Only 22 out of 132 policies in our travel insurance comparison cover insolvency of an airline
No policies in our travel insurance comparison cover insolvency of a travel agent
If your travel insurance won’t cover you, you’ll need to process a credit card chargeback
Travel bans introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus have brought travel to a standstill across the globe.
This is having a devastating impact on the travel industry. This may mean you're worried about losing any bookings or credit you have with the airline.
If you've paid money to an airline or travel provider that becomes insolvent, can you get your money back?
Does travel insurance cover airline insolvency?
Most travel insurers exclude cover if your airline or travel providers, such as hotels and cruise lines, become insolvent.
In our travel insurance comparison, only 22 out of 132 policies cover insolvency of a travel provider. The cover is usually limited to between $1,000 and $10,000.
Does travel insurance cover travel agent insolvency?
None of the insurers that we review cover insolvency of a travel agent and we're not currently aware of any insurers that do. If you know of an insurer that does cover travel agent insolvency, let us know in CHOICE Community.
Otherwise, see our advice below.
Travel providers are companies such as airlines, cruise lines, accommodation and tour providers. Travel agents include online booking sites.
Claims are assessed on a case-by-case basis, so check with your travel insurer for up-to-date advice.
The cover listed is for that brand's international comprehensive policies as of 6 March. Basic policies may exclude cover or have lower limits.
Brand (underwriter)
Travel provider insolvency
Travel agent insolvency
1300 Insurance (Allianz)
No
No
1Cover (Lloyds)
No
No
AAMI (AAI)
No
No
AHM (Zurich)
No
No
AIG (AIG)
10,000
No
Allianz (Allianz)
No
No
American Express (Chubb)
No
No
Apia (AAI)
No
No
Australia Post (Zurich)
No
No
Australian Seniors (Hollard)
No
No
Boomers Insurance (Allianz)
No
No
Budget Direct (Auto & General)
No
No
Bupa (CGU)
2,500
No
CGU (CGU)
2,500
No
Columbus Direct (Lloyds)
No
No
Cover-More (Zurich)
No
No
Defence Health (Allianz)
10,000
No
Fast Cover (Hollard)
No
No
Flight Centre (Zurich)
No
No
GIO (AAI)
No
No
Go Insurance (Lloyds)
1,500
No
Good2Go (AIG)
10,000
No
HBF (CGU)
2,500
No
HIF (Zurich)
No
No
Huddle (Hollard)
No
No
ING (Auto & General)
No
No
Insure4less (Berkshire Hathaway)
5,000
No
InsureandGo (Mitsui Sumitomo)
1,000
No
itrek (Lloyds)
No
No
Jetstar (AIG)
No
No
Kogan (Hollard)
No
No
Medibank (Zurich)
No
No
MyCover (Allianz)
No
No
NRMA (Zurich)
No
No
Online Travel Insurance (Allianz)
No
No
Ozicare (Auto & General)
No
No
People's Choice Credit Union (CGU)
2,500
No
RACV (Tokio Marine)
10,000
No
Real Insurance (Hollard)
No
No
Real Insurance (Hollard)
No
No
SCTI (SCTI)
No
No
Ski-Insurance (Lloyds)
No
No
Suncorp (AAI)
No
No
Tick Travel (Mitsui Sumitomo)
1,000
No
Tilda (Lloyds)
No
No
Travel Insurance Direct (XL Insurance)
No
No
Travel Insurance Saver (Lloyds)
10,000
No
Travel Insuranz (Berkshire Hathaway)
5,000
No
Travel with Jane (Lloyds)
No
No
Travel with Kit (Lloyds)
No
No
TravelCard (Hollard)
1,000
No
Virgin Australia (Zurich)
No
No
Virgin Money (Allianz)
No
No
Webjet (Allianz)
10,000
No
Woolworths (Hollard)
No
No
World Nomads (XL Insurance)
No
No
World2Cover (Tokio Marine)
10,000
No
Worldcare (Allianz)
No
No
Zoom (Lloyds)
No
No
How to get your money back if your airline or travel agent goes broke
Visa/Mastercard
If you don't have travel insurance, or your policy doesn't cover insolvency, then you may need to process a credit card chargeback. If you paid by credit card or Visa or Mastercard debit card, then you may be eligible for a chargeback.
You'll need to check the conditions with your card provider. There is usually a time limit for processing a chargeback, depending on how long ago you paid for the service. See our advice on credit card chargebacks for more information.
PayPal
If you paid using PayPal, you may also be able to get your money back with PayPal buyer protection.
If none of these options work for you, then you'll need to register with the company's external administrator, where you'll likely join the queue of unsecured creditors with other consumers.
