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With the global health emergency that is Coronavirus, many people wonder what to do regarding tickets and events. Here is what you can do to receive refunds for cancelled flights, sports events, or concerts.
For those who have bought travel insurance, the Association of British Insurers has confirmed that booking a holiday and buying travel insurance will be covered for cancellation, but only if the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against travel to the country.
In most cases, travel insurance do not cover tourists if they are cancelling their own holiday, but insurers' cancellation cover is applicable when the FCO announces a ban against all but essential travel.
Regarding holidays you had booked, if cancelled flights will be refunded, many holiday goers are left to deal with non-refundable hotels and car hire bookings. Some travel policies offer "travel disruption cover" to fix that, and travel insurance policies that offer Scheduled Airline Failure (SAF) protection are the best under such circumstances, which is pretty standard in travel policies in the UK anyways.
For people above 70, when they are advised not to travel to a virus-affected area, travel insurance can help. But those who were asked not to travel by their doctor due to an underlying lung problem that was not apparent while buying the policy may find their claim rejected, or the payout reduced, as doctors could even refuse to provide a letter allowing such patients to make the claims.
For cancelled events, the situation really depends on the organizers. Those who bought tour packages for the Italy v England Six Nations rugby game in Rome on 14 March, which has been delayed, will be offered a full refund or tickets for the new date. For those who had organised it by themselves, purchasing tickets, booking hotels and flights, the majority of travel policies are not going to cover the damages. But there are exceptions such as Barclays, who have declared paying up to £3,000 if "the area in which you are staying is affected by pandemic or epidemic influenza".
Regarding gigs and concerts, the situation is difficult - mass gatherings have been banned, and the whole country entering a lockdown stage, all events are getting cancelled. It is hard to tell what the exact policy will be but it is always best to keep tabs on the venue and ticket agency websites. Cancelled events are often rescheduled, but if you can't make the new date or if the event is cancelled completely, you are entitled to a refund of at least the face value of your ticket.
