A comparison of travel insurance policies for wildfires

Cover review

• Cancellation · £3,000Only a Foreign Office warning against all, or all but essential, travel issued after you book
• Early return · £3,000The same Foreign Office change; an early return driven by the fire alone comes out of the £1,000
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation · £1,000Fire is a named catastrophe: moving somewhere safer, unused accommodation and getting home. Not both what you lost and what you moved to, and £1,000 covers the lot
• Transport disruption · £250Strikes, severe weather and breakdowns, or a 12 hour hold-up at your departure point
• Belongings destroyed by fire · £2,000Included as standard, with £300 the most for any one item and for all valuables together

Obligations review

• Power cuts Nothing caused by a power cut is covered, and fires often mean the electricity is switched off on purpose
• Search and rescue billsCharges from any authority or private firm for search and rescue are excluded, except medical evacuation
• Once officials say it is safe The £1,000 stops paying once the local or national authorities confirm it is safe to travel to or stay at your destination
• You cannot claim for both Not both the accommodation you lost and the one you moved to, and not both your unused and your replacement travel

Cover review

• Cancellation · £5,000Fire is named outright: you can claim if it stops you reaching or using your booked accommodation
• Early return · £5,000Coming home early because of the fire is covered, but you must phone Aviva before you arrange anything
• Evacuation and alternative accommodation · £5,000Fire making your accommodation unusable pays the extra travel and hotel costs, up to £5,000
• Transport disruption · £5,000Fire stopping you reaching your departure point is named, with £5,000 to rebook and £25 for each 12 hours
• Belongings destroyed by fire Baggage is an optional extra; without it nothing is paid for possessions lost in the fire

Obligations review

• The fire has to be within 50 miles To cancel because you no longer want to go, the fire has to be within 50 miles of where you are staying. 51 miles is too far
• Only in the month before you go That only applies in the 31 days before you travel, or while you are away. A fire six weeks before you go is too early
• Phone before you book anything Costs of coming home early are excluded unless Aviva authorised them before you made any arrangements
• If you move hotel on your own Any claim for coming home early is refused if you had already chosen to move to alternative accommodation

Cover review

• Cancellation · £10,000 A £10,000 limit, but wildfire only counts if the Foreign Office warns against travel
• Early return · £10,000You need to be told to leave the area you are staying in, not just warned against travel
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation · £1,000 Pays if a severe natural disaster stops you staying, but the examples given are earthquake, hurricane and tidal wave
• Transport disruption · £1,000 Covers delay, abandoning the trip and rebooking, but nothing pays if the disruption comes from travel restrictions
• Belongings destroyed by fire · £3,000Baggage is a paid add-on; with it, fire damage is paid up to £3,000 and £500 for any one item

Obligations review

• A warning is not the same as being told to leave A warning against travel is enough to cancel, but to come home early the advice must be to leave the area you are staying in
• Phone before you book the flight homeIf you return home without contacting LV first, the claim may not be paid
• Travel bans switch this cover off The £1,000 pays nothing for extra transport or accommodation where the disruption comes from Foreign Office travel restrictions
• Fire is not one of the examples The cover is for a severe natural disaster ’such as an earthquake, hurricane, tidal wave’. Fire is not one of the examples given

Cover review

• Cancellation · £1,000Fire is not a listed reason here. The paid Trip Disruption add-on adds it, but the fire must burn 50 square km, start within 20 km of your accommodation, and you must be leaving within 14 days
• Early return · £1,000A fire at your destination is not a reason to come home; it becomes one only if you buy the Trip Disruption add-on
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation · £750Pays if fire makes your accommodation unusable for 24 hours, but only for a fire too small to count as a natural catastrophe
• Transport disruptionNo delay, missed departure or abandonment cover at all as standard; every one of them is a paid add-on
• Belongings destroyed by fire · £1,500 Included as standard, but £150 the most for any one item and payouts are reduced by age, not replaced new for old

Obligations review

• The fire has to burn 50 square km Only a wildfire burning more than 50 square km counts as a natural catastrophe, even once you have paid for the add-on
• The fire has to be within 20 km The cancellation cover on the paid add-on needs the fire within 20 km of your booked accommodation
• They decide the date it started Post Office decides the official start date of the fire, and that date sets the 14 day cancellation window. Wording reads ’as reported in the media or announced by a government, as determined by us’
• Your room must be unusable for a day Your accommodation has to be unusable for at least 24 hours before the £750 pays anything

