Red Pennant "will not cover anything Coronavirus"

Is your multi trip Red Pennant still running for the rest of the 12 months and that is the reason for the £100 shortfall?

Hi Mikey A no I cancelled the policy completely ,having]never used it,& the £305.00 was all I could get.CMC said the £100.00 loss was for admin & risk ,whatever RISK is.

If Red Pennant is still, as the heading says, "not covering anything Coronavirus" then those going overseas this summer might like to look at Staysure travel insurance which does cover problems arising from Coronavirus picked up while on holiday. I have already mentioned this on another thread  but it seems appropriate to put it here as well. 

Hi all,

I renewed my RP Multi-trip For £455 mid Feb this year and left for Spain 25 Feb.   After 3 weeks we had to head home, so had RP cover for almost a month and one trip.     Earlier this week I noticed an article on The Club website that RP customers should ring the RP office.   I did this and was told I would get no refund or extension of policy.     I then wrote to the RP Business Manager explaining the situation.    He phoned me back this afternoon and apologised for the first contact and explained he had closed my RP account and refunded me £318.    Can’t grumble with that.     My next o/s trip will probably be Jan 21 to Spain so I will take out a new policy then.

The BM went on to explain that The Club had been in discussions with the underwriters for weeks and were only now making some progress.  He said future policies would be covered for Coronavirus, but I can’t remember what date that would start.     But that is good news.

BillC

Also heard that Saga will provide cover as well. Not tried them but read it the press today. Mentioned by Simon Calder.

As an aside and having read this post I contacted our travel policy provider for further information as we have booked a cruise for Christmas.I was told that the policy wouldn't cover us if we had to cancel due to the virus but if we contract the virus on our holidays we would be fully covered.

The C&CC have a newish statement about travel insurance which states they will be able to provide corona (or other virus) insurance for medical emergencies and repatriation if necessary, but not for cancellations etc.  I've insured with them for several years and found their charges very reasonable.

BillC..You were very lucky to get a refund...I too renewed my RP Multi-trip policy early February and have not used as first and second trip out were cancelled. After enquiring by phone on a couple of occasions and getting response similar to yourself (call centre agents are not singing from the same hymn sheet !!)....I too wrote to the BM and received this reply on the 1st June. 

I would like to apologise for the delay in contacting you regarding your request for either a refund, extension, deferment or freeze of your current Red Pennant policy. We are still in discussion with the Underwriters, Astrenska, with regards to what exactly can be applied and aim to contact you with an update as soon as we are able. Please be assured that the Club are working hard to protect the interests of our members.

 As soon as we have an agreement in place we will update you with the options available.As always, we want to ensure that all Red Pennant policy holders receive the very best service from the Club. 

We very much appreciate your patience in waiting for an outcome to your policy query.

In the meantime, keep safe and well, as we all look forward to European travel in the future.  If you do need to call as ahead of our next update, please do so on 00800 1907 1907 or 01342 336606 where one of the Emergency Services Team will be happy to help.

It is well documented that Insurance companies do not like giving refunds...As the BM says we only now..after months of 'negotiations'...making some progress. Might get a response in time for next years policy..?? 

Hi GTP,

I don’t think it was luck, but just good timing.   I think my email landed on his desk soon after he made progress with the underwriters.

The BM also stated that all agents were to be briefed so they do understand what changes have been made and “sing from the same hymn sheet”.     They are clearly short staffed and very busy, so be patient for a little while longer and if you don’t hear anything, drop the BM an email, or ring him.

I also highlighted that my car insurance with RSA had surprised me with a refund of £50 without any contact with them.   There reason, very few claims for damage coming in.

I hope your case turns out favourable for you.

BillC

the reply you got from the BM is EXACTLY the same as I received.Must be a standard reply.

micknval