Travel in the age of coro­na: who pays if you have to cancel?

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You’ve booked a holiday that is getting closer, but you notice you have a sore throat, aching limbs and a throbbing headache. Should you go ahead and postpone your holiday? We answer questions about preparing for a trip, cancellation and treatment abroad.

Travel insurance and corona

One of the advantages of travel insurance is that it covers the costs for travellers of illness and accident worldwide, emergency transport and repatriation, as well as assuming cancellation costs. But what happens if the insured person catches corona?

Catching COVID-19 before going on holiday

Travel insurance doesn’t make any dis­tinc­tion between the more common virus infections and corona. Unable to go on holiday because of illness? The costs incurred are covered. The same goes if you have to postpone your departure or cut your trip short because of illness.

Cancellation costs: covered by the insurance?

You’ve booked a trip that you’re now unable to take because of corona restrictions. Please make your tour operator your first point of contact. Cancellation costs insurance will pay the costs if these two conditions are met:

  1. Your tour operator is not, or only partly, liable for cancellation of the trip.
  2. No corona restrictions had been announced or were likely when the insurance was taken out.

Failure to have a COVID certificate, negative PCR tests and COVID-19 vaccinations required for entry into the country in question, for example, are excluded from the insurance cover. Ask the destination country’s embassy in Switzerland for information about entry requirements and restrictions.

Package trips

If you have booked a trip through a tour operator, you should contact that operator. According to the Package Travel Act, you now have a choice: you can decide to take another package trip in its place or have the travel costs refunded.

Individual travel

If the trip is cancelled by the tour operator, then they are generally obliged to refund the travel costs. Many hotels, airlines and booking portals offer free rebooking or refunds. What if you still incur cancellation costs? Notify us of the cancellation online so that we can check your entitlements.

Frequently asked questions

No. Ask the travel organiser (transport company, tour operator or travel agent) for a refund. If you still incur cancellation costs then notify us online.

Cancellation costs insurance

  • We will pay the cancellation costs actually incurred.
  • Additional costs arising if you have to bring forward or delay your return trip are covered.
  • Plus, additional travel costs – such as transport or accommodation – are covered.
  • Individual insurance up to CHF 2,500.
  • Multi-person households up to CHF 5,000.

Personal assistance insurance

  • We will pay additional travel costs – such as transport or accommodation.
  • Individual insurance up to CHF 2,500.
  • Multi-person households up to CHF 5,000.
  • These costs cannot be claimed twice (under both personal assistance and cancellation costs insurance).

Treatment abroad

Before setting out, please check the current situation regarding medical care at your travel destination. Depending on the destination, there may be a lack of medical material and even suitable hospital beds.

The right travel cover

Insurance cover for medical treatment abroad doesn't depend on the nature of the medical condition involved. What matters is what kind of insurance you have taken out with us. Medical treatment is covered by basic insurance, supplementary insurance and travel insurance, for instance.

Health insurance premiums at a glance

Calculate premium

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