The acting Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) has urged people taking out travel insurance to remember to inform their insurer if they have a medical condition, undiagnosed medical complaint or are undergoing medical investigations at the time they buy the policy.
The FSPO said this is to give the insurer an opportunity to determine whether it has any effect on the policy cover.
"With travel insurance policies, it is very important to be aware that cancellations arising from medical conditions that existed before the policy was taken out, may not be covered," said MaryRose McGovern, Acting FSPO.
"In addition, some people may not be aware of the potential impact of medical investigations that are not disclosed at the time the policy is purchased."
The acting FSPO has also said it is clear that the clarity of the wording of travel policy provisions could be improved by insurers.
"Insurers need to ensure that the terms and conditions of a policy are clear, comprehensible and as easy as possible for their customers to negotiate," said Ms McGovern.
"Better clarity would serve policy holders well and potentially lead to fewer complaints arising from claims not being admitted, or a misunderstanding of the policy cover."
Ms McGovern said that as with all financial products, it is important that the consumer understands what they are buying.
"If you are making holiday plans for this year and thinking about taking out a travel insurance policy, I would urge you to take some time to ensure that any policy provides the cover you expect," she added.
The acting FSPO made the comments as she published a digest of 20 decisions issued between 2018 and 2021 focusing on complaints about travel insurance.
The digest includes a case where an insurer was directed to pay the claim from a policy holder who missed his flight by five minutes as his rental car would not start when he went to leave for the airport.
The insurer claimed that the customer had failed to allow sufficient time to account for "possible delays".
However, when the FSPO examined the policy wording they found it referred only to "delays which are expected".
In another case a customer received €600 in compensation after their backpack was stolen from an overhead locker in the cabin, during a flight.
The insurer had initially rejected the policy holder's claim saying her personal possessions were not kept "on her person".
But the FSPO found that there was no definition of "one's person" in the policy document.
