Yes, you can cancel your trip if it was booked before March 13. Deposits paid before March 13 will be reimbursed to you by SSQ Insurance.

We are currently processing all trip cancellation claims for trips that are scheduled to take place in the next 30 days.

If this applies to you, proceed as follows:

1. Contact the first payers first, i.e., travel provider, airline or from whom you purchased your trip for reimbursement, if applicable.

2. Contact your travel insurance assistance service. It is provided on your insurance card and in the Customer Centre.

• For those covered by CanAssistance, fill out the form on the CanAssistance site
• For those covered by AXA Assistance, contact AXA
• For those covered by Assistel, contact Assistel

Before paying for your trip, call your travel agent. New payments are not eligible for reimbursement as the COVID-19 situation is now well-known.

If you already submitted a reimbursement request to the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents (CFCTA) (Quebec only) 

Exceptionally and if your cancellation is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you must re-submit a claim to your travel insurance assistance centre.

• For those covered by CanAssistance, fill out the form on the CanAssistance site
• For those covered by AXA Assistance, contact AXA
• For those covered by Assistel, contact Assistel

Your trip must have been purchased prior to March 13, 2020.
 
If you were offered a travel credit as compensation, we consider this a reimbursement. We will therefore deduct the travel credit (whether you accepted it or not) from your insurance amount. If the travel credit is equal to your insurance amount, you will not receive any further reimbursement from SSQ Insurance.
 
Please note that reimbursements from SSQ Insurance will take 3 months to process.

Yes, you are now covered for all medical and emergency medical expenses, whether you are ill as a result of COVID-19, other causes or an accident. Refer to your contract as some exceptions may apply.

• Claim form, completed and signed
• Proof of the trip’s cancellation from the provider
• Copy of all credits and reimbursements already obtained
• Detailed receipts from your service provider, including their cancellation policy
• Proof of payment for the trip (credit card statement or bank account for instance)
• Plane tickets (if applicable)
• Direct deposit reimbursement form, completed and signed (if applicable)

As of October 1, 2020

Yes, you are covered for emergency medical expenses (including those related to COVID-19) for any destination for which a travel advisory notice was issued by the Government of Canada to avoid all non-essential travel (Level 3).

Your health must be good and stable before departure.

As of October 1, 2020

Trip cancellation or travel interruption is now offered in the following cases:

Before departure
Should the travel health notice for your destination country change from Level 1-2 to 3 or 4* before your departure, it will be possible to cancel your trip.

If the travel notice for your destination country changes from 3 to 4 before your departure, you will be able to cancel your trip.

During the trip
Should the travel health notice for your destination country change from Level 1-2 to 3 during your stay, you can either stay, while maintaining your travel assistance coverage, or interrupt your trip to return home within a maximum of 14 days.

However, should the government travel health notice change to Level 4, you must interrupt your trip and return home within a maximum of 14 days. If you do not return, you will lose your travel assistance coverage.

*Travel advisory notice issued by the Government of Canada
Level 1 - Practise usual precaution
Level 2 - Practise special precautions
Level 3 - Avoid non-essential travel
Level 4 - Avoid all travel

SSQ Insurance considers a travel credit equal to a reimbursement. If the trip cancellation and interruption insurance is included in your contract, we will deduct the travel credit (regardless of whether you accepted or refused it) from your claim. If the travel credit is equal to the total amount of the trip, SSQ Insurance will not issue a reimbursement.

Yes, if your group insurance includes trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

Given that the Canadian government issued a non-essential trip travel advisory for all trips taken outside Canada, trip cancellation insurance covers all destinations from the time the advisory was issued.

To cancel a trip, you must have trip cancellation and interruption insurance and the two following conditions must be met:

• You must have booked your trip before the date on which a non-essential travel advisory was issued by the Canadian government for your destination.
• Your trip must take place in the period during which the government travel advisory is in effect.

If you want to cancel your cruise, you must have trip cancellation and interruption insurance and the two following conditions must be met:

• You must have booked your cruise before the Canadian government issued a travel advisory for all cruises on March 10, 2020.
• Your cruise must take place in the period during which the government’s travel advisory is in effect.

Yes, most airlines reimburse plane tickets when flights are cancelled.

Other airlines give travel credits, which SSQ Insurance considers as a reimbursement.

No, you are not covered. Your travel insurance will not reimburse you for a destination or a cruise for which the Canadian government issued a travel advisory, for all medical and emergency medical expenses. whether you are sick as a result of COVID-19, other causes or an accident.

If you are covered by your contract despite the COVID-19 pandemic

For all departures since April 6, 2020, SSQ Insurance will no longer consider COVID-19 as a sudden and unexpected illness with respect to eligible travel insurance expenses.

Therefore, your travel insurance coverage will not cover any expenses associated with COVID-19 because it is considered predictable and expected disease.

If you travel to another province in Canada

You are now covered for all medical and emergency medical expenses, whether you are ill as a result of COVID-19, other causes or an accident. Refer to your contract as some exceptions may apply.

No, you can no longer cancel your trip in Canada because of COVID-19 as there is no travel advisory for other Canadian provinces.