Travel insurance company, battleface, reveals there has been a significant shift in the destinations they have been selling travel insurance policies to since the beginning of the year. Between January and May battleface’s top destinations included the ‘red’ destinations of UAE, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Kenya, the USA, Costa Rica, Spain, France and Switzerland, whereas in the week ahead of the latest travel light announcement on 26 August, sales in travel insurance policies had pivoted to the mainstream holiday destinations of Spain, the Balearics, Greece and France.
With seven new countries added to the UK’s green list and two more countries turning red, travel insurance provider battleface provides robust travel insurance policies for all regardless of traffic light colour and FCDO advisories.
In addition, battleface has tackled the big questions on how travel insurance is impacted by these latest changes.
- HOW DO THE LATEST TRAVEL RULES AFFECT TRAVEL INSURANCE?
The green, amber and red categories created by the Department for Transport do not necessarily correspond to the travel advisories from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FDCO) or indeed entry requirements for those destinations. Therefore, it is very important for travellers to check all guidelines and entry requirements to the destination and ensure they have adequate travel insurance in place.
For much of the year, the FCDO has advised against travel to various destinations which invalidates many insurance policies. Travelling against FCDO advice could invalidate emergency medical cover on many travel insurance policies, so it’s important that travellers check this.
At battleface, we provide full benefits, up to the policy limits, for all destinations including countries under FCDO and government essential and non-essential travel advisories.
- WHAT HAPPENS IF A COUNTRY CHANGES COLOUR WHILE I’M OVERSEAS?
The main implications of the UK’s traffic light system are for when you return home to the U.K.
battleface travel insurance policies will remain valid if you’re overseas at the time, and policies to those destinations will still be available to purchase, regardless of their traffic light colour or FCDO status. This means that if a country moves to an ‘all but essential travel’ status with the FCDO or from amber to red, for example, the traveller will still be fully covered in the destination by battleface.
If a country goes from amber to red while you’re travelling, travel insurance won’t cover the cost of hotel quarantine on return to the UK. However, battleface policies can be purchased while travelling, so if you decide to extend your stay rather than returning to the UK, you can continue to be covered. When purchasing policies while travelling, cover will start 24-hours after purchase and an exclusion for pre-existing medical conditions would apply.
- WILL I BE ABLE TO GET TRAVEL INSURANCE IF I’M NOT VACCINATED, OR DON’T HAVE PROOF OF A NEGATIVE TEST?
Taking a PCR test or being vaccinated against COVID-19 is not a requirement for purchasing a battleface travel insurance policy. However, most countries require proof of a negative test, vaccination, or both, so again, travellers need to check the entry requirements of their destination carefully before travelling.
Some travel insurance providers offer COVID extensions that are only valid if you’ve had the recommended COVID vaccine, so it’s important to check your cover carefully.
- WHAT DO I NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR IN A TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICY?
With entry requirements and travel warnings in constant flux at present, as well as the ongoing risk of contracting COVID-19, it’s crucial that travellers check their policy details carefully to ensure they know exactly what is and isn’t covered by their travel insurance provider. Likewise, they need to be clear about the refund policy of the travel company with whom they’re travelling.
Powered by Sherpa, battleface now provides up-to-the-minute information for travellers about global travel restrictions and requirements. The tool gives customers access to the information they need to make informed booking decisions and travel confidently again. Available via battleface’s website under the Country Travel Restrictions section, travellers can easily navigate the continuously evolving global landscape to know where they can go, what they’ll need, what they can and cannot do, plus much more. The partnership with Sherpa also adds e-visas to battleface’s product offering making the travel booking process much simpler. With this new enhancement, battleface makes it easier for travellers to be completely prepared when going abroad.
For more information on battleface or to purchase a policy, please visit www.battleface.com
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