Is it a bad idea to omit or mis-represent information on travel insurance?
Posted:
Amending or omitting details of your trip and circumstances from your insurance application will likely invalidate your insurance.
Consequences of amending or omitting details
- You have a legal duty to take reasonable care to answer the insurer's questions honestly and completely, under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012. Deliberately giving false answers, or hiding something you know is relevant, can amount to fraud under the Fraud Act 2006, which is a criminal offence. Even an honest but careless mistake can leave you without a valid claim.
- If the inaccuracy was deliberate or reckless, the insurer can void the policy, refuse to pay, and keep your premium. If it was careless, they can still reduce or adjust your claim to reflect what they would have done had they known.
- Medical bills abroad can run into tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds, so this risk is enormous.
- Voided policies and fraud markers get recorded on shared industry databases (like the Insurance Fraud Register and CUE).
- Future insurance of any type becomes much more expensive or refused outright, often for years.
Common things people are tempted to fudge, and why you shouldn't
- Pre-existing medical conditions - if you don't declare them and something related happens, you have no cover.
- Age - this directly affects pricing and is trivial to verify if you claim.
- Destinations - if you visit a country you didn't declare and something happens there, no cover.
- Trip dates or length - claims outside your declared window aren't covered.
- Activities - skiing, scuba diving, etc. usually need specific cover.