Thomas Cook collapse - am I covered by my travel insurance?

September 24, 2019

The collapse of Thomas Cook has left more than 150,000 people stranded abroad and thousands more without a holiday.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the government have launched a massive repatriation operation to bring Thomas Cook customers back home as close to their scheduled return date as possible. However, the coming weeks are likely to incredibly stressful, particularly for those yet to take their holidays.

Most holidaymakers will find that their booking is protected by ATOL or ABTA and that a full refund is available. However, some bookings will not be covered by these schemes.

If that’s you (if you’re not sure, check out our guide to your rights here) you may be able to make a claim through your travel insurance policy. Here, we’ve answered some of the most pertinent questions surrounding the situation.

I bought my travel insurance policy through TravelSupermarket – who should I contact?

When you purchased your policy through TravelSupermarket, you will have received your policy documents and a confirmation email from a separate travel insurance company – this is who you should contact.

Your insurance company is best placed to answer any queries you have about the insurance policy. Their contact details should be included in your policy documents or on the confirmation email that they sent you.

Can I claim my holiday back on my travel insurance?

This depends on your policy type – you should check the terms and conditions carefully and contact your provider.

Look out for ‘scheduled airline failure’ or ‘provider failure’ as this is the bit that will give you cover in this situation.

Do be aware that this is not a standard travel insurance feature and that it is usually only included in premium policies. Your insurance provider should be able to advise you on how to proceed.

I booked additional trips and excursions for my holiday – am I covered?

You may be able to claim the cost back for any additional trips or excursions you booked for your holiday should you not be able to travel. Once again, you will need to contact your travel insurance provider directly.

I bought a Thomas Cook-branded travel insurance policy – is it still valid?

Yes, it is still valid. The company that provides Thomas Cook’s insurance policies, White Horse, has said that it will honour all existing policies until they expire (or until they come up for renewal).

Please note: All details were correct at the time of updating (September 24, 2019)

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