FAQs

General Questions and Answers

The following questions and answers are general to both our insurance products. You can also view specific VentureGuard FAQs and specific SportsGuard FAQs.
Q: Do I have to possess SportsCover Direct’s travel insurance if I want to purchase Activity TopUp cover?
A: No, as long as the insured holds travel insurance for the whole period that they are abroad, they can purchase Activity TopUp cover
 

Additional Financial Protection Units
Q: I would like to top up the cover, can I do this ?
A: Yes, you can increase your cover by buying additional financial protection units to increase your levels of cover; for loss of earnings. Each additional top up unit increases the benefit by £50 per week. Up to 10 additional 'top up' units can be purchased.
 

Age
Q: Can you provide cover for children ?
A: Yes, Sportsguard can cover anyone upto the age of 69 although children pay the same rate as adults.
 
Q: I am 65. Can I still buy a Sportsguard policy ?
A: Yes, Sportsguard can cover anyone up to the age of 69. An applicant over 70 cannot be covered.
 

Card
Q: Do I need to carry my policy and card details with me when travelling ?
A: To use the 24 hour emergency assistance, all you need is the 24 hour medical emergency number. Although you do not need to carry your card and schedule with you for it to be valid, some foreign medical providers may wish to see evidence of your cover.
 

Children
Q: Can you provide cover for children ?
A: Yes the sportsguard policy does cover children but they pay the full adult standard premium.
 
Q: Can you provide cover for children ?
A: Yes, children under 2 are free of charge, and children between 2-16 are charged 50% of the standard premium provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian also insured under the scheme.The same 50% discount also applies to children up to 23 years if dependant and in full time education. Otherwise anyone over 16 is charged the standard premium. Children aged 10-16 can travel on their own provided they pay the full adult premium.
 

Duration
Q: I want to take out accident cover for 6 months. Is this possible ?
A: No, the policy is an annual policy but is also available for one specific day or several consecutive days. Once the policy has commenced and the cooling off period has expired, we cannot refund any premium if the insured terminates or attempts to terminate the insurance.
 

Groups
Q: Do I get a discount for a group booking ?
A: Yes we offer a 5% discount for parties of 5 or more and a 10% discount for parties of 10 or more.
 

Holiday
Q: Can I get cover for a fixed five day period ?
A: Yes, you can get cover for any period up to 12 continuous months so long as you include the day you leave and the day you return.
 
Q: Can I get cover for a fixed five day period?
A: Yes, you can get cover for any period up to 2 continuous months.
 
Q: Can I travel for 8 months on an Annual (multi-trip) policy?
A: No, the VentureGuard Annual policy will only allow for any number of trips up to 90 days each. You must return to the UK to start a new trip. We can extend the 90 day period up to 12 months for an additional premium. Please call for further details.
 
Q: Will my animal be covered by my insurance on holiday?
A: No it won't. But you might like to try morethan.com or petplan.co.uk for a quote.
 

Limitations
Q: Are there exclusions or limitations to the policy ?
A: Yes, these are contained in the policy wording. We do not cover existing medical conditions. An existing medical condition is a medical condition or any illness which you or your companions knew about when purchasing the insurance and which may contribute to the likelihood of a claim or the consequence.
 

Loss of earnings
Q: Does the Ventureguard policy provide loss of earnings cover ?
A: No there is no loss of earnings cover under the VentureGuard policy although loss of earnings can be covered under the Sportsguard Gold and Silver policies.
 
Q: I want to buy an accident policy that includes loss of earnings cover. Can you help?
A:

Yes we provide loss of earnings cover. This is limited to £250 per week on SportsGuard Gold and up to £100 per week on SportsGuard Silver. However this can be 'topped-up' in units of £50 adding up to a maximum of £500. Therefore it is possible to have a maximum of £750 loss of earnings cover. However, we will only pay upto a maximum of 75% of your annual earnings and this is payable for up to 26 weeks, excluding the first 14 days.

 

Misc
Q: What do I do if I lose my policy?
A: You can't as such. Your policy information will always be held in your unique online customer area. However if you lose your paper documents just email us or call us on the number at the top of the page.
 

Multiple Sports
Q: Can I take out a policy to cover me for 3 or 4 different sports on one policy? If so, how?
A: Yes easily, just select the sport in the highest rated group and you will automatically be covered for that and all other sports in lower groups (e.g. Rugby which is group 3 selected and automatically covered for Football in group 2).
 

Off Piste
Q: Can you cover me for off piste skiing or snowboarding ?
A: Yes we cover off piste provided it is not against local advice and you do not ski/snowboard unaccompanied and that you choose the appropriate sports group.
 

Paramotoring
Q: Do you cover paramotoring ?
A: Yes, but third party liability restrictions apply. There is no liability by damage done by motorised units, for tandem aerial activities. Personal liability claims made against the pilot by/on behalf of the passenger (third party) are excluded.
 

