A death certificate isn’t enough ‘proof’ for travel insurance to meet my claim

This summer I set off on what I had hoped would be the holiday of a lifetime to Greenland. Sadly, just two days into the trip, my mother died.

I cut short the holiday and went on to make a claim on my Big Cat Travel Insurance ­policy for £6,000 and supplied the death certificate, as well as the other evidence it asked for.

This is when the problems started. The company is asking for information I cannot provide.

My mother lived in the US and it asked for a medical certificate from her doctor certifying the “sole reason for curtailment was due only to my mother’s death”, plus details about her health in the preceding months.

I have never met her doctor. He was unaware of my trip and could not possibly certify what I knew at the time of buying the insurance, or that my mother’s death was the “sole reason for curtailment”.

The law also prohibits him sharing her medical information with me anyway.

I bought the annual policy nearly six months before travelling and paid the premium in good faith. When I took it out, my mother was 87 and suffered from dementia, but had been stable for many years, and I was unaware of her detailed medical condition.

I have provided a death certificate. No other information appears relevant.

I feel like the company is suggesting that I shouldn’t have gone on holiday because my mother was elderly, or I had other reasons for cutting the trip short.

PH, Sevenoaks

Most travel insurance policies include curtailment cover, which enables you to claw back the money spent on things such as hotels and pre-booked excursions up to a certain sum. Generally, you are usually only covered to cut a trip short for a funeral if the death is unexpected.

Your policy is underwritten by Allianz Partners, and I asked it to look at your case.

The good news is that, after conducting a review, and considering the additional information you shared with me, it is satisfied that you have a valid claim.

It had not actually rejected it, the company says – the claim was “ongoing while we worked to find an appropriate solution to the complexities involved”. It adds: “We are happy to confirm we will honour the claim in full.”

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