Travel Insurance That Covers Non-Travelling Relatives

If a relative of mine passes away or is hospitalised am I covered by travel insurance for trip cancellations?

If a family member falls ill or dies while you are travelling or before you depart on your journey, the cancellations portion of your travel insurance can help cover the costs you incur for cancelling your trip. Trip cancellation cover can reimburse you for:

Pre-booked non-refundable tickets and accommodation
Costs associated with returning home at short notice
Costs associated with resuming your journey at a later date

Conditions of cover for non-travelling relatives

To be eligible to make a claim, your family member must:

Meet the insurer’s definition of a relative
Be under a specified age limit (according to the travel insurance policy)
The death or illness must be unexpected

This guide outlines the benefits and conditions that apply to trip cancellation cover, particularly with regards to resumption of journey and pre-existing medical conditions.

Specific conditions of Australian travel insurance brands

Maximum age of relative	Conditions	Apply
85	You are covered for unexpected hospitalisation or death of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchase your policy.	Get quote
No age limit stated	You are covered for the unexpected accidental death or hospitalisation of a relative. No cover if the death, injury or the onset of sickness occurs before you start your journey or if any reasonable person would be aware of the onset of sickness.	Get quote
99 as a guide	You are covered for the unexpected death or illness of a relative in Australia. No cover if the death or illness is due to a pre-existing health condition or any hereditary or chronic conditions of your relative they are aware of when you apply.	Get quote
No age limit*	You are covered for the unexpected death, sudden injury or illness of relative. Not cover if you were aware of any pre-existing medical condition before the policy started or if during the 90 days before the policy they needed any treatments, consultation, required medication or had been diagnosed with a terminal condition.	Get quote
No age limit*	You are covered for the unexpected accidental death or hospitalisation of a relative No cover if the death, injury or the onset of sickness occurs before you start your journey or if any reasonable person would be aware of the onset of sickness.	Get quote
84	You are covered for any unexpected serious illness, injury or death of a relative that lives in Australia. No cover if the death or illness is due to a pre-existing health condition.	Get quote
No age limit*	You are covered for the sudden serious injury, sickness, disease or death of a relative. No cover if the death is a result of an injury or illness that occurs before you commence your journey.	Get quote
85	You are covered for the unexpected death, injury or hospitalisation of you relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchased your policy.	Get quote
80	You are covered for the sudden hospitalisation or death of a relative in Australia as a result of serious illness or injury. If your relative has a pre-existing medical condition you can get cover, but you must complete a Non Travelling Relative Medical Appraisal form. Once it has been submitted, a QBE representative will inform advise you if cover is approved.	Get quote
85	You are covered for the unexpected death, injury or hospitalisation of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchased your policy.	Get quote
85	You are covered for the unexpected death, accidental injury or illness of a relative. You are not covered if you are aware of any pre-existing medical conditions before the policy started or if your relative currently (or within 90 days of purchasing the policy) receives medical treatment or consultation.	Get quote
No age limit stated	You are covered for the unexpected death, sudden injury or illness of a relative. You are not covered for any of your relative's medical conditions you knew about before the policy starts.	Get quote
85	You are covered for unexpected hospitalisation or death of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchase your policy.	Get quote
No age limit stated	You are covered for the unexpected death, sudden injury or illness of a relative. You are not covered if you are aware of any pre-existing medical condition before the policy started or if during the 90 days before the policy they needed any treatments, consultation, required medication or had been diagnosed with a terminal condition.	Get quote
85	You are covered for unexpected hospitalisation or death of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchased your policy.	Get quote
85	You are covered for unexpected hospitalisation or death of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchase your policy.	Get quote
80	You are covered for the unexpected death or hospitalisation of a relative. You must provide all medical and death documents upon request if the cause of death of illness is due to an existing condition	n/a
Not stated	You are covered for the unexpected death or hospitalisation of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchased your policy.	Get quote
Not stated	You are covered for the unexpected death, sudden injury or illness of a relative. You are not covered if you are aware of any pre-existing medical condition before the policy started or if during the 90 days before the policy they needed any treatments, consultation, required medication or had been diagnosed with a terminal condition.	Get quote
Not stated	You are covered for the unexpected death or hospitalisation of your relative in Australia. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchased your policy.	Get quote
80	You are covered for the sudden hospitalisation or death of a relative in Australia as a result of serious illness or injury. If your relative has a pre-existing medical condition you can get cover, but you must complete a Non Travelling Relative Medical Appraisal form. Once it has been submitted, a QBE representative will inform advise you if cover is approved.	Get quote
85	You are covered for the accidental serious injury, serious illness or death a relative. No cover if your relative's death or illness that arises from pre-existing medical conditions.	Get quote
85	You are covered for the unexpected death or hospitalisation of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchased your policy.	Get quote
85	You are covered for the unexpected death or hospitalisation of a relative due to the serious injury or sickness. No cover for death, illness or sickness of relative that arises from pre-existing medical conditions.	Get quote
85	You are covered for the unexpected death or hospitalisation of a relative. If your relative is hospitalised or dies due to a pre-existing medical condition, you are only covered if you were unaware of the likelihood of hospitalisation or death when you purchased your policy.	Get quote
Not stated	You are covered for the sudden serious injury, sickness, disease or death of a relative. No cover if the death, injury or illness occurs before you commence your journey.	Get quote

