Coronavirus Travel Rights

Most insurers will cover you for cancellation if there is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advisory in place – as there now is for all non-essential travel overseas, to any destination. But for a rough check, see what individual insurers have told us – though this will vary by policy and can change over time.

To be sure of what's covered, check your insurer's website – many now list their coronavirus cover. If not, and the policy terms are too tricky, call up or use online chat.

The two key questions we'd ask are:

1. Am I covered if the FCO later warns against 'essential travel'?
   
   
2. Am I covered if there's no FCO advisory, but either my flight or hotel is cancelled and I can't travel as a result? If so, what's covered (flights, hotels, car hire etc)? (While right now there's a blanket FCO advisory in place, this may change in future.)

What if I have an annual policy that's about to expire?

While it's generally difficult to get new travel insurance policies at the moment – and virtually impossible to get one that’ll cover cancellation costs related to coronavirus – if you have an existing annual travel insurance policy, you may well have more joy.

Several travel insurers including Axa, Coverwise and Planet Earth have told us that if you have an annual policy and choose to renew, then you’ll still get the same level of cover on your renewed policy as you did on the old one. (Don't assume this applies to all policies or travel insurers though - if renewing, check directly.)

That means if you have a holiday booked and your annual policy expires in the meantime, it may be worth renewing with your current insurer rather than looking for a new policy. Make sure you arrange cover from the day after your current policy expires - that way you'll have continuous cover.

It's worth noting even with policies that will give you cancellation cover for existing bookings on renewal, you won't be covered for any new trips you're planning. That's because travel insurance is supposed to cover for the unexpected. Equally, you won't be covered for trips booked after the FCO warned against travel to a country, or after coronavirus was declared a pandemic. 

FCO warning in place? You should be able to get a refund or claim on insurance – for imminent travel at least

If you're due to go to an area which the FCO advises against travel to at a time when the warning is in place, your airline or tour operator should be your first port of call. Many have already cancelled flights and holidays, in which case you'll likely be offered a refund or alternative dates if you want to keep your booking.

If your travel company isn't offering refunds, or you're facing other consequential losses, your travel insurer will usually cover any non-refundable costs due to the Government warning (though check first – see below). If you have additional bookings such as accommodation or event tickets, you could also check with the supplier directly first to see if it will offer a refund as a goodwill gesture.

Note that the right to get a refund or claim on your insurance doesn't necessarily apply to ALL future bookings. So if, for example, you've booked to travel to Italy much later this year, you may have to wait for the travel company to decide whether to cancel the trip before you can get a refund. We're clarifying with insurers how far ahead they are in accepting claims and will update this guide when we know more.

No FCO warning in place when you travel? Don't expect to get a refund if you cancel, but check – some firms are now being flexible

Cases of coronavirus have now been diagnosed globally, and the FCO has warned against all non-essential travel. However, it's important to understand that this warning currently only applies for 30 days from Tuesday 17 March.

If you cancel a trip further ahead, unfortunately there's no guarantee you'll get a refund, though some firms are now being more flexible and in particular letting customers rebook.

With insurance, the situation is likely to depend on whether an FCO warning's in place at the point you're due to travel. If not, you almost certainly won't be able to get the money back on your insurance, as the Association of British Insurers (ABI) says travel insurance "is not designed to cover disinclination to travel where the FCO advice has not changed to advise against travel". None of the insurers we've checked with will cover you if you cancel in this scenario.

Some airlines, hotels and other travel firms WILL now let you cancel or rebook

It's worth checking directly with your airline or hotel even if your original booking was on a non-refundable basis, as some have started to introduce special cancellation or rebooking policies to help those affected by coronavirus. Here's what firms had said they were doing in mid-March (although this is just to give a flavour, you'll need to check directly with firms themselves for the latest info.)

What if my flight or hotel is cancelled?

If your flight or accommodation is cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, even if there's an FCO warning in place for the country you're going to at the time that you go, the airline or hotel is likely to fully refund you for the booking you've made.

Under EU flight delay rules (which still apply this year despite Brexit, and which cover all flights leaving the UK or EU as well as flights to the UK/EU on a UK/EU airline), you're entitled to choose between:

• EITHER a refund for the flight that was cancelled.
• OR an alternative flight (airlines call this re-routing) to your destination.

We've seen that many airlines appear to be offering customers credit vouchers instead of refunds. You don't have to accept this, and if the airline were to go bust, you may not get your money back.

If one element of your holiday is cancelled but another element remains (eg, your flight is cancelled but your accommodation isn't), it's worth first contacting the non-cancelled element to see if they'll refund you as a goodwill gesture – assuming you no longer wish to travel.

If your flight isn't covered by EU law, your rights will depend upon the rules of the country which has jurisdiction over the flight – this will vary from country to country.

If this doesn't work, check your travel insurance policy, which may have provisions to cover 'consequential losses' such as these. See our insurer-by-insurer table for more info on what individual providers are doing...

On Monday 23 March, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued a blanket warning to all British tourists and short-stay travellers to return to the UK as soon as possible.

The FCO said the warning reflected "the pace at which international travel is becoming difficult with the closure of borders, airlines suspending flights, airports closing, exit bans and further restrictions being introduced daily".

The Government's now organising rescue flights for those abroad

On Monday 30 March the FCO announced it is working with airlines to repatriate tens of thousands of Brits who are currently stranded abroad. It says there are two elements to its plan:

• Airlines will recognise their responsibility for transporting their passengers with pre-booked tickets home. This will include be done by offering alternatives where the airline's own flights are cancelled. Passengers will be allowed to change tickets where possible, including to other airlines, and offered the latest info and advice.
  
  
• Where commercial routes do not exist, the Government will provide up to £75 million in financial support to enable special charter flights operated by the airlines above and likely more. These will fly to priority countries to bring back UK residents.
  
  The Government says that special charter flights for countries with no commercial routes will be prioritised according to the number of stranded British travellers and their vulnerability, including an assessment of the local health provision. In some places, access for flights to land and the ability to move around within the country to assemble for return flights will also be decisive factors. 
  
  Charter flights are already up and running to Ghana and Tunisia, with India and South Africa likely to be added this week.
  
  You're likely to have to pay for a seat on one of these charter flights, though we're confirming details with the FCO. For example, seats on the flight it's running from Ghana will cost £500 per person.

if you're stuck abroad your first call should be to your airline or holiday company, to find out what flights it's running and what it can offer you. If you've already spoken to it and got nowhere, it may now be worth speaking to it again as many airlines have today pledged to fully honor their responsibilities to passengers with tickets booked. 

If your airline or holiday company's unable to help, the FCO says you should check if commercial flights out of the country are still operating. You can do this by checking airlines' websites, FCO Travel Advice pages for the country you are in and local British embassies' social media accounts. 

If there are no commercial options, you should sign up to alerts on the FCO Travel Advice page for the country you're in and follow embassy social media and email updates. When special return flights become available, these will be advertised there and those who have registered for updates will be contacted via email. Again, you're likely to have to pay for this flight so check the cost.

If you're in real need, the Government says consular teams will work with you to consider your options. As a last resort, the FCO may be able to issue you an emergency loan, though this will depend on the circumstances.