JS Insurance blog

How important is it to cover yourself for a cruise travel?

“Why worry about it, right?  What could possibly go wrong? Nothing serious ever happens to me.”

That’s exactly the type of comment you shouldn’t make when it comes to something as essential as Travel Insurance for your expensive cruise deal. Any number of things could go wrong while you’re sailing the world; you could become seriously ill;  you could break a bone or hurt yourself;  you could end up being robbed and lose quite a bit of money.

So what makes JS Insurance so special ?  What do we offer when it comes to Cruise Travel Insurance?

Our Service is First Class

We aim to respond to, and settle your claim in as quick a way as possible. This is our dedication to your needs. We take your custom seriously. We assure a first-class service experience.

We offer Twenty-Four Hour Emergency Assistance

If you get injured, or become ill on your trip, our policy provides for a medical emergency service. This includes repatriation, if necessary.

Generous Personal Possessions Cover

Typically, cruise passengers take more luggage and clothing than average holidaymakers do. We offer up to 2,000 pounds of possessions cover.

We offer Discount for Children’s Cover

If you’re covered with us, your child of up to two years is covered for free. If you’re covered, and your child is between the age of three and seventeen, cover costs only 50 per cent of your rate.

No Upper Age Limit

Our Cruise Travel Insurance is available for people of all ages.

High Cancellation Limits

We offer up to 10,000 pounds cancellation cover for people up to and including 70 years of age. For those of 71 and up, we offer an 8,000 pounds cancellation limit.

We offer Insurance for Trips of up to six months duration

Our policy covers you for a trip of up to six months.

Pre-existing Medical Conditions

Our policy covers most pre-existing medical conditions. We can offer information about which conditions are covered.

Your Cruise’s cost determines the Premium

Our insurance premiums are based upon the cost of your cruise. This means that you get the best value for your money. If you’re not taking a high profile luxury cruise, you won’t be paying high profile insurance for it. this is a great deal!

Call us for more information on 0844 848 1500, and make sure you’re covered when taking a cruise holiday.

This is following on from an article in The Sunday Times (13.02.11)regarding Travel Insurance and the benefits of the EHIC card.

If you have an EHIC card and you are travelling within The European Economic Area and Switzerland, then the EHIC card does cover most medical expenses.  This card will not cover for accommodation if you are abroad and are unable to return to the UK, because of illness or accident. It does not cover repatriation costs back to the UK.

EHIC Card cover depends on the country you are in.

In countries such as Austria, France and Germany, the medical expenses are only partly covered by the EHIC card, whereas Travel Insurance will cover all costs.

In Spain, there is no compensation of medical expenses with the EHIC Card

So this is a very hit and miss choice, one advantage of purchasing Travel Insurance is that all medical expenses are covered as well as repatriation.

If you do have an EHIC card, we do waiver the excess for medical expenses if you purchase JS Travel Insurance.

If you have pre existing medical conditions, we can provide cover online with  our new website JS Medical Insurance.

For those who plan to travel to Egypt whilst the unrest continues, there are a number of issues and restrictions, which are outlined in this article.

The Foreign Office are advising only essential travel  to Cairo, Luxor, Suez and Alexandria should be made. The Red Sea Resorts (such as Sharm-El-Sheik) at the moment are not affected by these restrictions.

If you have or you are planning on purchasing a travel insurance policy, there are some important information to consider:

• Any affected policyholder will be given the opportunity to move their travel dates to a future trip providing it is of the same duration / geographical area – otherwise a premium “top up” may be required.
• Any Insured person who is unable to return to the UK on their scheduled return date as a result of these protests will have the protection afforded under the policy extended free of charge until such time they are able to return to the UK
• Customers who wish to cancel their policies due to the protests should be offered a rescheduled policy as described in point 1, if it is not possible for them to accept, they should be   granted a maximum refund of 50% (please contact goodtogoinsurance.com to clarify how this should be processed) - as long as no claim has already been made against the policy.
• No cover exists under the policy for cancellation under these circumstance
• No cover exists for delayed departure under these circumstances (other than the extension to cover mentioned under point 2)

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice have now issued a statement against all but essential travel to Tunisia, here is a guide to what a travel insurance policy will cover.

