Our community of female travellers has really taken to Airbnb, mostly because we love to ‘live like a local’. But should something go wrong, is Airbnb covered by travel insurance?
While Airbnb has been around a good 16 years now, country-specific rules and regulations are still playing catch-up. This has created many a grey area, and in some cases, legal complications. So if you’re a regular Airbnb-er, you’ve probably wondered how travel insurance views the whole setup, and whether your claims would be covered?
Accommodation claims
Wondering if travel insurance will pay an Airbnb claim? Fortunately, the answer is yes. Travel insurance covers you in an Airbnb property in the same way it covers a traditional hotel. So you’re covered for medical emergencies, trip cancellations, personal belongings and legal liability – provided you took good care of your belongings and acted responsibly.
Travel cancellations
As Airbnb is considered pre-booked accommodation, Travel with Jane covers the value of the unused dates if you suddenly need to cancel a trip, like becoming too ill to travel or being made redundant.
And if you need to make an emergency trip back home that cuts your Airbnb stay short? Policies with cancellation cover can take care of recovering your costs too. With Jane, that would be our Basic, Comprehensive and Domestic plans, and not our Saver plan. See here for more on trip cancellation cover.
TIP Remember to always buy travel insurance before you book your accommodation and flights, so that you’re covered for changes you need to make before your trip start.
Lost or stolen personal belongings
When it comes to Airbnb claims for lost, stolen or damaged luggage, you’re covered if you’ve booked out the whole house.
If you’ve only booked a private room, then the house is considered to be a ‘public place’ that you’re sharing with other people. Therefore, your luggage and belongings will now need to be inside your locked room for cover to apply. See here for more on personal belongings cover.
Medical emergencies
Booked into the Airbnb of your dreams? Say you seriously hurt yourself walking into a glass sliding door, or falling down a staircase? Your Airbnb-related medical bills will be covered by travel insurance too.
Claim from Airbnb first
In all cases, you’ll first need to claim from Airbnb, which offers insurance to cover the host’s property for public liability as well as specific damages within the property by the guest. We step in when accommodation providers including Airbnb, hotels and hostels, are unable to pay, or pay only a portion of your claim.
The coronavirus has affected every aspect of global travel. For Aussie travellers, there’s a range of ways that the outbreak could affect your upcoming travel plans. But will your travel insurance cover you?
As the Australian Government’s travel advice for China has been upgraded to ‘Do not travel‘, you may want to cancel an upcoming trip to China, or cancel a portion of your trip including flights, tours and accommodation. You may even need to cancel or rebook air travel or other arrangements due to being quarantined or instructed to self-isolate. Or worse still, you might need to claim medical costs due to being treated for coronavirus (COVID-19) Here’s how the coronavirus impacts Travel with Jane claims.
You’re probably wondering if a travel insurance claim would cover these, and similar scenarios related to the outbreak? The short answer is that a travel insurance claim related to a natural disaster or major global event depends completely on the date on which your policy was bought.
Remember, travel insurance is there to cover unforeseen events, emergencies, mishaps and accidents, so your eligibility to claim depends on whether you knew about the virus or not.
Insurers need to draw a line in the sand, and 20 January has been determined as the date by when Australian’s should have been sufficiently aware of the epidemic.
Do you cover coronavirus cancellations?
Yes, if…
You’re covered if you purchased prior to 19 Jan 2020. If your travel insurance was purchased prior to 19 January, then yes, your travel insurance policy will cover cancellation claims related to Coronavirus, up to your plan’s limits*. This could include assisting you with flight cancellation costs, tour cancellation costs, and accommodation cancellations costs. We only cover cancellations if the destinations you are travelling to have been assigned a ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory warning by the Australian Government at Smartraveller.gov.au. We do not cover cancellation for change or mind or fear.
*Cancellation cover is only available on Basic, Comprehensive and Domestic policies.
No, because…
You’re not covered if you purchased after 20 Jan 2020. If you purchased travel insurance after 20 January 2020 you will not be covered for any cancellation claims related to coronavirus. This is due to the fact that as of 20 January, the virus outbreak was widely publicised, and health and travel authorities had advised that travellers take all necessary precautions. Customers purchasing travel insurance post 20 January do so in the knowledge that travel may be impacted by Coronavirus.
Can I cancel my trip if I or one of the travellers on the policy becomes ill with the coronavirus before we leave Australia?
Yes…
You’re covered. Regardless of when you purchased your travel insurance policy, cancellation cover is available if you need to cancel due to the unforeseeable death or illness due to coronavirus of your relative, business associate or travelling companion who is resident in Australia and who is in Australia at the time the event occurs. Limits apply*.
Alternatively we may cover the cost of rescheduling your trip prior to departure provided the cost of rescheduling does not exceed the cost of cancellation. This benefit can only be claimed once per policy per insured person.
*Cancellation cover is only available on Basic, Comprehensive and Domestic policies.
What happens if I contract coronavirus while I’m overseas? Am I covered?
Yes, if…
You’re covered. If your travel insurance was purchased prior to 19 January and you have followed all advice from the government or any other official body and you become sick for any reason while you are away, including due to coronavirus, your medical treatment or hospitalisation is covered under our overseas medical and hospital benefit. This benefit is available on all plans.
No, because…
You’re not covered. If your travel insurance was purchased after 20 January and you become sick due to the coronavirus your medical treatment is not covered, nor are the costs for any changes to your travel plans due to becoming ill with this virus. This is due to the fact that as of 20 January, the virus outbreak was widely publicised, and health and travel authorities had advised that travellers take all necessary precautions. Customers purchasing travel insurance post 20 January do so in the knowledge that travel may be impacted by coronavirus.
What happens if I need to be repatriated home due to the Coronavirus?
