Trip Interruption Coverage in Travel Insurance

Introduction

Trip interruption coverage is included as part of the package in travel insurance plans. While trip cancellation coverage provides you coverage if you need to cancel your trip, trip interruption covers you if something unforeseen happens during your trip that causes an interruption to your trip; some plans may reimburse you up to 150% of the insured trip cost.

Coverages

In case you need to cut your trip short for a covered reason, with trip interruption insurance you get several different types of coverage:

• Unused portion of your pre-paid nonrefundable travel expenses that will not be refunded and would be forfeited.
• Reimbursement for additional expenses that you may incur to purchase additional tickets to return home early. Your reimbursement will be reduced by applied credit from the unused travel ticket. If you just need to pay the ticket change fee, you would be reimbursed that amount, up to the insured trip cost.
• If you had to interrupt your trip due to reasons that you are able to resolve and you are able to rejoin the trip, the cost of airline tickets to the destination shown on original travel tickets.
• If one person has to interrupt the trip and return home, the other traveling companions who decide to continue the trip may have higher per-person occupancy rates. Trip interruption coverage may provide coverage for the same.

The above coverages may not be available in all the plans, from all the companies. Therefore, please make sure to read the specific details of each plan.

Covered Reasons

Covered reasons for trip interruption coverage are the same as the ones for trip cancellation coverage.

Excluded Reasons

Excluded reasons for trip interruption coverage are the same as the ones for trip cancellation coverage. However, there may be additional exclusions such as:

• Trip interruption due to an unexpected meeting at work, or a job interview comes up. However, some insurance plans may offer 'Interruption for Work Reasons' coverage.
• Trip interruption due to an illness or injury related to a pre-existing medical condition. However, if you purchase travel insurance within a certain time frame after your initial trip deposit (ranging from 7 days to 30 days), such exclusion may be waived.

Tips

• Even though you may need to insure only the pre-paid, nonrefundable portion of your total trip cost for trip cancellation coverage, you may incur much higher expenses for trip interruption. Therefore, it is best to buy travel insurance for the full trip cost.
• If you are traveling by an upper class, such as business class or first class, make sure that the insurance plan you purchase provides coverage for transportation in the same class. Some insurance plans would only provide economy-class transportation.
• If you buy a travel insurance with $0 trip cost for trip cancellation purposes, your trip interruption coverage will also be $0.
• In addition to the package travel insurance plans, trip interruption coverage is also offered in international travel medical plans. However, as there is no trip cost involved, the trip interruption coverage is a flat amount such as $5,000. Additionally, the reasons for trip interruption also may be a lot more restricted.

Conclusion

It is very important to purchase travel insurance that provides trip interruption coverage. You can purchase trip interruption coverage instantly online by getting instant quotes from multiple insurance companies, comparing them side by side.