Your Cover

Cover for our policyholders won't be affected if you drive during the lockdown period. However, all motorists should follow the latest Government advice and avoid non-essential travel. 

If you’re struggling to make your payments due to the impact of COVID-19, please let us know as soon as possible through one of the options on the contact us page (phone, Messaging or email). 

Depending on your circumstances there are different ways we might be able to help, like:

• Postponing the date payment is due
• Changing your policy details to reflect your new circumstances (e.g. reduced mileage or fewer named drivers)
• Removing any optional extras or policy upgrades you don’t need
• Suspending your policy 
• Cancelling your policy (if appropriate)

If your policy is active we can’t stop your payments altogether but we can suspend them for 28 days and take the payment next month alongside your existing instalment. If you think you’ll be unable to make your payments it’s important to let us know as early as possible so we can discuss your options and see how we can help.

If your payment has been rejected by the bank, please contact us and our advisers will be able to help you in a way that's tailored to your needs.

If you were an NHS/Emergency Services or Healthcare worker and made a claim during the lockdowns earlier in the year (Wales 20 Dec, Scotland and Northern Ireland 26 Dec and England 5 Jan 2021, until 12 April 2021), we waived the excess and arranged a free replacement vehicle.

For any incident which took place during this time and was reported before 12 May 2021, any excess paid has been refunded in full and a replacement vehicle provided.

Any claim reported after 12 May 2021 will now be subject to the standard policy excess and a courtesy vehicle under our normal terms.

During the spring 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, Admiral motor customers helped to save lives by staying at home. In recognition of this, we refunded £110 million of insurance premiums to our car and van customers and committed millions of pounds more to reducing prices and supporting our customers, NHS staff and the local community information. You can find out more here.

During the lockdown period, your telematics scores were frozen on 15 March to make sure your scores weren't impacted if you were at a different address. Now the restrictions have been lifted, we have restarted scoring. If your vehicle is still at a different location, you can update your policy using MyAccount.

We’re still sending devices out to Plug & Drive customers, when you get yours keep hold of it and only plug it into your vehicle when you’re back on the road driving again. If you haven’t received it yet, it’s on its way to you so please don’t worry -  your cover is still active.

Now that Coronavirus restrictions are being lifted, if your driving score falls into the bottom 5% of our drivers, we’ll contact you to let you know that the 30-day improvement period is starting.  

We're sorry if you've had your device for over six months. We’ll contact you about returning the device now that it’s safer to do so. Until then, you can keep the device plugged in.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Coronavirus a 'pandemic' as of 11 March 2020.

Here are some useful external links for guidance on your entitlement in the Coronavirus situation.

1. To review your rights for trip cancellations and refunds visit ABTA
2. Customers planning to travel should refer to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Coronavirus travel advice page and sign-up to e-mail alerts
3. UK citizens overseas can review travel advice for the country they're visiting to help plan accordingly
4. Civil Aviation Authority gives information for customers, holidaymakers and the industry on Coronavirus

Before submitting a claim, please refer to the relevant section of the FAQs for information about what's covered under your policy and consider the steps outlined in 'How can I make a claim?' below.

You can cancel, but you won’t be able to make a claim through your travel insurance. Travel insurance won’t cover customers for "disinclination to travel" i.e. not wanting to travel.

There is no cover under any section of our policy if you travel to a country or area where the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against ‘all travel’ or ‘all but essential travel’. If you’re not sure if there’s advice against travel for your destination, please check the FCDO website.

There’s no cover for costs incurred for cancelling or cutting short your trip because of general travel restrictions, quarantine rules imposed upon arrival or return in any country or the financial impact of needing to quarantine such as loss of earnings.

There’s no cover for cancelling or cutting short your trip if you’re refused entry to your destination or because you don’t meet the country's entry requirements including any health requirements. Please refer to your policy terms and conditions. 

You should speak to your travel provider as they may be able to help you, and you should continue to monitor the FCDO advice.

