What is CFAR — Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance that refunds a percentage of prepaid costs when you cancel for a reason standard policies exclude, with timing and excess caveats.
What is CFAR?
CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) is an optional travel-insurance upgrade that reimburses a stated percentage of insured trip costs when you cancel for a reason the standard policy would not cover — usually if you buy it within a deadline after your first trip payment.
Standard trip-cancellation cover pays for named perils (illness, death in the family, jury service and similar lists). CFAR is the broader backstop: you cancel because work shifted, you changed your mind, or a non-listed event intervened. Insurers typically repay 50–75% of covered prepaid costs, not 100%, and require CFAR to be purchased within a short window (often 10–21 days) after the initial deposit. the policy certificate for percentage and deadline.
CFAR is commoner in the US market than in UK domestic policies. It does not replace medical cover abroad. Full explainer: CFAR cancel for any reason explained. Cover ladders: travel insurance cover levels.
Read exclusions with how to read a travel insurance policy. Excesses still apply on many claims — excess vs deductible.
When does CFAR make sense?
When non-refundable prepaid costs are large, your plans are genuinely uncertain, and the CFAR premium plus partial reimbursement still beats losing the whole deposit if you cancel for a non-listed reason.
Example: you prepay £3,000 in non-refundable safari lodges, buy CFAR within the deadline for a 50% reimbursement option, then cancel because a work project moved. A standard policy might pay nothing; CFAR returns half of covered amounts per the certificate. Medical look-backs remain separate — look-back period.
CFAR will not fix a voided mistake fare if the airline never ticketed travel you can insure. Buy insurance against real prepaid trip cost, not hypothetical glitches.