Travel Insurance watch out – insurers deny cover for amber countries
Up until now, I had been advising people that most insurance policies would be likely to cover you for amber countries as insurance companies usually go on FCDO advice. Now as a way to wriggle out of their commitments, some are beginning to announce that they will not cover you for amber countries either.
So far, several of the main providers you may be interested in – American Express, and Staysure have all confirmed that they will not be covering amber countries on their standard policies even if it’s not against FCDO advice. Some like AXA and BA’s recommended provider Allianz Assistance will cover for amber providing it’s against not against FCDO advice for essential travel only. (This does not cover cancellation due to FCDO advice changing).
Staysure said to me,
“On the standard policy, no we don’t cover Amber countries. However, we do have an additional cover option called the FCDO travel advice extension, this only covers European countries though. (and a couple of N Africa ones)
The European FCDO Travel Advice Extension will provide cover for when the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to your destination but you still wish to travel.
If you have an existing policy, then you should consider contacting your insurer if you are planning to travel to an amber country. If you need to get insurance, Staysure may be a good bet with the extension policy which is relatively cheap at around £5. My own insurer WorldFirst also confirmed that policies do cover amber countries providing it is not against FCDO advice.
You can find out more about Staysure’s extension policy here.
If you need insurance for countries against FCDO, for red and amber countries, and against government travel advisories, Battleface* is one of the largest providers. They also offer Covid-19 cover for medical expenses cover for travellers up to a maximum age of 59. You can find more information and check prices here.
Does your travel insurance cover amber countries?Let us know in the comments below!
*battleface is provided by Tangiers Insurance Services Limited, a UK insurance intermediary authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Tangiers Underwriting Services SRL, a Belgian mandated underwriter registered with the Authority of Financial Markets and Services and battleface Insurance Services LLC, a US licensed insurance producer. The details provided on this webpage are for information only. Always read the description of cover contained within your policy to ensure it is suitable for your needs.
5 comments
InsureandGo will cover amber countries in accordance to the FCDO advice.
Thanks.
What if a country is moved to red from yellow while you’re abroad? Does any insurer cover the hotel quarantine bill?
Not that I know of. However they are due to give more warning with the watch lists so hopefully you wouldn’t be caught out. If that were to happen your best bet is to go to another non red list country for 10 days and then come back.
I rang Staysure and they said they would cover me for Turkey (currently red list) if the FCDO advice is ‘essential travel only’. As we have a property there they said ‘yes’ that comes under ‘essential travel’. Also I rang our Nationwide insurance company and they said the same thing, they would cover us because we can prove we have a property there.
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