insurance iq
insurance iq
Always Have a Plan B
when trips don’t go as planned, trip cancellation and
interruption insurance can help save the day
bY CarlY Peters
tickets,
booked the perfect hotel room and
purchased emergency travel medical
coverage. But the night before you
take off, a pipe bursts in your base-
ment leaving your home a soaking
mess and dampening your travel
plans. Suddenly, you’re up to your
ankles in water and travel debt—
unless you purchased trip cancellation
and interruption insurance.
You’ve bought the plane
Top 3
Things to
Remember
when it comes
to trip cancellation
and interruption
insurance, don’t forget:
“People plan to travel as scheduled,
but life can sometimes get in the
way,” explains Terry MacDonald,
CAA Saskatchewan’s vice-president
of insurance services. “That’s why you
shouldn’t book a trip or travel without
adequate protection, including cancel-
lation and interruption coverage.”
Trip cancellation insurance covers
the penalty imposed by an airline,
tour operator or cruise line if you
1. the policy must be
purchased at time of
deposit or payment. you
should have full expectation
to travel as scheduled.
2. cancel for any Reason is
bonus protection included
with caa travel Insurance
plans. It allows you to
cancel a trip. If it’s far out from the
departure date, you might only lose
your deposit. But if it’s closer to take-
off or departure, an operator isn’t
likely to refund anything.
Trip interruption insurance covers
your out-of-pocket expenses that could
be incurred if you need to return home
in a hurry due to a family member’s
illness or death, or a disaster at home.
This claim would reimburse the cost of
a change fee on their airline ticket or a
new one-way ticket home, plus hotel,
meals and taxi fares en route to your
home. Interruption coverage may also
reimburse the cost of the portion of the
trip that you’re missing.
Trip interruption also covers you
if you encounter major delays during
your trip, things like a weather-related
airline delay that causes you to miss a
day or two at your all-inclusive resort.
“Airlines are responsible when an issue
is their fault—mechanical problems or
cancelled flights due to overbooking,
for example,” MacDonald explains.
“But if there’s a weather issue, they
aren’t responsible and are not obligated
to provide meals or accommodation.”
A trip interruption policy would cover
those costs.
CAA Saskatchewan offers different
insurance packages that include
cancellation and interruption coverage.
“We’ve seen many clients experience
the distress of having to cancel a
trip—followed by the satisfaction
of getting money back through
their CAA travel insurance policy,”
MacDonald says. CAA Saskatchewan’s
knowledgeable travel consultants
will work with you to find the right
insurance package to ensure you
always have a plan B.
cancel up to 24 hours prior
to departure for any reason
(certain limitations and
restrictions may apply). If you wait too long, appli-
cable penalty charges may
go up in price, reducing the
amount you can recoup.
3. If you have to cancel, con-
tact your travel consultant
immediately. he or she will
help you notify the airline,
tour operator or cruise line. To speak to a CAA travel
insurance specialist:
1-800-564-6222 or
caask.ca/travelinsurance
CAA saskatchewan
wInteR 2017
25