First Year Student Living In Halls?
Updated: 25 January 2022
Our insurance can cover you to travel provided the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is not advising against all, or all but essential travel to your destination and it is not on the red list.
All customers must follow the advice of the FCDO at the time of travel and for the duration of their trip. This includes returning to the UK if the FCDO changes their travel advice based on the risks presented at the time.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Our policies provide cover for:
There is no cover under any other section of the policy for anything caused by or relating to Covid-19/Coronavirus/SARs-COV-2, any mutation of Covid-19/Coronavirus/SARs-COV-2 or any pandemic or fear or threat of any of the above.
Our policies will not provide any cover if:
Looking for cover to travel against FCDO advice? Click here
Our policies do not provide cover for:
Government COVID-19 travel advice
Check the latest rules on international travel from the UK.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
FCDO advice for your destination
Find out whether the FCDO is advising against travel for your destination, as well as the rules and restrictions when you arrive, including entry requirements.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Rules when returning to the UK
You may need to take a COVID-19 test before you return to the UK and when you arrive, as well as self-isolate, depending on where you are coming from. Check the latest details:
https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control
If you need to obtain a covid test, Rightangled can send a PCR swab test kit to your home, with the results available online in 24 hours.
They are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and are on the government's list of approved test providers for the Test to Release scheme.
Get 10% off the cost by quoting IWE10 when you purchase your test.
https://www.rightangled.co/products/covid-19-test
Yes. If you catch Coronavirus/COVID-19 or require medical treatment whilst away, cover will be in place for emergency and necessary treatment, so long as you have not travelled against government rules/FCDO advice.
Customers should be aware that our policies are travel insurance policies and not private medical insurance meaning that there is no cover for any medical expenses incurred in private medical facilities if we have confirmed that medically capable public facilities are available.
Our policies will provide cover for repatriation (bringing you home) that is medically necessary. Our Assistance Team will liaise with your treating doctor(s) about your treatment plan and if required obtain a ‘fit to fly’ certificate. We also liaise with you and advise on, and put in place, suitable repatriation plans to get you home as soon as it is medically safe to do so in order to achieve your optimal recovery.
Policies purchased on or after 21 August 2020
Policies purchased on or after 21 August 2020 provide cover for cancellation if you, or anyone insured on the policy are unable to travel because you have contracted COVID19 / Coronavirus / SARs-COV-2 within 14 days of your departure date.
There is no cover for cancellation under the following circumstances:
Policies purchased before 21 August 2020
For insurance bought or holidays booked from 13 March 2020 to 21 August 2020 there is no cancellation cover for anything caused by or relating to Covid-19/Coronavirus/SARs-COV-2, any mutation of Covid-19/Coronavirus/SARs-COV-2 or any pandemic or fear or threat of any of the above.
Please call us on 0161 772 3382, we will be able to upgrade your policy to include cancellation cover if you, or any one insured on the policy, contracts COVID19 within 14 days of your departure date.
There is no cover for cancellation under the following circumstances:
If you are unable to travel home because you are required to self-isolate due to contracting coronavirus/Covid-19 your policy will automatically extend until you are able to travel home. You should contact the Emergency Assistance Team to notify them immediately.
If you are unable to recoup the extra costs from your travel provider, you can make a claim to recoup additional accommodation and transport expenses (up to the limits stated) under the Overseas Return Quarantine section of the policy.
Up to £40 per person per day (up to a maximum of £560) towards additional accommodation expenses (of a standard no greater than your original booking).
Up to £300 (Europe), £500 (Worldwide) per person towards the cost of return transport home. (This must be at a standard no greater than the class of transport on your outbound journey, on the same mode of transport and at the earliest possible date based on medical or local authority advice).
If you contract Coronavirus whilst abroad and require medical treatment you will be covered under the Emergency Medical and Repatriation section of the policy. You should contact the Emergency Assistance Team immediately.
