Travel cover provider InsureandGo says it is offering partial credits and deferrals on premium payments to its customers in response to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

MD Raphael Bandeira says InsureandGo, which is owned by Spanish insurer Mapfre, is one of the few travel insurers in the Australian market that does not carry a general exclusion for pandemics.

“In simple terms the answer is [people] could be covered,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

InsureandGo has been operating in Australia for almost eight years, and Mr Bandeira says the travel insurer wants to protect its Australian market share of 4%.

“We want the best for our customers – we want them to come back to us,” he said.

The insurer has paid more than $600,000 in COVID-19-related claims already and has received around 6000 claims since the pandemic began.

Mr Bandeira says the company held extensive discussions with underwriters and stakeholders about the possible operational impacts of compensation for customers affected by COVID-19 shutdowns.

InsureandGo decided to “go the extra mile” and offer partial credits or deferrals, he says.

He hopes the travel insurance market will improve by September.

“Our hope is domestic borders will open and we will start seeing some activity by then,” he said. “There are a lot of people who want to travel and want to get away after this period of isolation.”