When you purchase tickets for an event, you often have the option to add ticket insurance. This insurance provides coverage in case you need to cancel your trip or event tickets for covered reasons. When you insure your tickets, you may wonder if the ticket insurance transfers along with the tickets if you give or sell them to someone else. The short answer is sometimes. Here’s what to know about transferring ticket insurance when you transfer tickets.
What Is Ticket Insurance?
Ticket insurance provides coverage for your event tickets in certain situations where you need to cancel your trip. It allows you to recoup some or all of the cost of the ticket if you can’t attend the event.
Some common examples of covered reasons for cancellation include:
- You or a family member suffers an injury or illness that prevents you from traveling
- You’re in a car accident on the way to the event
- Your flight is canceled or delayed, preventing you from getting to the event
- You’re subpoenaed, called for jury duty, or need to appear in court
- You lose your job or are laid off
- You have a death in the family
- The event is postponed or rescheduled
- Severe weather prevents you from attending the event
The terms, coverages, and costs of ticket insurance plans can vary between insurance providers. It’s important to read the fine print to understand what circumstances allow you to cancel and receive reimbursement. There is often a window before the event when you need to cancel to qualify for a refund of your ticket costs.
Does Ticket Insurance Automatically Transfer?
In most cases, ticket insurance you purchased does not automatically transfer to someone else if you give or sell them the tickets. The original policyholder who purchased the insurance needs to formally request a transfer of the policy.
This is because ticket insurance providers need to verify that the new ticket holder meets eligibility requirements and is within the same risk profile of approved policyholders. They likely do not allow automatic transfers because it could open the door to abuse or fraud. The insurance company wants to ensure proper documentation of any transfers.
Some reasons insurance may not automatically transfer include:
- The new ticket holder has pre-existing medical conditions that would make a claim more likely
- The new ticket holder is outside the approved age range for the policy
- The insurance company’s transfer eligibility window expired
- The event date falls outside the original insurance coverage window
- The ticket reseller is not authorized to transfer the insurance
So you cannot merely forward your tickets to someone else and assume the insurance will cover them. Formal approval is required in most cases.
How to Transfer Ticket Insurance
If you need to give away or sell tickets that have ticket insurance, follow these steps to properly transfer the policy:
- Contact your ticket insurance provider to begin the transfer process. There may be forms to fill out.
- The new ticket holder will need to provide information like their name, date of birth, contact details, and other eligibility facts.
- The insurance company will review the new policyholder to ensure they meet qualifications.
- If approved, the ticket insurance company will send documentation of the successful transfer.
- There may be a transfer fee charged by the insurance provider.
- The coverage dates, policy details, and terms will remain the same.
Key things to keep in mind:
- There is often a short window after purchasing the insurance when transfers are allowed.
- The new ticket holder must be eligible for the same coverage based on age, health, location or other factors.
- Transfers may not be approved too close to the event date.
- Resellers may need special authorization to transfer ticket insurance.
While not guaranteed, you can request a transfer of the insurance. It’s important to do this right away after transferring tickets. Don’t wait until closer to the event, as the window for transfers may expire or the new ticket holder may not qualify that close to event date.
If the Original Ticket Purchaser Cancels
Another scenario is if the original ticket buyer cancels their own policy after transferring the tickets. In most cases, this cancellation also cancels the policy for the new ticket holder as well.
The new holder did not actually purchase or enroll in the insurance themselves initially. So if the original policyholder whose name is on the insurance cancels or initiates a claim, the transferred coverage also terminates. Any pending transfers may be voided if the original buyer puts in a cancellation notice with the provider.
For this reason, it’s recommended the ticket transfer and associated insurance transfer be completed as a single transaction. This prevents the original buyer from canceling and leaving the new holder uninsured. Spacing out the ticket transfer and the insurance transfer dates can create gaps in coverage.
The best practice is to transfer the tickets and ticket insurance to the new holder at the same exact time. This simultaneously puts the tickets and insurance in the name of the new party in one immediate transaction.
If the Event is Canceled or Postponed
In some cases, the entire event may be canceled or postponed altogether. What happens if you transferred your ticket and insurance but then the event is called off?
If the original ticket holder purchased cancellation insurance, they could potentially file a claim to recover their costs. This claim would likely also cancel and reimburse the new ticket holder under the transferred policy.
When an event is canceled, ticket insurance providers may automatically cancel all policies and process mass refunds. If you previously transferred the insurance to a new holder, their coverage would also get canceled out in this situation.
It’s less clear what happens if the event is merely postponed or rescheduled. The new ticket holder may need to call the insurance provider to extend the coverage dates. Additional fees may apply.
Ultimately, any event cancellation or postponement disrupts the standard insurance policy terms. Both the original buyer and any ticket transferees should be prepared to contact the insurance company to confirm coverage in these unique situations.