Partner
Q: How do you define a partner ?
A: A partner is considered the spouse / common law partner / girlfriend / boyfriend of the insured and must be under 65 at the date of purchase.
 

PLEASE NOTE
Q: Will SportsGuard cover me abroad?
A: Whilst SportsGuard is valid worldwide, it is not designed to replace travel insurance, it is for personal accident (death/disability cover) and liability. This means if you are injured whilst abroad, it will cover you for temporary or permanent disability, personal liability and any extras you have decided to include in the cover (like loss of earnings, etc). When abroad no medical fees or repatriation costs are covered. Please use VentureGuard for all travel purposes, unless you already have a fully comprehensive travel insurance that will cover you for the sport/activity you plan to participate in. VentureGuard however can provide full travel cover tailored to the sport you plan to do!
 
Q: Will YouthGuard cover me abroad?
A: Whilst YouthGuard is valid worldwide, it is not designed to replace travel insurance, it is for personal accident (death/disability cover) and liability. This means if you are injured whilst abroad it will cover you for temporary or permanent disability, personal liability and any extras you have decided to include in the cover (like Broken Bone benefits, etc). When abroad no medical fees or repatriation costs are covered. Please use VentureGuard for all travel purposes, unless you already have a fully comprehensive travel insurance that will cover you for the sport/activity you plan to participate in. VentureGuard however can provide full travel cover tailored to the sport you plan to do!
 

Postponement
Q: If I took out one day Sportsguard cover for a specific event and the event was cancelled due to poor weather conditions, would the cover be transferable ?
A: Yes, we allow one postponement, provided that we have confirmation from the activity centre that you undertook the activity with.
 

Pregnancy
Q: I am pregnant, can you still cover me ?
A: We can cover you provided that you are not expecting to give birth within 2 months of return from the trip and you will not be travelling against medical advice.
 

Professional
Q: I am a professional sports person, can you cover me ?
A: No we only insure amateurs. We define an amateur as someone who earns no more than £4000 per annum from their sport.
 

Refund
Q: What if I change my mind after I purchase ?
A: If our cover does not meet your needs, Sportscover Direct will refund your premium provided that you advise us within 14 days. You will need to provide evidence that you have not travelled and you cannot have made a claim.
 
Q: What if I change my mind after I purchase ?
A: If the Sportsguard policy does not meet your needs, Sportscover Direct will refund your premium provided that you have not used the policy, have not made a claim and that you advise us within 14 days.
 

Repatriation
Q: If I am injured on a skiing trip, will I be repatriated ?
A: You should contact the claims help line if repatriation is required and they will assess the situation with you or your representative.
 

Residency
Q: I am a British citizen but reside abroad, can I still get cover from you ?
A: We only cover persons who are residents in the UK and Ireland (or at valid BFPO addresses)
 
Q: I am a British citizen but reside abroad, can I still get cover from you ?
A: We only cover persons who are resident in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland or an official BFPO address overseas (in which case Country or Residence is substituted for United Kingdom) from where journeys must start and end.
 
Q: I am moving out of the UK, will my SportsGuard policy still be valid?
A: Yes, your policy remains valid until its natural expiry date. However, you will not be able tp purchase another policy once you are no longer a UK resident.
 

Sports Definitions
Q: What is the difference in definition between Rock Climbing and Mountaineering ?
A: Mountaineering would be defined as involving multipitch climbing, often staying out overnight and more than an hour from the nearest rescue centre.
 

Sports equipment
Q: Can you cover my sports equipment ?
A: Yes we can cover specialist sports equipment up to £600 in total on the Gold VentureGuard. Please read the terms and conditions regarding the cover for such equipment.
 
Q: How do I claim for my stolen sports equipment ?
A: All clams must be notified to the claims help line within 5 days of an incident. Loss or theft must be notified to the police and an original receipt or third party valuation will be required.
 

Sports groups
Q: I cannot see my sport listed in any of the groups, can you still cover me ?
A: We aim to cover all non motorised sports. If your sport is not listed then please contact us and we will do our best to see if we can cover you.
 
Q: What happens if I need insurance for two different sports groups ?
A: Simply take out a policy for the sport in the higher group and you will be covered for all sports in that and lower groups.
 

Third party liability
Q: Do your policies cover third party liability ?
A: Yes, at all levels, gold, silver and bronze. However, you may find that some sports have restrictions or exclusions.
 

Top up
Q: I already have holiday insurance but it will not cover me for my diving that I am planning to do for two days on my holiday. Can you help ?
A: Yes, simply take out 'top up cover' for the two days Top up cover is valid whilst participating in the chosen sporting activity.
 

Winter sports
Q: I am hoping to work in the Alps for the season, can you cover me ?
A: No we can only cover up to 21 days for a single trip for winter sports and up to 31 days for an annual policy.
 

Worldwide
Q: Is Sportsguard a worldwide cover ?
A: Yes it is valid worldwide but it is not a travel cover and has very limited cover for medical fees and no repatriation cover. Sportscover Direct offers the VentureGuard policy for holiday and travel cover.