Circuit, stays or plane ticket: are we covered in the event of cancellation of the trip?

 Circuit, stays or plane ticket: are we covered in the event of cancellation of the trip?
With the case of the Icelandic volcano, we discussed the obligations of the tour operator (tour operator and airline) in the event of force majeure, in particular that of natural disaster. As we said, there are cancellation insurance policies that specifically cover this type of situation.

But be careful, this is not always the case and in the panoply of existing travel insurance policies, the word "cancellation" can take many forms.


What do you need to know exactly?

When you go on a trip and (finally) the big day comes, the excitement of the departure is obviously there. So now is the time to get to the airport, face the endless check-in queue and for some to overcome the angst generated by the plane trip to the long-awaited destination. But, unfortunately, it sometimes happens that these dreams of escape are suddenly interrupted for reasons completely inherent in your will and without you being able to act on anything: the only possible alternative, the cancellation of the trip.


There are several reasons for canceling your trip at the last minute and unexpectedly:

- We can cite, for example, health conditions that have suddenly deteriorated on a global scale, as was the case in Mexico in 2009 with the H1N1 virus, a situation that has become unstable in the popular country (civil war, revolution, etc. .), or when Mother Nature plays her own by preventing devices from flying for safety reasons.

- There are also personal reasons that may lead us to cancel a trip, for example: a bodily accident that prevents you from traveling, the death of a loved one, a burglary or serious material damage to your home, and even a dismissal .

Unable to postpone your vacation, you would like to cancel your trip and be reimbursed for your plane ticket or your stay.


Several cases are then possible:

1) You have subscribed to a cancellation guarantee. No problem, that's fine, since most travel insurances that include the cancellation guarantee allow the contracting party to cover the cancellation of the trip for a large number of reasons without having to pay deductibles.

2) Holders of Visa or MasterCard credit cards may also be covered in the event of cancellation, if the plane ticket or stay has been paid for with it. However, you will need to read the contract which details the situations covered by your card. In fact, depending on the card used, you may or may not be reimbursed. It should also be taken into account that only high-end cards cover cancellations and this for very specific cases.

3) Travel insurers generally include in their services one or more insurance products with a "cancellation" component covering most of the causes of cancellation.

4) You have not taken out cancellation insurance: according to the general conditions of sale at the time of purchase, you risk losing all of the amounts paid for your trip in the event of cancellation. Special care should be taken when purchasing promotional tickets, as these are often governed by very specific conditions such as the inability to change travel dates or to be reimbursed in the event of cancellation.

In any case, do not hesitate to do your research before deciding whether you need cancellation insurance and, if so, to revise your contract carefully to avoid unpleasant surprises.