Your Personal Financial Questions – Will travel insurance cover us if we contract Covid before our winter break?

A According to Paul Walsh, managing director of People Insurance, it depends on the exact travel insurance policy you’re taking out. He said a number of travel insurers have built Covid coverage into their policies, but not all.

Even if Covid coverage is available, it varies from insurer to insurer. The Covid protection offered by Irish travel insurers broadly includes coverage for medical expenses should you be diagnosed with Covid while abroad and coverage for losses that would be incurred should you test positive for Covid just before your planned holiday.

This cancellation protection usually also applies if a holiday has to be canceled because a fellow traveler or someone you wanted to stay with during your trip has been diagnosed with Covid.

Mr Walsh said you should make sure the Covid coverage in the policy covers you should you or your husband catch the virus and have to cancel your holiday as a result.

It is recommended that you take out your travel insurance with your holiday. Covid protection doesn’t apply if you take out insurance less than a couple of weeks, or in some cases less than a month, before you travel, Mr Walsh said.

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Q I’m going on a ski trip in January. Besides regular skiing and snowboarding, I was hoping to take part in heli-skiing and heli-boarding. If I take out winter sports insurance before the trip, is it all covered?

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A Snowboarding and skiing are covered by standard winter sports insurance, according to Jonathan Hehir, managing director of insuremyholiday.ie. But more extreme winter sports like heli-skiing and heli-boarding won’t be. He said you should either avoid these extreme activities on your trip or get special insurance for them.

Standard snow sports insurance covers medical and other emergencies that arise when you are injured while on a ski trip while doing activities covered by your policy (e.g. skiing and snowboarding).

It also usually covers you for financial loss if an illness or injury prevents you from skiing, he said.

This also applies to damage, loss or theft of your ski equipment and ski pass, as well as certain costs that may arise due to a piste closure or an avalanche or landslide.

In such cases, there are monetary limits to the amount of coverage. These will be stated on your policy, Mr Hehir said.

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Q I am a KBC customer. I haven’t moved my checking account yet. I’m saving on my PRSA (Personal Retirement Savings Account) by making a monthly direct debit from my KBC Current Account. How can I ensure that my retirement savings are not interrupted when KBC leaves?

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A The first thing you should do is switch your KBC current account to a new provider, which will ensure you can continue to access your current account in the future, according to Glenn Gaughran, head of business development at pension trust company ITC.

You should then ensure that the direct debit you have set up on your KBC current account for your pension savings is moved to your new account, he said. You have two options to switch accounts – via central bank switch code or manually yourself.

If you are managing the switch yourself, provide your PRSA provider with your new bank account details – including IBAN and BIC – and ask them to ensure that direct debit for your retirement savings is set up for this new account, or what if any action is taken which you must take yourself to ensure that this happens.

Your PRSA provider may have a form that you need to fill out in order for them to receive your new bank account details. Should you go through the central bank switch code when switching accounts, your old bank will notify any company you have a direct debit with of your new bank details so they can update their records.

However, it is important that you verify that all of your Direct Debits are set up correctly and are being paid on time. Contact your PRSA provider directly to ensure they have your new account details​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​