A comparison of how travel insurance policies cover volcanic eruptions

Cover review

• Cancellation · £3,000 Only a Foreign Office warning against all, or all but essential, travel issued after you book
• Early return · £3,000 The Foreign Office route, or an early return paid from the £1,000 catastrophe limit
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation · £1,000 Volcanic activity including ash cloud is a named catastrophe, so moving somewhere safer is paid
• Airspace closure & flight disruption · £250The delay section refuses airspace closure by name, but ash is a catastrophe, so a 12 hour hold-up pays £25 for each 12 hours
• Getting home when stranded · £1,000 The catastrophe limit covers extra travel and rooms if you cannot get home, and cover stays live

Obligations review

• Closed airspace is refused by name The reason table lists air traffic control restrictions and airspace closure and marks both as not acceptable for missed departure, delay and abandonment
• 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
• Power cuts Anything arising from a power cut is excluded, and an eruption can take the grid down, unless you buy Enhanced trip disruption
• Search and rescue bills Charges from any authority or private firm for search and rescue are excluded, except medical evacuation
• 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 · £5,000Being unable to reach or use your accommodation because of a natural disaster is covered, and an eruption reads as one
• Early return · £5,000 Coming home early is covered, but you must phone Aviva before you arrange anything
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation · £5,000Ash making your accommodation unusable pays the extra travel and hotel costs, up to £5,000
• Airspace closure & flight disruption · £5,000Cover does not depend on the cause, so a grounded flight pays up to £5,000 to rebook
• Getting home when stranded · £5,000 £5,000 a person for extra travel and rooms, but the policy itself only stays live for 14 extra days

Obligations review

• The eruption has to be within 50 miles To cancel because you no longer want to go, the eruption has to be within 50 miles of where you are staying
• Only in the month before you go That only applies in the 31 days before you travel, or while you are away
• Cover only stretches 14 extra days If your flight is cancelled the policy stays live for only 14 extra days, and ash closures have run longer than that
• Phone before you book anything Costs of coming home early are excluded unless Aviva authorised them before you made any arrangements
• They never say what counts as a disaster Cover rests on the words natural disaster, which the policy never explains. An eruption sounds like one, but it is not spelled out

Cover review

• Cancellation · £10,000 The Foreign Office route, plus you may cancel once your transport is delayed more than 24 hours
• Early return · £10,000 You 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, and an eruption reads as one, though it is not named
• Airspace closure & flight disruption · £10,000Delay, abandonment and rebooking all respond whatever the cause, but each makes you wait a full 24 hours
• Getting home when stranded · £1,000£1,000 towards extra travel and rooms, and cover stays live, but travel restrictions cancel it

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
• You have to wait a full day Every route needs a 24 hour delay before it pays, which is a long wait at an airport
• 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
• Eruption is not one of the examplesThe cover is for a severe natural disaster ’such as an earthquake, hurricane, tidal wave’. An eruption is not one of the three named

Cover review

• Cancellation Not a listed reason here. The paid Trip Disruption add-on adds it, but the eruption must be within 20 km of your accommodation and you must be leaving within 14 days of the date they set
• Early return · £1,000An eruption at your destination is not a reason to come home unless you buy the Trip Disruption add-on
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation Volcanic activity always counts as a natural catastrophe, so the base £750 is excluded and the add-on is needed
• Airspace closure & flight disruptionNo delay or missed departure cover as standard; the add-on does add airspace closure, for a price
• Getting home when stranded Nothing as standard; the add-on pays £350 towards getting home once you are 24 hours past your return date

Obligations review

• Any eruption counts, however small Flooding and wildfire have to exceed 50 square km to count, but volcanic activity and ash have no threshold, so they always count and the base cover never applies
• They decide the date it started Post Office decides the official start date of the eruption, and that date sets the 14 day cancellation window
• Your room must be unusable for a day Your accommodation has to be unusable for at least 24 hours before the accommodation cover pays anything
• Only in the last week before you go The base Foreign Office cancellation route runs only in the seven days before departure, and a separate exclusion removes claims resulting from advice against all travel

