EgyptAir Crash: Travel Insurance Won't Cover Fear of Terrorism, Says Squaremouth

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With speculation that terrorism is to blame, the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 serves as another cause of uncertainty among travelers. Unfortunately for nervous travelers, fear is not enough to trigger travel insurance benefits, says Squaremouth.

Fearful Travelers Have Limited Options
Despite worries this most recent crash may raise about airport security or potential future attacks, these concerns over travel safety are not sufficient reasons to cancel a trip under standard travel insurance policies. Only a policy with the Cancel For Any Reason upgrade would provide a refund if a traveler wanted to cancel their trip due to these concerns.

Travelers with the Cancel For Any Reason upgrade who cancel their trip for a reason not otherwise covered by their policy must cancel at least 2-3 days before their departure date and will only be reimbursed up to 75% of their trip cost.

The Cancel For Any Reason upgrade is only available within 14-30 days of the initial booking for a trip and requires 100% of the trip cost be insured. It also significantly increases the cost of a travel insurance policy.

Terrorism Can Be Covered, But Has Specific Requirements
While Cancel For Any Reason is the only option for fearful travelers, a terrorist act may be covered under the Terrorism benefit. Most travel insurance policies include coverage for terrorism, but there are typically a strict set of requirements that must be met to qualify.

The incident must be declared an act of terrorism by the U.S. Department of State to trigger the Terrorism benefit. Travelers must also meet their policy's specific requirements to cancel a trip due to terrorism. Generally, this means the terrorist attack must have occurred within 7-30 days of the traveler's departure date in or near a city on their itinerary to be covered.

Squaremouth launched the EgyptAir Plane Crash and Travel Insurance Information Center. This online resource is updated with official provider position statements, answers to frequently asked questions, and current government travel alerts and notices related to the EgyptAir crash.

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH
Squaremouth is an online company that compares travel insurance products from virtually every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com.

Available Topic Expert:
Rachael Taft
rtaft@squaremouth.com
(727) 264-5174

SOURCE Squaremouth