Is travel insurance refundable after coronavirus cancellation?
Q: I had a tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg booked for April with Road Scholar. The company canceled the tour because of the coronavirus outbreak. Road Scholar quickly refunded the trip. I want to compliment them on their transparency and consistent communication.
My problem is with Allianz Travel Insurance and trying to get $293 refunded for my travel insurance. According to their refund policy, when the tour company cancels a tour and I have not filed a payable claim, my travel insurance will be refunded.
I contacted Allianz to request my refund. I sent two messages through their website, but received no response. I then called and spoke to a representative on a recorded line. She suggested I send an email request to salessupport@allianzassistance.com, which I did. I have not heard anything back from Allianz. Can you please investigate my situation and help me receive a refund from Allianz Travel Insurance? -- Diane Horban, Chicago
A: If Allianz Travel Insurance says your travel insurance policy is refundable, then you should get all your money back.
But is it? I reviewed the fine print in your contract, and sure enough -- if your tour operator cancels, you get a no-questions-asked refund. I hesitated because travel insurance isn’t always refundable. As a lot of travelers have discovered in the past few weeks, some policies can be reused, but you don’t always get your money back. Most frustrating, the refund rules seem to be changing by the minute as travel insurance companies adjust to the wave of pandemic-related cancellations.
When you ask for a refund, you must put it in writing and then practice extreme patience. Travel insurance companies are overwhelmed with claims and refund requests. In the past, I’ve had small claims processed by Allianz within 24 hours. But more complicated claims can take extra time. Add the crushing burden of pandemic-related claims, and you may have to wait weeks, and maybe longer.
Putting your refund request in writing was the right move. While travel insurance companies record their phone conversations, you don’t have access to the recording. So, you don’t know what a representative may or may not have said to you. When you write to a company, you see every written response.
By the way, you could have asked an Allianz executive about your refund if the process dragged on for too long. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of key Allianz customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
I checked with Allianz on your refund. “We did try and cancel the policy but the customer service [department] said they received a refund error,” a representative told me. “This usually happens when there is some issue with refunding back to the payment method.”
You re-sent Allianz your card information, and it promptly processed your refund.
If you need help with a coronavirus-related refund, please contact me. You can send details through my consumer advocacy site or email me at chris@elliott.org.
Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org.
