InsureandGo Australia Questions & Answers (page 3 of 14)

Hi there, whether you are provided coverage for coronavirus related claims depends on whether you bought your policy before or after it became a known event. This varies from insuer to insurer, but for us, all policies purchased after 4:00pm on 31st January 2020 provide no cover for coronavirus claims. Your policy, having been purchased in November, is not affected by this exclusion. And if the government steps up its advice to 'do not travel', you would be eligible to claim, yes. Thanks, Anna

Hi Barrie and Melissa, thanks for reaching out. Our cover for coronavirus hinges on when your policy was purchased. All policies bought after 4:00pm on 31st January 2020 have an exclusion for coronavirus related claims. Barrie, it sounds like you purchased your policy long before this cut off, so your policy has no exclusion for coronavirus related claims. Having said this, we do not cover claims based on change of mind, or fear of travel, and in order to make a claim relating to cancellation on medical grounds, there would need to be a medically valid reason and evidence for this. We published a travel alert that details our position on the coronavirus outbreak, so please read the following as it may be helpful for you: https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-alerts/latest_update-global-coronavirus-outbreak.jsp Thanks, Anna

Hi Stacey, thanks for getting in touch.

I can confirm that the coronavirus coverage and natural disaster add-on are separate. Coverage for anything relating to coronavirus depends on when you purchased your policy. If you bought your policy before 4:00pm on 31st January 2020, you may be eligible to make a claim related to the coronavirus outbreak. If you purchased after this time, you are not eligible to make a claim related to coronavirus.

In addition, our policies do not cover change of mind or fear of travel. Also, the current government advice to 'reconsider' travel is not currently eligible grounds to claim. If, in theory, the government changes the advice to 'do not travel', then you would be eligible to claim. Currently, DFAT's Smartraveller website deems the USA 'reconsider your need to travel'. I would strongly recommend checking this regularly.

Please see our latest travel alert detailing our position on coronavirus in full, I hope this helps:
https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-alerts/latest_update-global-coronavirus-outbreak.jsp

I understand this is a confusing and worrying time, so if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask - this page is monitored daily on business days.

Thanks, Anna

Hi Alex, I can confirm that since your policy was purchased before the cut off date, and so the coronavirus exclusion does not apply to your policy. Having said this, I'm not part of the claims team, and unfortunately, I can't advise you on exactly which elements of your schedule you will be able to claim reimbursement for. I would strongly recommend you lodge a claim online here: https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-insurance/important-claims-information.jsp or submit a claim via email by emailing [email protected] I hope this helps. Thanks, Anna

Hi there, since the policy was purchased before the cut off time and date of 4:00pm on 31st January, the coronavirus exclusion does not apply. As per our PDS, it is important that you attempt to first recover what you can from Flight Centre, before making a claim with us. I would advise you to lodge a claim online here: https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-insurance/important-claims-information.jsp or lodge your claim via email by emailing [email protected]. If you have any other queries feel free to get in touch. Thanks, Anna

Hi Colin, thanks for reaching out. I can confirm that since your policy was purchased before the 4:00pm 31st January cut off, your polic does not exclude cover for coronavirus related claims. Regarding the cover available if your travel is affected by coronavirus in the ways you have detailed, the information under the heading 'Section C2 - Additional Emergency Expenses', on page 31, of the PDS https://www.insureandgo.com.au/images/ig-ms-pw-ot_tcm1005-157834.pdf (presuming your policy is a one trip policy) is important in your case. The level of benefit varies based on the tier of policy you purchased. I hope this helps. Thanks, Anna

Hi Tom, thanks for contacting us. I would recommend you call our Sydney based call centre on 1300 401 177, and discuss changing your travel dates with them. They will be able to help you with this date change situation. Please note though, that due to the outbreak of coronavirus, call volumes are far higher than normal, which will result in longer waiting times. Thanks, Anna

Hi Trish, thanks for reaching out. I must preface my response with the fact that I am not part of the claims team, and thus I can't give advice on your specific claim or case, I can only give general advice. I recommend you lodge a claim online here https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-insurance/important-claims-information.jsp, or email [email protected] to lodge your claim via email. This is the best way to see if you are covered.

I can confirm that since your policy was purchased on the 20th January, you are not affected by the coronavirus exclusion that went into effect at 4:00pm on 31st January. Having said this, DFAT, which is the source we go by, has not issued any warning with regard to Vietnam: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/vietnam .

For more information, please read this travel alert which details our position on the coronavirus outbreak: https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-alerts/update-global-coronavirus-outbreak.jsp .

I hope this helps.

Thanks, Anna

Hi Mindy, thanks for reaching out, I see your predicament.

I am not part of the claims team, and so regrettably I can't give advice on your specific claim. I can only give the general advice that our policies do not cover change of mind or fear of travel, and presuming you purchased a one-trip policy, our coverage for loss of income is detailed on page 35-36 of the PDS. Please see the below link to the one-trip policy PDS:
https://www.insureandgo.com.au/images/ig-ms-pw-ot_tcm1005-157834.pdf

Since there will be other considerations to be made as part of your case, I would strongly recommend you lodge a claim explaining your situation by emailing [email protected], or you can lodge your claim online here: https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-insurance/important-claims-information.jsp
This would be the best way to check if you are covered for the situation.

