accommodation expenses during the period of the delay.

A trip disruption refers to a broader range of situations that force you to change or cancel your travel plans and encompasses not only delays but also interruptions or cancellations of the remainder of your trip due to various reasons beyond just a transport delay. This could include events like:

• You are experiencing a medical emergency,

• Unexpected sickness or injury of a close relative back home,

• Your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened for diverted because of a strike, riot, hijack, civil protest, severe weather or natural disaster,

• Your passport or travel documents are lost or stolen.

The trip disruption benefit can reimburse you for your non-refundable expenses such as transport, accommodation, tours, or activities that you have already paid for, if your trip is disrupted due to the reasons outlined in PDS.

What is not trip disruption?

Whilst there are many situations where your trip can be disrupted, the trip disruption benefit can only provide cover in the situations as outlined in the PDS.

The situations that are not covered under your policy include, but is not limited to if:

• You are missing your flight because you forgot to set your alarm.

• You not getting the correct visa or arriving at your destination without a visa.

• You claim for trip disruption due to the unexpected hospitalisation of a family member aged 85 years old or over.

• You or someone else booking the wrong accommodation, flight or tour.

• You were aware for any reason before you purchased the Certificate of Insurance, that would have caused your trip to be cancelled, disrupted or delayed.

• You were aware of the likelihood of death, sickness or injury of a close relative at the time that you bought your policy.

• Your travel companion changes their plans or decided not to continue on with their intended trip.

• There is a financial collapse of any transport, tour or accommodation provider.

• There is a delay or rescheduling of an airline, bus line, shipping line or rail authority unless it’s due to a strike, riot, hijack, civil protest or severe weather or natural disaster.

• You incur any additional expenses due to planned medical procedures, cosmetic treatment or other non-medical medical treatments.

• Additional expenses relating to telephone calls or mobile data (other than for calls to notify Fast Cover of your emergency).

Other important information

If you need to return to Australia and do not have a return ticket booked to Australia before circumstances giving rise to a claim under the Trip Disruption benefit, we will reduce the amount of your claim by the price of the fare to Australia from the place you planned to return to Australia from. This would have to be the same fare class as the one you left Australia on.