Not upheld: Travel / life insurance claim disputes complaint against Inter Partner Assistance SA

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs J complained that IPA unfairly declined her travel insurance claim for a cancelled holiday due to ill-health. She had taken out the policy in July 2024 for an August 2025 trip but cancelled in November 2024 due to a prolapsed disc requiring spinal surgery. She declared the medical condition to IPA in December 2024, after already cancelling the holiday. The ombudsman found that the policy explicitly excludes pre-existing medical conditions from cancellation cover unless declared and agreed in writing beforehand, and that Mrs J's declaration came after she knew she needed to cancel. The complaint was not upheld as IPA acted fairly and in accordance with the policy terms.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the fundamental principle that insurance covers unforeseen events and that insurers set out agreed areas of cover in policy terms. The policy explicitly excludes pre-existing medical conditions from cancellation cover unless declared and agreed in writing. Mrs J only declared her condition after she had already cancelled the holiday in November 2024, meaning she knew of the need to claim before making the declaration. The ombudsman found that the policy terms clearly state circumstances known before purchase or booking that could reasonably lead to cancellation are not covered, and this applied to Mrs J's situation.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website