What do insurers consider as a ‘relative’

In order to qualify for trip cancellation cover following the illness or death of a relative, your family member must meet the insurer’s definition of ‘relative’. The term normally refers to a:

Spouse, de facto partner, Fiancé or a fiancée
Parent or parent-in-law
Son, daughter, son-in-law or daughter-in-law

Resident in Australia or New Zealand

Brother, sister, brother-in-law or sister-in-law
Grandchild or grandparent
Step-parent, step-son or step-daughter

The exact definition of a relative for each travel insurance policy will differ. It is best to check with your insurer if you're unsure.

Am I covered if my relative falls ill or dies from a pre-existing medical condition?

A pre-existing medical condition is a condition that is known about prior to an insurable event.

If you're unaware of the condition, then yes

Trip cancellation cover may still be available if you were unaware of the likelihood of the illness or death occurring at the time of applying for cover. However, most insurers will only pay a limited benefit amount in such circumstances (typically around $2,000 for a single policy and $4,000 for a family policy). For example Check-In Travel Insurance states an exclusion for pre-existing medical conditions of your relative unless you are 'reasonably unaware'.

If Your Relative is hospitalised in or dies in Australia or New Zealand after the Policy is issued and the hospitalisation or death is due to a Pre-Existing Medical Condition that at the time of Policy issue You could not reasonably be aware would result in hospitalisation or death, then We will pay up to $2,000

What is considered as 'aware'

Travel insurers will typically exclude cover if your family member is on any sort of waiting list or if you were aware of any recent:

Treatments
Consultation
Diagnosis

Required medication
Upcoming surgery

Can I resume my trip and be covered for it?

Most trip cancellation policies will allow you to resume your journey at a later date after being forced to return home due to the illness or death of a relative. There are normally specific conditions surrounding this type of cover, including:

Your trip must have been for a minimum number of days
Your insurance must have had a minimum period left to run (usually at least 50%)
You must have had no knowledge that such an incident might occur prior to your departure
Your resumption expenses must be pre-approved by your insurer
You must resume your journey before your policy expires.

John and Sue's trip re-arrangement

John and Sue were into the second week of their month-long European holiday when their son called and told them that his nine-year-old daughter, Emily (their granddaughter), was unwell and had been admitted to hospital. She had been diagnosed with a rare blood disease and would be undergoing life-saving treatment in the next few days.

This was completely unexpected news for John and Sue and they immediately rang their airline and insurance company and arranged to cancel their trip and return home to be with their granddaughter.

Emily remained in hospital for several weeks and, but soon began to make a full recovery. A relieved John and Sue were then able to resume their interrupted European holiday, thanks to their resumption of journey cover reimbursing them for the costs associated with rebooking their flights and accommodation.

Costs incurred

Fee for bringing the date of original return flight forward: $200
New round trip flights back to resume journey: $3,500
Fees for changes to accommodation dates: $150

Total costs covered by insurance

$3,700

Out-of-pocket costs

$150 in excess

Am I still covered if my relative is over 90 years old?

