Home visits are allowed if your policy duration is 4 months or more. There are no limits, you can come home as many times as you like, for as long as you like.
All persons to be insured must reside at a permanent address within the EEC ( Excluding Switzerland, Russia, Belarus, Montenegro and the Ukraine) to be eligible for cover.
If cover is purchased after an Insured Person has departed their home to commence their journey, there is a fixed period of 48 hours prior to cover commencing. For cover to apply the Already Travelling extension must be shown on your Booking Invoice or Validation Certificate (as applicable). Any illness arising during this initial 48 hour period will be an excluded Pre-existing Medical Condition. In the event of serious injury in connection with an accident, you will be covered from the date you take out cover subject to the accident being independently witnessed and also verified by a Medical Practitioner.
There is no 21 Day Cooling off Period and no premium refund will be made if the insured Person has already travelled.
Annual Multi Trip policies are designed for multiple short holidays leaving from and returning to your home country.
Annual Multi Trip trip limits:
Standard policy - 30 days
Premier policy - 70 days
If you need continuous cover for a year (home visits allowed on policies over 4 months long) select Single Trip or One Way. You can travel around as much as you like, to as many different countries as you like, with a Single Trip or One Way policy.
Please note a Single Trip policy can cover travels with no return ticket booked, a One Way policy is intended for:
Emigrating to new country where you intend to permanently live
Or
Returning to your home country permanently
All cover ceases upon arrival at final destination
Select the type of policy most suitable for your needs.
Single Trip means a one-off trip with a minimum duration of 4 days and a maximum duration of 24 months.
One Way Trip means you are Emigrating to a new country where you intend to live permanently or, returning to your home country permanently. The duration of cover can range anywhere between 4 day and 24 months; cover will end upon arrival at your final destination.
Annual Multi-Trip policy may cover an unlimited number of trips throughout the 12 month Period of Insurance. Each trip has a maximum stay validity depending on the type of policy chosen. For example, for Standard Policies, the maximum duration of any trip shall not exceed 30 days and for Premier policies, the maximum duration of any trip must not exceed 70 days.
If you are already travelling it is not possible to purchase the annual multi-trip policy.
EUROPE:
Europe means the continent of Europe West of the Ural Mountains, and includes the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Iceland, Jordan, Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Azores and Mediterranean Islands as well as all countries bordering the Mediterranean.
AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND:
a) For any period of cover purchased, a 48 hour stop-over anywhere in the World for both outward and return travel will be included.
b) If the period of cover purchased is two months or more, a stop-over of 7 days/nights anywhere in the World will be included.
WORLDWIDE excluding NORTH AMERICA:
(North America means the USA, Canada & Mexico.)
a) For any period of cover purchased, a 48 hour stop-over anywhere in the World for both outward and return travel will be included.
b) If the period of cover purchased is two months or more, a stop-over of 7 days/nights anywhere in the World will be included.
WORLDWIDE including NORTH AMERICA:
Worldwide means anywhere in the World including the USA, Canada & Mexico.
Single Trip
The Period of Insurance will be shown on your validation certificate up to a maximum duration of 24 months. Cover under Section C - Cancellation starts from the issue date validation certificate and ends when the Insured Person leaves their residence or place of business to commence travel. The cover under all other sections of the policy starts on the commencement date shown on the validation certificate and ends on the Insured Persons return home or expiry of the Period of Insurance, whichever is first. No premium refund outside of the Cooling Off Period may be offered if the Insured Person returns home prior to the expiry of the Period of Insurance. Single trip may also include one way trips. Cover under all sections ceases on arrival at final destination.
Annual Multi Trip
Any one trip shall be limited to a maximum duration of 70 days. For any trip known to be exceeding the maximum duration then the entire period of travel will not be insured to cover travel within the 12 month Period of Insurance shown on the Insured Persons validation certificate. Cover under Section C - Cancellation starts from the date of issue stated on your validation certificate or travel being booked, whichever is the latter. Cover under all other sections of the policy starts on the commencement date shown on the validation certificate and ends on the Insured Persons return home or expiry of the Period of Insurance, whichever is first. Please ensure you arrange cover for the entire duration of your travel
The period that you are insured for as shwon on your Booking Invoice or Validation Certificate (as applicable).
Automatic Trip Extension
If the Insured Person is prevented from completing their travel before the expiration of this Insurance as stated under the Period of Insurance on the Booking Invoice or Validation Certificate (as applicable) for reasons which are beyond their control, including ill health or failure of public transport, this Insurance will remain in force until completion but not exceeding a further 31 days on a day by day basis, without additional premium.
In the event of an Insured Person being hijacked, cover shall continue whilst the Insured Person is subject to the control of the person(s) or their associates making the hijack during the Period of Insurance of a period not exceeding twelve months from the date of the hijack.
Please ensure you arrange cover for the entire duration of your travel
Where do you normally reside? Where do you normally reside?
Please use the drop down box to choose your country of residence. Note we can only insure residents of the UK & EEA Countries.
Can I take out this Insurance if I’m already abroad?
If you are normally a resident of the UK or EEA Countries and your insurance has run out, you may take out cover online with us. This is on the understanding that nothing has occurred at the time of taking out the cover which has led to a claim or may lead to a potential claim. Note you cannot take out our Multi-Trip Insurance if you are already abroad.
Do you have minimum residency requirements?
No. If you are, for example, a British Passport holder and have right of abode in the UK, we are not concerned as to how many months in the past year you have been in the UK provided at the time of arranging this insurance you have a UK residential address.