• Any policyholder will be given the opportunity to move their travel dates to a future trip providing it is of the same duration / geographical area – otherwise a premium “top up” may be required
• Any Insured person who is unable to return to the UK on their scheduled return date as a result of these protests will have the protection afforded under the policy extended free of charge until such time they are able to return to the UK
• Customers who wish to cancel their policies due to the protests should be offered a rescheduled policy as described in point 1, if it is not possible for them to accept, we can offer a refund as long as no claim has already been made against the policy.
• No cover exists under the policy for cancellation under these circumstances
• No cover exists for delayed departure under these circumstances (other than the extension to cover mentioned under point 2)

As we are experiencing adverse weather conditions in the UK at the moment, this article is a guide as to what you are covered for with a Travel Insurance policy issued by JS Insurance.

As the severe weather conditions continue to affect travel on the roads, rail and at most airports please find below a reminder and clarification on cover that is available under our policies.

Cancellation or Curtailment: No Cover with standard policies

Emergency Medical: Cover does apply

Delayed Departure or Abandonment: Cover does apply with standard policies for delayed flights only. Most policies stipulate a delay of 12 hours before the benefit applies, with abandonment of the trip being allowable after a period of 12 or 24 hours. Customers must have checked in accordingly in order to meet the terms of the policy.

Missed Departure: Cover does apply. Customers wishing to continue their trip due to missing their departure due to road closures, public transport failures or accidents resulting in severe delays can claim for additional transport in order to reach their destination.

Baggage and Baggage Delay: Cover does apply.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I have travelled to my departure point only to find that services have been cancelled, can I claim for my transport costs or abandoned trip?

No, there is no cover for announced cancellation of departures.

My departure was delayed at first and it has now just been cancelled, can I claim for abandonment?

Unless the departure was delayed for the time stated in the policy (usually 12 hours) then no cover is available.

My departure was delayed for 14 hours and hen cancelled, can I claim for my trip?

Providing that the time frame of the policy (usually 12 hours, however some policies stipulate 24 hours) to qualify for abandonment has been reached then yes a claimcan be made for any unused travel and accommodation expenses.

Please check the policy you have purchased or the quote you have received.

JS Insurance has partnered with goodtogoinsurance.com to provide specialist winter sports travel insurance cover for those who may have difficulty obtaining appropriate cover from a standard product, either due to pre-existing medical conditions or age.

• Travel Insurance with Medical Screening
• Cover for medical conditions, up to a high level of severity, even a terminal prognosis
• No age limits on single trip policies

If you are looking for ski insurance or snowboard insurance and you have a pre existing medical condition, then we have a product for you.

Single Trip and Annual Travel Insurance with cover for all kinds of pre existing medical conditions up to a high level of severity, including cancer, heart conditions, diabetes, asthma, mental health conditions and many more.

Our medical travel insurance can provide cover for:

• Cancer, diabetes, asthma, heart conditions, mental health conditions and more
• Up to a high level of severity and even a terminal prognosis
• Cover available to people on a course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Cover for loss of medication & mobility aids
• Cover your travelling companions on the same policy.
• No age limit on our single trip policies

To help us provide you with appropriate cover you will be asked a few simple questions about your condition such as the number of medications you are taking and the last time you visited a doctor. The process is very easy and will only take a few minutes.

So if you suffer from a medical condition and you are planning a Wintersports trip,  get a quote for our medical travel insurance today.

JS Insurance has partnered with www.goodtogoinsurance.com to provide specialist travel insurance cover for those who may have difficulty obtaining appropriate cover from standard product, either due to pre existing medical conditions or age.

This insurance covers up to a high level of severity, even a terminal prognosis, and there is no age limit on a single trip policy.

Single trip and annual travel insurance with cover for all kinds of pre existing medical conditions, including cancer, heart conditions, diabetes, asthma, mental health conditions and many more.

Our medical travel insurance can provide cover for:

• Cover available to people on a course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Cover for loss of medication & mobility aids
• Cover your travelling companions on the same policy
• No age limit on our single trip policies

To help us provide you with appropriate cover you will be asked a few simple questions about your medical condition such as the number of medications you are taking and the last time you visited a doctor. The process is very easy and will only take a few minutes.

So if you suffer from a medical condition and you are planning a trip abroad, get a quote for our medical travel insurance travel insurance today.

With the proposed strikes and industrial action by British Airways cabin crew and BAA Staff, if you have or are planning on purchasing travel insurance for your trip, this post is designed to give you some details of what you are covered for and what you cannot make a claim for.

