A comparison of how travel insurance policies cover travel delays

Cover review

• Cash while you wait · £250 £25 for each complete 12 hours, up to £250, but only where a strike, severe weather or a mechanical fault caused it
• If you miss your onward transport · £750 £750 to catch up if a delayed train or coach makes you miss the transport leaving the UK. A connection between two countries abroad is not covered
• Giving up the trip after a long delay · £3,000 £3,000 back if you are held 12 hours or more on the way out and decide not to travel, on the same three causes
• Getting you there another way There is no separate benefit. A room or a replacement flight is paid inside missed departure or inside giving up the trip, and never both
• If your bags do not arrive · within £2,000Paid as standard for essential toiletries, medication and clothing once bags are more than 12 hours late, whatever caused it, but out of the £2,000 belongings limit and never on the way home

Obligations review

• Air traffic control delays are left out The three reasons accepted are a strike, severe weather and a mechanical fault. An air traffic control restriction or an airport computer failure is not among them
• Give up or carry on, not both The waiting cash and the money for giving up the trip cannot both be claimed for the same delay, and neither can be claimed alongside missing your departure
• Only whole 12 hour blocks count You are paid £25 for each complete 12 hours. A delay of 23 hours pays for 12 of them and a delay of 11 hours pays nothing
• Only your flight to or from the UK Waiting cash, missing your departure and giving up all attach to the transport that leaves or re-enters the UK. A connection between two countries abroad is outside every one of them
• Staff shortages count in one place only A staff shortage counts if it hit the train or coach taking you to the airport. The same shortage at the airport itself counts for nothing

Cover review

• Cash while you wait · £200 £20 for each 12 hours, up to £200, but only where a strike, bad weather or a mechanical fault caused it
• If you miss your onward transport · £750 £750 for missing your departure and £750 for a missed connection, where a strike, bad weather, another service failing or your own car caused it
• Giving up the trip after a long delay · £3,000 £3,000 of your share of unused costs once the delay passes 24 hours, and only if you give up before you have set off
• Getting you there another way There is no separate benefit. Extra travel and rooms are paid only inside the £750 missed departure limit
• If your bags do not arrive · £100 £100 as standard for essential clothing, medication and toiletries once bags are more than 12 hours late on the way out, whatever caused it. If the bags are never found that £75 is deducted.

Obligations review

• Air traffic control delays are left out The four reasons accepted are a strike, industrial action, bad weather and a mechanical fault. An air traffic control delay, an airport computer failure or a staff shortage is not among them
• Give up or carry on, not both The wording joins the waiting cash and the money for giving up the trip with the word or, so you take one or the other for the same delay
• If the authorities ground the plane Nothing is paid where the aircraft, coach, train or vessel was pulled out of service on the orders of a transport authority such as the Civil Aviation Authority
• Only your flight to or from the UK Waiting cash and giving up the trip apply to your final international departure from or to the UK. Any other leg of the journey is outside the section

Cover review

• Cash while you wait · £200 £10 for each 12 hours, up to £200, but only where a strike, bad weather or a mechanical fault caused it
• If you miss your onward transport · £500 £500 for missing your departure and £350 for a missed connection, where a strike, bad weather, another service failing or your own car caused it
• Giving up the trip after a long delay · £1,500 £1,500 of your share of unused costs once the delay passes 24 hours, and only if you give up before you have set off
• Getting you there another way There is no separate benefit. Extra travel and rooms are paid only inside the £500 missed departure limit
• If your bags do not arrive · £75 £75 as standard for essential clothing, medication and toiletries once bags are more than 12 hours late on the way out, whatever caused it. If the bags are never found that £75 is deducted.

Obligations review

• Air traffic control delays are left out The four reasons accepted are a strike, industrial action, bad weather and a mechanical fault. An air traffic control delay, an airport computer failure or a staff shortage is not among them
• Give up or carry on, not both The wording joins the waiting cash and the money for giving up the trip with the word or, so you take one or the other for the same delay
• If the authorities ground the plane Nothing is paid where the aircraft, coach, train or vessel was pulled out of service on the orders of a transport authority such as the Civil Aviation Authority
• Only your flight to or from the UK Waiting cash and giving up the trip apply to your final international departure from or to the UK. Any other leg of the journey is outside the section

Cover review

• Cash while you wait · £250 £25 for each complete 12 hours, up to £250, but only where a strike, severe weather or a mechanical fault caused it
• If you miss your onward transport · £500 £500 to catch up if a delayed train or coach makes you miss the transport leaving the UK. A connection between two countries abroad is not covered
• Giving up the trip after a long delay · £1,500 £1,500 back if you are held 12 hours or more on the way out and decide not to travel, on the same three causes
• Getting you there another way There is no separate benefit. A room or a replacement flight is paid inside missed departure or inside giving up the trip, and never both
• If your bags do not arrive Paid as standard for essential toiletries, medication and clothing once bags are more than 12 hours late, whatever caused it

Obligations review

• Check-in time You must have left enough time to arrive and check in as your travel provider recommends
• Give up or carry on, not both The waiting cash and the money for giving up the trip cannot both be claimed for the same delay, and neither can be claimed alongside missing your departure
• Only whole 12 hour blocks count You are paid £25 for each complete 12 hours. A delay of 23 hours pays for 12 of them and a delay of 11 hours pays nothing
• Only your flight to or from the UK Waiting cash, missing your departure and giving up all attach to the transport that leaves or re-enters the UK. A connection between two countries abroad is outside every one of them
• Staff shortages count in one place only A staff shortage counts if it hit the train or coach taking you to the airport. The same shortage at the airport itself counts for nothing

