Tunisia Shootings and Travel Insurance: Squaremouth Explains 3 Requirements for Coverage

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Mar 18, 2015, 04:41 ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- At least 17 tourists are among the confirmed casualties of a shooting in Tunisia. While most travel insurance policies include the Terrorism benefit, providers use different standards to decide if an attack is covered. Squaremouth, America's fastest growing travel insurance comparison site, explains the three factors travelers should look for in their policy to determine if they're covered to cancel their trip.

Who deemed the attack as terrorism?
Before an attack can be covered under the Terrorism benefit, most travel insurance policies require it to be deemed an official act of terror by the U.S. Department of State. However, some will exclude coverage for any attack if there is an active U.S. travel warning in the destination where it occurred.

"It is not enough for a violent attack to take place, or for a terrorist cell to be suspected of carrying out the attack," explains Squaremouth Product Manager, Adam Rusin. "It must be officially declared a terrorist attack by reasonable Government bodies."

Where did the attack occur?
In order for an event to meet the travel insurance definition of "Terrorism", it must take place in a location that would reasonably impact a traveler. Most policies require the attack to occur either in a city listed on the traveler's itinerary, or within a specified distance from their destination. This varies between 1 and 120 miles.

When did the attack occur?
100% of travel insurance providers require the policy be purchased before the terrorist attack occurs. It must also take place within a stated number of days from the traveler's arrival at their destination.

"Of the 55 policies on our website that cover terrorism, most require the attack to occur within 30 days of the traveler's arrival," adds Rusin.

Prior to the March 18th shootings at the Bardo museum, there was no U.S. Government-issued travel warning for Tunisia. This means, travelers who have already purchase a travel insurance policy, and whose policy classifies the shootings as terrorism, may be covered to cancel their trip.

To keep travelers informed about travel insurance coverage for terrorist activity, Squaremouth launched the Terrorism and Travel Insurance Information Center. This webpage is updated as official travel insurance provider position statements, FAQs and travel warnings become available.

About Squaremouth
Squaremouth.com compares travel insurance products from every major insurance provider in the US. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and customer reviews, travelers can research, compare and purchase insurance. More information: www.squaremouth.com.

AVAILABLE TOPIC EXPERTS:
Megan Singh
[email protected]
727-378-0938

SOURCE Squaremouth