For new bookings of travel abroad, check whether a general travel warning or travel restrictions apply to your travel destination (quarantine after entering from Switzerland / lockdown in accordance with travel warnings of the destination country or quarantine upon return to Switzerland in accordance with the risk list of the FOPH). If this is the case at the time of the new booking, then there is no insurance coverage for this new booking.
In the following cases, the travel cancellation insurance does not bear any of the costs since, in principle, the trip can be taken:
Additional information can be found in the “Questions and answers” section of this page.
The questions and answers provided apply to customers who took out AXA Intertours travel insurance prior to March 13, 2020. Other conditions may apply to more recent contracts.
Many countries require COVID insurance for entry
In most cases, the modules “cancellation cost insurance” and “personal assistance insurance” of AXA travel insurance cover this. With “cancellation cost insurance,” you are insured if you contract the coronavirus before your trip. With “personal assistance insurance,” you are insured if you contract the coronavirus during your trip.
Detailed information on benefits can be found in the insurance conditions. If you need a confirmation of insurance for your trip, you can order one from your advisor.
You benefit from insurance coverage under the following condition: At the time of booking, there were no travel warnings issued by the FOPH/FDFA or entry restrictions for the destination country and there was also no foreseeable indication that travel warnings or restrictions would be in place at the time of departure.
The following also applies as a travel restriction: Quarantine upon arrival or departure, lockdowns of individual destinations, and closures of restaurants, museums, or attractions/popular destinations.
Events that had already occurred or should have been apparent when the insurance contract was taken out or when the trip was booked are not insured.
Did you book a trip, but it is no longer possible or would be subject to severe limitations? If so, please contact your travel agent, hotel, booking platform, etc. first of all to ask about alternative arrangements or refunds. If they won’t reimburse your costs or will only reimburse part of them, please don’t hesitate to notify us using the online form.
Please refer to the website of the FDFA and the FOPH to find out more about the situation currently applicable to your destination. We are keeping a close eye on the coronavirus situation and are on hand to provide our customers with the assistance they need. If you would like to report a canceled trip or an incident, you can do so quickly and easily online.
If you have any questions about travel cancellations or travel incidents, please call us at 0800 809 809.
Limits apply to individual events such as return travel, additional accommodation, or transportation costs, which you can find in your policy or in the General Insurance Conditions (GIC). Cancellations due to the coronavirus will no longer be insured for those taking out our travel insurance from March 13, 2020, unless the policyholder contracts COVID-19 and for this reason cannot depart on their trip or continue it.
Due to the latest travel warnings, new bookings for travel should be avoided whenever possible, see question 1. We cover the costs of travel cancellations in the following cases:
If you yourself become infected with COVID-19 and cannot travel for that reason, you are covered – regardless of when you booked the trip. The same applies for related persons: If, for example, your parents, children, siblings, or partner become infected with the coronavirus and you have to cancel the trip to care for this person, Intertours travel insurance will cover the costs.
You can’t take a trip as you are in quarantine or self-isolation because you had contact with a person who tested positive or received a warning from the SwissCovid app, for example. You are covered in this case as well.
Subject to the conditions set out under question 1, all cancelation costs are covered if the vaccine requirement was not yet in force when you booked and if you can prove that you weren't able to get vaccinated before the date of travel.
If you have already decided not to depart on vacation in the summer or fall, enquire with the organizer, hotel, airline or booking portal whether you can cancel your booking free of charge, get a refund or postpone your trip. A lot of them are also offering vouchers that you can use for a trip at a later date as an alternative. If you can no longer cancel your trip free of charge and do not want a voucher, you bear the cancellation costs at your own risk.
If you didn't take out your travel cancellation insurance until after March 13, 2020, you are not covered for cancellations due to the coronavirus – unless you yourself have contracted the coronavirus and for this reason cannot depart on your trip. In the case of cancellations, we generally recommend first filing a claim for a refund directly from the organizer or airline.
First contact the tour operator that you booked the trip with. If the trip is canceled by the organizer, you as the customer can choose between two options under the terms of the Federal Package Tour Act*:
If a trip is canceled or would have to be canceled by the organizer, the organizer is obligated to refund you your travel costs. A lot of hotels, airlines and booking portals are offering free rebooking or refunds.
If you nevertheless have to pay cancellation costs, please contact your travel insurer. This link takes you directly to our online claims notification:
If we don't need specific documents for your travel cancellation, we will contact you directly when processing your case.
The Federal Package Tours Act stipulates that you can demand a cash payment; see question above. Any legal protection insurance you have will assist you with this refund.
You can still take out travel insurance with AXA if you don't have any yet. You should note, however, that since March 13, 2020, the travel insurance you take out will no longer cover all claims related to the coronavirus or general epidemics. If you become infected with COVID-19 and cannot depart on your trip or have to cut your trip short, you remain covered via your cancellation cost and personal assistance insurance modules. For further information, visit the Intertours travel insurance product page or request a personal consultation.
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