If your return travel has been amended by your travel provider due the Coronavirus pandemic your policy will be automatically extended until you are able to return home. You must take the first available transport home. If you choose not to take the first available flight home, there will be no extension to cover.
If the government advice for your destination changes whilst you are away, you will be covered until the end of your holiday, or if you are unable to return home as planned, until the first available flight. You won’t be able to extend your insurance cover if you choose to stay longer against government advice.
If your travel arrangements have been suspended or changed to an alternative date or destination, please contact us with this information:
On the provision that no claims have been submitted against the policy, we can change your single trip insurance to match with no admin charge.
The new dates must be within 20 months of the original issue date. If the new trip is for a longer period, to a different destination or more than 12 months from the original issue date, there may be an additional premium due to increased risk.
There is no cover under the policy to make a claim if your trip is cancelled or postponed by your travel provider due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
In this situation you should contact your travel provider, please see the further information below about your legal rights if you have had a package holiday or a flight cancelled.
If you booked via a travel agent or tour operator or have booked more than one element including a flight from the same provider, then the trip is considered as packaged and the below applies.
Trips cancelled due to FCDO advice would therefore fall within the remit of Package Travel Regulations and be eligible for a refund from your travel organiser.
Trips where access is restricted or public life is subject to significant limitations (closures of tourist attraction etc..) travel providers should give passengers the right to cancel their trip with refund via Package Travel Regulations.
If passengers have a medical condition for which exposure to the COVID-19 is particularly dangerous, current advice is they should have the right to cancel their package travel contract if the risk of contamination with COVID-19 at the travel destination or its immediate vicinity is declared high by the competent authorities.
In the above circumstances you should contact your travel provider about a obtaining a refund or an alternative trip.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/1/made
https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/package-travel-regulations
https://www.abtot.com/regulation/civil-aviation-authority-caa-atol/
https://www.abta.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak
Flight companies are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority. If your flight operator cancels or can’t fulfil your flight then there is protection available under something called the ‘Montreal Convention’. Some airlines are going over and above their requirements and so it is important to contact them in the first instance to find out what support they can give you.
Flight cancellations by the airline need to be claimed directly from them.
All around the world, passenger rights for international flights are protected under the Montreal Convention. Essentially, this piece of law states that the airline is responsible for you if your flight is cancelled and/or you are left stranded at an airport waiting for a flight. These measures of care include: Meals and refreshments, Communication to the outside world (two occasions), Hotel accommodations when necessary, Rerouting to your final destination.
In countries like Canada, Israel and the Member States of the European Union, your rights are protected even further.
Like any piece of law, it is complicated and not that easy to read! But below is a link and if you google CAA and Montreal Convention then you will find some useful information online that may help you.
All policies include Scheduled Airline/End Supplier Failure. This provides cover for insolvency if you have booked the elements of your holiday separately, direct with the end supplier, such as hotel, scheduled airline or car hire provider. If one of the suppliers becomes insolvent you will be able to submit a claim to recoup the money paid to that supplier. See your policy wording for details.
If your holiday forms part of a bonded package you will have protection under the relevant bonding scheme eg, packages with flights are ATOL protected by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority). If the tour operator becomes insolvent you can claim a refund from the CAA, or if you are already abroad, they will arrange your transport home.
If there are no longer any government restrictions in place and your travel provider is operating the flights and accommodation, it is unlikely that you will be able to obtain a refund if you no longer wish to travel.
You should contact your travel provider and explain your feelings, some may allow you to transfer your holiday to a later date, but there could be a charge for this.
There is no travel insurance cover for cancellation in this situation.
If you are no longer travelling, we can ‘hold’ your insurance until you have a new trip booked.
The new dates must be within 20 months of the original issue date. If the new trip is for a longer period, to a different destination or more than 12 months from the original issue date, there may be an additional premium due to increased risk.
Or we can cancel the policy. Cancellations are made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the policy, please see your policy wording for details.
https://www.abta.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
