Trip Interruption Insurance Coverage

What is Trip Interruption Insurance?

Trip Interruption is a travel insurance benefit that can reimburse your unused, prepaid, non-refundable trip costs if you need to start your trip late or end your trip early for a covered reason.

Most travel insurance providers define a trip interruption as an unexpected event that forces you to end your trip earlier than planned. This coverage is included in most comprehensive travel insurance plans, and is designed to protect the travel expenses you’re unable to utilize in the event your trip is shortened due to unforeseen circumstances.

Common expenses that are covered by the Trip Interruption benefit include airfare, hotel reservations, cruise bookings, excursions, rental cars, and event tickets.

Not all travel insurance policies include interruption coverage. Exclusions, eligibility requirements, and coverage limits can differ by policy.

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FAQs: Trip Interruption Insurance

What Does Trip Interruption Insurance Cover?

Trip Interruption typically covers at least 100% of your unused, prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses that you stand to lose if your covered trip is cut short by unforeseen events.

Some trip interruption plans cover 125-200% of your trip costs. The added reimbursement is designed to cover any additional costs incurred to book new travel arrangements, such as a new flight home or relevant change fees.

To be eligible for reimbursement through your policy’s Trip Interruption benefit, your reason for interrupting your trip must be covered by your travel insurance company.

Commonly covered reasons to interrupt a trip include:

• Unexpected illness, injury, or death to you, your travel companion, or a non-traveling immediate family member
• Inclement weather or other documented severe weather events that lead to significant delays and canceled flights
• A natural disaster that was not known at the time of purchasing your policy renders your accommodations uninhabitable
• Financial default of an airline, cruise line, or other common carrier that temporarily or permanently ceases operations
• A terrorist incident occurs at your destination
• Documented theft of your passport, visa, or other important travel documents before or during your trip
• Jury duty obligations

A full list of covered reasons and eligibility requirements can be found within a policy’s Certificate of Insurance. You can also call your provider’s 24-Hour Emergency Assistance service hotline to confirm which scenarios are covered.

How Does Trip Interruption Insurance Work?

Trip Interruption coverage protects your trip expenses while you’re traveling. This insurance coverage typically begins after your scheduled departure date. Like many other travel insurance benefits, Trip Interruption works on a reimbursement basis.

If a covered event forces you to end your trip early, you will file a claim directly with your travel insurance company for the unused portion of your trip.

Within your travel insurance claim, you will include any relevant documentation. For example, you may be required to provide original receipts, a copy of your travel itinerary, booking confirmations, a note from a physician, credit card statements, and other files that may support your reason for interrupting your trip.

What is the Difference Between Trip Interruption and Trip Cancellation Insurance?

Trip Interruption and Trip Cancellation are two benefits found in comprehensive travel insurance plans that are designed to protect your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses. However, they differ in a few key areas.

Trip Interruption provides coverage for unused, prepaid, non-refundable trip costs if you’re forced to end your trip early for a covered reason. This benefit can also reimburse you for additional expenses incurred to make new travel arrangements back home. Coverage for this benefit will typically begin on your departure date and end on your scheduled return date.

Trip Cancellation coverage, on the other hand, will reimburse your prepaid trip costs if you’re forced to cancel your trip for a covered reason before your scheduled departure date. This coverage begins on the day you purchase your policy and ends when you depart for your trip.

What is the Difference Between Trip Interruption and Trip Delay Insurance?

Both Trip Interruption and Trip Delay coverage are travel insurance benefits that are commonly found in comprehensive plans. While similar in name, they offer different types of financial protection while you’re away from home.

Trip Interruption is a cancellation benefit designed to protect your non-refundable travel expenses from unexpected events that could force you to end your trip early.

Trip Delay, also referred to as Travel Delay, is a common benefit that provides reimbursement for food, accommodation, local transportation, and other reasonable expenses if your flight, cruise, or other common carrier is significantly delayed.

