Avios flights – adequate cancellation / missed departure coverage

[SamG]

Inspired by a couple of recent threads on here I was digging around for insurance coverage for the limited scenarios where you are “exposed” to risk on an Avios booking (or a low cost business class fare)

1)cancellation within 24hrs – BA will not refund you
2)missing your flight e.g. failure to reach airport due to motorway closure or failed public transport

From my research it seems like there are some options for 1) inc the new Wanda by Avios product which will replace the lost miles. Other insurers should pay out the cash value of the points, though investigation needs to be done re: vouchers.

If it is a medical issue then BA are also helpful in allowing postponing . So I’m comfortable there are options

but 2) missing your flight. Seems to be impossible to insure? The best missed departure coverage I can find is £1500pp But this will not allow you to travel in business class on a last minute fare when travelling long haul to continue your trip

Am I missing something or is this a gap you cannot insure against?

[JDB]

@SamG – this scenario could equally apply to non-refundable (or large cancellation penalty) and the answer varies a lot by policy and the reason for the ‘missed departure’ as some circumstances (e.g. weather) are covered with larger sums under ‘travel disruption’.

The £300pp limit on Amex Plat for ‘travel inconvenience’ is obviously pretty useless in most situations! The £1,000 (less £50 excess) for ‘missed departure’ with e.g. HSBC Premier or Nationwide Flex Plus is a whole lot better and if it falls under ‘travel disruption’ it’s £5,000 to £10,000 per person depending on your policy/status.

Barclays is £10,000 for missed transport or travel disruption – Amex please note!

NatWest Reward Black looks weak but they have lots of different policies, so maybe they have a better one.

Various Virgin policies look good as well.

Obviously one needs to look at the overall covers to fit one’s personal requirements but almost anyone offers a better answer for travel disruption.

[SamG]

The Barclays travel pack actually does seem to explicitly cover it up to £10k

Missed transport
We’ll pay for alternative travel and accommodation costs to enable the insured person to reach
their destination if their pre-booked transport is missed because of an unexpected transport
delay, such as the vehicle they’re travelling in breaking down, or public transport being delayed
or cancelled.

With a line around travelling in a similar class

But that add on is not competitive vs Nationwide or Virgin current accounts. It also comes with the standard Aviva exception on cancellation cover that they will not pay for miles bookings.