Frequently Asked Questions

Your insurance premium is calculated on several factors including where you're travelling to, how long you're going for, how long in advance you purchase your policy, who you are travelling with, and what activities you'll do on holiday. We've created a handy document which you can see by clicking here which explains why we consider these factors. It also explains what external factors cause insurance premiums to increase on an annual basis and how we ensure our policies offer fair value.

Both the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and independent sources (for example MoneySavingExpert) advise you to purchase your travel insurance as soon as you book, however, the further in advance you book, the higher your premium, why is this?

We've created a handy document which you can see by clicking here which explains why this is the case, it includes a few examples to showcase how this works, why it's important and how buying your policy last minute can end up costing you even more, or worse, leave you uninsured.

Outbacker policies do not provide cover if you have a pre-existing medical condition. If you have a pre-existing medical condition(s) and are looking for cover our sister brand, CoverForYou, offers cover for backpackers who have pre-existing medical conditions, to learn more click here.

If they can't offer you cover for your condition(s), or if they've had to charge you a significant additional premium due to your condition(s) they will introduce you to Money Helper Travel insurance directory. The Money & Pensions Service has introduced this service to help those with significant pre-existing medical conditions find affordable cover.

You can access the Money Helper Travel insurance directory by clicking here or by calling 0800 138 7777 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm).

There is no cover under our policies if you fail to obtain required travel documents such as a visa or passport. We therefore recommend you apply in plenty of time as applications can take months. Please note that if you purchase your insurance to apply for a visa and your visa is rejected, our normal cancellation terms apply click here for more information.

Visa Documentation

When you purchase a policy we will provide you a certificate of insurance as standard which most countries will accept. Some countries however require a confirmation of the medical cover included under the policy in either US Dollars or Euros, we therefore also provide a Cover Confirmation Letter for Visas which you can download from your customer zone after purchase with all policies.

As our policies are designed for trips starting and ending in the U.K. cover is based on the assumption that you have booked your return trip before you travel. If you haven’t then this won’t impact your cover, however you should be aware of the following:

• In the event that you make a claim that requires us to arrange a replacement flight we cover the cost of the fees to rearrange your existing flight, if you don’t have one we’ll deduct the cost of an economy class flight from your claim.
• Your policy does not cover any claim where you knew or should reasonably have known of an event leading to the claim at the point you book a trip under the policy. For example if you book your return flight a few days before returning home and it is impacted by strike action that had been declared prior to you booking the flight you’ll have no cover for the associated trip disruption.

Policies issued on or after 18th October 2023

There is no cover under our policies where the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against travel. You can view the current advice by clicking here.

Please Note: If you are travelling to multiple destinations under your policy you must check the FCDO advice before each leg of your trip. If you are travelling for non-essential travel and move from a country without advice in place to a country for which 'all but essential' travel advice is in place there will be no cover under your policy, even if the country would be otherwise covered.

My policy was issued prior to 18th October 2023

As standard all our travel insurance policies cover cancellation of a trip if your outbound flight, departing from the United Kingdom, is cancelled and no suitable alternative public transport is provided within 24 hours of the scheduled time of departure.

If you need to make a claim under your policy, you should contact your travel provider for reimbursement in the first instance. If they do not refund your unused expenses, you can submit a claim online by accessing your Customer Zone from your welcome e-mail.

All cover will be subject to all other terms and conditions of your policy. Should your flight be cancelled by the airline, they are legally responsible to either provide you an alternative flight or full refund. They are also liable to provide overnight accommodation until the alternative flight becomes available. Since the EU 261 regulation was passed in 2004, passengers have been protected against severe flight disruption. The legislation confirms that long delays, cancellations, missed connections and flight re-bookings cause great inconvenience to the passenger, and as such affected passengers should be compensated.

Please note that similar protection exists where your travel is via pre-booked ferry or train and the same process should be followed.

You should contact your travel provider in the first instance, as they should offer a suitable alternative public transport so you can continue your trip.

If your flight is delayed for more than 12 hours, all of our policies offer a delayed departure benefit. This is designed to help you pay for telephone calls, meals and refreshments purchased during the delay.

