Most travel claims are declined for reasons that were written plainly in the policy. These are the six clauses that account for the majority of them.
Travel insurance is cheap, which makes people buy it without reading it. The result is that a large share of declined claims come down to a handful of clauses that were sitting in the document all along.
1. Pre-existing medical conditions
The single biggest cause of declined medical claims. Standard policies exclude conditions you had before buying, unless you declared them and the insurer agreed to cover them — usually for an additional premium.
The definition is broader than people expect. It generally includes anything you have received treatment, medication or advice for within a defined lookback window, often two to five years. Controlled high blood pressure counts. So does asthma you have not thought about in years. Declaring costs a little; not declaring can invalidate the entire medical section.
2. Cancellation for a reason not on the list
"Cancellation cover" does not mean cover for cancelling. It means cover for cancelling for a listed reason: illness, injury, jury service, redundancy, a death in the family. Changing your mind, a work commitment, or a travel warning issued after you booked are generally not on the list.
3. Alcohol
Nearly every policy excludes claims arising when you were under the influence. The wording is usually vague enough to give insurers wide latitude, and it applies to accident and injury claims, not just liability. This is a common decline reason for what look like straightforward accidents.
4. Unattended possessions
Baggage cover almost always excludes items left unattended in a public place. In practice, "unattended" is interpreted strictly — a bag beside your chair while you swim is unattended, and so is a suitcase left with a hotel porter in some wordings. Valuables left in a vehicle are typically excluded outright, or covered only if locked out of sight in a boot.
5. Adventure activities
The standard policy covers the sort of activity most people do on holiday. It does not cover scuba diving below a certain depth, skiing off-piste, motorcycling above a given engine size, climbing, or anything with a competitive element. These need an activity extension, which is usually inexpensive if bought in advance and impossible to buy after the fact.
6. Delay and missed departure
Delay cover typically begins after a defined period — often 12 hours — and pays a fixed sum, not your actual costs. Missed departure cover is separate, and usually only applies if the cause was outside your control, which does not include leaving too little time to get to the airport.
What to do instead
- Buy at booking, not before departure. Cancellation cover only runs from the purchase date. Buying the week before you fly means months of exposure with no cover.
- Declare everything medical. If in doubt, declare it. The cost of a declaration is small; the cost of a decline is not.
- Check limits against reality. A €500 baggage limit is meaningless if you travel with a laptop.
- Keep receipts and reports. Most policies require a police report within 24 hours for theft. Without it, the claim is usually dead.
Annual multi-trip cover is worth costing out if you travel more than twice a year — it is frequently cheaper than two single-trip policies and removes the temptation to skip cover on a short trip. Ask us for a comparison.