Drunk Brits abroad give the UK a bad name and hike up insurance costs
Holidays and alcohol tend to go hand in hand. Après Ski, Hen and Stag do’s and weddings abroad are just a few examples of events tourists will attend which could involve copious amounts of drinking. But if you are heading off on any of these trips, beware. If you need to make a claim on your insurance, you may need to prove to the insurer that excessive alcohol consumption wasn’t the reason you had to make a claim.
The Financial Ombudsman has released several case study highlights regarding travel insurance to inform the public of occasions where insurance claims have been rejected by the insurer and either upheld or rejected by the ombudsman depending on supported evidence. The ombudsman article states that you’re not expected to avoid alcohol completely – but need to bear in mind that your claim may be turned down if it’s linked to drinking excessively.
"Insurers may choose not to pay out if they believe someone's been drinking excessively, although this doesn't necessarily mean holidays should be totally alcohol-free…In each case, we'll need to carefully weigh up all the evidence to decide, on balance, whether the insurer has made the right call." said chief financial ombudsman Caroline Wayman.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) dealt with around 3,000 travel insurance complaints last year and in the final quarter of 2017, it looked at nearly 900. Most of the complaints centred on claims, with some relating to an insurer deciding someone’s drinking was a factor which led to an accident or injury they had on holiday. As such, they won’t pay out.
Most policies include a clause that states ‘claims will be declined if your alcohol consumption has directly or indirectly caused the loss’.
Travel insurance provider AllClear state that: ‘We do not expect you to avoid alcohol consumption on your trips or holidays, but we will not cover any claims arising because you have drunk so much alcohol that your judgement is seriously affected, and you need to make a claim as a result (e.g. any medical claim where in the opinion of the treating doctor, your excessive alcohol consumption has caused or actively contributed to your injury or illness)’.
