Learn what's covered if you have booked and paid for your trip and unexpectedly need to cancel.
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For information relating to policies purchased prior to 03 February 2022, please check the PDS provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For policies purchased on or from 03 February 2022 please see below.
Unlike all the other benefits, cancellation cover starts from the moment you buy your policy, not when your trip starts. So if you've got travel booked starting a month from now and you buy insurance now, if you suddenly need to cancel your trip, you may be covered.
If you're an Australian, World Nomads can cover you for various reasons if you have no choice but to cancel your trip. Cover is provided for the value of your unused arrangements, less any refunds you receive and up to the benefit limit of your plan. Always ask for refunds from your transport or accommodation providers – you'll be surprised how often you can get something back! And most importantly, get supporting documents for the reason you had to cancel.
We won't list all covered reasons for cancellation here, but the main ones that travellers claim on are:
If you want to see the other reasons for cancellation World Nomads covers, read this article which will also give you further advice on conditions.
World Nomads can offer benefits for medical issues related to Coronavirus (COVID-19). If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 while overseas and it’s not considered an ‘existing medical condition’ under our policy, your benefits may include:
In addition, our Explorer Plan also has a Coronavirus Travel Costs benefit for certain events. You can check out our Coronavirus cover article which has all of the details, including benefit limits and exclusions.
Travel insurance isn't designed to cover everything. Common claims we see where there's no cover for cancellation include:
This is only a summary of coverage and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the policy. You should read your PDS in full so you understand what is and isn’t covered. That way there won’t be any surprises if you need to use it. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
Depending on your claim, you'll need copies of:
I was to commence my journey from Townsville to Brisbane, then on to Los Angeles. As I was unwell on that day I sought medical attention and was diagnosed with an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and was deemed by the Doctor as unable to fly and therefore unable to travel. (Medical Certificate provided for claim) After seeing the Doctor immediate cancellation action was taken with all service providers.
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If you need medical assistance or emergency medical evacuation our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
Phone: +61 2 8263 0470 or Phone: +61 2 8292 1470 (reverse charges via an operator from anywhere in the world)
Contact the teamHere are our most frequently asked questions about buying travel insurance for cancellation. You can also find the answers to other questions in our helpdesk or you can ask the customer service team.
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.