10th August 2023
Significant wildland fires have broken out in the U.S state of Hawaii. Authorities have declared a state of emergency due to widespread wildfires on Maui and Hawaii islands. These wildfires have prompted local evacuations and caused destruction of property and have resulted in multiple deaths. As of August 9th, authorities have declared a state of emergency due to widespread wildfires on Maui and Hawaii Islands.
At the time of issue, these wildfires are actively burning so residents and those on the island should refer to local authorities for up-to-date information. There are road closures, travel disruption and flight cancellations. All telecommunication services have been affected, limiting communications to and from the islands.
As a general guide, we suggest that impacted travellers review their relevant travel insurance Product Disclosure Statement or Credit Card Complimentary Insurance Policy Information Booklet regarding cancellation, travel delay, and additional travel expenses, as these will provide information around the cover under your policy.
Our products provide a number of benefits, terms, conditions, exclusions, limits, and applicable sub-limits that may be relevant to your travel plans. Your cover will depend on the type of plan you purchased and your circumstances. We will assess all claims in accordance with the cover that you hold and in accordance with your Product Disclosure Statement or Credit Card Complimentary Insurance Policy Information Booklet. Your policy will only respond to this event if you are directly impacted. There is no cover as a result of deciding not to travel where you are not directly impacted.
If you are currently travelling:
· As a provider of assistance services, it is always our priority to assist our customers where possible and within our ability to do so.
· Please consider your safety first and follow advice from local authorities.
· If your travel arrangements have been affected by this event, we firstly recommend contacting your travel agent or travel provider regarding the best option in altering your trip. Some travel providers may provide penalty free options to amend travel arrangements.
· If your pre-booked travel arrangements are cancelled, delayed or rescheduled as a result of the Hawaii fires and you have a travel insurance policy that provides coverage for delays or cancellation of travel arrangements, depending on when you purchased your insurance, you may be able to claim for additional travel, accommodation and meal expenses. Please ensure you keep all receipts and proof of purchases to submit with your claim.
· Please refer to your Product Disclosure Statement or Credit Card Complimentary Insurance Policy Information Booklet for the terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and applicable sub-limits that apply.
· If you have any queries about your policy benefits please contact our Allianz Global Assistance Information Hotline on 1300 725 154.
· Keep up to date on advice from travel providers by visiting their websites directly.
· Please keep yourself up to date with the advice issued by DFAT via its website smartraveller.gov.au.
If you have not yet departed:
· If your pre-booked travel arrangements are cancelled, delayed or rescheduled as a result of the Hawaii fires and you have a travel insurance policy that provides coverage for delays or cancellation of travel arrangements you may be able to make a claim for cancellation or rearrangement of your journey (whichever is the lesser).
· Please refer to your Product Disclosure Statement or Credit Card Complimentary Insurance Policy Information Booklet for the terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and applicable sub-limits that apply.
· We recommend you contact your travel agent or travel provider regarding the best option in altering your trip. Some travel providers may provide penalty free options to amend travel arrangements and we recommend you contact them for further details.
· Contact our Allianz Global Assistance Information Hotline on 1300 725 154 if you would like to clarify your policy entitlements.
Policy Coverage:
If you entered into a policy after 11.59pm 9th August, 2023
We would expect that this was done with an awareness of the wildfires on Maui and Hawaii islands. For these policies, we will not pay any claim caused by or in any way connected with this event. Our policies do not cover claims for losses caused by something that you or a reasonable person in your circumstances would have been aware of at the time of purchasing your policy.
Policy coverage and benefits vary based on individual circumstances. We encourage travellers to read their travel insurance Product Disclosure Statement or Credit Card Complimentary Insurance Policy Information Booklet to understand what they are covered for and any limits and exclusions that apply.
We will assess all claims in accordance with the cover that you hold and in accordance with your Product Disclosure Statement or Credit Card Complimentary Insurance Policy Information Booklet.
Making a Claim:
Keep all receipts for any additional transport, food or accommodation expenses you incur. If you are claiming cancellation or additional expenses you will need to submit documents showing what your original planned pre-paid arrangements were, along with any receipts and documents showing your new arrangements, and advice from the travel provider indicating the non-refundable portion of the journey.
Where possible, ensure any alternative accommodation and additional expenses are of a reasonable standard compared to the standard that which you had planned and pre-paid.
Please note that any compensation and/or refunds you receive from a third party (e.g. airline) for transport, food or accommodation will be deducted if your claim is accepted.
Make your claim online at travelclaims.com.au
How to contact us:
· If you have any general queries, please contact our Allianz Global Assistance Information Hotline on 1300 725 154.
· To make a claim visit our website travelclaims.com.au
· We will publish this and any updated travel insurance advisories on our website