Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information & FAQs
John Hancock Insurance Agency, Inc. is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potential impact on travel. If you are considering canceling your trip due to the Coronavirus, please read your insurance policy thoroughly. Generally, fear of travel is not a covered event under most of our policies.
Travelers should consult the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites for the up-to-date information on the Coronavirus outbreak. Listed below are frequently asked questions that you might find helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions regarding Coronavirus and Travel Insurance
If you contract COVID-19 before or during your covered trip, you may be covered under the following benefits:
- Trip Cancellation may allow the policyholder to cancel travel plans in the event they, their traveling companions, family member, child’s caregiver or business partner contracted COVID-19 as diagnosed by a physician. Reimbursement up to 100% of unused, non-refundable travel arrangements.
- Travel Interruption may apply if the policyholder, their traveling companions, families, caregiver or business partner contracted COVID-19 as diagnosed by a physician and travel plans need to be altered. This may also apply if you are ordered to quarantine during your covered trip.
- Trip Delay may reimburse unused, non-refundable land, air or water accommodations, reasonable additional expenses incurred and economy airfare to resume a trip if the policyholder or their traveling companion contracted COVID-19 as diagnosed by a physician causing them to be delayed, (by number of hours on the schedule of benefits) to or from their destination.
- Emergency Accident and Sickness Expense may apply if the policyholder contracted COVID-19 as diagnosed by a physician causing them to seek immediate medical care while traveling.
- Emergency Medical Evacuation and Medically Necessary Repatriation may apply if the policyholder contracted COVID-19 as diagnosed by a physician causing them to require medical evacuation to an adequate medical facility.
- Repatriation of Remains applies if the policyholder contracted COVID-19, died while abroad and their body required repatriation home. Reimbursement includes costs required in transporting the body to its final destination.
These coverages are subject to the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.
Trip cancellation for concern or fear of travel associated with sickness, epidemic or pandemic, including Coronavirus, is not covered, as a general matter. It is recommended to contact your travel providers (tour operators, airlines, or hotels) as many may offer refunds or opportunities to reschedule reservations.
It depends on the reason for cancellation. If you need to cancel your travel plans, please consult the “Unforeseen Events for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption” portion of your insurance policy to see a list of reasons for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption that may be covered, along with General Exclusions from coverage. You are encouraged to file a claim if one of the covered reasons could possibly apply to your situation as you may be eligible to be reimbursed for your unused, non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs if you need to cancel your trip. Please be specific about why you cancelled, as coverage depends on the exact reason for cancellation.
If you purchased Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage, you may be reimbursed up to 75% of your non-refundable trip cost. The amount payable depends on the amount of the loss, based on the travel supplier’s cancellation penalty schedule and the date of the cancellation. Cancellation must be no less than 2 days prior to your scheduled departure date. 100% of the non-refundable trip cost must be insured, including all arrangements such as flights, hotels, and land tours where you won’t be able to receive full reimbursement.
All travel arrangements, from the very beginning of your trip until you return home or within the Covered Trip dates of insurance, must be insured to meet the eligibility requirements for CFAR. The CFAR coverage is void and no claim will be paid if all non-refundable arrangements are not insured. Please note that if you are issued a credit for future travel by your travel supplier or tour operator, you are not eligible to make a claim under CFAR, as there is no financial loss. Please refer to your insurance policy (or Description of Coverage) for details. Note that CFAR is not available in New York State.
You may be eligible for:
- A full refund if your request for a refund is within 14 days of purchasing the policy, or
- A pro-rated refund if your tour operator/cruise line/airline/cancelled your trip. Some states have different pro-rated refund information. Please visit our FAQ tab for What if I buy it and decide the coverage isn’t right for me?
and you have not
- started your trip, or
- filed a claim.
Please check with your tour operator, airline, and credit card company to obtain any eligible refunds first. Remember, the insurance policy will only cover the eligible non-refundable portion of your trip if there is a financial loss. There is no loss if a future travel credit or new trip date is made available to you.
If the flight to or from your destination is cancelled due to Coronavirus, there is no coverage under the insurance policy for the canceled flight itself. However, we suggest you contact the airline to seek a refund for your flight. Should you have other unused, non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs, consult the “Unforeseen Events for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption” portion of your insurance policy. You are encouraged to file a claim if one of the covered reasons could possibly apply to your situation.
No coverage is available under the Gold, Silver or Bronze policies. We suggest you contact the cruise line or credit card company to seek a refund. Should you have other unused, non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs, consult the “Unforeseen Events for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption” covered reasons portion of your insurance policy. You are encouraged to file a claim if one of the covered reasons could possibly apply to your situation.
If you have not yet begun your trip and you have not filed a claim, you may modify your insurance policy and apply the entire premium paid to a newly booked trip in the future. This must be done prior to your current policy travel date. Your new premium will be calculated based on the details of your rebooked trip. If the new premium is greater than your original premium, there will be additional premium charged. If the new premium is less than your original premium, no amount of the original premium will be refunded. If you decide to make a date change to your policy, we will honor the insured’s age at the time the policy was originally purchased. Please note that once you modify your policy, you will not be able to file a claim against the original policy, or trip. To modify your policy, please contact Customer Service.
If you modify your policy dates for future travel, please note that your policy’s original Effective Date will still apply to Default of Travel Supplier coverage. This means that in order to be eligible for this coverage, your new Departure Date must be within 12 months of your policy’s original Effective Date.
Mandatory COVID-19 Testing to Gain Entry to U.S. via Air (As of January 26, 2021)
No, the cost to obtain the required COVID-19 test is not covered under the policy.
If a policyholder cannot board their scheduled return flight due to a positive COVID-19 test, the policyholder may be eligible to receive Trip Delay benefits, and Airline Ticket Change Fee benefits if the airline charges a penalty or change fee to re-schedule their return flight home.
In order to be eligible for any applicable benefits as a result of contracting COVID-19, there must be a confirmed diagnosis by a qualified physician, as per the terms and conditions of the policy.
Extended Coverage:
All coverage under the Policy except Trip Cancellation and Trip Cancellation for Any Reason will be extended if:
- Your entire Covered Trip is covered by the Policy; and
- Your return is delayed by an Unforeseen Event specified under Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption or Trip Delay.
If coverage is extended for the above referenced reasons, coverage will end on the earliest of:
- the date You reach Your return destination; or
- 7 days after the date the Covered Trip was scheduled to be completed.
A physician must specifically order the insured to be quarantined (and the order must apply twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week).
There is no coverage if a policyholder is denied boarding due to the inability to obtain and produce a valid COVID-19 test. The policyholder would not be able to extend their coverage in this case.
Please note that each claim is examined on a case-by-case basis and is adjudicated on the merits of the information presented.
Please contact Customer Service for questions specific to your policy.
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