Travel insurance questions and answers

The FCDO currently advises against all but essential travel to Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE. It also advises against all travel to Israel.

We know many customers are dealing with cancellation and changing travel advice. It’s important to check the latest guidance for your travel destination on the foreign travel advice page on GOV.UK. Link opens in a new window

We’ve pulled together some information to help you understand what this means for your travel insurance.

Read impacts of Middle East travel disruption

No two holidays are the same, which is why we offer six different travel insurance products direct from our Virgin Money website or through comparison websites like MoneySuperMarket. That way, you can tailor cover to suit your plans.

The benefits, limits and excesses within your policy are per person, per incident, per trip. Therefore, if you have a Couple, Family or Group policy, the limits and excesses will be for each of person individually.

To make sure our cover is right for you, check our policy wording.

You should make sure that any trip you are planning will be covered by the policy you have selected.

This depends on what you want to be covered for and who you’re travelling with.

You may want to consider how much your holiday has cost and whether you have any pre-existing medical conditions that could potentially need emergency treatment when you’re abroad.

If you’re only planning to travel once in a year, then a single trip policy could be more appropriate. Single trip policies cover you for multiple destinations during one trip. You’ll need make sure you tell us about all the places you want to go when you get a quote.

If you’re planning to go on holiday more than once in a year, then an annual multi-trip policy could be more cost effective and save you having to take out a new policy each time you travel. You’ll also be covered for cancellation from the start date of your annual multi-trip policy, offering you value and peace of mind from the beginning.

Make sure that any trip you are planning will be covered by the policy you have chosen.

Under our insurance, Turkey is not classed as a European destination. You’ll need to choose a worldwide policy to be covered for travel to Turkey.

For single-trip policies, the maximum trip duration is 90 days, unless agreed by us in writing.

For annual multi-trip policies, the maximum duration for any individual trip, unless otherwise shown on your policy schedule, is:

• Red / Economy / Standard - 31 days
• Silver / Premium - 45 days
• Gold - 90 days

Our Red, Silver and Gold policies, offered on our Virgin Money website, provide you with gadget cover as standard. The amount of cover will vary depending on what cover level you purchase (see ‘What do your policies offer’). All benefits are per person, per incident.

If you think you’ll need additional cover for your gadgets, we offer an enhanced gadget add-on, for an extra cost. This allows you to increase your coverage for theft, loss, accidental & malicious damage, up to £3,000 depending on what cover level you choose.

For policies purchased through a comparison website like MoneySuperMarket, for Economy, Standard, Premium products, there is no gadget cover provided as standard. For an extra cost, you can add the enhanced cover to your policy when you get a quote. Enhanced cover provides you with £1,000 of theft, loss, accidental & malicious damage, per person, per incident. This will be shown on your quote and welcome schedule.

We cover travel on a cruise as standard, on both our single-trip and annual multi-trip policies.

For an extra cost, we offer an optional cruise cover add-on that gives cover for specific activities and risks associated with cruise holidays. This covers things like if your cruise misses a scheduled port, if your cruise is interrupted due to insufficient or excess water, if you're confined to your cabin, if excursions are missed, or you are denied boarding.

If you buy a Red, Silver or Gold policy directly through the Virgin Money website, you can find a full list of sports activities covered as standard in the Virgin Money policy wording.

If you buy an Economy, Standard or Premium policy through a comparison website like MoneySuperMarket, you can find a full list of activities covered as standard in the comparison-site policy wording.

If an activity or sport that you want to do is not listed within our policy wording, contact us on Live Chat by logging in to your account, click on the “Chat with us” button and we’ll see if there’s anything we can do.

You won't be covered if you take part in winter sports unless you add this cover to your policy.

For an extra cost, it can help protect you while taking part in winter sports. It covers emergency medical treatment, ski equipment that is delayed, lost, stolen or damaged, piste closure, loss or theft of ski passes and search and rescue costs.

If you add winter sports cover to a Red, Silver or Gold policy bought directly from the Virgin Money website, the full list of covered winter sports activities can be found in the Virgin Money policy wording.

If you add winter sports cover to an Economy, Standard or Premium policy bought through a comparison website, the full list of covered winter sports activities can be found in the comparison site policy wording.

