When a family member dies, there can be a lot of upheaval and disruption. A death in the family can be very difficult for travelers since they may have to cancel their trip, interrupt it and return home early, or abandon or adjust their travel plans.
Even changing a single plane ticket these days is often prohibitively expensive, and it is up to the airline representative’s judgment whether or not to waive the change price. The same can be said for cruises and trips that have already been paid for.
Many travelers, particularly those who have elderly parents or sick family members, wonder if travel insurance covers death in the family.
How travel insurance helps with family death
- Travel insurance will reimburse you for pre-paid trip fees if you have to cancel a covered vacation due to the sudden death of a family member.
- Travel insurance will repay you for any unused pre-paid charges incurred as a result of your change in travel plans if you have to interrupt your trip and return home due to a family death.
Important exceptions
It’s vital to highlight that there are a few key exclusions that tourists should be aware of. These are some of them:
- The family member must be a ‘covered’ family member, which is defined differently by each plan. A sister or brother-in-law, for example, may not be deemed a covered family member in some instances. In the definitions part of your travel insurance plan documents, you’ll discover a list of covered family members.
- Unless you choose a plan that covers pre-existing medical issues, the death must not have been caused by a pre-existing medical condition (even if you or a family member were unaware of it).
- Suicide and mental illness are not covered by travel insurance, therefore the death could not have been the result of either.
Many people are taken aback when they discover that their travel insurance policy does not cover the loss of best friends, close acquaintances, or even pets. This is because essential people and pets may not be considered family members under the terms of the travel insurance policy.
You’ll need ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage and you’ll have to cancel your trip within the time frame provided by that coverage to be able to make a claim on your travel insurance policy if someone who isn’t a family member as defined by the travel insurance plan paperwork dies (sometimes as early as two days prior to your trip).
Does travel insurance cover cancellation due to family funeral?
The loss of a family member or traveling partner is one covered reason for trip cancellation. The Trip Interruption and Trip Delay benefits are also covered under this policy. As a result, you may be covered if you have to cut your trip short or start it late due to the loss of a family member.
Does travel insurance cover family?
A family travel insurance coverage normally covers one or two people who live at the same home, as well as at least one child aged 18 or under who permanently lives with you (up to a maximum of eight children).
Always read the insurance specifics carefully, regardless of how your family is made up. Some insurance may not cover youngsters accompanied by a non-family member or family members traveling separately. Also, see what the policy says about children who don’t reside with you on a permanent basis, such as stepchildren.
Does travel insurance cover funeral expenses?
Yes, as indicated in your travel insurance plan’s medical evacuation coverage, repatriation is covered by travel insurance.
The return of an insured traveler’s body home if they die while on the road is known as repatriation. For further information, see our repatriation coverage review.
The basic truth is that repatriating a person’s body is a time-consuming and costly procedure. Local rules and regulations govern how the body is handled and moved, and there are frequently fees, embalming expenditures, container costs, and shipping costs to consider, not to mention the bureaucracy involved in transferring human remains.
Regardless of the situation, a travel insurance provider that can handle, arrange, and pay for the repatriation is a huge aid to the traveler’s family.
What kinds of travel insurance plans include repatriation?
This coverage is included in many types of travel insurance plans (both package plans and travel medical plans), however it’s crucial to note that repatriation is almost always bundled with the medical evacuation coverage of the travel insurance plan.
The repatriation will be coordinated, managed, and paid for by the travel insurance provider, not the traveler’s family. The travel insurance provider, on the other hand, will inform the traveler’s family of their plans and progress.
What’s not included with repatriation coverage?
Funeral, burial, and cremation costs are not covered by a travel insurance plan with repatriation coverage. It also excludes similar containers like urns and coffins. The legal transportation of the body in an approved container to a funeral home near the traveler’s residence is the subject of the travel insurance coverage.
In other words, the traveler’s body cannot be buried where they died because of their travel insurance policy; instead, it must be carried home.
Can I cancel my holiday due to bereavement?
A consumer watchdog has warned that travel companies will have to fairly compensate consumers if they have to cancel their vacation due to illness or a death in the family.
Customers can be charged a cancellation fee to compensate for their losses, but the amount must be fair.
For example, if a vacation is canceled at the last minute, they may be able to defer the costs of reselling the booking.
However, some vacation companies withhold significant advance payments for cancellations or refuse to refund any money to customers, even if the company is able to recoup costs by reselling the vacation.
According to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), cancellation prices are frequently not made clear enough to consumers, who may not realize how much money they would lose if they cancel due to illness.
Up to 89 percent of the 2,000 persons polled by the CMA incorrectly assumed that if the operator was able to resell the holiday, they would be reimbursed in full.
Does travel insurance cover death repatriation?
Most travel insurance policies include repatriation insurance as a standard feature. There will usually be a section labeled ‘Key Features’ where you can view a list of situations in which a travel insurance company will support repatriation.
The high levels of coverage reflect the true expenses of repatriation, particularly from remote locales and places with high costs. If you require more coverage than what is offered as normal, you might look for a policy with larger limits.
What is covered trip cancellation?
If a trip is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness, injury, or death, Trip Cancellation reimburses prepaid and non-refundable trip costs.
Trip Cancellation is a pre-departure benefit that can repay a traveler for the whole cost of their trip if they need to cancel for a covered reason. Unexpected illness, injury, or death of the traveler, a traveling companion, or a non-traveling family member is the most common covered reason. Terrorism, poor weather, or a natural disaster are all examples of covered reasons.
Please keep in mind that each policy’s coverage and qualifying restrictions for this benefit vary. The suppliers that offer Trip Cancellation coverage are shown in the tables below.
Who is covered in travel insurance?
1) This coverage often covers trip cancellation or delay that results in a financial loss due to illness, injury, or death in the family. 2) Travel insurance protects you from financial hazards and pays for your medical bills if you become ill while on the road.
Does group travel insurance cover individual trips?
Group travel insurance typically provides the same coverage as a single trip policy for individuals, but for a bigger group of people. Cancellation, luggage, medical problems, and lost money or goods are all common examples of insured events.
Is Staysure travel insurance reliable?
Staysure travel insurance has a 4.7 Trustpilot rating, which indicates that it is dependable. They won the 2019 British Travel Awards, and their comprehensive holiday insurance is awarded 5 stars by Defaqto. This indicates that Staysure is a reliable firm with good consumer and industry expert ratings.
Does all travel insurance cover repatriation?
You won’t need to purchase any kind of’repatriation insurance’. Repatriation, on the other hand, should be covered by all ordinary travel insurance policies. Repatriation is usually included in a travel insurance policy’s medical coverage, but some insurers include it separately.