Intermundial, Heymondo, and Destinia market travel insurance that includes the call to be part of an electoral table as a valid reason for cancellation, always subject to the clauses of each policy and the established contracting deadlines, as the companies have explained to Europa Press.
In the case of Intermundial, the designation as a member of an electoral table is listed among the cancellation reasons in most of its products and allows for the recovery of the amount paid for reservations, provided that the established requirements are met and that the insurance has been subscribed prior to receiving the official notification.
Heymondo, for its part, includes this circumstance in its temporary insurance Tranquilidad, Top, and Premium, as well as in the annual multi-trip insurance when the optional cancellation guarantee is included, in addition to including it in its specific travel cancellation policy.
The company requires that the travel reservation be made before the official announcement of the elections and that the insurance with cancellation coverage be contracted and in force before receiving the call, in addition to previously requesting the exemption before the Electoral Board of the Zone and providing the resolution that rejects the resignation or the official notification of the mandatory summons.
As for Destinia, the agency distributes Intermundial insurance with ARAG as the insurer and includes the electoral call among the justified cancellation reasons in the Basic, Plus, Premium, and Business modalities, the latter accessible only through its internal management channels.
To be able to take advantage of this coverage, the insurance must be contracted on the same day the trip is confirmed or within the seven days following, respecting the entry into force deadlines of each modality, while the designation for the table must occur after contracting the policy and make it impossible to carry out the trip on the planned dates.
Compensations of up to 10,000 euros
The compensation limits vary according to the chosen product and, in the case of Heymondo, the coverage can reach 10,000 euros per person, depending on the modality and the insured capital, for the actual and justified cancellation expenses that cannot be directly recovered from the tourism providers.
In Destinia, the Basic option covers up to 10,000 euros, without exceeding the value of the insured reservation, while Plus sets a maximum of 2,000 euros. The Premium modality establishes limits of up to 1,500 euros for domestic trips, 2,500 euros for travel within Europe and Mediterranean coastal countries, and 4,000 euros for intercontinental trips, and Business sets a cap of 750 euros.
In all cases, the reimbursement is conditioned on the particularities of each policy, while Intermundial has not specified in the information provided a specific economic limit for this case.
More cancellations and recommendations from insurers
Destinia has detected a 43% increase in cancellations during the week of the elections compared to the average of the other weeks of November and December analyzed.
The agency points out that this spike could be linked both to the possibility of being called to an electoral table and to the preference of some citizens to vote in person, although it has not observed a significant drop in reservations that can be directly attributed to the electoral call.
Intermundial indicates, on the other hand, that 41.5% of Spaniards plan to travel between October and December, according to its I Barometer of the traveler, while 22.2% usually book one or two months in advance, a margin that may coincide with the communication of the appointments for the electoral tables.
The companies advise reviewing the insurance conditions carefully and contacting the insurer before canceling the reservation, as well as keeping the official notification of the call and the receipts for non-refundable expenses to process, if applicable, a reimbursement request.
A contracted trip does not automatically exempt from the electoral table
According to Legálitas, having a trip booked prior to the call to be part of an electoral table can serve to request an exemption in certain cases, especially if the cancellation implies a significant economic detriment, although the decision rests with the Electoral Board of the Zone, which will evaluate the circumstances and the documentation provided.
The possibility of renouncing to be part of a table is limited to the legally provided cases and requires substantiating the alleged reasons, without it being sufficient to invoke reasons of personal or work convenience.