The most common mistakes people make when choosing travel insurance is not to read through the terms and conditions and find out exactly what it covers – I’ve seen sport insurances that only cover the equipment when it’s not being used, which makes the insurance basically useless.
Some travel insurance companies are very elusive in describing what they do and do not cover and you have to be willing to roll up your sleeves and dig a little deeper to find out whether they’re legit or just full of empty promises with easy escape routes to everything.
Direct-travel.co.uk offers reasonably priced travel insurances and there are many great reviews about them if you research online, which is another must-do for anyone considering a travel insurance!
But in the end it doesn’t matter how great your travel insurance is if you don’t do your own part right.
Here is what you need to have and do when making a claim on your travel insurance to help make the process quick and smooth …
- Tell your insurer about any health problems that existed before you took out the insurance, otherwise everything might fall on this little detail.
- Bring your policy number and emergency contact number. The first thing they will ask for is your policy number so it’s absolutely necessary, emailing it to yourself is a way of keeping it safe and handy.
- A copy of the receipts for the items you’ve lost (which means that skirt you bought for 5 dollars at a flea-market won’t be covered). A photo of the receipts is most often all that’s necessary, so just take some shots with your camera and save them online.
- If you had to replace essential items like toiletries and emergency clothing (say your bags were stolen or lost at the airport), keep the receipts from these purchases to send as evidence with your claim.
- Receipt and proof of medical expenses – You may need to pay up-front for medical treatment and medicine and claim it back afterwards, as long as you keep all receipts. If possible, contact your insurer to agree to medical treatment before it’s done.
- A Police Report – If your belongings are stolen you need to go to the police to file a report within 24 hours of the items going missing. If that’s not possible you will need a written report from someone else like you hotel rep, manager or transport provider.
- Be in the time-limits of your claim – The sooner you contact them the better, don’t hold it off!
- Check whether your insurance has a “new for old” policy. If it doesn’t, the insurer will take off money for wear and tear, so you won’t get the same amount as you once paid for them.
Finally, if you are unsure about something and can’t find out whether the insurance covers you for it, call them and ask – and remember to take their name so that if something happens and you’re later told that you weren’t covered, you have the name of the person who told you otherwise.
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