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Grounded travellers could be in for insurance refund

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Aussies may be able to claim money back on travel insurance premiums that went unused due to coronavirus. Here's how.

Until recently, many Aussies who had to cancel holiday plans due to coronavirus have been unable to claim refunds for travel insurance. However, a recent announcement by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) suggests that might be about to change.

On 2 April, the ACCC confirmed it would be letting brokers and insurers work together, to implement a range of COVID-19 relief measures for small businesses and everyday Aussies.

One of the benefits included in the relief package is the ability for consumers to claim refunds on unused insurance policies, which includes travel insurance, as long as the trip was cancelled for reasons related to COVID-19.

"All policyholders, including consumers, eligible small businesses and larger businesses, who cancel travel plans will be able to get a credit or refund for any unused travel insurance premiums, again without administration or cancellation fees." – ACCC

So far, the authorisation applies to Suncorp, Allianz and QBE. But the ACCC has said any other insurance company or broker is welcome to participate, as long as it informs the ACCC.

Basically, this means your insurer could be offering refunds for travel insurance – something that hasn't been available until now – as long as it's taking part in the scheme.

The best way to find out is to contact your insurance company directly, mention the ACCC announcement and ask if you can have a refund on your unused travel insurance premium. It might take a little while on the phone, but if you've spent your hard-earned money on insurance you didn't get to use, why not give it a go?

To make things a little easier for you, here's the contact information for some travel insurance brands under Suncorp, Allianz or QBE brands.

BrandPhone numberEmail address
Boomers1800 780 577boomerstravelinsurance@allianz-assistance.com.au
Online Travel Insurance1800 010 078enquiries@onlinetravelinsurance.com.au
Virgin Money1800 134 419VirginMoneyAustralia@allianz-assistance.com.au
Webjet1300 468 601Sorry! We couldn't find an email address
WorldCare1800 008 614sales@worldcare.com.au

Remember, you can still request a refund from other brands. They might not have been given authorisation yet, but that doesn't mean it'll be that way forever.

BrandPhone numberEmail address
1Cover1300 854 759Visit https://www.1cover.com.au/contact/form to submit an online enquiry
ahm1300 617 409ahm@travelinsurancepartners.com.au
AllClear1800 785 870allclearservice@mapfre.com
American Express1800 139 149amextravel.au@chubb.com
Australia Post1300 728 015auspost@travelinsurancepartners.com.au
Budget Direct1800 444 424Visit https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/contact-us.html to submit an online enquiry
Columbus Direct1300 669 999admin@columbusdirect.com.au
CoverMore1300 728 822enquiries@covermore.com.au
Fast Cover1300 409 322info@fastcover.com.au
Holiday Rescue1800 960 374hello@holidayrescue.com.au
ING1800 456 406Sorry! We couldn't find an email address
InsureandGo1300 401 177info@insureandgo.com.au
Insure4Less+61 7 3005 1613travel@gbtpa.com.au
iTrek1300 884 508info@itrek.com.au
Medibank1300 362 544medibank@travelinsurancepartners.com.au
Qantas1300 783 146travel-service@nib.com.au
RACV13 72 28Visit https://www.racv.com.au/utility/contact-us/contact-racv.html to submit an online enquiry
Simply02 8776 3010sales@simplytravelinsurance.com.au
Ski-insurance1300 856 032info@ski-insurance.com.au
Southern Cross1800 196 484info@scti.com.au
Tick02 9333 3963info@tickinsurance.com.au
Tilda02 8016 9220travelinsurance@tildatravel.com
Travel Insurance Direct1300 843 843Visit https://www.travelinsurancedirect.com.au/customer-contact to submit an online enquiry
Travel Insurance Saver03 9427 9224Visit https://travelinsurancesaver.com.au/contactus to submit an online enquiry
Travel InsuranzSorry! We couldn't find a phone numbertravel@travelinsuranz.com.au
Travel with Kit02 8880 9428hello@travelwithkit.com
Travel with Jane02 9159 6649hello@travelwithjane.com
World2Cover02 9225 7599travelservice@world2cover.com.au
ZoomSorry! We couldn't find a phone numberinfo@zoomtravelinsurance.com.au

Picture: GettyImages

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