What to know about travel insurance amid Middle East conflict
Commercial travel has been widely disrupted across the Middle East amid airspace shutdowns, flight cancellations and unrest in the region, leaving travelers stranded in search of alternate options.
The Points Guy founder and travel expert, Brian Kelly, weighed in on the situation overseas and explained to ABC News how to navigate trip insurance plans amid global conflict.
Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Does trip insurance cover war?
"Unfortunately, war and related military actions are broadly excluded from coverage under almost every standard travel insurance policy," Kelly told ABC News. "Unless a traveler purchased a policy with a ‘cancel for any reason' benefit before departure, protections for cancellations, evacuations, or related costs arising from this kind of conflict are typically not provided."
Since not all policies are created equal, Kelly said that travelers "should review their policy terms closely and speak with their provider to understand their coverage."
"My advice is to save every receipt and always ask for a refund," Kelly continued. "Even if you're not owed one. Submit to the airline, credit card company, travel insurance provider, and see if anyone covers any portion. It never hurts to ask."
What to know about trip insurance
Katy Nastro, a fellow global travel expert with the flight price-tracking app Going, said that certain protections under federal law may already be available to U.S. passengers without insurance.
"You are already protected to get a full refund or rebooked on a significantly delayed flight or cancellation, regardless of the reason," she told ABC News.
Like Kelly, Nastro pointed out that the credit cards travelers use to purchase can also have massive refund benefits, especially for unexpected expenses.
"Many travel credit cards already have built-in trip insurance that can protect you when the unexpected happens," citing perks from the Chase Sapphire Reserve card that provide "reimbursements up to $10,000 per person for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses when an interruption happens."
Plus, she added that "these cards often pay sooner than the airlines do for expenses due to misplaced bags."
