Topic: Travel Insurance

Sally and her family were unable to get to Vanuatu for their planned holiday because of the impact that Cyclone Cook had on their flights. Sally and her family travelled by taxi from Wellington to Napier in order to try and make their international flight from Auckland. Twenty minutes from Napier, they learnt that the flight from Napier was also cancelled. The insurance company refused to pay for the taxis.

Radisha was on a flight home to NZ. When disembarking she forgot her bag in the overhead compartment. It contained her laptop and $1568 (USD). Hours later, upon arriving home, Radisha realised she was missing her bag. She contacted the airline but a subsequent search failed to find it. Radisha sought to claim insurance for this loss.

Michael and April bought travel insurance for their trip to Georgia months before their scheduled departure (May 2017). In the meantime, Michael lost his job. Michael cancelled the flights in December 2016 because his family had lost their main source of income and he did not find another job until March. The insurer denied the claim for cancellation costs because Michael wasn’t made ‘redundant.’

Ken suffers an injury on the second day of his and his wife’s overseas trip, which was supposed to last 37 days. Can the insurer decline the claim on the basis its policy only provides cover for trips lasting 35 days or less?

A couple cancels their travel plans because of a death in the family. The insurer denies their claim for cancellation costs, saying the couple isn’t covered for the death of any person aged 85 or over. Should the couple have been told about the exclusion?

Holly’s insurer declined her claim for treatment and antibiotics for a urinary tract infection (UTI) while Holly was overseas. Because she had consulted a doctor and received treatment for a number of UTI’s in the two years prior, her insurers classed it as a pre-existing medical condition. Holly believed each infection was an isolated incident.

What if your doctor and your insurer disagree about whether appendicitis is a pre-existing medical condition?

Tim had a double bypass and aortic aneurysm a number of years ago, but had suffered no issues since. His medicine for these conditions hadn’t changed in a number of years. After declaring these conditions in his medical declaration, Tim obtained travel insurance with these conditions excluded from the policy. Days before he left on his trip to South Africa, Tim experienced major ‘cramp’ in his leg and could no longer travel. Did he have cover?

Bob and his wife were travelling to Norfolk Island. Because he had experienced previous heart issues, Bob purchased more expensive insurance with better cover. Before take-off Bob, who also had a history of panic attacks, had an ‘episode’ on the plane. The paramedics recommended he didn’t fly. The insurers declined his claim because of an exclusion clause to do with panic attacks. Bob believed he wasn’t allowed to fly because of his heart. Was the insurer right to attribute the episode to a ‘panic attack?’

What happens when a doctor will not say how someone died to allow an insurer to process the claim?