What is “Trip Interruption Return Air Only”?

Trip Interruption Return Air Only is a less common type of Trip Interruption coverage included in some travel insurance policies. This benefit is solely intended to cover only a policyholder’s travel expenses back home should they need to end their trip early. Unlike standard Trip Interruption coverage, Trip Interruption Return Air Only provides no coverage for unused trip costs.

What is Interruption for Any Reason Coverage?

Interruption for Any Reason is an optional add-on that is available through some comprehensive travel insurance plans. This policy upgrade can offer partial reimbursement of your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs if you choose to end your trip early for a reason not covered by your plan’s Trip Interruption benefit.

For example, if you choose to end your trip early to attend a friend’s birthday party back home, you may be reimbursed for a portion of your unused travel expenses, like hotel bookings, tours, and rental car fees.

This benefit is similar to Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR). Like CFAR coverage, adding this benefit to your policy will likely increase the overall cost of your travel insurance policy.

How Much Does Trip Interruption Insurance Cost?

Typically, a travel insurance policy that includes the Trip Interruption benefit will cost between 5-10% of your total covered trip cost. For example, if you’re insuring a trip with $6,000 of prepaid, non-refundable trip costs, you expect to pay $300 – $600 on your travel insurance policy.

The premium of Trip Interruption policies is determined by multiple factors, such as your total trip cost, age, trip length, and the amount of travel insurance coverage the policy offers.

Is Trip Interruption Insurance Worth It?

Yes, Trip Interruption insurance can be a very smart investment if you’re planning an expensive trip abroad and are concerned about protecting your travel expenses. Most policies that include this benefit also protect against unexpected travel delays, medical expenses, emergency medical evacuations, baggage loss, and more.

For a relatively small fee, Trip Interruption insurance provides valuable peace of mind and financial protection in the event your trip takes a sudden turn for the worse.

How to Get Trip Interruption Travel Insurance

You can purchase trip interruption coverage directly from a provider, a travel insurance comparison site, or, in some cases, through an airline or tour operator. Some travel credit cards also offer Trip Interruption protection as part of their cardholder perks.

When getting a quote for Trip Interruption coverage, you’ll typically be asked to provide:

• Your destination
• Your travel dates
• Your state of residence
• The number of travelers and their ages
• Your total trip costs
• If you have any remaining travel expenses left to make

To get the best value for money, we recommend getting quotes from at least 2-3 travel insurance companies. Comparison sites, like Squaremouth, make it easy to filter for plans that include Trip Interruption coverage and see how policies compete side by side.

How Do I File a Trip Interruption Claim?

To be reimbursed for a trip interruption, you must file a claim directly with your travel insurance company. This process is generally straightforward, but it may differ slightly from one provider to the next.

Typically, filing a trip interruption claim involves the following steps:

1. Contact Your Insurance Provider: Report your trip interruption as soon as possible. Confirm that your situation is covered and get details regarding next steps.
2. Gather Documentation: Provide proof of why your trip was interrupted, such as medical records, weather alerts, or airline notices, along with receipts for any additional expenses.
3. Complete A Claims Form: Fill out an interruption-specific claim form through your provider’s website or app.
4. Submit Your Claim: Submit your claim and any supporting documents. Check for updates and closely monitor your claim status, as the provider may request additional information.
5. Appeal (If Necessary): If your claim is denied, you can appeal by submitting additional evidence that supports the interruption and your incurred costs.

What Travel Insurance Plans Offer the Best Trip Interruption Coverage?

The best trip interruption coverage is typically found in comprehensive travel insurance plans that reimburse 125%–200% of your unused trip costs if you have to return home early for a covered reason. Many of the top providers on Squaremouth offer high coverage limits and broad lists of covered reasons.

Visit our ‘Best Travel Insurance Companies’ page to see a full list of the top providers so far this year.

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Please be aware that coverage and eligibility requirements for this benefit differ by policy.

Looking for a policy with Trip Interruption coverage?

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