We can also cover your reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses so you can continue your trip. We will only cover costs to the standard of your original booking and that cannot be claim back from your travel provider.

Please note if you booked a package trip, your additional transport and accommodation expenses will be arranged by your travel provider. We will not be able to refund any additional costs if you booked a package holiday, except for the delayed benefit.

All cover will be subject to all other terms and conditions of your policy. Should your flight be cancelled by the airline, they are legally responsible to either provide you an alternative flight or full refund. They are also liable to provide overnight accommodation until the alternative flight becomes available. Since the EU 261 regulation was passed in 2004, passengers have been protected against severe flight disruption. The legislation confirms that long delays, cancellations, missed connections and flight re-bookings cause great inconvenience to the passenger, and as such affected passengers should be compensated.

If you need to make a claim under your policy, you should contact your travel provider for reimbursement in the first instance. If they do not refund your additional expenses, you can submit a claim online by accessing your Customer Zone from your welcome e-mail.

Please note that similar protection exists where your travel is via pre-booked ferry or train and the same process should be followed.

Our policies cover the driving of motorised vehicles (excluding Quad bikes) for which you are licensed to drive in the UK (other than in races, motor rallies off road or competitions). Please note there is no cover under Section 5 (Personal liability) while driving a motorised vehicle.

For cover to be valid you'll need to

• Be wearing a helmet if driving a motorbike, moped, scooter or assisted bicycle.
• Be wearing a seatbelt when travelling in a motorised vehicle where a seatbelt is available for use.

You should be aware of the following:

• You'll need to hold a full licence. A provisional licence or a CBT won't be accepted outside the UK.
• Just because you're entitled to drive a vehicle in the UK does not mean you'll be able to do so in another country as their minimum age or licencing requirements may vary.
• Many rental companies have minimum age limits for rental, in particular it is common in many countries that you'll be unable to rent or charged a surcharge if you're aged under 25.
• If you are driving a car that isn’t a rental (for example a car you own or the car of a friend) please be aware that this policy does not constitute motor insurance. You’ll need to ensure the vehicle you drive is properly insured, maintained and where relevant has the equivalent of a valid MOT.
• Some countries and rental companies require you to have held your licence for a minimum number of years to be valid to rent a vehicle.
• Many countries accept a UK driving licence without further documentation, some however require you to have an international driving permit (IDP), see https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit for more details.
• Some countries will require you to provide a licence ‘check code’, see https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence for more details.
• It's important you understand the rules of the country you are intending to drive in, they can vary significantly and sometimes the rules aren't ones that you'd guess. For example did you know it's illegal to drive in flip flops in France and Spain or without a shirt in Thailand, legal to turn right on a red light in the USA and Canada and illegal to eat or drink anything while driving in Cyprus!

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you hold the right licence, meet the rental requirements and abide by road rules when driving abroad. There is no cover under our policy if you're unable to hire a vehicle.

Any policy sold by Outbacker includes cover for any medical claim due to Covid. We include cover for cancellation due to you falling ill with Covid and being unable to travel or being required to self isolate, subject to medical certification or an official test result. We additionally include cover for curtailment due to the death of a close relative due to Covid.

Click here to view common scenarios and the cover available under your policy on our dedicated Covid Page.

Unless your destination requires a COVID test then you have no obligation to take one prior to travel under our policy. If your destination does require a test or you wish to take one as you feel unwell we would generally recommend using a private test as noted below as this will include a standardised Fit (or unfit) to Fly Travel certificate. As standard the following options are available to you to prove you have tested positive

• A private test from a provider that provides a Travel certificate, for example* https://lloydspharmacy.com/pages/covid-test-for-travel
• Any other written confirmation of a positive COVID test from a relevant source for example a pharmacy, doctors surgery or hospital.

* Please note this is not an endorsement of this particular provider, we use this as an example as they are a high street provider in the UK.

No. Our policies do not cover the cost of COVID tests either prior to, during, or post your travel.