Other Options for Transferring Coverage
If ticket insurance does not transfer to a new holder automatically, what other options exist?
Here are some alternatives to explore:
- Have new ticket holder purchase their own insurance – Rather than transferring your existing policy, the new holder can buy their own coverage for the event under their name directly from the insurance provider.
- Name the new holder as an additional insured – Some insurance providers may allow you to add an additional insured individual to the same policy, like adding a driver to your auto insurance plan. There would likely be an additional fee for this.
- Cancel and repurchase insurance – As the original ticket buyer, you could cancel your existing insurance. Then the new ticket holder could enroll in their own insurance plan for the same tickets.
- File claim then transfer – If covered reasons prevent you from attending, file a claim first. Then after your successful reimbursement, transfer the unused tickets and remaining policy to the new holder.
These alternatives allow you to ensure the new ticket holder has their own insurance coverage without depending on a policy transfer approval.
Does Travel Insurance Transfer with Tickets?
A related question is whether travel insurance you purchased transfers along with any airline tickets or other prepaid travel expenses. This depends on the specific policy.
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance may transfer according to the same procedures outlined above for ticket insurance.
But for other types of incremental travel insurance like:
- Baggage loss coverage
- Travel medical coverage
- Travel accident insurance
- Rental car damage insurance
- Emergency evacuation coverage
The benefits are tied to the original traveler who purchased the insurance. These forms of protection likely do not transfer to another traveler simply because airline tickets or confirmations were transferred.
However, the new ticket holder could potentially enroll in their own travel insurance plans for the same trip. This guarantees they have coverage specific to their travel needs.
The scope of transferability for travel insurance depends on the specific policy terms and coverages purchased initially. Blanket transfers likely do not apply across all components of a comprehensive travel insurance package.
Third Party Ticket Resellers
There are also special considerations when it comes to ticket resellers. Third party sellers like Ticketmaster, Stubhub, SeatGeek or others have their own policies regarding transfers of ticket insurance.
In many cases, these resellers do not have the authority to transfer insurance from the original ticket buyer to the new purchaser. These are some common restrictions:
- Only the original policyholder can submit insurance transfer requests
- Transfers can only be processed within 72 hours of the ticket resale
- The new ticket holder must repurchase insurance under their own name
- No transfers are allowed on resale marketplaces whatsoever
Before buying resale tickets, always check the seller’s website for specifics on any insurance restrictions. Do not assume third party tickets come with transferable coverage.
Your best bet is to repurchase ticket insurance immediately after acquiring resale tickets under your own name and policy. Never depend on coverages from the unknown original ticket buyer on resale platforms.
The Bottom Line
While not impossible, insurance companies make transferring existing ticket insurance policies quite difficult. They want to re-qualify each new holder and clearly document transfers. This prevents potential misuse as tickets change hands.
There is no guarantee of a successful transfer approval, even if you follow the proper procedures. The new ticket holder’s own circumstances may disqualify them.
To be safe, either have the new holder enroll in their own insurance or take out a policy as an additional named insured. Never assume a transferred ticket automatically gives you someone else’s insurance protection. Double check you have coverage under your own active policy, whether the tickets were purchased firsthand or on a resale site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer a friend the insurance on my concert tickets?
You cannot automatically transfer ticket insurance to a friend who you gave or sold your tickets to. You must formally request approval from the insurance provider, and your friend must meet eligibility requirements. There is no guarantee of transfer approval.
What if I sell my insured tickets on StubHub?
Third party resellers like StubHub likely do not allow ticket insurance to transfer to the new buyer in most cases. You would need to cancel your policy then the new holder must buy their own insurance.
Does trip cancellation insurance transfer if I give my booked cruise to a family member?
Trip cancellation coverage is tied to the original policyholder and does not automatically transfer if you give prepaid travel to someone else. The new traveler would need to enroll in trip cancellation under their own name and policy.
Can I transfer a ticket to my child and the insurance still cover them?
You can request to transfer ticket insurance coverage to your child, but the provider would need to approve them being under the minimum age for the policy. It’s best for your child to purchase their own coverage to guarantee they are insured.
If I resell my concert tickets, will the new buyer be covered?
No, ticket insurance does not automatically transfer to a new buyer if you resell tickets on a secondary marketplace. The new buyer would need to proactively purchase their own insurance policy to have coverage.
The Bottom Line
Ticket insurance providers make it difficult to transfer existing policies to prevent potential misuse. While you can request a transfer, approval is not guaranteed. To ensure coverage, the ticket recipient should enroll in their own insurance plan or be added to the policy as a named insured. Never assume someone else’s coverage transfers to you automatically. Check that you have active insurance under your own name any time tickets change hands.