Virgin Atlantic and British Airways sale updates

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• Chris says:

  26 Dec26 December 05:10

  re: the Covid insurance offered by Virgin. The fine print says it is only valid when not travelling against FCO advice, and as UK currently advises against all travel, the insurance they offer is pretty much not useable at all. Maybe for a future date, when travelling is allowed, but useful to know so as not to get caught out.

  • Rob says:

    26 Dec26 December 07:53

    That is complete nonsense. The UK does NOT advise against all travel. You are parrotting rubbish for Boris’s press conferences without actually looking at it.

    There is NOTHING – not a single word – in the Tier 4 legislation which says you cannot travel. (You can’t leave home but that is different.) Large parts of the country are not in Tier 4 anyway.

    Foreign Office guidance remains as it was. Some countries are on the OK list, some are not. It is not a blanket ban.

    • Ben says:

      26 Dec26 December 07:57

      Agree with this.

    • Crafty says:

      26 Dec26 December 08:38

      How do you travel without leaving home?

      • Nick says:

        26 Dec26 December 09:32

        But that’s not the point. The Virgin offer doesn’t say ‘if you can’t leave home’, it says ‘if FCO advises against travel to X country’. The restrictions are designed to stop you travelling, but it’s the exact wording that’s crucial in this case, not the spirit of them.

        In any case, as has been pointed out, the south is being told not to leave home. Much of the country still can… and is still allowed to go to an airport. So if they are going to a country the FCO doesn’t advise against, the VS insurance is fine.

    • Chris Heyes says:

      26 Dec26 December 10:50

      Sorry a Moot point Rob but is leaving home not Traveling in the liberal sense therefor if in Tier 4 you cannot travel as you would have to leave “home”
      I’m sure that’s why a “lot” of people left Tier 4 before the legislation came into effect.
      Of course a accept if one as a caravan/mobile home if would be possible to travel without leaving “home” lol lol

  • WaynedP says:

    26 Dec26 December 08:21

    Perhaps I am overly risk-averse, but I agree with Chris here, at least in relation to my own essential destination of South Africa.

    Like Chris, I am reluctant to assume that Virgin’s putative Covid travel insurance won’t successfully reject any claims I might incur on my planned visits given that current FCDO states at the top of its summary of foreign travel advice to South Africa

    The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to:
    the whole of South Africa based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.

    I don’t know how many other countries’ individual FCDO pages start with the same statement, but I’m not taking any chances and have (and will continue to) pay currently just under £100 average cost for 14 day additional cover with Battleface which explicitly covers foreign travel in contradiction of FCDO advice for me and my wife when we have to travel to SA until this pandemic is completely resolved.

• Sam G says:

  26 Dec26 December 09:06

  The Tier issue and the FCDO issue are separate. Travelling against FCDO advice almost certainly invalidates your insurance and usually specifically mentions this. Battleface and a couple of others offer specialist products for this scenario

  Breaking the law and making a non essential trip to the airport to go on holiday isn’t of interest to your travel insurer, they aren’t covering the risk of you being fined anyway. They won’t even be checking what tier you were in the day you left at the point of claim. The same they don’t check you had a valid driving licence to drive to the airport.

  However in an abundance of caution I’d advise anyone travelling to have checked this with their specific insurer since opinions may vary

  • BS says:

    26 Dec26 December 11:35

    There will likely be a clause in the travel insurance that says they will not cover you if you perform illegal acts (usually used to reject claims when you have done something stupid whilst high on drugs etc), but will almost certainly be used to reject claims if you have travelled from a tier 4 area without fulfilling one of the required exemption criteria.

    • Rob says:

      26 Dec26 December 14:54

      That would never stand up in court or indeed arbitration

    • TGLoyalty says:

      26 Dec26 December 19:04

      Ironic it’s posted by someone called BS.

• James says:

  26 Dec26 December 09:36

  Does anyone have any idea on what’s going on with Spain (specifically the Canaries). Due to travel in 2 days – BA still churning out the “what to expect” emails. As far as I can see, Spain like many countries, is closed to the U.K. even with a PCR test? Correct?

  • marcw says:

    26 Dec26 December 09:45

    Correct. Only Spanish citizen and residents are allowed to enter Spain if travelling from the UK.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      26 Dec26 December 09:49

      But of course that’s not BA’s issue. If BA flies the flight, they probably will, OP needs to sort out cancelling for a refund or FRV themselves.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        26 Dec26 December 09:50

        *FTV

      • marcw says:

        26 Dec26 December 10:44

        That’s totally the case.

• The Original Nick. says:

  26 Dec26 December 11:48

  As many people here will have travel insurance via Amex Platinum has anyone read through the policy and checked to see if we would be covered by it if we were to travel at now being in Tier 4?

  • Chrisasaurus says:

    26 Dec26 December 12:52

    Tiers have no relevance (morally, but not legally at least)

    But Plat insurance explicitly won’t cover travelling against FCDO advice so far as I understand it so be careful you’re not travelling against their advice in that case.

    I don’t know what the position on cancellation insurance if trip was booked after March, and therefore it was a known risk though, hopefully Someone can help there

    • Jonathan says:

      26 Dec26 December 14:46

      Amex Platinum Insurance General Exclusions;

      15) Any fraudulent, dishonest or criminal act committed by You, or anyone with whom You are in collusion.

      It’s not cut & dry but if you’re outside your home for a reason not covered by the specific exemptions then you are committing an offence. Would Amex have that fight for a £90 stolen wallet claim? Probably not but if it was a medical claim involving hospitalisation & repatriation running into the tens/hundreds of thousands then I’d be a little anxious given their underwriters, AXA, don’t exactly have the best of reputations!

      • Sharka says:

        26 Dec26 December 15:40

        The “specific exemptions” as you call them are are not exhaustive. You might have any number of reasonable excuses that are not enumerated, which has been the case in every set of Regulations made under Public Health Act 1984. Rob’s various statements are wholly with merit, ai suggest.

      • Rob says:

        26 Dec26 December 18:00

        Axa has paid 3 claims of mine via Plat which, in every case, broke the rules of the policy and which they would have been perfectly within their rights to refuse.

      • A says:

        26 Dec26 December 18:34

        Copying my answer above as it is relevant here too:

        Worth bearing in mind that once you’re abroad you’re not committing an offence given the territorial ambit of the regulations. So the illegality in the period between leaving your home and getting to your destination is more akin to speeding on the way to the airport (which would obviously not not be used to invalidate claims when you are abroad) than medical claims for a drugs mule whose internal bag burst (which illegality would prevent claims stemming from it).

• Briaann says:

  26 Dec26 December 19:52

  Just hit 31 nights for the year after a 8 day/night mattress run (ave £35 per night – two £50 amex credits and the 10k points workspaces offer) so that’s Hilton Diamond sorted until March 23. Now hopefully can get some of the value of this back at some point.

  • Alan says:

    26 Dec26 December 21:32

    What are the £50 amex credits?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      26 Dec26 December 23:37

      Spend £200 get £50 that was live on many cards since September time. Expire 31-12-20

    • Rob says:

      27 Dec27 December 05:05

      I triggered four of those across different cards!

• Briaann says:

  26 Dec26 December 20:02

  Unfortunate re the stay by date but ultimately it’s a bonus. Now have two vouchers to use instead of one.

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