Note: Our claims team will assess costs for COVID tests required by a doctor or hospital as part of a valid claim for emergency medical assistance on a case by case basis. Claims for COVID tests for any other reason (for example pre-departure, in hotel/venue or post arrival tests) will not be covered.

If you purchased your policy prior to 1st January 2024 you will be able to download a confirmation of COVID cover document from your Customer Zone.

For policies purchased on or after 1st January 2024, we no longer issue a separate confirmation of COVID cover as we are not aware of any country continuing to require this document. If your destination requires proof of insurance your certificate of insurance should be provided. If you'd like to review the cover under the policy you can click here.

We are able to change your cover dates subject to some terms and conditions. The options available to you depend on how long it has been since your original intended travel date.

You can move your policy at no cost, provided your new travel start date is within two months of your original start date on a like-for-like basis subject to our disclaimer. In many cases, once you have changed your date, you will still be able to make other mid-term adjustments, such as extending cover duration or upgrading your area of cover. To make these changes, please enter your Customer Zone and click 'Change my Travel Dates'. For security, you'll need to enter your postcode to verify your identity.

If you wish to move your policy to a date more than two months from your original start date. An additional premium may apply. You can access your customer zone to update your dates. If you wish to change the dates outside of one year, we may be able to do so subject to certain terms and conditions. Please contact our customer services team for further information.

If your return transport (flight, train, ferry etc) to the UK is cancelled while you are abroad your policy will automatically extend, providing you accept any alternative offered and do not intentionally delay your return.

If your provider does not offer you an alternative we would expect any alternative return transport you book to take place either later the same day or the next day unless you can prove that no alternative option was available within this period and that you took the first available option.

If you chose to extend your trip due to the cancellation of your return transport (intentionally delay your return) your policy will not automatically extend, we may be able to extend your policy duration for an additional premium. In most cases you will be able to do this online via your Customer Zone.

Claim for curtailment of your travels
If you have had to return home to the UK early you may be able to make a claim for curtailment under you policy. Please note that prior to attempting a claim you must in all cases attempt to obtain a refund for any pre-booked accommodation, travel or other services. For more information on how to make a claim please see section "How do I make a claim?".

You can cancel your policy through the customer zone using the process outlined below, the amount we will refund depends on how long you have had your policy. You will not be able to cancel your policy if you have made a claim. Terms and Conditions apply.

How to Cancel Your Policy:

1. Access your Customer Zone
2. Click "Edit Your Policy"
3. Click "Cancel Policy"
4. Confirm you have not made nor do you intend to make a claim under this policy

How much we will refund:
Prior to start date:

• Within 14 days: 100%
• Between 14 and 30 days after purchase: 70%
• Between 31 and 60 days after purchase: 60%
• Between 61 and 365 days after purchase: 50%

After the start date:

You can only cancel your policy after the start date if you haven't made a claim under your policy. We'll calculate your refund as follows:

First, we'll deduct the following percentages based on the time you were on cancellation risk (the amount of time you held the policy before your start date):

• Less than a month: 30%
• More than a month: 50%

Second, we'll provide a pro-rata refund for the full months you have left on the policy.

For example, if you purchased two weeks before your start date and have half of your policy left, you'll receive a refund of 35% of the cost of your policy.

Please note, any sports or activities you've paid for by the day or week, where the date of cover has already passed will be excluded from the above calculations as the cover has already been used.

The quickest way to make a claim is online. Please be aware that in all cases you should attempt to obtain a refund or voucher from your travel provider prior to making a claim. If you are concerned about the requirement to notify us as soon as possible of a loss please be assured that you do not need to make a claim until such point as your travel provider has formally in writing denied your request.

Make a claim online: Enter your Customer Zone and click 'Make a Claim', please note for your security you will need to enter your post code to verify your identity.

For more information, or if you need to make a claim for a Medical or other Emergency, or for Gadget Cover please view our claims page for more information.

In most instances you should expect the claims team to review your claim within 2 to 4 weeks though it can sometimes take a little longer. If your claim has taken longer than 6 weeks please contact us so we can investigate the reason for the delay.

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