If you contract COVID-19 and must cancel your trip, you may be covered if you have a standard travel insurance policy. Most travel insurance policies have a clause that allows for cancellations due to fear of traveling associated with an illness, epidemic or pandemic, including coronavirus. If you decide to travel, consider purchasing a travel insurance policy or a separate emergency medical insurance plan just in case. Before buying a travel insurance policy, make sure to confirm the medical coverage requirements for your destination.
The main coverage is to cancel your trip if you, a travel companion, or a member of your family become ill with Covid. A plan with CFAR coverage allows you to cancel your trip for any reason up to 48 hours before departure and receive a refund of up to 75% of the cost of the insured trip. Fear of travel is generally not an allowed reason, so you won't benefit from trip cancellation coverage for non-refundable payments made to a travel provider. If you don't want coverage for cancellations, interruptions, delays, or baggage, another option is a travel health insurance plan.
However, there are still several companies that sell travel insurance with CFAR coverage (see below). If your flight is canceled, you have rights regardless of whether you have a travel insurance policy. Once you know what your health plan covers, you can select the right level of travel health insurance. Government-issued travel advisories at your destination are generally not covered by travel cancellation insurance.
Comprehensive travel insurance policies offer the highest levels of travel cancellation and interruption coverage. Cancellation due to fear of coronavirus (cancellation coverage for any reason) is not included in standard travel insurance policies. Not all providers offer it, so if you're looking for the CFAR supplement, you'll have to ask your travel insurance provider about it or filter your online search accordingly. Once again, it's important to check if the policy you're considering includes provisions related to pandemics or exclusions for traveling to countries that have current travel advisories to make sure you don't cancel your medical coverage.
These policies provide reimbursement for emergency medical expenses, including evacuations, during the trip.