Cover review

• Cancellation · £500 Fire is named, but only where the Foreign Office warns against travel because of it
• Early return · £500 Nothing as standard, because the fire wording sits only in cancellation. The paid Travel Disruption add-on pays £1,000 to bring you home, or £500 if an official warning forces you back
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation · £1,000 Nothing as standard; the paid Travel Disruption add-on pays £1,000 if fire makes your accommodation unusable
• Transport disruption Fire and smoke are not named delay causes; only a road closure on the way counts. The paid add-on adds £1,000 to carry on and £1,000 if you are stuck coming home, whatever the cause
• Belongings destroyed by fire · £300£300 covers everything one person packs and £129 comes off the claim, so a case of burnt clothes returns under £200

Obligations review

• You cannot claim for both The paid add-on’s £1,000 pays either to move you somewhere safer or to bring you home, not both, so you have to choose
• The fire wording is only in one section The earthquake, fire, flood and hurricane wording sits in the cancellation section and nowhere else, so early return has no fire route unless you pay for the add-on
• Cover stops on your last paid day Cover stops at your last paid day, and trip length is capped by age at 104 days from 76 and 35 days a trip on annual cover from 71
• Travel anyway and you lose everything The same Foreign Office directive that opens cancellation voids all cover for anyone who travels to the area regardless
• Smoke is not a reason on its own Volcanic ash is excluded outright and pushed into the paid add-on. Smoke is named nowhere, so a smoke closure has no standard route
• Search and rescue bills Any search and rescue bill is excluded outright, with no exceptions

Cover review

• Cancellation · £1,500Only a Foreign Office warning against all, or all but essential, travel issued after you book
• Early return · £1,500The same Foreign Office change, this time while you are away; the fire itself is not a reason
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation There is no catastrophe section on this policy, so nothing pays to move you
• Transport disruption · £500 and £250Covers your journey to the airport, but delays there only for strikes, severe weather or breakdowns
• Belongings destroyed by fire · £1,000Included as standard, with £200 the most for any one item and for all valuables together

Obligations review

• Power cuts Nothing caused by a power cut is covered, and fires often mean the electricity is switched off on purpose
• Search and rescue bills Charges from any authority or private firm for search and rescue are excluded, except medical evacuation

Cover review

• Cancellation · £5,000 Wildfire is not a named reason; only a Foreign Office warning against travel lets you cancel
• Early return · £5,000 You need to be told to leave the area you are staying in, not just warned against travel
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation Nothing pays to move you or rehouse you
• Transport disruption No delay, abandonment or rebooking cover of any kind on this tier
• Belongings destroyed by fire Baggage is a paid add-on; with it, fire damage is paid up to £2,000 and £300 for any one item

Obligations review

• A warning is not the same as being told to leave A warning against travel is enough to cancel, but to come home early the advice must be to leave the area you are staying in
• Phone before you book the flight home If you return home without contacting LV first, the claim may not be paid

Cover review

• Cancellation Fire is not a listed reason, and there is no Foreign Office route at all; it appears only as an exclusion
• Early returnThe same closed list applies, so the event itself is never a reason to come home early
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation The natural disaster section pays nothing at all here
• Transport disruption Fire is not a delay cause, and both disruption sections exclude claims arising from a natural catastrophe
• Belongings destroyed by fire · £750 Fire damage is covered as standard, though payouts drop sharply with the age of each item

Obligations review

• They never say what counts as a catastrophe Both disruption sections exclude claims arising from a natural catastrophe, and the wording never defines the term
• Anything the government orders is out Claims from prohibitive regulations or government action are excluded, and a mandatory evacuation order is government action
• If the tour operator cancels instead If the tour operator cancels or cuts short your trip, which is the likeliest wildfire outcome, the claim is excluded

Cover review

• Cancellation Fire is not a listed reason, and there is no Foreign Office route at all; it appears only as an exclusion
• Early return The same closed list applies, so the event itself is never a reason to come home early
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation · £500 Fire is named and pays £500 to move you, but nothing at all if your trip is a tour operator package
• Transport disruption Fire is not a delay cause, and both disruption sections exclude claims arising from a natural catastrophe
• Belongings destroyed by fire · £1,500 Fire damage is covered as standard, though payouts drop sharply with the age of each item

Obligations review

• They never say what counts as a catastrophe Both disruption sections exclude claims arising from a natural catastrophe, and the wording never defines the term
• Package holidays get nothing The only wildfire cover on Get3 pays nothing if your trip is a tour operator package holiday
• Ring the medical line, even if nobody is ill Additional costs are excluded without approval from the 24 hour medical assistance service, even though nobody is ill
• Anything the government orders is out Claims from prohibitive regulations or government action are excluded, and a mandatory evacuation order is government action
• If the tour operator cancels instead If the tour operator cancels or cuts short your trip, which is the likeliest wildfire outcome, the claim is excluded