Cover review

• CancellationThe Foreign Office reason names earthquake, fire, flood and hurricane only, so an eruption is not on the list. The paid add-on drops the list and pays £500 on any official warning
• Early returnThere is no natural event reason in the early return section at all. The paid add-on pays £1,000 to bring you home after an eruption, or £500 on an official warning
• Evacuation & alternative accommodationNothing as standard; the paid Travel Disruption Extension names volcanic eruption and pays £1,000
• Airspace closure & flight disruption Claims arising from volcanic ash clouds are excluded outright unless you buy the paid add-on
• Getting home when stranded Cover only extends for an insured event, and an ash cloud is not one unless you bought the add-on

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
• Ash clouds are excluded by name Claims arising from volcanic ash clouds are excluded outright, and only the paid Travel Disruption Extension lifts it
• Only four events count, and this is not one As standard, cancelling needs a Foreign Office warning caused by an earthquake, fire, flood or hurricane, and an eruption is none of those
• Search and rescue bills Any search and rescue bill is excluded outright, with no exceptions
• Cover stops on your last paid day Cover stops at your last paid day

Cover review

• Cancellation · £1,500 Only 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 eruption itself is not a reason
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation There is no catastrophe section on this policy, and the section that names volcanic activity cannot be added
• Airspace closure & flight disruption · £250Airspace closure is listed in the reason table and marked as not acceptable; only the paid Enhanced trip disruption adds it
• Getting home when stranded Your cover stays live with no time limit while transport is delayed, but nothing pays the hotel bill

Obligations review

• Power cuts Anything arising from a power cut is excluded, and an eruption can take the grid down, unless you buy Enhanced trip disruption
• Search and rescue bills Charges from any authority or private firm for search and rescue are excluded, except medical evacuation
• Closed airspace is refused outrightThe reason table lists air traffic control restrictions and airspace closure and marks both as not acceptable for missed departure, delay and abandonment

Cover review

• Cancellation · £5,000 An eruption 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
• Airspace closure & flight disruptionNo delay, abandonment or rebooking cover of any kind
• Getting home when strandedCover stays live with no time limit while you wait, but nothing pays for the extra nights

Obligations review

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

Cover review

• Cancellation An eruption is not a listed reason, and there is no Foreign Office route at all
• Early return avThe 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, and it does not list eruptions anyway
• Airspace closure & flight disruption Both disruption sections exclude claims arising from a natural catastrophe or volcanic ash by name
• Getting home when stranded There is no automatic extension, so cover stops on its end date however long you are stranded

Obligations review

• Anything the government orders is out Claims from prohibitive regulations or government action are excluded, and closing airspace is government action
• Ash clouds are excluded by name Both disruption sections exclude any claim arising from a natural catastrophe or volcanic ash, in those words
• Cover stops on its end date, wherever you are There is no automatic extension, so if ash strands you past your return date you are uninsured from that day
• The exception points at nothing Eruptions are excluded except as provided under the natural disaster section, and that section does not list eruptions

Cover review

• CancellationAn eruption is not a listed reason, and there is no Foreign Office route at all
• Early return The same closed list applies, so the event itself is never a reason to come home early
• Evacuation & alternative accommodation The natural disaster section lists fire, flood, storm, earthquake, explosion and hurricane, but not eruptions
• Airspace closure & flight disruption Both disruption sections refuse anything caused by a natural catastrophe or volcanic ash
• Getting home when stranded There is no automatic extension, so cover stops on its end date however long you are stranded

Obligations review

• Anything the government orders is out Claims from prohibitive regulations or government action are excluded, and closing airspace is government action
• Ash clouds are excluded outrightBoth disruption sections exclude any claim arising from a natural catastrophe or volcanic ash, in those words
• Cover stops on its end date, wherever you are There is no automatic extension, so if ash strands you past your return date you are uninsured from that day
• The exception points at nothing Eruptions are excluded except as provided under the natural disaster section, and that section does not list eruptions