Thanks, Anna

Hi Rach, great question, and thanks for your contribution Husky.

Regarding cancellation cover: provided you purchase your travel insurance policy before your travels begin, you can purchase travel insurance at any time before, or after booking your travel (e.g. flights and accomodation). As long as you incur loss, and have a valid claim, you are able to claim the costs of elements of your travel booked before you purchased your policy, and what you booked after you purchased your policy, as long as it is booked before your travel commences.

As Husky rightly says, I would strongly encourage you to familiarise yourself with the details of the PDS.

I hope this helped.

Thanks, Anna

Hi MLee, good question, and thanks Ryy for helping out with the answer. I can confirm that if you purchased your policy after 4:00PM AEST on 31st January, you are not covered for claims relating to coronavirus, as it was a known event by this point, so it would be expected the policy was entered into with awareness of the virus and its developments. Please ensure you ask any other prospective insurer about their position on coronavirus, as many insurers are not currently providing coverage for it. Thanks, Anna

Hi Triky, thanks for the question.

To ensure you get the right answer, I have escalated your question and will respond as soon as I have a defnite answer for you.

Thanks, Anna

Hi Triky,

I can confirm unequivocally, that you are covered for the first 35 days of your car hire, and after that, you just stop being covered. The statement that you would not be covered at all because you intend to drive your hire car for longer than 35 days is not true. I have passed your feedback on to the relevant people so that appropriate action (e.g. training) can be taken to ensure this mistake is not made in future.

I hope this clarifies the situation, and I apologise for the confusion.

Thanks, Anna

Hi Roslyn, good question.

Based on what you've told me, I would recommend you select a "Cruise" policy, as this will cover you for both the land and cruise components of your trip. For "Destination" I recommend you select "Worldwide Including USA".

Thanks, Anna

My pleasure Roslyn!

Thanks, Anna

Hi Corinne, from the time of purchasing your policy, you have a 14 day cooling off period, within which you can cancel your policy. After this, cancelling will not result in a refund. If you purchased in December, I'm afraid you're not eligible for a refund. Thanks, Anna

Hi Maggie, based on the information you have provided, I would recommend you buy a "Cruise" policy, as this will cover both the land and cruise parts of your trip. For "Destination", select "Worldwide Including USA".

As per the below travel alert, for policies purchased after 4:00pm on 31st January, we provide no coverage for coronavirus, as by this point it was a known event, and the thinking is that it would be expected the policy was entered into with awareness of the virus and its developments. Read more here: https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-alerts/update-global-coronavirus-outbreak.jsp

There are too many variables for me to say whether we provide more or less benefits, but we do have a focus on providing good coverage at a competitive price.

I hope this helps. Thanks, Anna

Hi Lynda, thanks for reaching out.

Presuming you won't be stopping at any overseas/international ports, you would select: "Cruise", and "Domestic" as your destination.

I hope this helps. Thanks, Anna

Hi Jack, thanks for reaching out.

I can confirm that the ring would be covered if you purchase it on your travels. Please check the Table of Benefits in the relevant PDS for the policy you bought to see what the maximum claimable amount is, as it varies depending on the tier of cover you purchased.

Also, it is cruical that you retain proof of purchase receipts of any items you buy. Should you need to claim, you will need to provide proof of ownership for any items being claimed for.

I hope this helped. Thanks, Anna

Hi Jack, yes you are correct. Also, you are able to insure an item for a higher amount, but as you said, this will incur an extra premium. In order to do this, please call our Sydney based team on 1300 401 177. Thanks, Anna

Hi Beate, thanks for reaching out.

You are correct. You did the right thing: the cruise policy also provides cover for the land travel, and, in addition, provides cruise specific benefits such as: cabin confinement for medical reasons, missed port for weather or timetable restrictions, and reimbursements for shore excursions that are cancelled/interrupted by the cruise liner, depending on the level of cover you selected.

I hope this helps. Thanks, Anna

Hi David, good question.

Our annual multi trip policies provide cover for multiple trips taken within a 12 month period, but the maximum length of each individual trip is 60 days on the Gold AMT 60 days policy you mentioned. This means, visa permitting, you can stay in Malaysia for up to 60 days, then travel to Georgia for up to 60 days, and travel to other countries within the 12 month period for which you buy the policy, but each individual trip cannot exceed 60 days. I hope this clarifies things.

Thanks, Anna

Hi Ernie, this is definitely doable, and I suggest you call our Sydney based call centre team about this. You can call them on 1300 401 177. My advice on this topic would only be general in nature and I can't guarantee it applies to your situation: our team may be able to let you cancel your policy, and you can be reissued with a new policy which has natural disaster cover added. This could apply if you purchased in the last 14 days, as this would mean you are still in the cooling off, cancellation period. If this is possible, it would be best done over the phone, by calling the number above. I hope this helps. Thanks, Anna