Coverage Alert: War in Israel and Surrounding Region

Last updated: August 29, 2024

UPDATE:  Since the war began on October 7, 2023, there have been substantial expansions and escalations of this armed military conflict.  This includes more recently on August 25, 2024 when Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon, resulting in further travel disruptions in and around impacted areas.  We are updating this coverage alert to assist consumers in understanding how the war and acts of war in Israel and the surrounding region that began October 7, 2023, including these events, may impact coverage.

On October 7, 2023, armed Hamas combatants began an invasion of areas of southern Israel and thousands of rockets have been fired from Gaza into southern and central Israel in a coordinated attack on Israel, injuring or killing thousands.  That same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly declared that Israel is at war and mobilized the Israeli military, and Israel has begun conducting large scale military operations within Gaza and its periphery.

Our deepest sympathies go out to all those impacted and also to their families and loved ones that have been impacted.

These events have led to ongoing travel disruptions and cancellations into and out of the region, with many airlines having reduced or suspended flights.

To our customers in Israel who need assistance while traveling, please contact us at 1-804-673-1173.  Due to flight suspensions, our ability to arrange transportation and provide certain other assistance in this area may be limited at this time.  For additional information and assistance, we recommend contacting the nearest U.S. embassy by phone at 1-833-890-9595 (toll free) or 1-606-641-0131 (local) or (972) (3) 519-7551 (Emergency).  U.S. citizens should enroll in the U.S. Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) program.  For more information, visit the U.S. Department of State’s Situation in Israel Information Website and follow Alerts and Messages from the U.S. Embassy in Israel.

According to the U.S. Embassy, the status of Ben Gurion International Airport and the availability and status of flights can be found here.  You may also check flight availability and status directly with the airline.  The status of land border crossings may be found here:

• Allenby/King Hussein Bridge between Israel and the West Bank
• Jordan River/Sheikh Hussein Crossing between Israel and Jordan near Beit Shaan
• Yitzhak Rabin/Arava Crossing between Israel and Jordan near Eilat
• Menachem Begin Crossing between Israel and Egypt near Eilat

Travel Insurance Coverage

Customers considering making changes to their travel plans should contact their travel supplier.  Many travel suppliers are waiving change fees and/or offering refunds or credits for future travel when traveling to Israel. Availability of coverage may be subject to any refund, credit, or reimbursement you receive or that you are eligible to receive from your supplier or other source.  

Hamas, Israel, and other combatants in the region have engaged in ongoing acts of war beginning on October 7, 2023, and this armed conflict became a known event as of that date.

Allianz Travel Protection Plans exclude or generally do not provide coverage for any loss resulting directly or indirectly from any one or more of the following:  war (declared or undeclared) or acts of war; military duty due to war or for non-U.S. Armed Forces; an event that was known, foreseeable, or expected on the date you purchased your plan; government acts, prohibitions, warnings, or travel advisories; or fear of travel. Please note, plans that became effective on or after October 8, 2023 do not provide any coverage for losses resulting directly or indirectly from these events.

Moreover, please note that the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4: Do Not Travel warning to the Gaza region. Several benefits and covered reasons under our plans require that the insured must not have traveled against government advice. Additionally, our plans do not provide any coverage, benefit, or service for any activity that would violate any applicable law or regulation, including without limitation any economic or trade sanction or embargo.

The above is intended to provide general information and is not a determination of coverage. Claims will be reviewed individually in accordance with their facts. We encourage you to review your policy and contact us at the number listed on your plan if you have any questions or wish to make a claim.  Coverage is subject to and in accordance with the terms, conditions, exclusions, and limits of the applicable plan.

Plan Changes / Refunds

If your trip is canceled, you may change your travel protection plan’s effective dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip, as long as that trip is scheduled to be completed within 770 days (or longer, if expressly provided in the plan) from the plan’s original purchase date.  Changes can be made at our website or by calling the phone number on your plan.  Please note, if you wish to move your plan’s covered trip dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip, you must update your trip dates prior to the departure date of that new or rescheduled trip and prior to any loss for which you seek coverage.  Additionally, if your trip costs for your new or rescheduled trip are different than the cost of your original trip, you will need to update your plan’s coverage limits accordingly.  Any change in trip cost insured for the new or rescheduled trip may result in a change in premium.  If you update your plan’s trip dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip but do not adjust your limits, the original plan limits will apply to the new or rescheduled trip.

Alternatively, if your travel supplier cancels and refunds your trip, so long as no payable claim has been filed under the plan, you may cancel your plan for a full refund by contacting us.  You may also cancel your plan within 15 days (or more, depending on your plan and state of residence) from the date your plan was purchased, so long as you have not started your trip or filed a claim.  See your plan for details, or contact us at the number listed on your plan.  Refunds must be requested within 770 days (or longer, if expressly provided in the plan) of the original plan purchase date.  Unless earlier canceled or ended, and unless expressly provided otherwise in the plan, plans end 770 days after the original plan purchase date.  Plans do not provide any coverage or accommodation for any loss incurred after the plan ends.

