Skiers on the Piste Risk Invalidating Winter Travel Cover
When it comes to having a drink abroad, only 15 percent of Brits who have been on or are planning to go on a winter sports holiday know what level of alcohol consumption could invalidate their travel insurance. According to a new study by YouGov on behalf of leading InsurTech Aquarium Software, 85 percent weren't aware that one drink alone could do it, while 10 percent didn't think drinking any amount of booze would invalidate their insurance.
MANCHESTER, U.K., Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- When it comes to having a drink abroad, only 15 percent of Brits who have been on or are planning to go on a winter sports holiday know what level of alcohol consumption could invalidate their travel insurance. According to a new study by YouGov on behalf of leading InsurTech Aquarium Software, 85 percent weren't aware that one drink alone could do it, while 10 percent didn't think drinking any amount of booze would invalidate their insurance. The results are part of a series of shock findings by Aquarium Software, investigating consumer attitudes and awareness when it comes to travel insurance and winter sports.
Some policies can be ambiguous on alcohol and dangerous sports usually require specific cover; being under the influence while undertaking them is unlikely to improve your performance at any winter sport and it could get you in hot water with your insurer if you need to call on it for help in an emergency.
"Those undertaking winter sports need to know that sloping off a few drinks could leave them on very thin ice when it comes to their insurance cover," said Aquarium Software Director, Andrew Sherwin. "Research by price comparison sites has shown that two thirds of us plan to drink on holiday, but we have found that only 15 percent know that just one drink could potentially jeopardise a claim. A 'staggering'! 18 percent felt a four to five drink boozy binge acceptable – with a wobbly 10 percent taking the view that five or more drinks would be fine!"
One insurer states there is no cover for a claim caused by "having drunk enough alcohol to seriously affect your judgment". Some would say this is common sense, but as Martin Lewis's MSE site rightly says*, "as we all have different tolerances, for some this could mean that just one drink could invalidate a claim."
"Having an innocent drink or two is part of many a holiday and no reasonable insurer is likely to deny a legitimate claim on this basis; but the cheaper the policy and the more motivation an insurer has to deny your claim, the more ambiguous alcohol clauses can be," concluded Sherwin.
SOURCE Aquarium Software
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