Not upheld: Travel / life insurance claim disputes complaint against Chubb European Group SE

Decision detail

Summary

Mr P claimed on his travel insurance after his return flights from the Middle East were cancelled by the airline on 27 February 2026, requiring him to incur additional travel and accommodation expenses. Chubb declined the claim citing both lack of cover under the policy terms and a war exclusion. The ombudsman found the claim was not covered because the travel inconvenience benefit only applies to costs incurred prior to departure, and Mr P's expenses occurred after departure. The ombudsman also found the war exclusion reasonably applied given the widely publicised Middle East conflict impacting flights from end of February 2026. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that travel insurance policies only cover situations explicitly set out in the policy terms. The travel inconvenience section only covers additional costs incurred prior to departure, not after. Mr P's expenses were incurred after departure, so no cover applied under this section. Additionally, the war exclusion reasonably applied given the widely publicised Middle East conflict from end of February 2026 that impacted flights and airspace. Even without the exclusion, the claim was not covered by the policy terms.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website