APRIL Travel Protection Updates Policyholders on How Insurance Coverage Pertains to Zika Virus, Terrorism

MIAMI, Feb. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In an era complicated by terrorism and Zika, APRIL Travel Protection explains what is and isn't covered under various travel insurance policies. As an industry standard, travel insurance does not include "fear of traveling" based on potential concerns. Terrorism is only covered in cases where an attack impacts travel plans prior to or during travel (policies must also be purchased before the terrorism event takes place).

"This is an important distinction as it precludes trip cancellation based on state department advisories," said Jason Schreier, CEO of APRIL USA. "Likewise, the Zika outbreak does not meet the criteria for trip cancellation under typical policy guidelines."

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Zika virus alert is set at level 2, which means policyholders are encouraged to practice enhanced precautions. It would need to be elevated to alert level 3, encouraging Americans to avoid nonessential travel, to be considered for trip cancellation eligibility by most insurance underwriters (policy must be purchased before the CDC alert is updated).

For those concerned about Zika or terrorism, APRIL recommends Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage which places the decision of trip cancellation in policyholders' hands. No physician referral is needed and one's reasoning behind the cancellation request—whether it be fear of terrorism, Zika or buyers' remorse—is left to their own discretion.

The typical standard for CFAR coverage practiced by most travel insurance companies is a surcharge of 45-50% of the total policy cost. Therefore, a 55-year-old insuring a $10,000 trip would incur an additional charge of $315 to $350 on top of the base policy premium. The cost for CFAR on APRIL's VIP Plan is only $60—a flat charge that does not increase regardless of trip cost or policyholder age.

Travelers can compare benefits of CFAR coverage through APRIL's VIP Plan against those of competitors via travel insurance aggregators such as TravelInsurance.com and TripInsuranceZone.com, or purchase directly from AprilTravelProtection.com.

Short of CFAR, coverage for trip cancellation to Zika-affected destinations due to pregnancy, when pregnancy occurs after the policy is purchased, is available under the APRIL Choice plan through aggregators including InsureMyTrip.com and Squaremouth.com via an optional upgrade called "Enhanced Unforeseen Events."

All policies sold by APRIL feature "instant adjudication" at the core of APRIL's signature 'Stress Less' Benefits—a ground-breaking feature which allows policyholders to enjoy their vacation without worrying about out-of-pocket expenses in an emergency.

APRIL Travel Protection is owned by APRIL, an international group with 45 operational companies in more than 40 different countries.  APRIL is listed on Euronext Stock Exchange with yearly sales exceeding $1.1 billion and more than six million policyholders worldwide.

The company's U.S. division is supported by American Modern Insurance Group (an AM Best A+ rated carrier) as its preferred underwriter and is headquartered at 11900 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 600, Miami, FL, 33181.

Learn more at www.AprilTravelProtection.com.

SOURCE APRIL Travel Protection

Related Links

http://en.april-international.com/us