Short answer: Compare cancellation insurance on seven things: by when you can take it out, what the excess is, what the payout limit is, which reasons it covers, what you can insure, how long before departure the reason can arise, and how claims are handled. You’ll find the answers in the IPID and the policy terms. The percentage of the price on its own tells you nothing about how much you’ll get back.
One-minute summary
- The price as a percentage is only the start. What matters is how much the insurance pays back when you have to cancel.
- Policies differ most in the deadline for buying, the excess, the limit and the list of covered reasons.
- Also look at what you can insure and whether it has to be bought from the same seller.
- Everything important is in the IPID — a short insurance product information document — and in the policy terms.
- No insurance is best for everyone. Choose the one that fits your trip or event.
Why comparing the price isn’t enough
The premium for cancellation insurance is usually calculated as a percentage of the price of the trip or event. It’s the first number you see, but it says almost nothing about how much you’ll get back. Cheaper insurance with a higher excess, a lower limit or a shorter list of reasons may pay back less — or nothing — when you have to cancel.
Before you choose a policy, go through the seven questions below. For each one, you’ll find what to ask and how it works with us, so you know what you’re comparing against.
The 7 criteria at a glance
| Criterion | What to ask |
|---|---|
| 1. Deadline for buying | Do I have to buy the insurance as soon as I book, or can I buy it later too? |
| 2. Excess | How much of the cancellation fee do I pay myself? Are there any exceptions? |
| 3. Payout limit | Up to what amount does the insurance pay — per person or for the whole policy? |
| 4. Covered reasons | Does it only cover illness, or also dismissal, an exam, damage at home and illness of loved ones? |
| 5. What you can insure | Only a package holiday, or also a flight, accommodation, a ticket, a course and a camp? Even if bought elsewhere? |
| 6. Time windows | How long before departure can the reason arise and still be covered? |
| 7. Claims handling | Who do I report the claim to and by when, what documents do they want, and by when do they pay? |
1. By when to take out the insurance
With add-on cancellation cover for a package holiday or travel insurance, the deadline is usually short — often only when booking or a few days afterwards. If you miss it, you can’t add cancellation cover later. Check from when until when you can take out the insurance, and whether the deadline is counted from the booking, the payment or the departure date.
With us: if there are more than 30 days until the start, you can take out the insurance at any time, even afterwards. 30 days or less before the start, only at the same time as paying for the service. Details in the guide by when to buy cancellation insurance.
2. Excess
The excess is the part of the loss you bear yourself. It’s usually expressed as a percentage, sometimes with a minimum amount. Check whether there are exceptions where it doesn’t apply, and whether the insurance reimburses the whole cancellation fee or only part of it.
With us: an excess of 10% of the payout, with no minimum amount. It doesn’t apply if you cancel because the insured person is hospitalised for at least 24 hours or dies.
3. Payout limit
The limit sets the most the insurance will pay out. Check whether it applies per person, per policy or to the whole trip, and whether it’s enough for the price you’re insuring. With a more expensive family holiday, a low limit shows straight away.
With us: the limit is the total price of what you’re insuring, up to CZK 500,000 per person and insurance policy.
4. Covered reasons
Standard cancellation insurance doesn’t cover cancelling without giving a reason. It only applies to the reasons listed in the terms, and these differ between products. Check whether it also covers illness and death of loved ones, caring for a sick family member, dismissal by your employer, a resit exam or damage at home — and who counts as family.
With us: 14 reasons under the policy terms, for you and for your family members. They’re all on the what the insurance covers page, and the exclusions are in the what the insurance doesn’t cover section.
5. What you can insure
Some cancellation insurance only applies to a package holiday from the tour operator you buy it from, other policies only in combination with travel insurance abroad. Check whether you can also insure a standalone flight, accommodation, a ticket, a course or a camp, and whether it can have been bought anywhere.
With us: you can insure the cancellation of anything you’ve booked or paid for in advance, in the Czech Republic or abroad, even if you bought it elsewhere. The insurance is always taken out for that specific booking. There’s an overview on the what we insure page.
6. When the reason can arise
The terms often set how long before departure the reason for cancelling may arise. With an early-booking holiday, there can be six months between booking and departure — and if the window only counts a few weeks before departure, an illness in January may not be covered for a July holiday.
With us: the reason must arise no more than 30 days before the planned departure. Illness, injury, death and pregnancy are covered even if they arise up to 180 days before departure.
7. Claims handling
Find out who you report the claim to, within what deadline, and what documents you’ll need. It also matters by when the insurer has to investigate the claim and pay out.
With us: you report the claim to the insurer without undue delay, online or by email. The investigation must be completed within 3 months of the report, and the payout arrives within 15 days of its completion. The process is on the how to make a claim page.
Where to find it in the terms
The quickest is the IPID, the insurance product information document. It has a standard format under EU rules and usually takes up two pages: what’s insured, what isn’t, what the restrictions are, where the insurance applies and when it starts and ends. The insurer or intermediary must give it to you before you take out the insurance.
The details (the exact wording of the reasons, the exclusions, the excess and the claims process) are in the policy terms. You’ll find ours in the documents.
Frequently asked questions
Which cancellation insurance is the best?
None is the best for everyone. For a ticket bought in the summer for an autumn concert, you need something different than for a family holiday costing a hundred thousand crowns. Compare offers using the seven criteria above and choose the one that fits your situation.
Is it worth taking the cancellation cover offered by the tour operator?
It can be. Compare it using the same criteria: the deadline, the excess, the limit, the covered reasons, and whether you also have to buy travel insurance with it. If you don’t take it when you book, you can still insure with us later, as long as there are more than 30 days until departure.
Is cancellation insurance part of travel insurance?
Sometimes, as an add-on, and sometimes not. Travel insurance mainly covers medical expenses during the trip; cancellation insurance deals with the situation where you can’t go. With us, you take out cancellation insurance on its own, without travel insurance.
Sources
Verified 26/10/2026.
Related
This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. The wording of the policy terms and your seller’s terms is what counts. The example scenarios are illustrative.