Trip interruption is the counterpart product covering events that occur after departure has begun.
- Covered events: the same list of covered reasons as cancellation, plus events that disrupt the trip mid-stream (covered illness of the insured or family member back home, severe weather diverting transport, hijacking, business loss).
- What is paid: the unused portion of prepaid expenses (return airfare changes, the unused nights of a hotel booking), plus the additional cost of an unscheduled return home (one-way return airfare in equivalent class), and sometimes the cost of catching up to a missed cruise or tour.
- Time of effect: coverage attaches at departure and runs until the insured returns home (or until the trip would have ended, whichever first).
Many travel packages bundle cancellation, interruption, and emergency medical into a single "comprehensive" product, which is often the most practical purchase for a single trip.
Common mistake: assuming an insured can claim under both cancellation AND interruption for the same event. They cannot. The two coverages address different phases and a single covered event triggers one or the other, not both.
⚠️ Trap: A trip "interruption" claim usually requires the insured to incur additional cost, a covered event that simply shortens the trip without additional expense generates no benefit beyond the unused-portion refund.
Recall: What does trip interruption pay that trip cancellation does not? What is the time-of-effect difference between the two products?