Short answer: If you have to interrupt a trip you’ve already started for a reason listed in the policy terms — such as illness, injury or a death in the family — cancellation insurance reimburses a proportionate share of the services you paid for, didn’t use and didn’t get back from anyone. The payout is calculated after deducting the 10% excess. Medical treatment abroad and transport home are a matter for travel insurance.
One-minute summary
- Trip interruption cover applies from the day of departure until the planned day of return.
- The covered reasons are the same as for cancelling a trip in advance. The 30-day and 180-day time limits don’t apply here.
- It also covers starting late — for example, if you leave a few days later because you’re still in hospital.
- A stay costing CZK 35,000 interrupted after three of seven nights: the unused part is CZK 20,000, and the insurance pays back CZK 18,000.
- Report the claim to the insurer without undue delay, and keep proof of what no one refunded you.
When the insurance applies to an interrupted trip
Cancellation insurance doesn’t only cover cancelling a trip before departure. Under the policy terms, it also reimburses a proportionate share of the cancellation fees if:
- you interrupt the trip or end it early, for example because you have to go home,
- you start the trip later because a covered reason holds you up,
- the reason is listed in the policy terms. These are the same reasons as for cancelling before departure, such as your own illness or injury, a serious illness or death in the family, or a burglary at home. The full list is on the what the insurance covers page,
- the unused services can’t be refunded any other way. The insurance doesn’t pay for whatever the hotel, tour operator or carrier refunds you.
Trip interruption cover applies from the day of departure until the planned day of return. The time limits that apply to cancelling before departure (30 and 180 days) don’t apply here.
You can insure a package holiday, an independent trip or just accommodation, in the Czech Republic or abroad. The insurance is always taken out for a specific booking you’ve paid for or booked on a binding basis, so you need to have taken it out before departure. More on the package holiday cancellation insurance and accommodation cancellation insurance pages. The premium is 9% of the price, at least CZK 26; you can work it out in the calculator.
How the proportionate share is calculated
Example: a stay for two for 7 nights costing CZK 35,000. After 3 nights, you break your leg and the doctor recommends going home. You didn’t use 4 nights, roughly CZK 20,000. Neither the hotel nor the tour operator refunds anything. Cancellation insurance reimburses CZK 18,000 of this amount.
In reality, the insurer works from documents showing which services you didn’t use and didn’t get back. The calculation by nights is only an illustration. If the insured person is hospitalised or dies, the 10% excess doesn’t apply.
If only some of the insured people go home, the proportionate share is reimbursed for them.
What cancellation insurance doesn’t pay for when a trip is interrupted
- New expenses. Cancellation insurance only reimburses a proportionate share of what you paid in advance and didn’t use. Medical treatment abroad, a new flight or transport home are a matter for travel insurance and its assistance service.
- Interrupting without a covered reason. If you don’t like the hotel, it rains or you’re not enjoying the holiday, the insurance doesn’t pay.
- If the tour operator or carrier cuts the holiday short. A cancelled flight, a change of hotel or a shortened programme are a matter for the tour operator and the carrier. With a package holiday, it’s a defect the tour operator has to deal with.
- Exclusions. The same exclusions apply as for cancelling a trip, such as an injury during a race or under the influence of alcohol above 0.8 per mille.
What to do if you’re coming home early
- Get treated and take a medical report with the diagnosis and length of treatment. For a death in the family, you’ll need a copy of the death certificate.
- Let the tour operator, rep or hotel know and ask what they’ll refund. Get written confirmation of which services you didn’t use and that they won’t refund them.
- Report the claim to the insurer without undue delay, always with your policy number. The process is on the how to make a claim page.
- Have travel insurance? Report medical treatment and the journey home to its assistance service. It’s a different insurance from cancellation insurance.
What documents to prepare
Copies are enough for the insurer; keep the originals until the investigation is finished:
- the travel contract, voucher or proof of the booking and price,
- proof of what the provider refunded you and what it didn’t,
- proof of the reason for interrupting the trip: a medical report, death certificate, police report and so on.
The insurer may also ask for other documents, for example proof of the day you actually came back.
Frequently asked questions
Does cancellation insurance also cover a trip I’ve already started?
Yes. If you interrupt the trip or start it late for a covered reason, it reimburses a proportionate share of the unused services that no one refunded you. Trip interruption cover applies from the day of departure until the planned day of return.
Will cancellation insurance pay for my flight home?
No. Cancellation insurance only reimburses a proportionate share of what you paid in advance and didn’t use. A new flight or transport home is a matter for travel insurance, if you have it.
Does this also apply to a holiday in the Czech Republic?
Yes. You can insure domestic and foreign trips, including a stay in a cottage, hotel or spa, if you paid for it in advance.
What if I leave for my holiday later?
Starting late is covered in the same way as an interruption. If you leave three days later because of a covered reason, a proportionate share of the services for those days is reimbursed, if no one refunded them.
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.