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Travel insurance Unexpected event cover

Icelandic volcanoes, civil unrest in Thailand and the Middle East and BA strikes are just some of the problems that have given travellers headaches in recent times - not least because it isn't immediately apparent whether your insurer will cover you if you have to cancel or cut short your holiday.

Here, we reveal which insurance companies will cover you for six major unexpected events.

For a detailed definition of each unexpected event, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Travel Insurance Policy Score - unexpected event cover
Company	Holiday failure	Scheduled airline failure	Strike cover	Volcanic ash	Terrorism cover	Civil unrest	Overall policy score
Covered as standard
Travel Plus Premier Plus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	100%
BIBA Protect	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	95%
50 Plus Insurance	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	95%^b
Holidaysafe Premier Platinum	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	95%
Saga	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	94%^a
JLT Travel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	91%^b
John Lewis Premier	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	91%
LV= Premier	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	89%
Tesco Bank Finest	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	89%
Direct Travel Premier Plus	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	88%
Halifax	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	86%
NFU Mutual	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	86%
Age UK	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	85%^a
Direct Line	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	84%
HSBC	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	83%
Churchill	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	82%
Aviva	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	81%
AXA Premier	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	81%
Covered2go.co.uk Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	81%^{a, b}
easyjet	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	81%^b
Letsgoinsure.co.uk Travellers Choice	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	80%^{a, b}
ETA	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	79%
John Lewis Plus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	79%
Clydesdale Bank	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	79%
Yorkshire Bank	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	78%
Essential Travel Superior	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	78%
Goodtogoinsurance.com Platinum	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	78%
Policy Direct WEBroker Travel	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	78%
AA	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	77%
Holidaysafe Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	76%^{a, b}
Travel Insurance Medical Comprehensive	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	76%^a
Direct Travel Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	75%^b
Post Office Classic	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	75%
Insurewithease.com Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	75%
Protectyourbubble.com Premier Plus	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	74%
Coverforyou.com Platinum	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	73%^b
Flexicover Direct Gold	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	73%^a
Insurefor.com Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	73%
Topnotchcover.com Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	73%^{a, b}
Annualtravelinsurance.com Super	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	72%^{a, b}
Golfguard	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	72%^{a, b}
Marks & Spencer Top Level	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	72%
Tag Direct	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	72%
Avanti Travel	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	71%^{a, b}
Downunder Insurance Comprehensive	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	71%
Leisurecare Multi Traveller	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	71%^a
MRL Insurance Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	71%
Nowicantravel.co.uk	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	71%
Topnotchcover.com Silver	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	71%^{a, b}
Bengo Travel Optimum	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	70%^{a, b}
Insureandgo Silver	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	70%^{a, b}
Marks & Spencer Mid Level	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	70%
Multitrip.com Premier	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	70%^b
OUL Direct Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	69%^a
Yourtravelcover.com Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	69%^b
Argos Value	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	68%
Debenhams Silver	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	68%
Direct Travel Standard	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	68%
Greatcover.com Super	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	68%^{a, b}
Tesco Bank Standard	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	68%^a
Rias	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	67%^a
Protectyourbubble.com Premier	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	65%
Atlas Direct Comprehensive	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	65%^{a, b}
Cheaptravelinsurance.com Platinum	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	65%
Explorer Travel Platinum	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	65%^b
Columbus Direct Gold	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	63%
AXA Essential	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	62%
Lifesure	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	62%
Mondial Travel	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	62%
Swiftcover Essential	No	No	No	No	No	No	62%
Elect Travel Platinum	No	No	No	No	No	No	61%
Virgin Money Silver	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	61%
Cheaptravelinsurance.com Super	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	60%
Insurefor.com Standard	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	60%
LV= Essential	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	60%
Fogg Travel	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	59%
Cheaptravelinsurance.com Gold	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	58%
Insure For Travel Platinium	No	No	No	No	No	No	57%
Click4quote.com	No	No	No	No	No	No	56%
Flexicover.com Silver	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	54%

Table notes

A Which? Best Buy provider for annual multi-trip cover
A Which? Best Buy provider for single-trip cover
Table notes
1. Online price. Phone price may be higher
2. Slightly higher premium for 64 years
3. Phone only
4. Premium increases for 80 years plus
5. Online price
Information in the table was gathered during October 2012. It's worth checking with the insurer as there is a possibility it has changed. This information is updated on a six-monthly basis - next update is due in May 2013.

How to use the travel insurance table

The six elements of travel insurance cover shown above have all been identified by holidaymakers as being of particular interest over the past year, due to various events such as the Thailand uprising and the Icelandic volcano eruption. Here's a quick run through of what each means:

Holiday failure

Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) emerged as an issue a couple of years back when airlines such as Zoom went bust, leaving travellers stranded abroad. Since then the world recession has led to other companies associated with the travel industry going under. Holiday Failure insurance covers elements of a trip that may be cancelled, such as excursions, cruises and safaris.

Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance

SAFI is increasingly popular due to the shaky prospects some smaller airlines are facing. This protection covers you if you book a flight with a provider that goes bust before you fly.

Strike cover

In recent times the likes of BA have been affected by strike action. Strike cover would provide protection if your flight, and holiday, was delayed or cancelled due to industrial action.

Volcanic ash

In 2010 plumes of ash from a volcano in Iceland disrupted flights across much of Europe. It was an unusual event, and resulted in thousands of travellers having flight plans disrupted. The Financial Ombudsman Service adjudicated that the volcanic ash episode was as a result of 'poor weather conditions', meaning many travel insurance policyholders got redress. As a result, many insurers have added a provision to their policies that covers disruption caused by volcanic ash.

Terrorism cover

World events have made travellers more mindful of the possibility that their travel plans may be affected by acts of terror. Some insurers will cover this eventuality, but others won't.

Civil unrest

Riots and outbreaks of civil unrest have emerged sporadically in recent times, most notably in the Middle East and the Far East. Some insurers now cover this eventuality, making it worth considering if you are travelling to a potential hot-spot.

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Travel insurance Unexpected event cover

Table notes

Table notes

How to use the travel insurance table

Holiday failure

Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance

Strike cover

Volcanic ash

Terrorism cover

Civil unrest

More on this...