Travel insurance - Unfit to travel

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David321

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#324861 4-Jun-2026 06:14

Hi team,

My wife and I are due to fly to Rarotonga on 22nd June, we took out travel insurance with southern cross at the same time we purchased our flights which was months ago.

Just last week my wife started having issues with pain in her abdomen which testing revealed was gallbladder stones and she was admitted to the hospital and told they were going to operate that day or the next day to remove her gallbladder.

The surgeon came back to her the next day after a night in hospital and said they had to send her home as the were overwhelmed with acute admissions and she would be operated on at least two weeks before our holiday so she has time to recover.

To give my wife a two week recovery post op would mean the surgery has to be done this week, and we have not been given a date yet, so we are starting to think more likely than not she will not be operated on early enough before our trip to allow recovery and starting to realize canceling our trip is probably the smartest option. We have declared the gallstone issue to Southern cross as required by their "change in health" policy who have now kindly applied an exclusion to gallstone issues.

So my question is, how do we go about canceling our flights etc in order to put a claim in with southern cross to have them refund us the cost? I am assuming that since they are now choosing to exclude gallstones that gives us the right to say to them we don't want to travel because of that as the risk of medical bills overseas is to high? our doctor has also said he can write a letter saying she is unfit to fly which I guess will help.

I have called and spoke to them but honestly the lady I spoke to was absolutely clueless and could not provide any information apart from what seemed like reading their policy wording off a screen in front of her (it was truly shocking and frustrating). At the same time I don't want to tell them any more than I have to as I know they will look for any way not to pay us out and the more info we provide gives the more chances to decline - even though I think we have a solid case.

Do we put a claim in now? and if we did whats to stop us from going to the airport and getting on the plane anyway? (not that we intend to). What are the correct steps and does anyone else have experience with a similar situation?

P:S - If anyone knows how we can find out a date for my wifes surgery (if there has been one set) we would love to know, I have been calling the hospital and out patients, but when I get transferred nobody answers and I get an answer phone message. I have left a message multiple times with no call back.

_David_

eracode

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#3500091 4-Jun-2026 08:24

We have recently been through a very similar situation and had to cancel an overseas trip (booked last year) three weeks before departure in late April. Our situation was that surgery was unexpectedly needed - and it (a) was not able to be done and heal before we were due to leave and (b) was inadvisable to wait until we returned to NZ. So we had no option but to cancel - like you.

You can relax a little - it's simple and there's nothing difficult or unusual here. All you need to do is cancel all your bookings (either via your travel agent or directly, if you booked that way) and keep good records of each provider's confirmation of cancellation and of any refunds received.

Get a medical travel letter from your GP or the hospital, confirming the situation and that you are unable to travel. This can be addressed 'To whom it may concern" - does not need to be addressed to the insurer and does not need to refer to travel insurance at all.

Submit your claim which will include copies of all the records outlined above along with copies of bank records proving who, when and for what you paid. There's no need to discuss all this with the insurer (and there's no need to know the date of the surgery) prior to submitting your claim.

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eracode

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#3500125 4-Jun-2026 09:21

Also, IANA insurance expert but I'm pretty sure that the insurer cannot now exclude gallstones from the policy and refuse a valid pre-departure cancellation claim simply because you followed the rules and told them about the gallstones under their 'change in health' policy.

Unless they assert that the gallstones were an 'existing medical condition' that wasn't declared when you arranged the policy - but that's surely not the case here.

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Eva888

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#3500141 4-Jun-2026 09:43

I would call the emergency number on your policy for when sickness happens and deal with that team. They are the best to advise you what steps to take. Just tell them wife developed gallstones that needs an operation, she is waitlisted, what steps do I need to take. You never know they may arrange for private surgery.

They have emergency doctors on hand that will also make the call on whether she can fly or not and they will tell you what steps to take with the airlines. Don’t cancel airline before you speak to them. They are most helpful and sympathetic. This is why you took cover before the trip began to cover these emergencies and their emergency team are the best ones to speak with. I have a lot of praise for how that team handled my situation.

You don’t want to be speaking with some random salesperson selling the insurance and knows little about procedure. .

evnafets

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#3500146 4-Jun-2026 10:06

Eva888:

I would call the emergency number on your policy for when sickness happens and deal with that team. They are the best to advise you what steps to take. Just tell them wife developed gallstones that needs an operation, she is waitlisted, what steps do I need to take. You never know they may arrange for private surgery.