Unfortunately, we won't cover claims due to the actions or failure of any company providing or organising your transport or accommodation, to provide those services (whether caused by error, insolvency, bankruptcy, liquidation, omission, default or other reason).

If you have not yet travelled and you had flights arranged as part of a package holiday you'll have ATOL protection, meaning you'll either be reimbursed or the company you booked with will find alternative flights.

If you paid for a service directly with your debit or credit card, and the retailer has not provided that service, you may be eligible to make a claim for a refund through your credit card provider under Section 75 of the consumer Credit Act or through a chargeback scheme for debit cards.

Section 75 applies to payments between £100 and £30,000. The benefits of claiming from the card provider are that you’ll be able to claim the full costs of your booking, for all people in the booking, and won’t have to pay an excess or be restricted by cover limits.  

The terms of your policy cover you for irrecoverable losses, so before we can consider a claim you'll need to contact the card provider (if eligible), to request a refund.

If you're already abroad, you should either contact your tour operator, if the flights were booked as part of a package, or you'll need to arrange a new flight to return home and pay for the new ticket. You should then seek a refund for the cost of the original flight, using one of the above methods.

ABTA has more information.

You may find that some of your planned excursions or tours have been cancelled. As these have been cancelled by the provider, you should seek a refund from them directly.

If the reason you’re travelling is for an event that’s since been cancelled, you won’t be able to make a claim for cancelling your whole trip for this reason. 

If you paid for a service directly with your debit or credit card, and the retailer hasn't provided that service, you may be eligible to make a claim for a refund through your credit card provider under Section 75 of the consumer Credit Act or through a chargeback scheme for debit cards.

Section 75 applies to payments between £100 and £30,000. The benefits of claiming from the card provider are that you’ll be able to claim the full costs of your booking, for all people in the booking, and won’t have to pay an excess or be restricted by cover limits.

There is no cover for additional costs incurred by you if you had to rebook any part of your trip due to Covid-19.

Before submitting a claim, please refer to the relevant section of the FAQs for information about what's covered under your policy and follow the applicable steps below.

If you've booked your trip through a tour operator or agent, you're entitled to a refund from them. You can review the Travel Arrangements Regulations here.

If you paid for a service directly with your debit or credit card, and the retailer has not provided that service, you may be eligible to make a claim for a refund through your credit card provider under Section 75 of the consumer Credit Act or through a chargeback scheme for debit cards.

Section 75 applies to payments between £100 and £30,000. The benefits of claiming from the card provider are that you’ll be able to claim the full costs of your booking, for all people in the booking, and won’t have to pay an excess or be restricted by cover limits.  

The terms of your policy cover you for irrecoverable losses, so before we can consider a claim you'll need to contact the card provider (if eligible), to request a refund.

If you’re unable to recover some or all your costs, you can register your claim online or by calling 0333 234 9914.

Please only register your claim if you’ve:

• Returned from a trip and need to claim 
• Had a trip cancelled and you’re due to travel within the next 30 days and your airline, tour operator or accommodation provider won’t reimburse your costs or make alternative travel arrangements for you

If you’re abroad and have a medical emergency (hospital treatments likely to incur medical expenses over £500) or need to cut short your trip, please call our 24-hour medical travel assistance helpline on +44 292 010 7777.

Once your claim has been registered, we'll be in touch to ask for: 

• Confirmation of the original booking, and which parts are non-refundable 
• Evidence you’ve tried to get your money back through the airline, tour operator or accommodation provider 
• Other supporting evidence relevant to your claim

From 26 April 2021, we’ll provide cancellation cover to existing customers for the reasons specifically listed in Section 3 of our most recent policy wording. This new section of cover will apply regardless of when you bought a policy with us.

For any further queries, please refer to the FAQs in the 'New Customers: I want to buy a new travel insurance policy' section.

How does Coronavirus affect my cover?

