Does Travel Insurance cover Hotel Quarantine?

Medical institutions around the world are working tirelessly to get the Covid-19 pandemic havoc under control. The silver lining here is the arrival of the vaccines, which have improved the situation to a great extent. The introduction of Covid-19 vaccines also brought the dormant travel industry back to life. However, almost every country is still working to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. This brings us to the mandatory hotel quarantine upon arrival and when infected with the Covid-19 virus. The arrival quarantine is still a requirement for travelers in many countries while the post-infection quarantine is necessary everywhere with zero exceptions. Now that most travel insurance companies are offering Covid-19 cover as a basic benefit, it is natural to ask the question – does travel insurance cover hotel quarantine? Let’s find out all the quarantine-related benefits that you will be offered with your policy.

Does Travel Insurance Cover Hotel Quarantine?

Travel insurance, even with the Covid-19 cover, does not cover the costs of your hotel stay if you have to go through mandatory quarantine. Whether it is the post-arrival quarantine or the quintessential one after you are infected. Travel covid insurance will cover the costs of the medical treatment that you receive after being infected. This includes hospitalization, treatment costs, and other related services. If you are simply required to isolate yourself in a hotel for the basic 14-day or longer duration, you will have to bear the expenses yourself.

Even if hotel quarantine is not covered by your travel insurance in UAE, there are other related benefits that you will get from your plan. Travel insurance plans would offer reimbursement in two forms depending on the situation you are facing after getting infected with the Covid-19 virus. Given below is a rundown for them both:

Travel Delay Cover: If you are infected with the Covid-19 virus and have to extend your trip due to the mandatory hotel quarantine, the travel insurance will cover the cost of the accommodation and the meals for you. But it only applies if you have to extend your previously planned travel dates which are available with travel insurance companies. The extension of the policy will also have a time limitation on it. For example, most travel insurance providers only offer travel delay benefits for an extension of seven days.
Trip Interruption Cover: If your trip and pre-planned activities have been interrupted due to the quarantine, your travel insurance online will reimburse these expenses for you. These activities would only include the non-refundable pre-booked activities and other similar things. If you get any kind of part of the refund, the insurance company will subtract that amount from the reimbursement sum.

Basic Coverage Scope of International Travel Insurance

Apart from the aforementioned quarantine-related benefits, your travel insurance will cover many other aspects related to your trip. Following is a quick checklist for you to get a basic idea of the same:

Emergency medical expenses including evacuation, repatriation, and dental treatment costs
Repatriation of the mortal remains of the insured
Personal liability expenses
Trip cancellation and curtailment cover
Trip delay cover
Flight and baggage delay cover
Baggage loss and personal money loss cover
Legal suits and fees
Personal accident cover (in most plans)

How Can I Claim Hotel Quarantine as a Benefit?

Reimbursement is the only way to get your travel insurance online claims related to hotel quarantine settled. Simply contact your insurance provider right when you are tested positive for the virus and inform them about the situation at hand. While you are under quarantine, the insurance company will create a claim request for you. Once you are out of the mandatory quarantine and have the final list of all the lost deposits, refund certificates you got from agencies and other documents, submit a claim request with the insurance company. You will be required to fill out the reimbursement claim form for the trip delay and/or trip interruption benefit. Attach it with the required list of documents. Following are the documents you would need here:

The positive report of your Covid-19 tests and proof of the quarantine. Make sure that the dates are mentioned clearly.
Documents showing your pre-bookings for the activities, shows, and other things that you missed due to the quarantine.
Documents mentioning your quarantine dates in case you are reimbursing for trip delay benefit.
Documents for any refund you may have received from the travel agency – part or full.

Once you have this set read with you, combine it with the reimbursement form, and submit it. Depending on the channels available with your provider, you can submit this request both online and offline. If you have travel insurance online exclusively, you will have to submit it online. Use the claim portal on the company website or send an email. If you like, you can courier the package with claim documents to the claim settlement office of your provider or submit it in person.

The Final Word

Travel insurance UAE has come a long way to make sure that all unexpected expenses and losses you face during your travels are met ideally. As long you have studied the policy wordings of your travel insurance online or offline, you can easily figure out what will be covered in case of an unannounced covid infection. That way, you will be able to plan your trip more efficiently. Just make sure that you buy your travel insurance online after careful consideration of all the important factors and through comparison. You can also take assistance from our financial experts at PolicyBazaar UAE. Compare and buy the best for you and your loved ones.