Swine flu and travel insurance

Swine flu is treated as any other illness as far as travel insurance is concerned. The ABI has issued information about the travel insurance cover offered by most policies for those affected by swine flu.

The ABI (Association of British Insurers) has confirmed that as far as most travel insurance policies are concerned, swine flu is treated the same as any other illness.

This means that if you get swine flu whilst on holiday, typical policies will cover the cost of medical treatment abroad, the cost of rearranged flights and accommodation for those covered by the policy.

You can compare travel insurance policies using a comparison website such as Confused.com.

If you are diagnosed with swine flu before you go on holiday and have to cancel your holiday, the cost will usually be covered by your travel insurance.

This will also apply to immediate family members who are due to travel with you, including your spouse, parents and children and some policies cover other relatives as well.

Travel insurers normally require a doctor’s certificate to confirm that you are unfit to travel but as the ABI says ‘given the current circumstances we would expect insurers to be flexible on the time it takes to obtain such a certificate’.

Travel insurers are currently assessing what evidence will be made available to support a claim that a customer is unfit to travel due to having swine flu.

Airlines have their own procedures for assessing whether passengers are medically fit to travel. Some, including BA and Virgin, are already stopping swine flu suspects from flying.

If an airline does not have a ‘failure of service’ provision, travel insurance policies should cover costs involved with cancelled or rearranged flights and accommodation.

You will need to get written confirmation of being unfit to travel from the airline’s medical advisers to validate a claim against your travel insurance.

Some countries, such as China, will place you in quarantine if you have confirmed swine flu. If this means you have to stay beyond your departure date then this should be covered by your insurance policy.

If you are being quarantined as a precautionary measure you may be covered. In this case insurers will assess claims on an individual basis.

You will need written confirmation of your quarantine to support any claim.