CANCELLATION OR CURTAILMENT - NO COVER

Customers, who are planning to travel during the strike action may be considering submitting a claim under the cancellation section as a result of:

• Disinclination to travel due to potential disruption to their travel arrangements, caused by the strike.
• Receiving notification that their original flight has been cancelled and customers rejecting alternative options offered by the airline.
• Wanting to curtail holidays e.g. return to home early than anticipated, in order to avoid any travel disruption as a result of their return flights being affected by the strike.

On either of these and similar scenerios, we will not accept claims under the cancellation or curtailment section as Strike / Industrial Action is not a specified peril in any of our policy wordings.

You should contact the airline for further advice and assistance.

DELAYED DEPARTURE  - cover as normal for flights that aren’t cancelled in advance

The intention of this benefit is to compensate customers for the inconvenience of finding themselves stranded at the airport. In order to claim, customers’ flights must have been subject to a minimum of 12 hours delay from the scheduled time of departure.

We expect customers to either have checked in or provide a written note from the airline (at the airport) confirming that they were not allowed to check in and also providing details of how many hours delay the flight was affected by.

NOTE: The difficulty may be for customers to prove that they remained at the airport for 12 hours or more, especially if they were unaware of the above requirements. A need for pragmatism may be required here and payments may be awarded according to individual circumstances.

Travel Delay is a benefit, so customers are not required to submit receipts as evidence of expenses incurred.

ABANDONMENT OF TRIP  - cover as normal for flights that aren’t cancelled in advance

The intention of the policy is to cover customers who, having checked in, find their flights being subject to a delay, after 24 hours (from the scheduled time of departure) decide to abandon the trip.

As has previously been the case, the airline may instruct their customers not to travel to the airport on the confirmed strike dates.

We will therefore consider accepting claims under this section, for customers who have been told not to travel to the airport, under the following conditions:

1. Customers must provide proof of original flight.

2. Customers can only claim for abandonment after 24 hours have elapsed from the original time of departure.

Customers must provide evidence of flight being delayed and or receiving instructions from the airline not to travel to the airport / not to check in. If customers experience difficulties in providing proof that their flight has been delayed or that they have recieved instructions from the airline not to check in, claim handlers are required to seek confirmation from the airline.

CUSTOMERS CANNOT CLAIM FOR ABANDONMENT IF THE FLIGHT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY CANCELLED BY THE AIRLINE WHICH IS LIKELY IN THE CASE OF BA FLIGHTS.

Under the Abandonment section, we will only reimburse irrecoverable costs.

If customers accept alternative dates, offered by the airline, they may need to alter their insurance dates of cover.

Claims under any other sections of the policy will be subject to normal terms and conditions of the wording.

Goldtrail operated tours predominantly to Greece and Turkey and collapsed on 16th July 2010.

Under the trading names of: Goldtrail Holidays, Goldtrail Travel and Sunmar. They were ATOL bonded, and consequently the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are making arrangements for travellers already abroad to be repatriated. People who have booked holidays but not yet travelled can make a claim through the CAA for a refund of their cost.

How does this affect JS Insurance customers?

Most travel policies usually carry a “General Exclusion” similar to the following:

Any claims arising directly or indirectly from the tour operator, airline or any other company, firm or person either becoming insolvent or being unable to or unwilling to fulfil any part of their obligation.

On this basis there is no cover provided under any sections of the travel policy. Customers should be advised to contact the CAA on 0203 441 0846 or 0044 203 441 0846 from abroad.

Information for travellers stranded abroad

JS Insurance is willing to extend cover free of charge, subject to customers returning on the earliest possible flight (subject to availability). No claims will be accepted for additional accommodation or transport costs. Customers are advised to contact the CAA.

Customers arranging alternative holidays

JS Insurance will accept the transfer of travel insurance to the new dates of travel, providing that the alternative arrangement is made within three weeks from 16th July 2010, with travel dates being within the next six months and the new trip duration being the same as the original.

Customers will need to contact JS Insurance on 0844 848 1500 to make the amendments to cover.

JS Insurance in association with one of our providers has today launched a new website that makes screening for medical conditions and purchasing travel insurance simple and hassle free. This is a online system that allows JS Insurance to offer Single Trip and Annual Multi Trip Travel Insurance and do the medical screening in one go and without having to call an external company for a medical reference number to issue a policy.

JS Insurance Medical Screening

If you wish to get a quote or purchase a travel insurance policy that offers cover for pre existing medical conditions, please call us on 01273 773 017  or email us on support@jsinsurance.co.uk.