If an activity you want to do is not listed, please contact us on Live Chat by logging in to your account, click on the “Chat with us” button and we’ll see if there’s anything we can do to help.

You’re covered for non-manual paid and voluntary work, including bar work. Our policies do not cover business travel.

You’re covered for bodily injury and illness whilst travelling when pregnant. Please check your transport provider’s guidelines before travelling as they may have restrictions.

There is no cover for medical costs associated with normal pregnancy. This policy is designed to provide cover for unforeseen events, accidents, illnesses and diseases. Normal childbirth would not constitute an unforeseen event.

Any costs arising from your pregnancy or childbirth, if the expected date of delivery is less than 12 weeks after the end of the trip, are excluded.

If you have not already left the UK, a Virgin Money travel insurance policy will provide you with cover as soon as your purchase has been confirmed.

To be clear, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not considered part of the UK.

Yes, our single-trip and annual multi-trip policies cover holidays in the UK.

You’re covered for any trip within the maximum trip length as confirmed in your policy schedule, where you have pre-booked at least two consecutive nights’ accommodation at least 70 miles away from your home.

Travel delay is not covered for any trips within the UK.

The benefits, limits and excesses within your policy are per person, per incident, per trip. This means, if you have a Family or Group policy, the limits and excesses will be for each of you individually.

No, only UK residents who are registered with a UK GP can purchase travel insurance from Virgin Money. You must purchase travel insurance before leaving the UK. If you purchase a policy after leaving the UK there will be no cover and the policy may be void.

To be clear, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not considered part of the UK.

If any of your details change then you will need to contact us as soon as possible to update your policy.

Call us on 0330 175 8283, we’re here to help Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

If your details have changed and you travel without informing us of the changes then we may be unable to honour any claims which arise.

You only need to tell us if you take weight loss medication to treat or manage a medical condition, so the condition itself can be screened.

If you take it for non-medical reasons, you do not need to tell us.

Yes, your valuables are covered as standard with Virgin Money Travel Insurance. What you’re covered for depends on the cover level you choose. The limit for valuables is shown in the table of benefits under the “Special baggage items”, check our three levels of cover.

If you want extra protection for your gadgets, you can add enhanced gadget cover for an extra cost. This increases cover up to £3,000, depending on your level. It includes theft, loss, accidental damage and malicious damage.

To make sure your valuables are covered:

• Keep them with you in public places
• Never leave them unattended
• Store them in a secure safety deposit box or similar safe space at your accommodation

No. We cannot cover you if you have:

• Symptoms you’re waiting to see a doctor about
• Symptoms under investigation
• Symptoms you’re waiting for tests or test results for

Once you know what your condition is, you can use our online medical check to see if we can cover you and if you need to pay more.

If you travel with a medical problem that is not diagnosed, your insurance might not be valid.

Our policies do cover claims for trip cancellation, trip interruption and missed departures caused by catastrophe. This includes earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, avalanches, landslides, droughts or volcanic eruption.

Our family policy covers up to 2 adults and up to 5 children under the age of 18. If your children are 18 years or over, you may want to consider buying a group annual multi-trip policy.

You can travel alone under all our policies if you are 18 years of age or over.

If you buy your policy through the Virgin Money website, we have no upper age limit for single-trip policies. For our annual multi-trip policies, you must be aged 80 or under when the policy starts.

If you buy your insurance through a comparison website like MoneySuperMarket, you must be aged 85 or under for single-trip policies, or 75 or under for annual multi-trip policies.

Children aged 17 or under must travel with an adult over the age of 18 named on the insurance policy for the duration of the trip.

Our cover for Covid is included with all policies at no extra charge. This includes cover for trip cancellation, trip interruption, missed departure and emergency medical treatment.

Covid is treated just like any other medical condition.

If you have not received an email from us with instructions on how to register and view your policy documents, please email us and we’ll email these to you within 1 working day.

Please note, for data protection reasons, we can only send the documents to the email address given when you bought the policy.

To cancel your policy, contact us via Live Chat by logging in to your account and then click on the “Chat with us” button, or email us to request cancellation.

If you cancel within 14 days of receiving your policy documents and you have not started your trip, made or intend to make a claim, we’ll give you a full refund.