Your travel insurance policy has a general exclusion for Covid-19 and anticipated events. We’ll provide cover for Emergency Medical and Repatriation if you test positive for Covid-19 provided you aren’t travelling against FCDO advice and Cancelling or Cutting short your trip for the reasons specifically listed under 'Section 3’ of your policy wording. Please refer to your policy documents for full terms and conditions.

Anticipated event: that which you knew could happen, or could reasonably have expected to happen, and you were aware of it when your insurance started, or the date you booked your trip, whichever is later.

Am I covered for cancelling or cutting short my trip if the FCDO advisory against travel remains in place or the FCDO changes its advice to against 'all' or 'all but essential travel' for my destination?

There is no cover under any section of your policy if you travel against FCDO advice, even if the trip is deemed essential. There is also no cover for cancelling or cutting short your trip if the FCDO advises against 'all' or 'all but essential' travel due to Covid-19 before or during your trip (for example, the FCDO advises that travellers abroad MUST return home).

You should speak with your travel agent, airline, hotel or accommodation provider as you may be able to reschedule your trip or get a refund. If you’re on your trip, as long as the FCDO hasn’t advised travellers at your destination to come home, you’ll still be covered as per your policy terms and conditions while you finish your trip. It is your responsibility to monitor the FCDO advice for any changes.

Please refer to your policy terms and conditions.

I was diagnosed with Covid-19 before my trip and must self-isolate/quarantine. Am I covered for cancellation?

If you test positive for Covid-19 within 14 days of your trip departure date and you’re required to quarantine or self-isolate, you can make a claim for cancelling your trip provided it was not an anticipated event. (For example, you had no reason to believe you may have Covid-19 or needed to take a test or self-isolate at the time of booking your trip, buying your policy or extending your cover.)

You can register a claim online. You’ll need to provide proof of a positive Covid-19 test as certified by a registered medical practitioner, a registered lateral flow test or if the lateral flow test can’t be registered, an acceptable letter from the NHS confirming the positive Covid-19 result. Photographs of a lateral flow test are not acceptable evidence. Please refer to your policy documents for full terms and conditions.

Am I covered for cancellation if my close relative, travel companion or close business associate contracts Covid-19 before my trip?

There’s no cover if your close relative, travel companion or close business associate contracts Covid-19 before your trip if they’re not named on your policy.

We’ll cover cancellation costs if your close relative (as defined in our policy wording) is hospitalised or dies within the 14 days prior to your trip departure date as a result of contracting Covid-19, provided it was not an anticipated event. (For example, you had no reason to believe they may have Covid-19 or they were not diagnosed with Covid-19 at the time of booking your trip, buying your policy or extending your cover).

Please refer to your policy terms and conditions for full details.

I have been denied boarding on my prebooked outbound travel due to symptoms of Covid-19 or testing positive for Covid-19. Am I covered?

If you have symptoms of Covid-19 or you test positive for Covid-19 and this was the confirmed reason for being denied boarding, you will be covered for cutting short your trip, provided it was not an anticipated event.

Anticipated event: that which you knew could happen, or could reasonably have expected to happen, and you were aware of it when your insurance started, or the date you booked your trip, whichever is later. (For example, you had no reason to believe you may have Covid-19 or needed to take a test or self-isolate).

You can register a claim online. You’ll need to provide proof of a positive test from a registered medical practitioner. Please refer to your policy documents for full terms and conditions.

Am I covered for cancellation if I need to self-isolate as a result of potential exposure to Covid-19 (e.g. NHS track and trace)?

There’s no cover for cancelling your trip because you choose to or were recommended to self-isolate due to potential exposure to Covid-19 (e.g. NHS track and trace), unless you need to self-isolate because one of your named travel companions has tested positive within the 14 days prior to their trip departure.

What happens if I get Covid-19 (Coronavirus) while abroad?

