Trip Cancellation Insurance


Trip Cancellation Insurance

We offer a wide selection of trip cancellation (and trip interruption) insurance policies to choose from, whether you are taking a cruise or just covering your flight. Get a quote and see! 

Cancellation insurance protects you against the risk of having to cancel your trip before it even gets started. Many events can sidetrack your well-intended travel plans.

Cancellation penalties, non-refundable tickets, reservations and tour expenses that might not be fully refundable might mean the costs of having to cancel a trip can be considerable — this is especially true for expensive cruises, which often have to be booked more than a year in advance. For a fraction of your actual trip costs, you can rest assured that if you do need to cancel because of an insured risk, the only money that will be out-of-pocket is the cost of your insurance.
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Each company has a slightly different set of definitions for what is covered and what is excluded, so it is important that you read through the coverage and to pay attention to those issues that may affect your travel plans.

As an example, the following list of insurable risks demonstrates the type of coverage that is offered:

  • You or your travel companion develop(s) a medical emergency or die(s).
  • A member of your immediate family, a member of your travel companion’s immediate family or your key-person develops a medical emergency or dies; or the person whose guest you will be during your trip is admitted to a hospital with an emergency or dies.
  • You or your spouse: a) become pregnant after you book your trip and your departure date falls in the nine (9) weeks before or after the expected delivery date, or b) legally adopt a child and the notice of custody is received after the effective date and the date of custody is scheduled in the nine (9) weeks before or after your departure date.
  • Your or your travel companion’s travel visa is not issued for a reason beyond your/their control.
  • You or your spouse are called to serve as a reservist, firefighter, military or police staff, or to jury duty or to be a defendant in a civil suit, during your trip; or you or your spouse are subpoenaed to be a witness during your trip.
  • You, your spouse, your travel companion or your travel companion’s spouse are quarantined or hijacked.
  • You or your travel companion are unable to occupy your/their respective principal residence or to operate your/their respective business because of a natural disaster.
  • You, your spouse, your travel companion or travel companion’s spouse: a) lose a permanent job because of lay-off or dismissal without just cause, b) are transferred by your/their respective employer; or c) must move from your/their respective principal residence.
  • You or your travel companion are transferred by the employer with whom you or your travel companion were employed at the time of application for this insurance, which requires relocation of your or your travel companion’s principal residence. 
  • A business meeting that is the main intent of your trip and was scheduled before you, or you and your travel companion purchased this insurance, is cancelled for a reason beyond your control or the control of your employer and the meeting is between companies with unrelated ownership.
  • Global Affairs Canada issues a written formal Travel Warning after you purchase your insurance, advising Canadians to avoid all or non-essential travel to a destination included in your trip.

The above list of covered risks is provided as an example only. Each company will provide a similar, but differently worded list. Whether you are planning a trip out of province within Canada, or away from Canada trip cancellation insurance will be combined with trip interruption insurance, and is offered by Manulife Travel Insurance, Allianz Global Assistance, Travel Guard Canada, TuGo, RSA, Travelance and GMS Insurance. But you don't have to check all over the place to find out who has the best rate — we'll quote them all for you and let you compare them side by side. That's part of the value we offer. Helping you read into the details is also an important part of our service.


Trip Interruption Insurance

Trip interruption insurance helps prevent you from paying out-of-pocket costs that can occur if your trip is interrupted by things like a family emergency back home, a missed connection or flight due to any number of events such as weather, a roadblock, immigration/visa issues, accidents, sickness, etc.

Trip interruption coverage can be very useful. The numerous interruption risks that can be covered include but are not limited (reading the exact policy wording is important as coverage will vary) to such things as:

  • Your and/or your travelling companion’s sickness, injury, death or quarantine.
  • Sickness, injury, death or quarantine of your immediate family or your travelling companion’s immediate family.
  • Death or hospitalization of your or your travelling companion’s business partner, or key employer/employee. 
  • Death or hospitalization of the host at the final destination.
  • Sickness or injury of your immediate family who is at your final destination.
  • The legal adoption of a child by you or your travelling companion when the actual date of that adoption is scheduled to take place during your trip. 
  • You or your travelling companion being summoned to police, fire or military service (active or reserve).
  • Cancellation of a business meeting at your final destination beyond your or your employer’s control. 
  • You or your travelling companion’s job transfer that results in the relocation of your or your travelling companion’s principal residence.
  • You or your travelling companion being subpoenaed, as a witness, or required to appear at a court proceeding during the period of travel.
  • Involuntary loss of your, your spouse’s, your travelling companion’s or your travelling companion’s spouse’s permanent employment.
  • An unforeseeable event that is completely independent of any intentional or negligent act that renders your or your travelling companion’s principal residence uninhabitable or place of business inoperative. 
  •  A natural disaster renders your or your travel companion’s residence uninhabitable.
  • The cancellation or delay of your or your travelling companion’s common carrier, due to weather conditions, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
  • Delay of a connecting common carrier due to weather conditions, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mechanical failure of the common carrier, traffic accident, or an emergency police-directed road closure.
  • Delay of a private automobile resulting from mechanical failure of that automobile, weather conditions, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, a traffic accident, or an emergency police-directed road closure.
  • A formal written travel advisory and/or travel warning issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) or Public Health Canada (PHC), recommending that you avoid all or non-essential travel to the contracted destinations.
  • A schedule change of the airline carrier that is providing transportation for a portion of your trip, causing you to miss a connection.
  • An accident on the way to the departure point involving a private passenger automobile in which you are a passenger or driver; or common carrier in which you are a passenger.

Trip Interruption coverage can be obtained as an optional coverage on a medical emergency plan, or purchased separately. The cost is reasonable. Check what it will be for your trip.

Tip:

Most trip cancellation policies will also include trip interruption insurance to help offset the cost of having to cancel your trip after departure. Depending on the insurance company, trip cancellation or all-inclusive plans can be purchased with zero coverage before departure, lowering the cost of obtaining trip interruption coverage.

If you want to only have trip interruption insurance, you can enter zero under trip costs when requesting a quote. Even if you have zero cancellation insurance, the trip interruption coverage may be invaluable. This applies to all-inclusive travel insurance plans as well.

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