Frequently Asked Questions
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If you, a relative, a member of your household or travelling companion or friend with whom you had arranged to stay with has a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, certified by a medical practitioner, within 14 days of your booked departure, each insured person will be covered for cancellation costs up to the sum shown in the table of benefits.
If you, a relative, a member of your household or travelling companion or friend with whom you had arranged to stay with has a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, certified by a medical practitioner, within 14 days of your booked departure, each insured person will be covered for cancellation costs up to the sum shown in the table of benefits.
If you test positive whilst on holiday you will be covered for emergency medical treatment and repatriation if necessary. You will also be covered for additional travel and accommodation (room only) if you need to extend your stay until you are fit to return to the UK.
You will be covered for emergency medical treatment and repatriation if you contract COVID-19 while abroad.
Your policy may cover you for permitted business travel (see government advice on permitted travel as this is subject to ongoing review and may be different depending on where you live). A business trip can be defined as a journey specifically taken for work purposes and doesn’t include daily commutes, leisure trips or holidays. Please email us at travel.sales@start-travel.uk should you be in any doubt.
Advice from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) with respect to specific countries and regions may refers to “advice against all but essential travel”. The FCDO however does not define what is Essential travel. If the FCDO advises against all travel or non-essential travel to a particular country, island(s) or region, and you decide to travel anyway, this policy will not cover you for any issue that may arise, and any subsequent claim will be rejected. If you believe your travel is essential please email us at travel.sales@start-travel.uk so we can determine if your policy can cover you.
If you do not contact us and travel anyway your policy will not cover you for any peril that may arise, and any subsequent claim under any section of cover in the policy will be rejected.
You are not covered under your insurance policy if national lockdowns or tier restrictions cause you to cancel your trip. If you are due to travel during the period of lockdown then you should seek a refund from the airline, tour operator, travel agency or carrier you booked with.
There is no cover under our insurance policies for costs to quarantine or any other consequential costs such as loss of earnings. From 15th February, the government has implemented a policy where policyholders travelling from certain countries on the red list must quarantine in various hotels arranged by the government. This must be pre-booked before arriving into the UK using the online booking system. Please check the local government requirements where you reside as the advice differs depending on what country you reside in.
Please call our Medical Assistance company as soon as possible on +44 (0)1444 454 540.
They will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and will be able to advise you of the next steps to take and if any costs involved can be authorised. If this is not possible immediately due to the seriousness of the condition, you must contact the Assistance Company as soon as you can after admission to hospital.
If your policy begins with SRT:
Please contact our Claims Department as soon as possible on +44 (0) 1403 788983 or obtain a claim form from www.starttravel.co.uk/claims to obtain a claim form.If your policy begins with STA:
Please contact our Claims Department as soon as possible o 0330 0200 134 or obtain a claim form from www.starttravel.co.uk/claims. We encourage you to submit your claim as soon as possible after the event.If your policy begins with SRT:
This policy does not cover you for any pre-existing medical conditions diagnosed, investigated or treated prior to the trip. If you do require cover for your pre-existing medical conditions, please ring ERV Medi-care on 0333 320 1240 to discuss ugrading your policy to our new roduct range and undertake our Medical Screening process to see if we can cover your pre-existing conditions.
If your policy begins with STA:
Additionally, the Money and Pensions Services (MaPS) have now developed a directory of specialist travel insurance providers who can cater to your needs and requirements. You can contact them for details of these providers here.
Unfortunately, we are only able to cover UK residents and only trips that start and end in the UK.
When you buy a single trip policy, you will be covered for Cancellation as soon as you have paid for it and cover for all policy benefits will commence on the travel date you select. With annual multi-trip policies, you can choose when you would like the policy to start and cover will commence on the date you have selected.
If the policy you have purchased begins with STR:
The policy is available for customers ages 70 years or under at the time of purchase for both annual and single policies.If the policy you have purchased begins with STA and you have purchased our 3, 4 or 5 Star products there is a maximum age limit of 80 for Annual multi-trip policies and no age limit for Single Trip policies.
If the policy you have purchased begins with STA and you have purchased our Essential, Classic or Premier products there is a maximum age limit of 75 for Annual multi-trip policies, 85 for Single Trip policies and 65 for Backpacker policies.Unfortunately, if you have already left for your trip, we are unable to issue a policy to you due to the cover having to start and end in the United Kingdom. If you are already away, we cannot set up a new policy for you.
The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical healthcare or costs such as mountain rescue in ski resorts, being flown back to the UK, or lost or stolen property. Therefore, it is important to have both an EHIC and a valid private travel insurance policy. You may not be able to use the card in some parts of the European Economic Area as state-provided healthcare may not be available.
Please note that travel insurance is not Private Medical Insurance and you should always seek permission from our Medical Assistance company before incurring Private Medical Costs in excess of £500.00 as there may be adequate/superior State Hospital Facilities nearby where you will be treated under the EHIC.
If your policy begins with SRT:
For annual multi-trips, the number of days automatically included is 31 per trip. Single trip durations range from 5 to 185 days depending on the cover period purchased.If your policy begins with STA and you have purchased our 3, 4 or 5 Star product:
For annual multi-trips you are covered up to 62 days per trip under our 3&4 Star policies and up to 92 days under our 5 Star policies. Single trip can be covered up to 183 days.If your policy begins with STA and you have purchased our Essential, Classic or Premier product:
For Annual multi-trips you are covered up to 22 days under our Essential product, 32 days under our Classic product and 45 days under our Premier product. Single Trip can be purchased for trips up to 63 days and Backpacker policies can be purchased for trips u to 543 days.Yes, we strongly recommend that you take your policy documents away with you so that you have the important telephone numbers and details to hand if the worst should occur.
Ideally we recommend you keep a copy of the wording on your smart phone or mobile device for ease of access.
No, unfortunately, the policy does not cover you if you are involved in acts of terrorism or associated circumstances.
If you are travelling once over the next year, it may be better for you to have a single trip policy but if you intend to go on more than one trip, it is likely that it will be better value for you to purchase an annual multi-trip. The cover lasts an entire year, allowing you to simply enjoy your holidays without having to think about travel insurance each time you travel, but please ensure that you travel within the geographical area that applies to the policy you have purchased. With regards to policy type, please check the cover limits carefully to ensure that it suits your requirements.
You are automatically covered for some activities under the policy and refer to your policy wording for our list of covered activities. Please read this carefully as some activities may exclude Personal Accident and Personal Liability cover. If you will be participating in an activity that is not listed, please contact us on +44 (0)333 320 1240. Opening hours are Monday to Friday: 09:00 – 17:30.
There is no cover for winter sports as standard under the policy but you have the option to add this for a small charge. This is available for individuals up to the age of 64 years and duration available will depend on the policy you purchase, details are clearly defined in the winter sports section of your policy wording.
Unfortunately, we are unable to cover you if your flight is delayed or cancelled due to volcanic ash affecting air space.
Yes, you can upgrade your policy to include extra cover such as adding Wintersports but please contact our enquiries team to advise them of this before you travel. We are unable to amend details once you have left for your trip.
Provided that you have not yet travelled and have not claimed under the policy, we are able to cancel your policy and provide you with a full refund within 14 days from when the policy was purchased.
- If your policy begins with SRT email enquiries@starttravel.co.uk.
- If your policy begins with STA email travel.sales@start-travel.uk
Opening hours are Monday to Friday: 09:00 – 17:30.