It will vary by policy, but Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance will generally cover reasons such as:

• the unexpected illness or injury of you and/or a traveling companion that deems you unfit to travel, by order of a licensed physician;
• the hospitalization or death of a family member;
• circumstances beyond your control that result in the cancellation of the public transportation you have paid for to get you to your destination;
• unforeseen natural disasters at home or the destination;
• a legal obligation, such as being called for jury duty or to appear as a witness in court.

It’s entirely up to you. But the investment you make when booking travel arrangements can be significant and you may not be able to cancel your trip without incurring significant cancellation penalties. If you must disrupt your trip and return home prematurely, the costs can be even more severe. It boils down to how much money you are prepared to put at risk, your age, the health of yourself and your immediate family members, and whether you have sufficient coverage elsewhere such as through a credit card. Generally speaking, the more money at risk, the more you should consider purchasing Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance.

The cost of Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance will depend upon a number of factors including your age, health, trip duration, number of people insured, cost of the trip and provincial sales tax. The amount of non-refundable travel expenses you wish to insure is particularly relevant to Trip Cancellation Insurance. In general, you should expect that a combined Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance plan will cost anywhere from 4% to 10% of your total pre-paid, non-refundable trip cost. For example, if you purchased a trip with a total cost of $5,000, the travel insurance policies available to you will likely range in price from $250-$500, depending upon the type of policy and other variables.

Yes, some credit cards provide travel insurance as a benefit, but you need to verify what type of coverage is included, how much protection it provides, and what limitations exist.

For example, some credit cards provide Trip Interruption Insurance, which will qualify you for a refund (up to a maximum amount) should a covered event happen after your departure. Other cards, usually those with a higher annual fee, also provide Trip Cancellation Insurance, which also qualifies you for a refund (up to a maximum amount) should a covered event happen before your departure.

It’s important to verify what the maximum limit is for the travel insurance provided by your credit card so that you can recover most or all of the costs of your cancelled or interrupted trip. In some cases, your card will cover up to $1,500 per covered person, and an overall maximum of $5,000 for all covered persons (those for whom the travel was paid for by the card). If your trip will cost significantly more than this, you should consider purchasing additional Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance.

Many credit cards also have age limits on their Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance which can start at 65 or 70 years of age. And some credit cards do not provide any travel insurance. So it pays to read your credit card insurance booklet and ask questions if you are unsure of your coverage and the conditions you need to meet. In order to be covered, you generally need to charge the entire cost of the trip on the credit card offering these insurance benefits.

A number of banks and credit unions in Canada, including most CAFII member financial institutions, offer Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance to their existing customers. Employees at CAFII member institutions are trained and knowledgeable about the products they sell, and they can be conveniently reached in branches or at call centres. You can find a list of CAFII member institutions at: https://members.cafii.com/index.php/members_voting.