With the recent 7.1 magnitude earthquake striking off the coast of Japan, a question has reemerged: Does travel insurance cover earthquakes? Although your trip may be miniscule in the grand scheme of damage earthquakes can do, we’d still like to know if we can get our money back in the event of a natural disaster. Let’s answer that question.
Earthquake Coverage in Travel Insurance
When discussing earthquake coverage in travel insurance, the coverage that’s provided depends on the type of plan you’ve purchased. Let’s go through them one by one.
Travel Insurance Earthquake Coverage
Although people commonly refer to any sort of international insurance as “travel insurance,” the type of travel insurance we’re talking about here is trip cancellation insurance. It’s specifically designed to protect your prepaid, nonrefundable expenses in the event that something unexpected happens before or during your trip.
There are two main coverage components of travel insurance that can really help out in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster.
The first is trip cancellation coverage. In the event that an earthquake were to seriously damage or destroy your destination airport/hotel or caused flight cancellations for at least 24 hours and you were unable to make alternate travel arrangements, the trip cancellation benefit would allow you to get reimbursed for your prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses in accordance with the policy you’ve purchased. Keep in mind that the preceding events must occur for your travel insurance to provide coverage. Simply not wanting to go on your trip or having a fear of travel due to an earthquake striking nearby is not a covered reason. To have that kind of flexibility, you would need to purchase cancel for any reason coverage.
The second beneficial aspect of travel insurance in the event of an earthquake is trip interruption coverage. If an earthquake were to strike in the middle of your trip and render your accommodations uninhabitable or cause mandatory evacuations of the area, the trip interruption benefit would protect any remaining nonrefundable travel costs and possibly provide alternate lodging requirements and transportation back home. Some plans can even provide this benefit if your own home is affected by a natural disaster while you are away.
Travel Medical Insurance Earthquake Coverage
The primary purpose of travel medical insurance is to provide temporary emergency health insurance coverage for trips outside the United States. It does not typically offer trip cancellation coverage. However, a travel medical insurance plan can be beneficial in the event of an earthquake, as some plans will cover the cost of evacuation due to a natural disaster. Of course, any travel medical insurance plan can also provide medical coverage if you were injured as the result of an earthquake or natural disaster.
Visitors Insurance Earthquake Coverage
Visitors insurance is primarily meant to provide medical coverage for foreigners visiting the United States, where healthcare is incredibly expensive. In addition to medical coverage, some visitor insurance plans can include a natural disaster replacement accommodations benefit. If the earthquake were to render your hotel or wherever else you’re staying uninhabitable, this benefit can provide a daily stipend for a certain number of days to fund replacement accommodation. The availability and details of this coverage vary by plan, so be sure to read the policy details thoroughly before you purchase.