A refused claim can go to internal review, then a free external body
Jeremy CabralGrowth advisor Checked
Ask the insurer for the exact clause it relied on, check it against your wording, and ask for an internal review in writing. If that fails, a free external complaints body can review it: a state insurance department in the US, an ombudsman in most other countries.
Three steps after a refusal
1Get the exact clauseAsk for the refusal in writing with the section and wording relied on. Compare it with your certificate, and with how your insurer's wording treats this cause.
2Ask for an internal reviewWrite to the insurer's complaints team, or the card's benefit administrator, with new evidence. Ask for a final response letter; most external bodies need it.
3Take it to the external bodyFree in every country listed below. Check its time limit before the deadline passes.
Five reasons delay claims are refused
| Reason | What to check |
|---|---|
| The cause is not on the list | Closed-list wordings and card benefits leave out an air traffic control or government system failure. Check the clause; an open "carrier delay" clause has no cause test. |
| The waiting period was not met | Insurers measure from different points. Ask whether they used your scheduled departure or the length of the shutdown. |
| Known or foreseeable event | Cover bought or a trip booked after the event was public. For this stop, Travelex and TuGo set 13 November 2026. |
| Missing documents | Usually the airline's written statement of cause and duration. Send it and ask for the claim to be reopened. |
| Government order or cyber exclusion | Some wordings exclude government orders or cyber events. The UK ombudsman accepted an Allianz cyber exclusion in decision DRN-4698020. |
Complaints bodies and time limits in 16 countries
| Country | External body | Before you go | Time limits and powers | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Your state insurance department (NAIC directory) | Get the insurer's or benefit administrator's decision in writing. Pick your state on the NAIC page to reach its complaint form. | Each state runs its own process. The NAIC page states no national time limit. Card benefits are insurance, so the underwriter named in the guide is the company to complain about. | read |
| Canada | OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance (OLHI) | Complain to the insurer first. Contact OLHI once you have its final position, or if it has not answered within 90 days. | Free. Aims to conclude most complaints within 120 days. Settlement recommendations are voluntary and cannot be enforced. You and the insurer sign an agreement pausing the limitation period during review. Travel insurance is in OLHI's scope according to Clicklaw and the Alberta Ombudsman; OLHI's own pages say life and health. | read |
| Canada | General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) | Try to resolve it with the insurer and get its Final Position Letter. | Free. Its own pages describe home, auto and business insurance and do not mention travel, so check whether your insurer is a member before filing. | read |
| United Kingdom | Financial Ombudsman Service | Complain to the insurer. It has 8 weeks to send a final response to most complaints. | Refer within 6 months of the final response. Free. Its decisions on air traffic control delay claims are still three, none upheld, each on a specific policy. | read |
| Ireland | Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman | Complain to the provider first and get its final response letter. | Within 6 years of the conduct complained of. Free. | read |
| Australia | Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) | Use the insurer's internal dispute process; the Cover-More PDS says you may go to AFCA at any time. | Within 2 years of the insurer's final internal response and no later than 6 years after you became aware of the loss, whichever comes first. Read in insurers' PDSs; AFCA's site blocked reading. | summary |
| New Zealand | Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) | The insurer gets up to 2 months to resolve the complaint. | Usually 3 months from the deadlock letter. Free. Claims up to NZ$500,000 plus GST. | read |
| Singapore | Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC) | The insurer must first have had the chance to resolve the dispute. | Within 6 months of the insurer's final reply. Free to file. Adjudication up to S$150,000 per claim. | read |
| Hong Kong | Insurance Complaints Bureau (ICB) | Written complaint on the ICB form with the insurer's written final decision attached. | Within 6 months of the final decision. Limit HK$1,500,000. Member insurers' personal policies only. | read |
| Germany | Versicherungsombudsmann | Raise the claim with the insurer first. | No filing deadline in its rules. Free. Value up to EUR 100,000; decisions bind the insurer up to EUR 10,000. | read |
| France | La Médiation de l'Assurance | Send the insurer a written complaint. Go to the mediator after an unsatisfactory answer or 2 months of silence. | Within 1 year of the written complaint. Free. | read |
| India | Insurance Ombudsman (Council for Insurance Ombudsmen) | Complain to the insurer. File once it rejects the complaint or gives no reply within one month. | Within 1 year. Amount sought Rs 50 lakh or less. IRDAI's Bima Bharosa portal attends to complaints within 14 days. | read |
| Mexico | CONDUSEF | The insurer's Unidad Especializada de Atención (UNE) first. | Two years, read in AXA's wording; opening a UNE or CONDUSEF procedure interrupts the period. CONDUSEF's site refused connections. | summary |
| Brazil | consumidor.gov.br (as directed by SUSEP) | The insurer's SAC, then its Ouvidoria. Needs a gov.br account at silver or gold level. | The company has up to 10 days to reply. No filing time limit printed on the pages read. | read |
| Japan | Sonpo ADR Centre | The centre passes your complaint to the insurer first, then offers a dispute procedure. | Free. No time limit stated on its page. | read |
| South Korea | Financial Supervisory Service dispute mediation | Apply after the insurer's decision. | No time limits stated on the pages read. | read |
| China | 12378 banking and insurance complaint hotline (NFRA) | Complain to the insurer first. | Hours and time limits could not be read on the regulator's own site. | summary |
Source: each body's own pages, read 15 November 2026, unless tagged summary. Insurer complaint routes come from the policy wordings.
Questions about refused claims
Can I appeal a denied travel insurance claim?
Yes. Ask for the decision and the clause in writing, then request an internal review with any missing documents. If the insurer keeps its decision, take the complaint to the external body for your country.
Who do I complain to in the US about a travel insurance claim?
Your state insurance department. The NAIC lists every state department and links to each complaint page.
Who do I complain to in Canada?
OLHI, the OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance, after you have the insurer's final position. Its service is free and its recommendations are voluntary.
Has the UK ombudsman upheld air traffic control delay claims?
The Financial Ombudsman Service decisions found on air traffic control claims are still three, and none was upheld. Each concerned a specific policy and does not describe every UK insurer.
How long do I have to complain?
It varies: 6 months from the final response in the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong, 3 months from deadlock in New Zealand, 1 year in France and India.
Related pages on this site
Every figure on this page links to its source
17 sources
Read on the provider's or regulator's own page unless tagged summary (reported elsewhere) or unverified. The live site's full source list is on the methodology page.
- Your state insurance department (NAIC directory) read checked 15 November 2026
- OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance (OLHI) read checked 15 November 2026
- General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) read checked 15 November 2026
- Financial Ombudsman Service read checked 15 November 2026
- Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman read checked 15 November 2026
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) summary checked 15 November 2026
- Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) read checked 15 November 2026
- Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC) read checked 15 November 2026
- Insurance Complaints Bureau (ICB) read checked 15 November 2026
- Versicherungsombudsmann read checked 15 November 2026
- La Médiation de l'Assurance read checked 15 November 2026
- Insurance Ombudsman (Council for Insurance Ombudsmen) read checked 15 November 2026
- CONDUSEF summary checked 15 November 2026
- consumidor.gov.br (as directed by SUSEP) read checked 15 November 2026
- Sonpo ADR Centre read checked 15 November 2026
- Financial Supervisory Service dispute mediation read checked 15 November 2026
- 12378 banking and insurance complaint hotline (NFRA) summary checked 15 November 2026