Age limits apply to many trip cancellation policies when it comes to the illness or death of a relative. The age your relative can be will vary with insurers, but many set a maximum age of around 90, after which the illness or death is not deemed to be ‘unexpected’ and therefore no cover is offered. Some travel insurance brands do not state an age limit, however the health of your relative is a condition many policies will consider.

If your relative is elderly and you are concerned about whether you will be covered if an incident occurs while you’re away, you should read your product disclosure statement (PDS) carefully and contact your insurer for further information.

When won’t I be covered?

As with all forms of insurance, trip cancellation cover has certain exclusions or circumstances in which a claim will not be paid. These depend on the individual insurer, but they generally include:

Travelling despite suspecting that your relative might die or become hospitalised
Expenses that you incur while you’re at home
The cost of a return flight home if you haven’t already booked one (considered part of normal costs rather than emergency expenses)
Any expenses that you’ve already claimed for elsewhere in your travel insurance policy

Conditions of Australian travel insurance brands for non-travelling relative deaths and injuries

What is next?

Travel insurance cancellations

Successful travel insurance claims

Maurice Thach

An insurance savvy publisher for finder.com.au who loves finding an answer to the question "Am I covered for ________?"

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5 Responses

DawnJuly 26, 2017

I have a trip booked to go overseas soon. I live in Australia and my dad has been in hospital in UK recently and I am worried that if something happens we may not be able to go on holiday. My insurer says we have no cover if anything happens to a relative overseas ( only if he lives in Oz or NZ). Any suggestions?

Reply
- Staff
  
  RenchJuly 27, 2017Staff
  
  Hi Dawn,
  
  Thank you for your inquiry. Please note that we are not affiliated with any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer you general advice.
  
  You are actually on the right page on where you can compare travel insurances. If a family member falls ill or dies while you are traveling or before you depart on your journey, the cancellations portion of your travel insurance can help cover the costs you incur for canceling your trip. You may click the name of your preferred insurance company to see more details then click on ‘Get Quote’ button to direct you to their official site.
  
  Kind regards,
  Rench
  
  Reply
JasonJune 20, 2017

My ex-partner has suddenly died. She was due to look after our 16 year old son whilst I was going on holiday with new partner. We can’t go away at the moment as insurance is saying it’s not covered but we can’t leave a minor by himself.

Reply
- Staff
  
  JonathanJune 20, 2017Staff
  
  Hi Jason!
  
  Insurer’s cover for these events would depend largely on how they define a spouse, de facto partner, Fiancé or a fiancée. You can contact your insurer to verify this out. If you’re not satisfied with their advice, you can request to be escalated to their internal dispute team to have a second look on your situation.
  
  Hope this helps.
  
  Cheers,
  Jonathan
  
  Reply
- JasonJune 21, 2017
  
  Thanks
  
  Reply

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Travel Insurance That Covers Non-Travelling Relatives

If a relative of mine passes away or is hospitalised am I covered by travel insurance for trip cancellations?

Conditions of cover for non-travelling relatives

Specific conditions of Australian travel insurance brands

What do insurers consider as a ‘relative’

Am I covered if my relative falls ill or dies from a pre-existing medical condition?

If you're unaware of the condition, then yes

What is considered as 'aware'

Can I resume my trip and be covered for it?

John and Sue's trip re-arrangement

Costs incurred

Total costs covered by insurance

Out-of-pocket costs

Am I still covered if my relative is over 90 years old?

When won’t I be covered?

Maurice Thach

Related Posts

Ask an Expert

5 Responses

Types

Brands

Guides

Destinations

Get exclusive travel offers and guides

Travel Insurance That Covers Non-Travelling Relatives

If a relative of mine passes away or is hospitalised am I covered by travel insurance for trip cancellations?

Conditions of cover for non-travelling relatives

Specific conditions of Australian travel insurance brands

What do insurers consider as a ‘relative’

Am I covered if my relative falls ill or dies from a pre-existing medical condition?

If you're unaware of the condition, then yes

What is considered as 'aware'

Can I resume my trip and be covered for it?

John and Sue's trip re-arrangement

Costs incurred

Total costs covered by insurance

Out-of-pocket costs

Am I still covered if my relative is over 90 years old?

When won’t I be covered?

Maurice Thach

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