For data protection reasons, we can only cancel a policy if the request comes from the same email address given when you bought the policy.

If you want to change any of your personal details, please contact us via Live Chat by logging in to your account and clicking on “Chat with us”.

If you want to make a change to your policy cover including changing your dates or extending your trip, please contact our Customer Services Team on 0330 175 8283, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, excluding Bank Holidays. Please note, any change to your policy may result in a change in cost.

We work hard to treat our customers fairly and make sure our policies are easy to understand. But if we or our insurers make a mistake, we want to hear about it.

If you have a complaint, please contact:

If you are not happy with our final response, or if more than eight weeks have passed since we received your original complaint, you can take your complaint to the UK Financial Ombudsman Service for an independent review. This won’t stop you from being able to take legal action.

You must approach the Financial Ombudsman Service within six months of getting our final response to your complaint. We will remind you of the time limits in the final response.

Post: The Financial Ombudsman Service Exchange Tower London E14 9SR

Phone: 0300 123 9 123 or 0800 023 4567

Fax: 020 7964 1001

Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

When an airline cancels a flight, you are entitled to certain refunds and compensation from the airline.

Before you contact us to make a claim about flight cancellations, we ask that you first contact your airline, tour operator or package holiday organiser.

If you are unable to get a refund or compensation from any of the above companies and you paid for your trip with a credit card, you may also be able to recover your costs through section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act or via a 'chargeback claim'.

If something doesn’t go to plan during your trip, help is just a phone call away:

If you need emergency medical assistance or need to cut your trip short, call +44 (0) 20 8603 9157. We’re here to help, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

If you need to make a travel insurance claim, call +44 (0) 20 8603 9141. We’re here from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

If you need to make a gadget cover claim, call 0330 175 7850. We’re here from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Our helpful how to make a claim guide has everything you need to know.

If you need to make a claim you should contact your travel agent, tour operator, airline, accommodation, or credit card provider for a refund in the first instance.

Our helpful how to make a claim guide has everything you need to know.

Alternatively, you can call our claims team Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, on +44 (0) 20 8603 9141

You’re covered under Travel Delay - Missed Departures & Connections if your flight is delayed because of:

• a delay caused by a travel carrier
• strike
• being placed in quarantine
• a natural disaster
• lost or stolen travel documents
• hijacking
• civil disorder
• a traffic accident
• being denied boarding due to suspicion you have a contagious medical condition

We will reimburse you, less available refunds, for necessary additional transportation and accommodation expenses for you to reach your destination or return to your home.

The amount you can claim depends on your level of cover. For full details, check our policy wording Link opens in a new window.

You’re covered under Travel Delay – Missed Departures & Connections if you miss your flight because of:

• a delay caused by a travel carrier
• strike
• being placed in quarantine
• a natural disaster
• lost or stolen travel documents
• hijacking
• civil disorder
• a traffic accident
• being denied boarding due to suspicion you have a contagious medical condition

We will reimburse you, less available refunds, for necessary additional transportation and accommodation expenses for you to reach your destination or return to your home.

The amount you can claim depends on your level of cover. For full details, check our policy wording Link opens in a new window.

From 12 October 2025, the EU has gradually introduced a new Entry / Exit System (EES), which is a new digital border system that changes the requirements for non-EU residents travelling to the Schengen area. EES registration will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU.

If you’re travelling to a country in the Schengen area using a UK passport, you’ll be required to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints or photo when you arrive. You do not need to do anything before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration.

The countries in the Schengen area are:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not within the Schengen area, and therefore EES is not needed when travelling to either of these countries.

More info on the new EU Entry / Exit System Link opens in a new window

It is possible that there may be delays at your arrival port or airport and this may impact ongoing transport links to reach other destinations you’re travelling to.

Whilst EES registration will typically be completed at the point of arrival, at some ports and international stations (Dover, Eurotunnel and St Pancras), there may be increased wait times while EES registration is completed before passengers are allowed to leave the UK. If you are travelling through these ports, you should allow extra time and check with your travel operator to find out whether EES will affect your journey.

There is no cover under your policy if you have not left enough time to travel to and register at the international departure point. There is also no cover if you refuse to give your details or register with EES.