I would respectfully disagree with this.

The insurance cover is to cover your health issues while you are on your trip

The emergency number should be used when away from home (perhaps in a foreign country) and need urgent medical advice.

This is a different circumstance entirely - The trip hasn't started, and the medical issue is being dealt with.

elpenguino

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#3500150 4-Jun-2026 10:16

If you cancel everything and get all your money back, do you need to bother the insurer at all?

It's only after cancelling everything that you will know whether you have any losses and need to make a claim - and how big that claim will be.

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eracode

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#3500162 4-Jun-2026 10:49

elpenguino:

If you cancel everything and get all your money back, do you need to bother the insurer at all?

It's only after cancelling everything that you will know whether you have any losses and need to make a claim - and how big that claim will be.

Technically that's right - that's a possibility and he won't know until all the cancellations are done. However in reality it would be very unusual to get 100% refund on all travel arrangements just a couple of weeks prior to leaving.

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Eva888

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#3500193 4-Jun-2026 12:07

@evnafets while I understand where you’re coming from, the reason one gets insurance as soon as a booking is made is to cover contingencies and losses that may occur before the trip, that includes costs of postponement for viable reasons that will be set out in the policy. It’s always best to get their input first and deal with it correctly or they could say sorry but you should not have cancelled before advising us of illness. The emergency number is also used for advice, lost passports or other issues, not just medical and is tied to the policy after you’ve purchased it.

When you deal with the right team they will email you with instructions which you can respond to and have a record of. In this case once you speak with the emergency team they will direct the query to the right place if they can’t deal with it. You don’t want some newbie in general sales 0800 putting you wrong.

eracode

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#3500208 4-Jun-2026 12:53

Eva888:

@evnafets while I understand where you’re coming from, the reason one gets insurance as soon as a booking is made is to cover contingencies and losses that may occur before the trip, that includes costs of postponement for viable reasons that will be set out in the policy. It’s always best to get their input first and deal with it correctly or they could say sorry but you should not have cancelled before advising us of illness. The emergency number is also used for advice, lost passports or other issues, not just medical and is tied to the policy after you’ve purchased it.

When you deal with the right team they will email you with instructions which you can respond to and have a record of. In this case once you speak with the emergency team they will direct the query to the right place if they can’t deal with it. You don’t want some newbie in general sales 0800 putting you wrong.

I stand to be corrected but travel insurance typically does not cover contingencies and losses that may occur before the trip - other than cancellation. I have just checked our policy wording - which I'm sure would be fairly typical - and the only pre-travel benefits are those relating to trip cancellation. Cover for other contingencies and losses kick in only once you have started your trip.

In your earlier post you said that the insurer maybe able to arrange private surgery. No travel insurer is going to provide that sort of service to assist a traveller prior to travel. You also said “They have emergency doctors on hand that will also make the call on whether she can fly or not and they will tell you what steps to take with the airlines”. IMO that is simply not correct - an insurer will not do that prior to travel. The emergency number can only be used once you have started travelling - it's only for use outside NZ.

You also said: “This is why you took cover before the trip began to cover these emergencies and their emergency team are the best ones to speak with. I have a lot of praise for how that team handled my situation.”. Have you have had an experience where you received, prior to travel, the type of assistance you mentioned in your posts? I would be genuinely interested to know how and why that came about.

Sorry to sound a bit strident but I am concerned that this is not good advice to the OP.

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Eva888

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#3500218 4-Jun-2026 13:28

From Southern Cross policy wording and ** their website

*When does cancellation cover start?

Cancellation cover under the International Comprehensive policy starts from the date your policy is issued. This means you may be covered for certain unexpected events that occur after you purchase your policy and before you leave New Zealand, subject to the policy terms and conditions.

Cancellation cover begins on the date the insurance starts

From the date your insurance starts, you have cover under D.2 Cancelling or changing your journey

before you leave (see page 44). You don’t need to choose when your cover starts. The date your

insurance starts is the date and time you buy your policy.*

https://scti.co.nz/our-policies/comprehensive/mc-4ae19cb4-2340-482b-9937-16c9-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/scti-jss/nz/icnz-st---pw---31-jan-2024.pdf?rev=f8996cfa328f416da417af7c14fb2982&hash=5769A1A432188480D764639545E361FA

Page 49

D.2.3 Conditions of cover for cancelling or changing your journey before

you leave

•

The following conditions apply to all claims under this section.