We are unable to quote, Please ring our Offices on 0333 0033 161 for further assistance.
All of our policies exceed the International Experience Canada (IEC) requirements. Our Premier policy covers you for up to £10m for hospitalisation, medical and repatriation expenses; up to £5m for our standard policy; and up to £2m for our budget policy. All our policies also include Emergency Dental treatment to relieve pain and suffering (limited to £350).
We have 4 different options for our Winter Sports add-on. You can include cover for 14, 28 or 56 days of consecutive or non-consecutive Winter Sports activities, or you can include cover for the entire duration of your policy with our Unlimited add-on. With the set day packages, you can use the days one after another or you can space them out over any length of time you like. With the unlimited policy, well.. There's no limits on how many days you use.
If you feel homesick at any time, so long as your policy duration is more than 4 months, you can pop home to see family and friends at any time, however many times you choose. Covers stops as soon as you arrive home and starts again as soon as you depart.
Decide Canada’s not for you, and want to return earlier than your full period of insurance? Other insurers will tell you to wave goodbye to your money, but Big Cat lets you claim a partial premium refund for the unused time you didn’t stay in Canada.
How does the EARLY RETURN REFUND work? Check out our FAQs on this page for more details..
Big Cat allows you to re-new or extend your travel insurance whether you are at home or abroad. It doesn't matter if you are already travelling you can buy or re-new your policy from anywhere in the world via online access to our system.
Unlike most other Insurers we don't require you purchase a return airline ticket. Our IEC policy allows stays for up to 2 years, so presenting IEC insurance for 2 years at the Canadian border on entry means that you can receive the maximum 2 year visa. Show up with just 6 months insurance and you'll only get a visa for 6 months!
For British citizens aged between 18 and 30 years you can travel to Canada for a working holiday under the IEC visa programme. This will allow you to find temporary paid employment to help pay for your trip (up to 24 months). That means, for example, you could work in a ski resort in Banff, a restaurant in Quebec, or gain work experience at a business in Toronto.
However a strict requirement for those visiting Canada on an IEC visa is that you must have medical insurance for the entire duration of your stay. You may need to present evidence of this insurance to the border services officer on arrival in Canada otherwise you might not be admitted into the country. The IEC insurance needs to cover you for hospitalisation, health care and (if necessary) repatriation to your home country. Remember, you must ensure that your IEC insurance policy covers the entire period of your stay in Canada, otherwise your work permit will expire at the same time as your insurance.
Key Features of the Big Cat IEC Travel Insurance for Premier policy:
Home visits are allowed if your policy duration is 4 months or more. There are no limits, you can come home as many times as you like, for as long as you like.
To add any of our Activity Packs, just follow the Quote form - to stage 3 - there you will find all of the optional extras.
Non-manual/clerical work is covered automatically with a Big Cat policy. So, there’s nothing you need to add to be covered for things like teaching, caring or nursing.
With the Activity Pack, we can also cover work of a more manual nature. This can include things like WWOOFing, partaking in community or wildlife based conservation work, charity based supervised building / renovation projects or other permitted manual work (defined below).
Cover is excluded for any activity that involves the use of industrial machinery (other than tractors) or non-domestic power tools.
As Bar work is classed as Permitted Manual Work, you will need the Activity Pack to be covered – even if you’re just pouring drinks!
The Activity Pack will also cover you for a load of other things, see the list here.
WWOOfing is classed as Permitted Manual Work, so with the Activity Pack, you’re covered.
(see above)
Means WWOOFing, fruit picking, casual farm work or bar work. Permitted Manual Work is not covered if it involves the use of plant/trade/industrial/agricultural machinery (other than tractors) or non-domestic power tools.
Decide Canada’s not for you, and want to return earlier than your full period of insurance?
Other insurers will tell you to wave goodbye to your money, but Big Cat lets you claim a partial premium refund for the unused time you didn’t stay in Canada.
How does the EARLY RETURN REFUND work?
Let’s say you buy a 24 month policy to cover your time in Canada. But after nine months, you decide that Canada’s not for you, and you want to return home. You may have invested a substantial amount for your 24 month Big Cat policy, most of which you’ll now no longer need. Unlike most insurers, Big Cat is happy to offer you a partial refund on the redundant portion of your insurance as a fair’s fair consolation.
How does Big Cat calculate the amount of EARLY RETURN REFUND?
We take the length of time of the original policy and subtract the actual amount of time you have used, and pay out the difference, deducting a £50 Cancellation Charge.
Are there other conditions that apply to my EARLY RETURN REFUND?
Can you give an example of how much I could receive back in my EARLY RETURN REFUND?
Say you took out a 24 month budget IEC policy costing £457.50, then you wish to cancel the policy after 9 months. Our 9 month policy costs £242.89. So we deduct £242.89 from £457.50 = £214.61.
Then we apply the £50 Cancellation Charge, refunding you a total of £164.61.
If you get sick while travelling or you're seriously injured you are covered for emergency medical treatment including:
24hrs Medical Emergency Assistance.
Big Cat Travel Insurance Services, a trading name of Flynow.com Ltd (registration No.FRN 745388) is an Appointed Representative of Campbell Irvine Ltd (registration No.306242) who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You may check this on the Financial Services register www.fca.org.uk or by contacting them on (0) 800 111 6768. © 2018 Big Cat Travel Insurance Services. All rights reserved.