Cover review

• Cash while you wait · £250 £25 for each full 12 hours, up to £250, whatever caused the delay. There is no list of reasons to satisfy
• If you miss your onward transport · £1,000 £1,000 for the travel and rooms needed to catch up when an unexpected transport delay makes you miss booked transport
• Giving up the trip after a long delay · £5,000 £5,000 of unused costs back once the way out is delayed more than 12 hours and the airline cannot get you there another way
• Getting you there another way · £5,000 £5,000 for extra travel and rooms to carry on or get home once a delay passes 12 hours and no suitable alternative is offered
• If your bags do not arrive Nothing as standard. The paid belongings add-on gives £250 for essentials once bags are more than 12 hours late on the way out

Obligations review

• If they offer you another way to travel Nothing is paid where the airline or the hotel offered a suitable alternative and you turned it down, and giving up needs them to have failed to offer one
• Only golf equipment can be hired The £250 for late bags covers essentials and hiring golf clubs. Hiring any other sports equipment is refused by name
• Only if you still go The waiting cash is paid only if you carry on with the trip. Decide not to travel and that £250 is not paid at all
• You cannot claim for both Re-routing and missed transport pay nothing where the same event has already been paid as a cancelled trip or an early return

Cover review

• Cash while you wait · £250 £25 for each 12 hours, up to £250, whatever caused it. There is no list of reasons to satisfy
• If you miss your onward transport · £1,000 £1,000 to catch up, but only where your feeder service ran off timetable, the road was blocked, your car broke down or the weather was severe
• Giving up the trip after a long delay · £10,000 £10,000 of unused costs back, but only once the delay passes 24 hours, so a delay of less than a day pays nothing here
• Getting you there another way · £1,000 £1,000 towards extra travel and rooms, but the delay has to pass 24 hours unless the flight was cancelled or turned back
• If your bags do not arrive Nothing as standard. The paid baggage add-on gives £500 for toiletries, medication, clothing and hiring sports equipment

Obligations review

• Give up or carry on, not both You claim for giving up the trip or you claim the cost of carrying on. Claiming the first blocks the second
• Only four things can make you miss your departure Missing your departure pays only where your feeder service ran off timetable, an incident blocked the road, your own vehicle crashed or broke down, or the weather was severe
• You have to wait a full day Giving up the trip and help with a re-route both need the delay to pass 24 hours, so a delay of 20 hours pays the waiting cash and nothing else
• You have to wait at the airport The waiting cash needs you checked in and physically waiting at the airport, port or station your transport is due to leave from

Cover review

• Cash while you wait · £300 £20 after the first full 12 hours then £10 for each further 12 hours, up to £300, on four named causes only. The paid Travel Disruption add-on pays whatever the cause, but stops at £100
• If you miss your onward transport · £500 £500 for missing your departure, with a £129 excess, and £500 for a missed connection with no excess
• Giving up the trip after a long delay · £500 £500 of unused costs back after 12 hours on the way out, less a £129 excess, and you cannot claim the waiting cash as well
• Getting you there another way There is no separate benefit as standard. Extra travel and rooms are paid inside the £500 missed departure limit. The paid add-on adds £1,000 to carry on and £1,000 if you are stuck coming home
• If your bags do not arrive You pay for anything you need to buy while your bags catch up

Obligations review

• Airport computer failures are left out The four reasons accepted are a strike, bad weather, an air traffic control failure and a mechanical fault. An airport or airline computer failure is not among them unless you buy the paid add-on
• Give up or carry on, not both Decide to give up the trip and the waiting cash cannot be claimed as well. You take one or the other
• Only your flight to or from the UK Waiting cash counts on your first outward or final return international journey only. A delay on any other leg of the trip pays nothing
• You need two hours between flights A missed connection is refused where you booked less than two hours between the connecting flights

Cover review

• Cash while you wait Nothing as standard. The paid upgrade adds £20 for each full 4 hours up to £60, but only when airspace closes or air traffic control fails, not for a strike, bad weather or a fault
• If you miss your onward transport Nothing as standard. The upgrade adds £500, but only when airspace closes or air traffic control fails. An ordinary delay to your flight is not on its list
• Giving up the trip after a long delay Nothing as standard. The add-on adds £1,000 after 12 hours on the way out, but only when airspace closes or air traffic control fails, not for an everyday delay
• Getting you there another way Nothing as standard. The add-on adds £350 once you are 24 hours past your return date, and only when airspace closes or air traffic control fails
• If your bags do not arrive You pay for anything you need to buy while your bags catch up

Obligations review

• Bags are not on the add-on at allEvery other delay benefit can be bought as an add-on. Money for essentials when bags are late cannot: it is not sold here
• No add-on on a UK tripThe paid add-on does not work on single trips inside the UK, so a delay on a trip that never leaves the country pays nothing at all
• The paid add-on leaves strikes outThe only list of reasons attached to the delay figures here is the add-on one, but A strike, bad weather or a mechanical fault are not on it

Cover review

• Cash while you wait Nothing is paid for the hours you spend waiting, however long the delay runs
• If you miss your onward transport No missed departure or missed connection cover at all
• Giving up the trip after a long delay A delayed or cancelled flight is not one of the reasons you are allowed to cancel on, so giving up pays nothing
• Getting you there another way No help with extra travel or rooms when a delay strands you
• If your bags do not arrive Nothing as standard. The paid baggage add-on gives £250 for toiletries, medication, clothing and hiring sports equipment

Obligations review

• A delay is not a reason to cancel The reasons you are allowed to cancel on do not include a delayed or cancelled flight, and cancelling for anything off that list is refused outright
• Only on the way out The £250 for late bags is measured from when you arrive at your destination and pays nothing if the bags go missing on the way home
• Three sections you do not have Waiting cash, giving up after a delay and help with a re-route each sit under a printed banner saying the section does not apply to this policy