You can’t claim for the same unexpected event more than once for each journey

The unexpected event must directly affect you or a relevant person

From any claim we pay you, we subtract all refunds (including taxes) and credit you can

receive from third parties

You must either send us proof of any refunds or credits you get, or prove you can’t get

refunds or credits

For claims involving a relevant person, the following conditions also apply.

•

In claims that have arisen because of an unexpected event involving a relevant person’s

circumstances, we only cover the following unexpected events.

– The relevant person dying

– The relevant person being admitted to a public or private hospital for inpatient care as

part of non-elective treatment, or a doctor recommending that they are

– The relevant person being admitted to end-stage palliative care, or a doctor

recommending that they are

– The relevant person being diagnosed with a terminal condition, or a condition that

requires radiotherapy or chemotherapy

The relevant person must also not be over 85 years old before the date your

MikeAqua

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#3500221 4-Jun-2026 13:31

eracode:

I stand to be corrected but travel insurance typically does not cover contingencies and losses that may occur before the trip. I have just checked our policy wording - which I'm sure would be fairly typical - and the only pre-travel benefits are those relating to trip cancellation. Cover for other contingencies and losses kick in only once you have started your trip.

That has been my experience. In 2019, I was at risk of missing an overseas trip because I had been to a Dylan Moran gig, where a person had measles. I couldn't prove I'd been vaccinated >35 years earlier, because my Plunket book had dates for vaccines but no particulars. I was ordered to quarantine at home by a PHO.

My insurer told me: Tough luck ... happened before the trip ... not our problem ... go kick rocks [paraphrased].

Fortunately, the PHO (he was a very nice and helpful man) arranged an urgent blood test for immunity to measles. I did have immunity, so I was able to travel in the end.

Mike

eracode

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#3500223 4-Jun-2026 13:34

@Eva888 Sorry I can't see how any of those quotes from the Southern Cross policy document are relevant to your earlier comments about pre-travel benefits - apart from cancellation. Not sure what you're trying to say there.

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Eva888

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#3500251 4-Jun-2026 14:51

eracode:

@Eva Sorry I can't see how any of those quotes from the Southern Cross policy document are relevant to your earlier comments about pre-travel benefits - apart from cancellation.

My response was to your comment;

I stand to be corrected but travel insurance typically does not cover contingencies and losses that may occur before the trip - other than cancellation.

Really don’t want to argue since each persons interpretation may differ. If the policy is read from page 44 onward it outlines what’s covered including additional costs (vague term) it may cover the hotel you drove to while still in NZ before boarding or the rental car you pranged driving to the airport. A lot would depend on the circumstances one finds themselves in including delay to a special event ie wedding etc. The final analysis will be what SC decide when you claim and not how we interpret the policy. In OP's case it’s a medical event which may very well be deemed as pre-existing. Hopefully not.

D.2.1 Cancelling or changing your journey

We cover you if you need to cancel or change your travel arrangements before your journey because

of an unexpected event.

For each type of travel expense, we will pay you the higher of the following.

•

The total value of your original unused prepaid costs, less any refund or credits you are eligible

to receive

•

The total value of your additional costs, less any refund or credits you are eligible to receive

Your claim must meet the conditions of cover on page 47 .

eracode

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#3500333 4-Jun-2026 18:34

Yes - let’s just leave it there. Really don’t want to risk a nice friendship. 😀

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Asteros

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#3500356 4-Jun-2026 21:30

It depends on the exact Southern Cross policy.

For an International Comprehensive policy:

Cancelling or changing your journey before you leave:

Includes cover for cancellation fees and prepaid travel costs if your trip is cancelled or changed due to an illness, injury or natural disaster. Plus, cover for additional costs to help you attend a special event including a wedding or sporting event.

Under this benefit, maximum cover ranges from $2500 to Unlimited depending on what option was taken out. Subject to pre-existing conditions. I'm not sure how this affects your declaration of change of health.

As discussed before, ring the Southern Cross Emergency number and explain the situation and what you'd like to claim for and put in a claim. It is up to them what they would pay out; if you're not happy complain after their initial written response.