Travel Insurance FAQs

Ski Club Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance FAQs

General advice and good practice

Insurance Tips & Tricks

Note down your travel policy number and have it on your person. For example, note it in your phone and also make sure family members or friends on your trip have it too. If you have a Platinum Membership card please note your Policy Number will be printed on the front, with all helpful contact numbers on the back.
Follow the Ski Way Code on the mountain. This code advises the best way to stay safe on the mountain.
Be aware of local mountain rules. Insurers have the right to withdraw cover if these aren’t followed.
If you purchase an annual cover, check the limit on the winter sports cover. Some policies might restrict you to a certain amount of days.
If you have arranged your holiday independently rather than a tour operator, you need to check that your insurance covers circumstances such as delayed/cancelled flights or additional accommodation if you are unable to get home.
Check your policy in detail for the type of skiing it covers. Some might not cover off piste, racing or freestyle skiing.
Insurers can withdraw their cover if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs on the mountain. So think twice if you are drinking on the mountain at lunch or on breaks.
Some insurers now insist that you wear a helmet.
Make sure your equipment is well maintained and is in date. Faulty equipment could affect your claim.
Keep your equipment in view. If you leave it in an unattended vehicle, for example, it may mean you are uninsured.
If your equipment is stolen you need to have a police report in order to claim, and show evidence of receipts where appropriate.

Please note, we are only able to provide information directly relating to Ski Club Travel Insurance policies, including that provided as part of Platinum Membership. You must read your own travel insurance policy documents carefully, and ensure any travel insurance you hold is suitable for your demands and needs. We are unable to comment on any policies issued by any provider other than Ski Club Travel Insurance or those issued as part of Ski Club Platinum Membership.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Travel Advice

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issues advice for people travelling overseas from the United Kingdom. They impose non-travel advisories against specific regions of the world they deem to be unsuitable for travel, as well as “all but essential” travel advisories. Where a non-travel advisory is put in place, you will need to consult with your tour operator on your options for your trip.

Do I need to return home if FCDO advice changes whilst I am abroad?

Generally, FCDO travel advice does not require a British citizen or resident to return to the UK, although it does state that consular assistance will be limited in effected areas. Each FCDO travel advice is different, and you should follow all advice for your destination region – please see the FCDO website here.

Can I travel if I have an essential reason?

The FCDO may permit travel for “essential” reasons, although they do not offer specific guidance on what is or isn’t considered “essential”. Your insurer will have different attitudes as to whether they will provide cover for “essential” travel.

For Ski Club Travel Insurance policy holders, you may travel against FCDO advice if your purpose for travelling falls under one of the stated reasons in Section 3 of our travel insurance policies, including that provided as part of Ski Club Platinum Membership. These reasons include:

An immediate relative is in intensive care in hospital or has unexpectedly been given a terminal prognosis with a short life expectancy;
An immediate relative has died and you need to attend the funeral;
Your property abroad has been seriously damaged and you need to arrange and/or oversee professional repairs;
You have an urgent work matter that cannot reasonably be cancelled, postponed or delayed;
You have a full-time but short-term placement at a recognised educational establishment where attendance must be in person. For full details, please see the relevant policy wording, which can be found here.

Will I be covered for medical expenses unrelated to COVID-19/Coronavirus if the FCDO is advising against travel?

No – there is no cover provided under any section of any Ski Club Travel Insurance policy if you choose to travel against the advice of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The exceptions to this are;

If the FCDO advice changes to warn against travel after you have travelled abroad
For Ski Club Travel Insurance policy holders, including those offered as part of the Ski Club’s Platinum Membership, if you are travelling for an essential reason with cover agreed by Millstream prior to your departure.

Cover Provided

Ski Club Travel Insurance offers comprehensive travel insurance combined with industry-leading snowsports insurance. It is important to understand what is and is not covered by your policy before you travel, as no travel insurance policy can or will cover for every single possible eventuality.

Please note – We are only able to provide information directly relating to Ski Club Travel Insurance policies, including that provided as part of Platinum Membership. You must read your own travel insurance policy documents carefully, and ensure any travel insurance you hold is suitable for your demands and needs. We are unable to comment on any policies issued by any provider other than Ski Club Travel Insurance or those issued as part of Ski Club Platinum Membership.

What is covered by Ski Club Travel Insurance?

Ski Club Travel Insurance provides exceptional cover for a range of on-snow related eventualities; if you are injured whilst skiing or snowboarding (or a whole range of other on-snow activities) you are covered for medical expenses up to £10,000,000 – this includes when skiing off-piste without a guide, something that makes our insurance stand out versus many others.

Our insurance provides cover if your holiday is unable to happen in the way that you expect it as a result of unforeseen circumstances. It is important to note that these policies do not cover for every possible eventuality. You should read your policy wording, which can be found here, to see exactly what is covered.

