COVID-19 Travel Insurance Guide and FAQs
Last updated October 19, 2023
Our plans provide coverage if you, a family member, or a traveling companion become ill with COVID-19 and plan requirements are met. See Coverages
Travel Updates: Our plans provide coverage if you, a family member, or a traveling companion become ill with COVID-19 and plan requirements are met. See Coverages
Jump straight to:
- COVID-19 Guide - Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how to buy travel insurance that includes coverage for COVID-19 sickness, what to do if COVID-19 impacts your trip and you need to cancel, and also what to do if you get sick during your trip and need medical assistance or are required to isolate.
- Frequently Asked Questions - Get answers to common questions travelers have about COVID-19 and travel insurance coverage.
- Countries that require travel insurance to visit
- Qualified Home Test Kits - See requirements for at-home COVID-19 testing in order to file a travel insurance claim and common testing kits that qualify.
- Get a quote and compare travel protection plans
Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 and Travel Insurance
If you have questions that aren't addressed below, check for an answer at our Main FAQ page.
Buying a Plan
If you, a family member or a traveling companion are diagnosed with COVID-19 before or during your trip, and meet the requirements for coverage due to sickness, you can be covered for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Travel Delay, Medical & Dental, and Emergency Assistance & Transportation, in addition to our 24/7 Emergency Assistance services. You can also be covered for additional lodging expenses and extension of your travel insurance plan if you are required to isolate at your destination and your return is delayed.
See our COVID-19 Travel Insurance Guide for more details
For your safety and the safety of others, travelers who believe they may have contracted the virus should call our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team who will coordinate local treatment on your behalf.
Read Plan Documents for coverage details.
Yes. If you received a voucher or credit from a travel company based on previous payment for a booking that is being transferred to a new trip, the new trip can be covered by one of our travel protection plans.
What's Covered
If you, a family member or a traveling companion are diagnosed with COVID-19 before or during your trip, and meet the requirements for coverage due to sickness, you can be covered for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Travel Delay, Medical & Dental, and Emergency Assistance & Transportation, in addition to our 24-Hour Emergency Assistance services. You can also be covered for additional lodging expenses and extension of your travel insurance plan if you are required to isolate at your destination and your return is delayed.
For your safety and the safety of others, travelers who believe they may have contracted the virus should call our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team who will coordinate local treatment on your behalf.
Please read your Plan Documents for coverage details.
If you are planning to travel to an affected area, your travel protection plan can help if you get sick during your trip and need to seek treatment or medical evacuation. In addition, our plans include access to worldwide Emergency Assistance services, which are available 24/7 should you need help while traveling. Emergency Assistance and Transportation, Medical and Dental, Trip Interruption and Travel Delay coverages can also help if you get sick on your trip.
Please read your Plan Documents for coverage details.
You can be reimbursed for unused, non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs if you need to cancel your trip for one of 20 covered reasons. Generali Global Assistance plans do not offer coverage if you cancel your trip due to fear of traveling due to Coronavirus, unless you added Trip Cancellation for Any Reason coverage to your plan. In that case, you could be reimbursed a specified percentage of the penalty amount for your trip, if you meet certain requirements.
In response to COVID-19 many cruise lines, airlines, and other travel suppliers are canceling service and refunding trips or waiving change fees. To ensure you are aware of all your travel change options, we encourage you to check with your airline or travel supplier before filing a travel insurance claim. See our list of the most commonly used suppliers with links to their COVID-19 policies.
Please read your Plan Documents for coverage details.
Yes. If you purchased Trip Cancellation for Any Reason coverage it is your choice whether to travel or cancel your trip according to the terms of the plan. The naming of COVID-19 as a pandemic does not affect your coverage.
Please read your Plan Documents for coverage details.
Please note that a “shelter in place” order is not considered a mandatory “quarantine” and is not a covered event under our plans.
If you are diagnosed with Coronavirus or another sickness and are quarantined, you can be covered. Learn more.
If you are quarantined, but not sick, coverage depends on when you bought your plan and when the loss occurred. Coverage is unavailable if the insurance plan was purchased on or after January 29, 2020. For plans that exclude pandemics, coverage is unavailable for losses that occurred on or after March 11, 2020, the date COVID-19 was formally declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
We will accept a positive test result from a testing facility or a positive test result from an at-home test that meets certain requirements. You do not need to have COVID-19 symptoms to qualify for coverage.
In order to qualify for coverage due to sickness, including COVID-19:
You, a Traveling Companion or your Service Animal get Sick after you purchase your plan, must seek the in person treatment of a Physician and can’t travel according to a physician. Or a non-traveling Family Member is hospitalized after you purchase your plan and you are unable to make the trip.
Important Note: Your or your traveling companion’s sickness must first occur after you purchase your plan in order to have coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions are generally excluded from coverage. However, coverage is available with the Premium plan if you purchased your plan prior to or within 24 hours of making Final Payment for your trip, provided other requirements are also met. Review Plan Documents for full details.
Also see: Do I have to have symptoms and see a doctor to qualify for COVID-19 sickness coverage?
Testing and Vaccination
Our plans include “new vaccination requirements” as a covered reason for trip cancellation. If your destination country announces and publishes a new vaccination requirement after you buy travel insurance, and you are medically unable to receive the vaccination, you can be reimbursed for your insured trip cost. This applies when vaccination is a requirement to enter the country, but not in the case of new quarantine rules for unvaccinated travelers.
If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 or another sickness, you can be covered for certain additional unexpected expenses on your trip, such as lodging.
To qualify for COVID-19 sickness coverage, your at-home test must meet certain requirements:
- You must take your test while your Trip Cancellation coverage is in effect. Trip Cancellation coverage goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. the day after you purchase your plan.
- The test must be a viral test and have Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You can view a list of approved nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) and a list of approved antigen tests.
- The testing must include a telehealth video call during which someone authorized by the manufacturer supervises the testing procedure in real time.
- The telehealth provider must issue a report confirming the patient’s identity, the name of the laboratory or healthcare entity, the type of test and the specimen collection date.
It depends. If your Coronavirus test comes up positive and you are diagnosed before your trip, you can be covered for Trip Cancellation.
On the other hand, if you cancel your trip because you simply don’t want to go through the testing required, our plans will not cover you unless you purchased Cancel for Any Reason add-on coverage and meet the CFAR requirements.
No. If you do not get tested or do not receive the results in time, our plans do not provide coverage for those situations.
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