You’re covered for emergency medical treatment under Section 1 Emergency Medical Treatment and Repatriation up to your selected policy limits as long as you didn’t travel against FCDO advice, and it wasn't an anticipated event. For example, you had no reason to believe you had Covid-19 when travelling or you didn't travel against the your GP's advice.

You're also covered up to £1,000 per person for any additional travel and/or accommodation costs if you need to quarantine or self-isolate on your trip. However, you must contact our Emergency Medical Assistance team on +44 292 010 7777 as soon as you become unwell, so they can get you the help you need.

If I contract Covid-19 and am unable to come back to UK on my planned return date or am quarantined on my return to the UK, am I covered?

General quarantine requirements imposed on a population or area are not covered. If you’re unable to finish your trip as planned due to contracting Covid-19 and need to quarantine abroad, your cover will be automatically extended for you at no extra cost and we will provide cover as stated under Section 1: Emergency Medical and Repatriation until you can reasonably be expected to return home.

The cover will only apply if you did not travel against FCDO advice and the need to quarantine was not anticipated. (For example, it was not publicised before you travel, you had no reason to believe you had Covid-19 when travelling and you did not travel against medical advice.)

You should contact our Emergency Medical Assistance team on +44 292 010 7777 as soon as possible if you're put into quarantine or isolation so assistance can be offered if necessary.

Any additional accommodation or food costs should be covered by the authority that issued the quarantine, along with any reasonable out of pocket expenses that you incur. You should speak to your tour operator or resort manager to arrange this. However, if this is not the case you can submit a claim for consideration.

Associated costs such as loss of earnings due to your isolation are not covered.

If I’m unable to return home on my planned return date due to Covid-19 related travel disruption, travel restrictions or quarantine rules, am I covered?

There’s no cover for additional costs incurred due to Covid-19 related travel restrictions, travel disruption or quarantine rules imposed by any government or local authority on a population or area in any country. However, if you are unable to finish your trip as planned due to a delay that can’t be avoided, which includes flight cancellation, your cover will be automatically extended for you at no extra cost until you can reasonably be expected to return home.

If your original return journey is delayed or cancelled, your travel agent or airline should help you find alternative transport, accommodation or arrange a refund. You may have to book another plane, train, coach or boat yourself.

The FCDO has advised against travel to my destination due to Covid-19 but my travel provider has advised my trip is going ahead. Am I covered for cancellation?

It’s highly unlikely that travel providers would arrange a trip against FCDO advice. There’s no cover under any section of your policy if you travel against FCDO advice, even if the trip is deemed essential.

If the flight is operating but you follow FCDO advice and do not travel, there is no cover for cancellation under your policy as per our Coronavirus general exclusion. You should contact your travel provider for a refund or to reschedule your trip.

My airline/travel/accommodation provider has cancelled my booking due to Covid-19. Am I covered?

There is no cover for this scenario. If your booking has been cancelled by the company organising your transport or accommodation due to Covid-19, you should be offered an alternative booking, credit voucher or a full refund.

Am I covered for costs incurred as a result of being quarantined on my return from a red list country?

There is no cover for costs as a result of needing to quarantine upon return.

You’ll need to provide proof of a positive Covid-19 test as certified by a registered medical practitioner, a registered lateral flow test or if the lateral flow test can’t be registered, an acceptable letter from the NHS confirming the positive Covid-19 result. Photographs of a lateral flow test are not acceptable evidence. Please refer to your policy documents for full terms and conditions.

You’re covered for emergency medical treatment under Section 1 Emergency Medical Treatment and Repatriation up to your selected policy limits as long as you didn’t travel against FCDO advice, and it wasn't an anticipated event. For example, you had no reason to believe you had Covid-19 when travelling or you didn't travel against the your GP's advice.

You're also covered up to £1,000 per person for any additional travel and/or accommodation costs if you need to quarantine or self-isolate on your trip. However, you must contact our Emergency Medical Assistance team on +44 292 010 7777 as soon as you become unwell, so they can get you the help you need.