IMPORTANT NOTICE
Canada Reintroduces Global Travel Advisory to avoid non-essential travel for all Canadians
On December 15th, 2021, due to concerns over the new Omicron variant, the Government of Canada reintroduced its Global Level 3 COVID-19 Travel Advisory for Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to all destinations, regardless of vaccination status, for at least 4 weeks, at which time the travel advisory will be re-evaluated.
The Global Level 3 COVID-19 Travel advisory, which was originally introduced in March of 2020, had previously been lifted on October 21st, 2021 for fully vaccinated Canadians.
The Level 4 travel advisory to avoid all cruise ship travel outside Canada, which has been in effect since March 2020, remains in effect.
You can find details about Government of Canada Travel Advisory levels here.
How does this affect my travel insurance coverage options?
COVID Coverage Available by Phone Only
As a result of the Global Level 3 Travel Advisory that was reintroduced on December 15th and to ensure our clients fully understand their COVID coverage terms and options, our policies that include COVID-19 coverage are only available for purchase by phone by calling 1-855-478-3490
Until further notice, policies available for purchase online do not include coverage for COVID-19.
Blue Cross Policies
Policies beginning with: LM
Our Ontario Blue Cross® travel insurance policies are unaffected by the December 15th travel advisory change and continue to provide $5 Million CAD in coverage for emergency medical care, including COVID-19-related medical expenses, for both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers.
Manulife Policies
If you are purchasing a policy on or after December 16, 2021:
If you are purchasing a Manulife policy on December 16th or later, we still have multiple options available that include coverage for COVID-19, including:
- Standard Plan + COVID-19 Rider
- Personalized COVID-19 Medically Underwritten Plan
- COVID-19 Pandemic Plan
Our agents will be happy to explain the features of each of these policies to you and help you select the option that works best for your individual needs.
If you purchased a policy on or before December 15th, 2021:
If you purchased a Manulife policy on or before December 15th, please review the information below to find out if your COVID-19 coverage terms have changed, and what action, if any, is required to ensure you continue to have coverage for COVID-19:
COVID-19 PANDEMIC PLANS
Policies beginning with: MPSS, MPUS or MPUST
Our Manulife COVID-19 Pandemic Travel Medical Insurance Plans are unaffected by the December 15th travel advisory change and continue to provide $5 Million CAD in coverage for emergency medical care, including COVID-19-related medical expenses, for fully vaccinated travellers.
STANDARD PLANS (PrimeLink)
Standard Plan policies beginning with: SAS, SAA or SAT
COVID Rider policies beginning with: SBE
Standard Plans WITH a COVID-19 Rider:
Our Standard PrimeLink Universal Emergency Medical Insurance Plans, if purchased in conjunction with a COVID-19 Rider, are unaffected by the December 15th travel advisory change and continue to provide $10 Million CAD in coverage for emergency medical care, including COVID-19-related medical expenses, for fully vaccinated travellers.
Standard Plans WITHOUT a COVID-19 Rider:
If you purchased a Standard PrimeLink Universal Emergency Medical Insurance Plan without a COVID-19 Rider, the status of your COVID-19 coverage will depend on the date you departed on your trip, as outlined below:
- Departures on or prior to December 16, 2021:
If you have purchased a Standard PrimeLink Universal Emergency Medical Insurance Plan WITHOUT a COVID-19 Rider and departed on your trip on or prior to December 16, 2021, your policy is unaffected by the December 15th travel advisory change and continues to provide $10 Million CAD in coverage for emergency medical care, including COVID-19-related medical expenses, for fully vaccinated travellers.
However, if you require a new top-up to your existing policy while you are away, you may need to purchase a COVID-19 Rider with your top-up for COVID-19 to be included in coverage.
- Departures on or after December 17, 2021:
If you have purchased a Standard PrimeLink Universal Emergency Medical Insurance Plan WITHOUT a COVID-19 Rider and depart on your trip on or after December 17, 2021, your policy will not include coverage for COVID-19 and you will need to contact us prior to departing on your trip to purchase a COVID-19 Rider for COVID coverage.
If you departed on or after December 17th, 2021 and you were unable to make the necessary changes to your coverage prior to departing, you will be able to make these changes from your travel destination up to and including December 21, 2021.
If you are unable to get through to our call centre to modify your coverage, please send us an email before December 21, 2021, that includes your existing policy number(s), the date and time of your departure, and a note indicating that you were unable to reach us by phone and would like to modify your policy to include coverage for COVID so one of our agents can contact you to assist you.
You can email us using the contact form here.
PERSONALIZED PLANS (TravelSense)
Personalized Policies beginning with: SAMS, SAMA or SAMT
Personalized COVID Policies beginning with: CUS
If you purchased a Personalized Plan, the status of your COVID-19 coverage will depend on the date you departed on your trip, as outlined below:
- Departures on or prior to December 16, 2021:
If you have purchased a Personalized TravelSense Individual Medical Underwriting Insurance Plan and departed on your trip on or prior to December 16, 2021, your policy is unaffected by the December 15th travel advisory change and continues to provide $10 Million CAD in coverage for emergency medical care, including COVID-19-related medical expenses, for fully vaccinated travellers.
However, if you require a new top-up to your existing policy while you are away, you may need to purchase a COVID-19 top-up for COVID-19 to be included in coverage.
- Departures on or after December 17, 2021:
If you have purchased a Personalized TravelSense Individual Medical Underwriting Insurance Plan and depart on your trip on or after December 17, 2021, your policy will not include coverage for COVID-19 and you will need to contact us prior to departing on your trip to exchange your existing policy for a Personalized COVID-19 Medically Underwritten Plan for COVID coverage.
The cost of your Personalized COVID-19 Medically Underwritten Policy will be equal to the cost of your original policy, so there will be no additional cost to you when exchanging your policy.
If you departed on or after December 17th, 2021 and you were unable to make the necessary changes to your coverage prior to departing, you will be able to make these changes from your travel destination up to and including December 21, 2021.
If you are unable to get through to our call centre to modify your coverage, please send us an email before December 21, 2021, that includes your existing policy number(s), the date and time of your departure, and a note indicating that you were unable to reach us by phone and would like to modify your policy to include coverage for COVID so one of our agents can contact you to assist you.
You can email us using the contact form here.
Cruise Coverage
Snowbird Advisor Insurance is now offering multiple emergency travel medical coverage options for cruises, including coverage for COVID-19.
Please call us for cruise coverage details and options, as options may vary depending on your province of residence and vaccination status.
