Q: Does my travel insurance cover flights or hotels booked using Avios, air miles, or reward points?
A: Our travel insurance policies operate as a financial warranty. This means that in the event of an approved claim, the policy is designed to reinstate your direct financial losses (money you actually paid out of pocket).
Because reward points, loyalty points, cruise miles, and Avios are typically handed out for free, they do not carry an inherent cash value that we can legally reimburse. However, here is how we handle different elements of a rewards booking:
What We Can Reimburse
Cash Taxes and Fees: If you booked an Avios reward flight and have to cancel due to a claimable emergency, any cash elements you paid out of pocket—such as flight taxes, airport fees, or the cash portion of a "cash and miles" deal—can be claimed under normal policy terms.
Airline Cancellation Fees: For example, British Airways allows you to cancel most Avios flights for a full points refund minus a small fixed fee. If you cancel for a covered, claimable reason, we can look to reimburse that fixed cancellation fee.
Purchased Avios/Points: If you actively paid money to buy Avios or points directly from an official site (e.g., to top up your account balance) and those points are lost due to a claimable event, we can consider reimbursing the cost. You must provide the official purchase receipt showing exactly what you paid for those points.
We cannot reimburse or replace any Avios or reward points that you accumulated for free through loyalty spending or credit card rewards, as there is no monetary transaction receipt to prove a financial loss.
Please note: All cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, exclusions, and any applicable excess.