Travel insurance claims, cooling-off and complaints

What are my rights if I need to cancel or claim on travel insurance?

You may cancel a new policy within 14 days of receiving it if the policy term is longer than 31 days and nothing has been claimed or has happened. If you claim, the insurer must say what it needs, decide within a reasonable period and give written reasons if it says no. A free ombud route exists.

Olvian is not an insurer, broker or financial services provider. It passes a person's request to licensed providers, who pay Olvian a fee and contact the person. This guide summarises rules from the Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017. It is information, not advice.

What does a travel policy cover besides medical costs?

The Insurance Act 18 of 2017 describes class 15, travel, as covering damage or loss resulting from "cancellation, interruption, loss of property (including baggage), or other unforeseen events before, while and after travelling". Medical events abroad are described separately in the same class. Our guide on medical emergencies abroad covers those.

That is the legal description of the class. It does not decide what any one policy pays. The benefits table in your schedule lists the cover, the limits and the excess for each part, and the exclusions section lists what is left out. Rule 11.1 treats a limit on the amount of cover, a waiting period and any exclusion relating to certain diseases or medical conditions as significant exclusions or limitations that an insurer must disclose concisely before you buy (Rule 11.4.2(g)).

Items to look for in the cancellation and baggage sections include the list of reasons accepted for cancelling a trip, the timing of any cover (for example, from the date you buy or from the date you leave), the limits for single items, the documents needed to prove a loss and any exclusion for things left unattended.

Can I cancel a travel policy after I buy it?

Sometimes. Rule 4.2 gives a cooling-off right. You may cancel by notice to the insurer within 14 days after you receive the policy contract, if:

• the policy term is longer than 31 days;
• no benefit has been paid or claimed; and
• the event insured against has not yet occurred.

Rule 4.3 requires the insurer to refund the premiums you paid, less the cost of any risk cover you actually enjoyed. Rule 4.4 requires it to act on your request within 31 days after receiving your notice. Rule 4.6 says the right applies to new policies and to variations you ask for.

Because of the 31-day condition, an annual policy is within the rule, and a single-trip policy shorter than 31 days is outside it. Ask the provider what the policy says about cancelling after the cooling-off period, including whether any refund is paid when the trip has not started.

If you have to cancel the trip itself, which is a different thing, the benefit that may respond is the cancellation cover in the policy, and your claim depends on whether the reason is one the policy accepts. Tell the insurer as soon as you know.

What must the insurer tell me before I claim?

Rule 11.5.1 requires the insurer, no later than 31 days after the policy starts, to give you in writing, among other things, evidence of cover, comprehensive details of all exclusions and limitations, the right to claim benefits and the contact details for notifying a claim. Rule 11.5.3 requires a copy of the policy within the same period.

Rule 17.8.3 adds that the insurer must disclose to a claimant:

• the type of information required;
• where, how and to whom the claim and related information must be submitted;
• any time limits on submitting claims;
• any excesses payable;
• details of any administrative fee payable in relation to managing the claim; and
• any other relevant responsibilities of the claimant.

If you are travelling, take a copy of the claim contact details with you, and photograph key documents.

How do I make a claim for lost baggage or a cancelled trip?

Follow the process in your policy, and in general:

1. Notify the insurer as soon as the event happens, and note the date, time and reference number.
2. Report the event to the right party, such as the airline, the hotel or the police, and get a written report.
3. Keep receipts for what you had to buy or pay.
4. Send the documents the insurer asked for within its time limit.
5. Ask for an acknowledgment. Rule 17.8.4 says a claim is treated as received on the day the insurer, or an intermediary or service provider mandated to manage claims for it, receives notification of it, and the insurer must within a reasonable time acknowledge it and tell you the process to follow.

How long does the insurer have to decide?

Rule 17.6.1 requires the insurer to accept, repudiate or dispute a claim, or the amount of a claim, within a reasonable period after receiving it. Rule 17.6.2 requires it to notify you of its decision in writing within 10 days of taking it. No Rule fixes one number of days for the decision. If you are waiting for a decision, ask which document is outstanding.

What if the insurer says no?

Rule 17.6.3 requires a plain-language notice that tells you the reasons "in sufficient detail to enable the claimant to dispute such reasons"; that you may make representations within a period of not less than 90 days after receiving the notice; the details of the internal review process; your right to complain to a relevant ombud, with contact details and time limits; and any time limit in the policy for taking legal action, or the prescription period under the Prescription Act 68 of 1969 if the policy has none.

If you make representations, Rule 17.6.5 requires a written decision within 45 days of receiving them. Rule 17.6.8 says that for policies entered into on or after 1 January 2011, the 90-day period may not be counted in any time limit for legal action, and you must have at least six months after that period ends to start proceedings.

Where do I complain?

Start with the insurer. Rule 18.7.2 says that if a complaint is rejected, you must be given clear and adequate reasons and be told of any escalation or review process, how to use it and any relevant time limits.

Then there are two outside routes.

• National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO). It resolves complaints against financial institutions, including non-life insurers. It says it is free and can only look at a complaint after you have lodged it with your bank, credit provider or insurer. Telephone 0860 800 900.
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). It assists with complaints about how regulated companies conduct themselves and any contravention of the laws that govern them. It "cannot assist with claim disputes and contractual disagreements", which go to the relevant ombud.

Keep a log of dates, names and reference numbers from the moment something goes wrong.

Sources

Checked on 31 October 2026. Olvian is not a financial services provider and this guide is information, not advice.

• Insurance Act 18 of 2017, Schedule 2, Table 2: classes of non-life insurance business
• Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017, Rule 4: cooling-off rights, Government Notice 1433, Government Gazette 41329, 15 December 2017, as amended by Notice 996, Government Gazette 41928, 28 September 2018.
• Rule 11: disclosure
• Rule 17: claims management
• Rule 18: complaints management
• National Financial Ombud Scheme
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority: consumer page