Home Money Travel insurer is refusing to pay in full for cancelled accommodation because my wife wasn’t on the policy

Travel insurer is refusing to pay in full for cancelled accommodation because my wife wasn’t on the policy

by Elijah
0 comment
If you don't take out a travel insurance policy, you could lose thousands of dollars in the event of flight cancellations - pictured, Lake Como

On August 28, 2023, my now wife and I got married. I had booked a surprise honeymoon the next day on Lake Como.

It was a surprise as we couldn’t really afford it while planning the wedding, so we agreed not to have it initially.

I wanted my wife to have a honeymoon since wedding planning had been a difficult time for us. I managed to work extra shifts on the weekends to pay for this trip.

Unfortunately, due to air traffic control issues, our flight was delayed for an extended period before finally being cancelled.

If you don't take out a travel insurance policy, you could lose thousands of dollars in the event of flight cancellations - pictured, Lake Como

If you don’t take out a travel insurance policy, you could lose thousands of dollars in the event of flight cancellations – pictured, Lake Como

My insurance company, Almirante, which I have been claiming with, has only agreed to pay half of the accommodation costs for our trip.

He says it is because it only covers the cost of the insured.

But the accommodation was booked exclusively by me and I would have needed the same accommodation (one room) even if I was alone (the hotel only had double rooms available at that time).

We cannot book or plan the honeymoon while we were waiting for our money back.

It’s really unfair as the whole situation was out of our control and all we ask for is our money back so we can take my wife on our first holiday/honeymoon. ST by email

Harvey Dorset from This is Money answers: You were very unfortunate because you had no choice but to cancel your trip, even more so because it turned out to be your honeymoon.

When purchasing an insurance policy, it is important to pay attention to the details of the terms and conditions, especially when it comes to traveling with a partner.

However, travel insurance is often an afterthought and the terms and conditions are rarely fully reviewed.

In 2021, only 14 percent of people who traveled abroad had single-trip travel insurance. Of those who didn’t, a quarter said they didn’t think they would need it and 16 percent forgot.

Unlike car insurance, insuring your trip abroad is not a legal requirement, but the costs of not doing so can be very high.

In your case, you had the foresight to take out a policy before you traveled, but your wife was not listed on your insurance policy, meaning that even though you only booked a room, your insurance provider was only willing to pay your share of the cost. money. accommodation costs.

However, his wife had her own travel insurance, but the fact that it was not listed on her accommodation booking meant that she was unable to claim her share of the accommodation through her provider.

I spoke to Admiral on his behalf but unfortunately in this case This is Money was unable to obtain the result he was looking for and Admiral refused to pay in full because his partner was not listed on his insurance policy.

I spoke to consumer expert Scott Dixon to find out what you should do next.

Scott Dixon, consumer and automobile disputes expert who runs the website. The complaint solversaid This is money: It is important that you read the terms and conditions of insurance policies as they form part of your contract with the insurance provider.

Consumer expert Scott Dixon recommends seeking advice from the Financial Ombudsman Service

Consumer expert Scott Dixon recommends seeking advice from the Financial Ombudsman Service

Consumer expert Scott Dixon recommends seeking advice from the Financial Ombudsman Service

Insurance companies will review your claim carefully to see if there is any reason to deny it.

In this case, Admiral has treated its customer fairly and fulfilled its contractual obligations.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of an insurance claim, request a stalemate letter.

This is a final response from the insurance company, allowing you to refer your claim to the Financial Ombudsman Service for consideration.

Insurance providers don’t like claims being referred to the FOS because it costs them money.

Key terms must be fair, bold, transparent and balanced in line with S62 and S68 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Insurance providers cannot rely on hidden fine print in their Terms and Conditions to reject a claim.

Stand firm if you believe you have been treated unfairly by an insurance provider, as they often rely on false Terms and Conditions to reject a claim.

Perseverance breaks resistance every time.

A spokesman for the admiral said: We are sorry to hear that Mr. T’s vacation could not take place due to problems with air traffic control on the day he was due to travel.

According to what Mr. T has told us, he has received a full refund from the airline and we hope that they can enjoy the trip together at a later date.

We have analyzed Mr T’s claim and can see that he purchased a travel insurance policy with us online just for himself and selected a start date of August 10, 2023.

money item html_snippet module"> 1707393328 462 Home insurance prices up 13 in a year heres

As Mr T’s partner did not take out travel insurance with us, the claim was settled to cover only his share of the accommodation costs.

The wording in our policy book informs customers that we will not cover the costs of anyone not named in the policy:

General exclusions: pages 27, 30. Pay costs on behalf of third parties

Any costs you have paid for someone who is not named or insured on this policy. This applies even if, for example, you have paid for someone else’s travel or accommodation expenses.

We strongly advise all clients to ensure that travel insurance is taken out for anyone required to travel before commencing their holiday.

A summary of coverage can be found on our website along with the full terms and conditions of all our insurance policies.

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

You may also like