Coronavirus Travel Cancellations and Credit Card Insurance [UPDATED]

With the Government of Canada recommending to avoid all non-essential travel due to COVID-19, upcoming travel booked months ago might not look like such a great idea anymore. If you're planning on cancelling or postponing a trip to a region that has recently been impacted by coronavirus (which is most countries), there are several avenues to try in order to get your money or points back.

The focus of this post will be on the novel coronavirus COVID-19, but the credit card travel insurance information below can be applied to other circumstances as well. Note that the actual process of filing a claim and dealing with the insurance company will vary depending on your specific circumstance, policy, and insurer.

Last Updated: March 14, 2020

Rescheduling a return flight during the trip or cancelling upcoming flights or hotels

Most Canadian airlines have implemented special policies to deal with coronavirus-related flight changes, depending on the cities and airports they serve for existing bookings:

• Air Canada is waiving change fees for all existing bookings made before March 4, 2020, with travel dates before April 30, 2020 as long as travel is completed by December 31, 2020.
• Air Transat is allowing customers a free one-time change any flight or package scheduled before April 30, 2020, as long as travel is completed by December 31, 2020.
• WestJet is waiving fees for cancelling or changing flights in March or April 2020 booked before March 3, 2020 and will return the cost of the ticket as a travel credit that can be used in the next 365 days.
• Aeroplan is waiving all cancellation fees for reward bookings through March 31, 2020, if you do so online. If you need to change your flight, you'll need to call into their help centre.
• Swoop is allowing you to add free ModiFly coverage for new and existing bookings up to 7 days before departure, which is a free one-time change.

Hotel or AirBnB cancellation policies depend on rate and policy of your specific booking. If you booked in advance without upfront payment, typically you can cancel up to 3 days before the trip. If you booked using a non-refundable prepaid rate, you can try negotiating with the hotel to get a refund or gift card. Many hotel chains have implemented flexible change and cancellation policies:

• AirBnB has an extenuating circumstance policy applying to Italy, U.S., China and South Korea
• Marriott is allowing full changes and cancellations to new and existing reservations for any future arrival date up to 24 hours before arrival as long as it's done before April 30, 2020. This applies to prepaid reservations as well.
• Hilton is allowing changes or cancellations to new and existing bookings scheduled for arrival before April 30, 2020, up to 24 hours before arrival. This applies to prepaid reservations as well.
• Hyatt is allowing changes or cancellations to new and existing bookings between March 14, 2020 and April 30, 2020 at no charge up to 24 hours before arrival.
• IHG is waiving all change and cancellation fees for all reservations between March 9 and April 30, 2020.

If the options above don't work, you may be covered if you booked your flights or hotels on a premium travel credit card. Many cards offer Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption/Delay Insurance if you charge the cost of the trip to the card. Travel advisories are typically an eligible or covered reason to cancel your trip, if it happened after your booking. So if you booked a trip before March 14, 2020 when the global travel advisory came into effect, check your policy as you might be covered. Some examples of cards with insurance that cover government travel advisories:

• The American Express Platinum Card pays up $2,500 per insured person, up to a maximum for $5,000 for all insured persons combined per trip.
• The Rogers World Elite MasterCard pays up to $1,000 per insured person, up to a maximum of $5,000 for all insured persons combined per trip
• The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite pays up to $2,500 per insured person, up to a maximum of $10,000 for all insured persons combined per trip

Paying for medical assistance during the trip

Coronavirus-related or not, there may be a situation where you're traveling outside the country and require medical assistance. Note that your provincial or territorial health plan (e.g. OHIP in Ontario) may cover some of your medical costs, but rarely do they cover the full cost of going to the doctor or staying in a hospital.

If you haven't purchased a separate travel health insurance plan, you may be covered if you charged the cost of your trip to a premium credit card. Most have coverage for Out-of-Province/Country Emergency Medical Assistance (i.e. an illness requiring hospitalization that didn't exist before the trip).

• The American Express Platinum Card covers the first 15 days of your trip, up to a maximum of $5,000,000 per trip
• The HSBC World Elite MasterCard covers the first 31 days of your trip if the cardholder and spouse are under 65, up to $1,000,000 per insured person per trip
• The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite covers the first 25 days of your trip (10 days if you're 65 or older), up to $1,000,000 per insured person per trip

Conclusion

We should all take precautions when traveling during the COVID-19 outbreak, including avoiding heavily affected areas and postponing travel where it makes sense. If your travel plans change, airlines are being flexible about rescheduling flights and credit cards may be able to cover unexpected costs. However, always read your credit card travel insurance policy carefully.