Insurers cut HK cover for Kiwis
New Zealanders going to Hong Kong can no longer get insurance cover that will pay out if their travel is disrupted by protests.
For those with insurance any protest-related claims will be dependent on when they bought the policy and the exact wording of their cover.
Travel through Hong Kong airport has been disrupted for days as protesters have stormed airport terminals forcing flight cancellations.
New Zealanders planning to travel to the Chinese territory are being told to check with their airlines and contingency plans have been drawn up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to evacuate Kiwis if necessary.
CoverMore, which underwrites insurance for IAG’s brands, State Insurance, NZI, AMI, and Lumley, warned policyholders last week about the situation.
It told policyholders affected by the event that “there may be provision” to claim benefits if their policy was issued before 7am on August 7.
“Claims will be assessed in accordance with your policy wording and may vary depending on the type of policy you purchased.”
But there was no cover for those with policies bought after 7am on August 7.
CoverMore said: “There is no cover for claims arising as a result of the Hong Kong protests as this is no longer deemed an unforeseen event.”
AA Travel Insurance’s cut-off started a day earlier on August 6.
The company’s general manager Mark Savage said policyholders currently travelling in Hong Kong who took out a policy before 12pm on August 6 may be covered for additional travel, accommodation and meal expenses if their transport was delayed or cancelled, or their accommodation was affected due to the protests.
But policyholders who took out cover after that date would not be covered for the Hong Kong protests as it is expected that the policy was taken out with awareness of the protests.
The Government website Safetravel didn’t issue a warning about the protests until 3.20pm on August 8.