CFAR & IFAR

Trip Protection Insurance

Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) and Interrupt for Any Reason (IFAR) insurance plans are the most flexible travel policies available.

trip-protection

Unlike other travel insurance plans that have certain disclaimers for situations that they will and will not protect against, these insurances allow you to change your plans “for any reason”.

CIS Abroad is partnering with CISI, Cultural Insurance Services International (the same organization that provides our medical and accident insurance plan) to offer an additional level of protection to you for academic travel.

Note that the following plans are combined and so when you purchase one, it automatically comes with the other.

CANCEL FOR ANY REASON (CFAR) INSURANCE

CFAR is a policy that protects your purchase before you depart for your CIS Abroad experience.

Key points to know:

  • you can cancel your trip and the policy can provide up to 75% of your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs (program costs and other costs such as airfare). Non-refundable costs can be determined by referring to CIS’s stated Refund Policy.
  • you must enroll in the plan within 21 days of your final payment deadline for your program.These deadlines are typically 45 days before departure.
  • you will want to consider insuring any prepaid trip costs that are subject to cancellation penalties or restrictions (and also insure the costs of any travel arrangements, such as airfare, subsequently added to your trip within 21 days of payment or deposit for those additions.)
  • you must cancel at least 48 hours before your program start date.

Example: You are planning on studying abroad and your program has a refund policy that states that between 0-15 days before departure you will have $5000 of non-refundable expenses. You can purchase CFAR/IFAR insurance to protect you up to 75% of that non-refundable expense. If you decide to cancel your trip during this window of time (but at least 48 hours prior to departure), you will receive $3750. The cost of this insurance is approximately 10%* of the insured amount. In the example above the cost to you approximately $500. You can insure any part of your non-refundable expenses including airfare.

*Exact amounts are calculated at the time of purchase but can range from between 8-12% of the amount you insure. The amounts can vary based upon the destination, costs you are insuring, dates of your program and your home location.

INTERRUPT FOR ANY REASON (IFAR) INSURANCE

IFAR is a policy that protects you from the day of departure until the end of your trip.

Key points to know:

  • The policy will provide up to the lesser of 75% of the coverage you purchased or the Maximum Benefit Amount if you must interrupt your trip, 72 hours or more after your program start date.
  • This may cover unused, non-refundable land or water travel arrangements (such as airfare or airport transfers).
  • As noted above, CFAR and IFAR are part of the same policy. This means that you can decide to insure yourself at an even higher level if you are concerned with protecting yourself both for cancellation and interruption.

Example: You are already abroad on your CIS program and you decide that you want to come home after about one month into the semester. You have paid all of your program and airline expenses and that total amount is $15,000 and it is all non-refundable. You purchased CFAR/IFAR insurance for this amount and thus are protected up to 75% of this expense, or $11,250. The cost of this insurance is approximately 10%* of the insured amount. In the example above that would cost you approximately $1,500.

* Exact amounts are calculated at the time of purchase but can range from between 8-12% of the amount you insure. The amounts can vary based upon the destination, costs you are insuring, dates of your program and your home location.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

  • Go to https://www.travelinsured.com/agency/al-home/ (Note: Travel Insured International is the administrator of this program for CISI.)
  • Click on “Get a Quote”
  • Enter in the following information only: Where are you Going, What is your Residence (home or school), When are you Traveling, Date of Birth and Trip Cost.
  • You will be provided a quote and then options. You want to select, WorldWide Trip Protector Plus. This is the coverage that includes CFAR and IFAR. The other option includes only standard cancellation and interruption, which won’t cover Covid-19.
  • When you click “Purchase” you will then include more personal information and your Program Deposit date.
    • IMPORTANT: Your program deposit date must be within 21 days of purchasing this plan. Your program deposit date for your program will be the final payment deadline or whenever you make your payment prior to that deadline, whichever comes first. Thus you will only purchase this protection as the date draws nearer to your program start date, allowing you ample time to determine if you believe you need to protect your trip.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I have to purchase CFAR/IFAR insurance to study abroad on a CIS Abroad program?
No, it is not a requirement. We want to make you aware of it so that you can make an informed financial decision. You will note that all CIS Abroad programs come with a 100% refund of all program expenses that you have paid up to 21 days before departure if you decide to withdraw from your program.
Do I automatically qualify for this insurance?
If you are traveling from the US to another country or between US states, you are a resident of any state besides New York*, or you go to school in any state besides New York*, you will qualify for CFAR/IFAR insurance.

*The State of New York does not allow insurance companies to offer CFAR/IFAR insurance. However, if you are a resident of New York but study at an institution outside of New York, then you can use that address to apply for the insurance.
What if I only want to protect the cancellation of my program, but not the interruption?
CFAR and IFAR are packaged together. However, if you are only interested in protecting the possibility of cancelling the program before you depart, then you would only insure those costs that are required of you prior to departure. In the example above (under Cancel for Any Reason insurance) this type of situation is highlighted.
What if I only want to protect the interruption of my program but not the cancellation?
CFAR and IFAR are packaged together so by protecting the interruption portion of your program, you automatically protect the cancellation of the program.
Do I need to ensure the entire amount of my program cost?
No, you can insure any amount that you want. Generally you would want to insure any amount that is non-refundable. The policy will pay you 75% of the non-recoverable costs.

CIS Abroad is providing this information to you as a convenience. We do not endorse nor require any additional travel insurance protection or product to participate in our programs. We simply want to help you make the most informed decision that you can.

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