Ski Club Travel Insurance provides cover if you are unable to go on your trip because of illness, injury or death of yourself or an immediate relative; or as a result of obligations such as jury service or the requirements of HM armed forces. Furthermore, if the resort you are planning on going to is suffering from too little or too much snow, or an avalanche has rendered it unvisitable, a compensation benefit is available as well as refunds on your “ski pack” i.e. lift tickets and equipment hire.

These are considered normal, unforeseeable eventualities that are priced into the policies that Millstream underwrite and is reflected in our policy prices.

Will I be covered if my holiday is cancelled due to FCDO advice changing to advise against travel?

Millstream have confirmed that they will consider a claim for cancellation due to changes in FCDO advice relating to COVID-19, providing this advice was not in place at the time of booking.

If FCDO non-travel advice relating to COVID-19 was in place at the time of booking, there is no cover for cancellation if this advice remains in place at the time of departure.

Will I be covered if I have to cancel my holiday if I contract COVID-19, or are forced to self-isolate before departure?

Full benefit of cancellation cover is available if you, an immediate relative, or someone with whom you are intending to travel return a positive COVID-19 test. Cover is also in place if you or someone with whom you are intending to travel are quarantined before your trip by order or other requirement of a government or public authority, based on their suspicion that you specifically, have been exposed to a contagious disease (including an epidemic or a pandemic disease such as COVID-19). This does not include any quarantine that applies generally or broadly to some or all of a population or geographical area, or that applies based on where you are traveling to, from or through.

Previously, this was detailed in a stand-alone endorsement provided alongside your policy; this endorsement has been removed, but the same cover can be found written into your policy wording in the appropriate places.

Will I be covered for medical expenses unrelated to COVID-19/Coronavirus if the FCDO is advising against travel?

If FCDO advice changes to warn against travel after you have travelled abroad
If you are travelling for an essential reason, with cover agreed by Millstream prior to your departure.

Do I need to buy Carré Neige or other similar snow rescue insurance?

Everything that is covered by Carré Neige and other similar snow rescue insurance (Salzburg Alpine Club in Austria, and Snow Care in Italy) is also covered by all Ski Club Travel Insurance policies, including that provided as part of Platinum Membership; it is therefore unnecessary to purchase this type of insurance alongside your lift pass.

Note that Carré Neige and similar policies offer a “no questions asked” evacuation from the slopes, with billing charged directly to Carré Neige for everything covered (evacuation and treatment at the first point medical facility). Ski Club Travel Insurance policies will require a claim to be made against the value of a hospital treatment or evacuation bill. Under very extraordinary circumstances, proof of insurance may be required and verified before or during evacuation. Rescue insurance, therefore, may help avoid these hurdles.

Whilst Overseas

A range of issues could affect you whilst overseas. This includes not being able to return home on your planned travel dates, due to the area you are in entering a lockdown. It is essential, at all times, to follow the advice of the FCDO and all local or national bodies in the region you are travelling in.

I have fallen ill/been involved in an accident - what do I do?

You should contact the relevant emergency assistance line to receive advice and instruction on what to do, using the phone number below. This should be done as soon as practicable, and our emergency assistance team is available 24hrs a day, seven days a week. For our Platinum members, this will be indicated on the reverse of your Ski Club Membership card. Otherwise, this will be indicated throughout your policy documents.

Emergency Assistance – +44 (0)330 660 0742

More information on what to expect when reaching out to our emergency assistance team, or in hospital whilst abroad, can be found on our main travel insurance page here.

I am stuck abroad and my single/multi-trip policy is about to expire, what do I do?

All Ski Club Single-Trip or Multi-Trip policies, including that provided as part of Ski Club’s Platinum Membership, allow for travel between the start and end date of the policy. If you are stuck due to either:

Death, injury or illness during your trip
Delay or failure of public transport services during your trip
Delay or failure of your return flight to the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands from your international departure point;

And you are unable to complete the trip home before your travel policy expires, cover will be automatically extended without additional premium for the additional days necessary to complete the trip as long as you are making every effort to return home.

Millstream are not normally able to arrange extensions whilst abroad – the exception to this as above, if you are unable to return home on your booked transport before your policy expires. FCDO advice to “avoid all but essential travel” does not preclude you from travelling back to the UK – this is considered “essential” travel.

Millstream are unable to assist in the re-arrangement of travel – except as a result of illness or injury. You should contact your tour operator or flight/transporter provider to arrange this.

I am stuck abroad and I'm about to reach the single-trip limit on my multi-trip policy, what do I do?

All Ski Club Multi-Trip policies – including the insurance provided as part of Platinum membership – include a 31-day limit to any one single trip abroad between the start and end date of the policy. If you are stuck due to either:

Death, injury or illness during your trip
Delay or failure of public transport services during your trip
Delay or failure of your return flight to the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands from your international departure point;

Millstream are unable to assist in the re-arrangement of travel – except as a result of illness or injury. You should contact your tour operator or flight/transporter provider to arrange this.