Martin Lewis issues urgent travel advice for those going on holiday to Spain

27 July 2020, 07:35 | Updated: 27 July 2020, 14:36

Martin Lewis issues urgent travel insurance warning about Spanish holidays

By Polly Foreman

Spain was removed from the UK quarantine-free travel list over the weekend.

Martin Lewis has issued urgent travel insurance advice for those planning a holiday to Spain, warning that their policies may no longer be valid.

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On Saturday, it was announced by the Foreign Office that Spain would be removed from the UK's 'quarantine-free' travel list, meaning that Brits returning from the country from Sunday 26 July onwards would need to quarantine for two weeks.

Responding to the news, Martin Lewis released a short clip of advice for holidaymakers - warning them that most travel insurance policies will no longer be valid.

He said: "Do think very carefully before going to Spain.

"Even though I know some people are arguing, rightly, that there are some areas of Spain badly affected and there are other areas that aren't.

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"Well the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.

"You wouldn't have travel insurance cover, it's not worth it.

"You trip over, you bang your head, you need treatment, you're in hospital, you need flying back, it's not worth it, things happen."

He did warn, however, that it will be tricky to get a refund unless your flight is cancelled.

Martin continued: "I'm afraid you don't tend to have any rights.

"What you would look too is your travel insurance company.

"Now this is where it gets difficult, you will be covered if you booked your travel insurance and your flight pre-pandemic, you are likely to be covered.

"So you can go and talk to them, not all of them but most."

He said that if your travel insurance or holiday was booked after mid-March you are unlikely to be covered, adding: "All the policies we've checked won't cover you, the only one that may cover you is if you have a Nationwide Flex Plus package account that you pay for each month."

It was announced on Saturday that Spain would be removed from the quarantine-free travel list after a spike of coronavirus cases in the country.

A government spokesperson said: "The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England (PHE) have updated their coronavirus assessments of Spain based on the latest data.

"As a result, Spain has been removed from the lists of countries from which passengers arriving in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempted from the need to self-isolate.

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"Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK.

"We’ve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary. Both our list of quarantine exemptions and the Foreign Office travel advice are being updated to reflect these latest risk assessments."

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