Yes, if…
You’re covered. If your travel insurance was purchased prior to 19 January, and you have followed all advice from the government or any other official body and you need emergency transport back home to Australia, due to becoming ill with coronavirus, we can arrange and cover your journey home.
This cover is available under our emergency medical transport & repatriation benefit, offered on Basic and Comprehensive plans only.
No, because…
You’re not covered. If your travel insurance was purchased after 20 January, and you need emergency transport back home to Australia, due to becoming ill with coronavirus, we cannot cover your journey home. This is due to the fact that as of 20 January, the virus outbreak was widely publicised, and health and travel authorities had advised that travellers take all necessary precautions. Customers purchasing travel insurance post 20 January do so in the knowledge that travel may be impacted by coronavirus.
What will happen if I get quarantined in a country for 14 days or I need to self-isolate and I have to miss flight and tours? Can I claim?
Yes, if…
You’re covered. If your travel insurance was purchased prior to 19 January, and you need to cancel flights or bookings due to being quarantined, cancellation cover is available on Basic, Comprehensive and Domestic policies.
No, because…
You’re not covered. If your travel insurance was purchased after 20 January, and you need to cancel flights or bookings due to being quarantined, cancellation cover is not available. This is due to the fact that as of 20 January, the virus outbreak was widely publicised, and health and travel authorities had advised that travellers take all necessary precautions. Customers purchasing travel insurance post 20 January do so in the knowledge that travel may be impacted by coronavirus.
I am transiting through Hong Kong. What happens if the country I am travelling to won’t allow inbound flights from Hong Kong? Can I claim?
If you are travelling via Hong Kong to another country there may be specific bans and procedures in place. The following countries have banned all flights from Hong Kong:
- Italy suspended all flights from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan until 28 April 2020.
- The Philippines widened a travel ban previously imposed on visitors from Hubei province to include all of China, Hong Kong and Macau.
The Hong Kong Government has also stated that commercial services such as cross-border transport (including flights, trains, ferries and buses) within mainland China may be unavailable or limited.
For all other countries please check with your travel provider and follow the advice of local authorities.
If you are booking a trip today and including flights via China, HK or Macau you should not expect cover. Airlines might be selling fares transiting through HK today but there’s a real chance this will change in the coming weeks and airlines won’t be able to transit through these destinations and it wouldn’t be unexpected. If you’re booking a trip today for travel in the next 2 months you should be transiting through an alternate part of the world, i.e. UAE.
Yes, if…
You’re covered. If your travel arrangements and your travel insurance was purchased prior to 19 January and a portion of your journey is impacted by travel bans related to coronavirus, cancellation cover is available on Basic and Comprehensive policies.
No, because…
You’re not covered. If your travel insurance was purchased after 20 January, and a portion of your journey is impacted by travel bans related to coronavirus, cancellation cover not available. This is due to the fact that as of 20 January, the virus outbreak was widely publicised, and health and travel authorities had advised that travellers take all necessary precautions. Customers purchasing travel insurance post 20 January do so in the knowledge that travel may be impacted by coronavirus.
What are some of the measures in place in some Airports to combat the spread of Coronavirus and how may these affect my travel?
- You may undergo temperature screening at all border control points
- Passengers with fevers may not be allowed to board their flight
- You may have to undergo further medical examination if you are suspected to be infected. You may be taken to an appropriate healthcare facility and kept in isolation.
- Some airports have a health questionnaire that travellers need to fill prior to check-in and arrival
If you still have questions about the coronavirus please contact our customer support team.
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Has your mobile phone gone missing? Whether it was lost or stolen, travel insurance can help recoup some of the costs. But we’ll need to know your IMEI number first.
When it comes to claiming for a lost, stolen or damaged mobile phone, tablet or sim-enabled device, the success of your claim depends on you being able to supply the IMEI number for your phone.
You will also need to have blocked the IMEI number with your Australian telecommunication provider in order to be eligible to claim. And, you’ll need to provide your lost or stolen phone’s IMEI code with your claim.
FYI, blocking your IMEI is different to blocking your SIM.
What is an IMEI number?
Every mobile phone or mobile broadband device has a unique 15 digit code, called an IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity).
Where can I find my IMEI number?
You can find your IMEI in the following ways:
- by entering *#06# on your phone’s call screen.
- Searching within your phone’s settings
- Look to see if it’s printed either on the back of your device, or underneath your device’s battery
How can I contact my mobile phone provider?
Your provider should be contactable during business hours. Click on the links to reach the contact details of a few of Australia’s main mobile phone companies.
Mobile phone claim tips
Once your IMEI has been blocked by your mobile phone provider, you’ll need to tick a few more boxes before you can claim from travel insurance.
- Report the theft or permanent misplacement to police, a transport carrier or travel operator, within 24 hours. Keep a copy of the police report, you’ll need to submit this with your claim.
- Find receipts, phone contracts or invoices that prove your ownership of the lost phone. As with all insurance claims on belongings, you need to be able to prove that you owned the mobile phone in the first place.
Ready to claim a lost phone?
If your phone or device is stolen or damaged on your trip Travel with Jane will pay to repair or replace up to a total of $2,000 on Basic cover, $10,000 on Comprehensive and Domestic cover levels. This benefit is not available on Saver cover.
The maximum amount Travel with Jane will pay for any item (single item limit) is:
- $3,000 for personal computers, video recorders or cameras;
- $1,000 for mobile phones (including PDA’s and any items with phone capabilities)
- $750 for all other Luggage and Personal Effects.
Remember you can claim online with Travel with Jane.
Want more cover for your mobile?
Is standard cover not enough for you? Add Travel with Jane’s Device add-on to your police. You will have extra cover for up to five devices. That’s up to $5,000 for one device ,and up to a total of $10,000 for up to five devices.