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Travel insurance Unexpected event cover

Icelandic volcanos, 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
BIBA Protect	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	92%
JLT Travel Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	92%^a
Saga Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	91%^{a, b}
LV= Premier	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	90%
Tesco Bank Finest	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	90%
Direct Travel Premier Plus	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	89%
NFU Mutual Annual	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	86%
Age UK Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	85%^b
First Direct Annual	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	85%
Halifax Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	85%
NatWest Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	85%
HSBC Annual	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	84%
Churchill Annual	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	83%
Direct Line Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	83%
Covered2go Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	82%^{a, b}
Protectyourbubble.com Premier Plus	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	82%
easyjet Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	81%^b
ETA Annual	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	81%
Aviva Annual	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	80%
Letsgoinsure.co.uk Travellers Choice	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	80%^a
Lloyds TSB Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	80%
Clydesdale Bank Annual	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	79%
Yorkshire Bank Annual	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	79%
AXA Premier	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	77%^a
Travel Insurance Medical Comprehensive	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	77%^{a, b}
AA Annual	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	77%^b
Direct Travel Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	76%
Holidaysafe Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	75%^{a, b}
Topnotchcover.com Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	75%
Flexicover Direct Gold	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	74%^a
Insurefor.com Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	74%
Now I Can Travel Annual	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	74%
Protectyourbubble.com Premier	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	74%
Tagdirect Annual	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	74%
Annualtravelinsurance.com Super	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	73%^{a, b}
Columbus Direct Gold	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	73%
Goodtogoinsurance.com Platinum	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	73%
Insurewithease Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	73%^b
Post Office Classic	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	73%
Golfguard Annual	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	72%^{a, b}
Greatcover.com Super	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	72%^{a, b}
Mondial Gold	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	72%
Bengo Travel Optimum	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	70%^{a, b}
Direct Travel Standard	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	70%^b
Downunder Insurance Comprehensive	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	70%
Holidaysafe Club 65	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	70%^{a, b}
MRL Direct Premier	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	70%
Topnotchcover.com Silver	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	70%^{a, b}
Insureandgo Silver	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	69%^a
Leisurecare Multi Traveller	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	69%^a
Marks & Spencer Money Annual	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	69%
Tesco Bank Standard	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	69%^a
Travelinsurance.co.uk Silver	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	69%^a
Cheaptravelinsurance.com Super	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	68%
Debenhams Silver	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	67%
JS Insurance Standard	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	67%
OUL Direct Gold	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	66%^a
Avanti Travel Annual	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	65%^{a, b}
Explorer Travel Platinum	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	65%^b
Protectyourbubble.com Standard	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	65%^{a, b}
Virgin Money Silver	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	65%
Lifesure Group Annual	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	63%
Your Travel Cover Gold	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	62%
Elect Travel Platinum	No	No	No	No	No	No	60%^b
Flexicover Direct Silver	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	59%^a
Fogg Travel Annual	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	59%
Insure For Travel Platinum	No	No	No	No	No	No	59%
ERV UK Premium	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	58%
Holiday Insurance Web Annual	No	No	No	No	No	No	58%
LV= Essential	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	58%
AXA Essential	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	57%
Etravelinsure Annual	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	57%
Plus Insurance Annual	No	No	No	No	No	No	57%

Table notes

A Which? Best Buy provider for annual multitrip cover
A Which? Best Buy provider for single-trip cover

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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