Accommodation Regarding the War in Israel and Surrounding Region

Customers considering making changes to their travel plans should contact their travel supplier.  Many travel suppliers are waiving fees and/or offering refunds or credits for future travel when traveling to Israel. Availability of accommodations may be subject to any refund, credit, or reimbursement you receive or that you are eligible to receive from your supplier or other source. 

For a temporary period in response to this evolving emergency situation, to help protect the health and safety of our customers, we are currently accommodating certain claims as described in more detail below for insureds whose travel plans have been impacted as a result of these acts of war that began on October 7, 2023.

• Trip Cancellation for customers currently scheduled to travel to or within Israel with a departure date on or between October 7, 2023 and November 30, 2023 on an insured trip.

• Trip Interruption for insureds who were either (a) in Israel on October 7, 2023 on an insured trip; or (b) on an insured trip on October 7, 2023 that included scheduled travel to Israel on or between October 8, 2023 and November 30, 2023.

Insureds qualifying for this Trip Interruption accommodation will not be subject to the benefit’s five-day maximum limit for additional accommodation and transportation expenses (however, the maximum daily limit for such expenses and the maximum Trip Interruption benefit limit still apply).

The accommodations described in this coverage alert are strictly applicable to the War in Israel and Surrounding Region that began on October 7, 2023.  These accommodations are only available for customers whose plan includes the applicable benefit and whose plan was in effect on or before October 7, 2023.  Plans that became effective on or after October 8, 2023 are not eligible for the above accommodations.  To be eligible for these accommodations, the insured must have a trip itinerary dated on or prior to October 7, 2023 that included travel to or within Israel within the dates specified in the applicable accommodation above, and that itinerary must not have been changed by the travel supplier to remove such travel as of the date the claim is filed.

All other terms, conditions, and exclusions of the plan apply as normal. By making this accommodation, we are not waiving our rights to generally exclude losses for war (declared or undeclared), acts of war, or any other otherwise applicable exclusion. Customers have a duty to minimize their loss, and any failure to do so may impact the amount of any reimbursement available.  All benefits are subject to maximum limits of liability, which may in some cases be subject to sublimits, day limits, and daily maximums.  Only the expenses covered by the insured’s plan’s benefits are subject to these accommodations.  Not all benefits are available on all plans.  Please read your plan for details.

Benefits, covered reasons, and coverage limits vary by plan and state.  Please review your plan for details on the coverage available under your plan, or contact us at the number listed on your plan with any questions or to file a claim.

Plans Purchased with Supplier Cancellation Fee Waiver

If you purchased a travel protection plan that included a travel cancellation fee waiver offered by a travel supplier, please contact your travel supplier for questions and coverage information related to trip cancellation under that waiver. Please note, the above refunds, opportunities to change dates, and other accommodations may not be available for any third-party travel cancellation fee waiver you purchased from your travel supplier.

The information in this Coverage Alert is current as of the time of publication but is subject to change as the situation develops.  Please visit our website for the latest coverage information.

Please note, the above-described accommodations are an explicit and limited expression of donative intent only, which is for only the limited purposes expressly specified here and for no other further purpose, express or implied.  Further, it is expressly not a guarantee of coverage or admission of legal or equitable liability.  Nothing contained or described here, nor any payment made pursuant to the position described here, is or should be construed to be a waiver of any term, condition, or exclusion of any plan, or any applicable rights, remedies, or defenses under any plan or at law or equity.  We and our applicable underwriters and reinsurers reserve all rights, remedies, and defenses under the plan and under applicable law and at equity.

Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply to all plans. Benefits and limits vary by plan. For a complete description of the coverage and benefit limits offered under your specific plan, carefully review your plan’s Letter of Confirmation/Declaration of Coverage and Certificate of Insurance/Policy. Insurance benefits underwritten by BCS Insurance Company, or Jefferson Insurance Company, depending on your state of residence and plan chosen. Plans only available to U.S. residents and may not be available in all jurisdictions. Allianz Global Assistance and Allianz Travel are marks of AGA Service Company dba Allianz Global Assistance or its affiliates. Allianz Travel, Event Ticket, and Registration insurance products are distributed by Allianz Global Assistance, the licensed producer and administrator of these plans and an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company. The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between Allianz Global Assistance and Jefferson Insurance Company. Plans include insurance benefits and assistance services. Any Non-Insurance Assistance services purchased are provided through Allianz Global Assistance. Any non-insurance travel cancellation fee waiver purchased is provided by the travel supplier from whom you purchased that travel cancellation fee waiver. Except as expressly provided under your plan, you are responsible for charges you incur from third parties.