'The Dutch hardly know what a cancellation insurance covers'
Cancellation of the travel companion, an unexpected new job, a divorce or a pregnancy. From research of ANWB shows that four out of five Dutch people do not know exactly when cancellation insurance can be useful and what is reimbursed.
Ignorance of cancellation insurance coverage
Holidaymakers usually know that they can rely on the cancellation in the event of illness or death of a close relative (86%). The awareness of other valid cancellation reasons is very low, as shown by the top 5 below:
- An unexpected cancellation by the travel companion, provided the travel companion has a valid reason for cancellation (18% are aware of this).
- An unrepairable car that one travels with (20% is familiar with this).
- Being able to accept a new job or become unemployed (21% are familiar with this).
- A divorce after the trip has been booked (22% are aware of this).
- Discovering a pregnancy after the trip has been booked (25% are aware of this).
Compensation for rebooking and flight delay biggest misunderstanding
Wanting to rebook a holiday is not reimbursed by cancellation insurance: 14 percent think this is wrong. Compensation for a flight delay of less than eight hours is also not covered by a cancellation insurance. Compensation for a flight delay of more than eight hours is covered: 56 percent are not familiar with this.
Majority not insured as standard; men estimate risk lower
The research shows that almost one in five Dutch people (18%) take out short-term cancellation insurance when they go on holiday and that almost half (46%) have continuous cancellation insurance. More than a third of the Dutch (34%) do not have cancellation insurance. The main reason not to take out these is because they do not assess the risks as high (49%). Men in particular estimate the chance of cancellation to be lower: 58 percent versus 40 percent. Men generally know better in which cases they can invoke their cancellation insurance.
Illness and accident most common claim
Of all insured persons, 31 percent have ever made use of the cancellation insurance. The most common situations in which holidaymakers try to make use of their cancellation insurance are:
- Illness or accident of themselves or travel partner (18%).
- Illness or death in the family staying at home (13%).
- Negative travel advice (4%) (this is not a valid reason for cancellation, by the way.)
Consider the travel sum, booking date and financial buffer when taking out cancellation insurance
ANWB wants to better inform holidaymakers about the cancellation insurance. After all, having to cancel a trip is annoying enough. That is why holidaymakers are advised to make a good decision when booking the holiday whether or not to insure cancellation. When making this assessment, it is advisable to look at the personal situation, such as:
- The amount of the travel sum.
- How far the trip has been booked before the departure date.
- The personal financial possibilities.
Finally, it is important to have cancellation insurance take effect on the date the trip is booked. After all, something can happen even before departure.
Moreover, with Mastercard you have the option of taking a variant where many risks are covered, for example, health insurance, cancellation insurance, etc. Many people who are already in possession of such a credit card, often do not know, or forget, unnecessarily double insurance through a travel agency, which makes the trip unnecessarily expensive.
What does something like this cost at Mastercard John? I am one of those Dutch people who have a credit card because you need it abroad for car rental or hotel deposit, but not really. So I score zero % on the above questions about the credit card. I now have a continuous travel insurance policy with cancellation. Done because separate cancellation insurance can add up considerably at a time and well, I have reasons that I could possibly appeal to it. On the other hand, hotels can now be canceled up to a few hours in advance if you grab the right offer. But there you often pay more than the cheap offer where that is not possible. Then the other offer is cheaper if you have such insurance. It's a lot of math at times.
Dear Jack G,
There are various options for credit card insurance, for example you can have a credit card where you are only insured as a single, but also with a possible partner, or Family insurance.
It is best to inquire with your own bank about what is eligible for you, so that you can immediately compare what coverage this insurance has and whether it is cheaper compared to your current insurance. Furthermore, I personally think that apart from insurance, a credit card is indispensable when traveling, as you already wrote, for car rental, hotel deposit, but also with some bookings or sudden unforeseen expenses, a credit card simply offers a certain security.
Don't skimp on travel or cancellation insurance. Needed years ago when my mother fell ill on vacation. Insurance also paid out for us not enjoyed holiday so that we could make this holiday again. Then my brother-in-law became seriously ill and everything could be rebooked without any costs. A must for us is a good trip and cancellation insurance.
Our holiday was recently canceled, we were going to visit Thailand with four adults for 14 days. Our friend's father received a bad message from the doctors, after which our friend said "I won't go". Because we are not related to the sick man, my wife thought I could not claim the cancellation insurance. Precisely because the entire trip was made on one booking, my insurance also paid out the entire trip properly. Maybe that's a TIP! Book a trip together.