If there is an insured event and the accommodation has been prepaid, first, the accommodation establishment must be contacted to cancel the reservation and it must be determined whether the company will refund the entire amount or a part thereof. If you have travel interruption cover, the insurance helps to reimburse the part of a prepaid service which the customer is unable to recover from the service provider.

• If the travel company does not refund the money and the customer has taken out an insurance contract, will the insurance undertaking reimburse the tickets?

First, we advise you to contact the travel company, to recover the money. The insurance undertaking will only compensate the cost of flight tickets in part or in full, if the airline does not issue a refund or only provides a partial refund. On the condition that the customer has chosen travel interruption cover in the contract, the insurance was taken out on time, and the matter is an insured event.  

• What does it mean that the trip must start from Estonia? My plane departs from Riga.

If the plane departs from Riga (or Helsinki), then some means of transport is used to get to the respective airport. This means that for the passenger, the trip starts as of the moment they leave their home and set off for the airport or port.

The amount of travel interruption should be chosen considering your needs, and there is no specific recommended amount. The amount depends on the extent of expenses made before the trip that need to be covered if the trip is cancelled. When choosing the sum insured, you should add up all the costs per passenger incurred before the trip, such as the flight, museum tickets, accommodation, etc. Those costs, which are to be incurred during the trip, such as payment for the accommodation and tickets to the theatre or museum that will be bought at the destination, should not be considered, since if a trip is cancelled you will not incur these costs.

When planning for the trip, you should consider well ahead with a reasonable timeframe, so that you can easily get from one flight to another. You should follow the recommendations of the specific airline or airport regarding how much earlier you should be at the airport. As the gates of connecting flights in large airports may be very far from each other, you should also set aside time when travelling with kids or grandparents, who are perhaps unable to walk at a fast pace. Depending on the destination, possible additional passport control may take time as well. According to the rule of thumb, in Europe, one should consider at least 2 hours between two connecting flights, and outside Europe, at least 3 hours.

• I am already travelling. Do I still have the possibility to take out health insurance?

Travel insurance must be taken out before the start of the trip and for the entire period of travel, i.e. from leaving Estonia and until returning. If it appears, while travelling, that the trip will last longer than initially planned, it is possible to change the end date of the policy. However, you should still inform the insurer thereof in a timely manner.

• Does ERGO Travel Insurance come with the coronavirus COVID-19 cover?
  

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 while travelling, we will reimburse medical expenses up to 50 000 euros. In case of trip interruption, we will compensate damages up to 2000 euros if you are diagnosed with COVID-19, but not more than the sum insured for cancellation or interruption indicated in the policy.

• I came into contact with a COVID-19 positive person and cannot travel because I have to stay in self-isolation. Does ERGO cover travel expenses?

We will not reimburse the cost of self-isolation and quarantine.