Will travel insurance cover cancellation and disruptions?

Travel disruption is any event beyond your control that prevents you from travelling as planned – or makes you change, cut short or abandon your trip.

The causes can include:

The modern travel landscape is complex and disruptions are not uncommon. Travel disruption cover is an essential part of travel insurance. The cover you get for travel disruption can vary between different insurance providers, so it’s important to check these details and any exclusions when you take out a new policy.

Yes – travel insurance for cancelled flights can provide a safety net when your airline can't or won't fully refund you. If your flight is cancelled due to reasons outside your control and your airline doesn't offer a suitable alternative within 12 hours, your travel insurance policy may cover costs including accommodation and onward travel. Always contact your airline first, as they have a legal duty to rebook or refund you.

Travel insurance for cancelled flights also covers cancelled package holidays, cancelled connecting flights on the same booking, and trips you're forced to abandon because no alternative can be found in time.

Travel delay insurance kicks in when your departure is delayed beyond a set threshold – typically 6 hours from the original scheduled time. Our travel insurance cover provides up to £50 per day (maximum £1,000) towards meals, accommodation, communications and transport costs that you can't recover elsewhere.

Travel insurance delay cover applies to outbound and inbound delays, delays caused by bad weather, and in many cases, delays caused by air traffic control decisions or technical faults.

Yes, travel disruption insurance generally covers strike action – including strikes by airlines, airport staff, baggage handlers and air traffic control.

In many cases, yes – if a rail strike causes a missed departure or forces you to abandon your trip. Always check your specific policy wording, but our travel insurance covers travel disruption caused by strikes that were not announced before your rail journey was booked.

Generally, no – once a strike is publicly announced, it becomes a known event and cover usually won't apply to rail journeys booked after that point.

Travel insurance for missed connections can cover the cost of rebooking flights, accommodation, and transfers when a delay to one leg of your journey causes you to miss a connecting flight or onward travel. Travel insurance with missed connection cover typically applies when you miss a connection through no fault of your own – for example, because your inbound flight was delayed. Our travel insurance includes up to £1,500 for missed departure costs, which may include additional flight or accommodation expenses.

Sometimes – depending on the reason. Travel insurance that covers missed flights typically applies when the cause is outside your control – such as a serious road accident delaying your drive to the airport, a public transport failure, or an emergency. If you simply misread your departure time, it's unlikely to be covered.

Yes – when an airline cancels your flight, your first port of call is the airline itself. But if they can't offer you an alternative flight, your travel insurance can cover the costs. This applies whether the cancellation is due to operational issues, strikes, airspace closures or safety issues.

In most cases, yes – severe weather causing a cancellation is typically an insured event under travel delay and cancellation sections.

Your tour operator or airline has legal obligations to help you. Tour operators are required to look after you for at least three nights if your package holiday is disrupted. UK and EU-registered airlines must assist you until you can get home.

You can check whether UK law applies to your flight using the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)'s guidance. If your airline isn't registered in the UK or EU, the CAA advises contacting the aviation authorities in the country you've travelled to, as local consumer protection laws may apply.

If your travel provider has failed to deliver what was contracted, your card provider may be liable for your out-of-pocket expenses. With a credit card, this covers all reasonable expenses. With a debit card, it covers reasonable expenses up to the value of what was spent on the travel plans with the card. This is an important and often overlooked source of protection – it’s a good idea to use this before turning to your travel insurance.

If neither your airline/tour operator nor your card provider can help, you can submit a claim under the travel delay section of your insurance policy if:

Keep all receipts. You will need them to validate any claim, regardless of whether you're claiming through your airline, card provider or travel insurer.

Don’t cancel your flight unless you are certain you want to. This is one of the most important pieces of advice for disrupted travellers. Some airlines make it seem as though cancelling is the right thing to do – but if you cancel your flight and request a refund, you lose all the consumer protections that should apply. You'd also need to buy a new ticket home, often at inflated prices due to high demand. Unless you are genuinely choosing to abandon your travel plans, don’t cancel.

Don’t worry about your insurance running out. If your return is delayed by circumstances outside your control, your travel insurance will automatically extend your cover until you can travel home. You won't be left uninsured simply because your original return date has passed.

If you find yourself affected by any delays, cancellations or losses, keep your receipts and document everything – it may come in handy down the line for any claims you make, whether that’s with your airline or a travel insurance provider.

As a customer, you may be able to make claims with the travel providers directly, so it’s important to be aware of what your rights are:

We offer Single Trip, Annual Multi Trip, Backpacker Travel Insurance policies that could help you if your transport is cancelled before your trip, as well as cover some unexpected expenses while you’re there.

Depending on your level of cover, Tesco Travel Insurance could cover you for:

Monetary limits, excesses and exclusions apply. For full details please see the policy documents online.

Tesco Travel Insurance is arranged and administered by Rock Insurance Services Limited and underwritten by AWP P&C S.A. Gadget Cover is underwritten by AmTrust Specialty Limited (AmTrust).

The content on this page aims to offer an informative introduction to the subject matter but does not constitute expert financial advice specific to your own situation. All facts and figures were correct at time of publication and were compiled using a range of sources.