For many, the most daunting part of the travel insurance process is filing a claim when something goes wrong on your trip. If that’s you, don’t worry. Though the travel insurance claim process can definitely get a bit tedious, it truly doesn’t have to be as difficult as it’s made out to be. This is especially true if you know what you need to prepare in advance. We’re not trying to show off, but as travel insurance experts, we want to make sure the journey is as easy as possible for you.
Here are some of the best practices you should know about to prepare:
Call Your Travel Insurance Company
As soon as you’re able, call your travel insurance company (or the Yonder team if you purchased from us) to see what coverage is included and what exclusions apply. You may have a general sense based on the type of travel insurance policy you purchased, but you may not know about the minor things that might be covered, like medical supplies or food. You don’t want to make the mistake of paying for goods or services you think might be covered but actually aren’t. The rules can be tricky, and again, our motto is “better safe than sorry”. You can also find more details about your coverage in your policy documents.
Pro Tip: One of the easiest ways in getting your claim approved is knowing what your policy covers before you even purchase it! Many times, assumptions are made about coverage when someone purchases a travel insurance policy. Then, when they need to file a claim, they find out the primary reason they purchased the coverage was excluded in their policy coverage to begin with. Talk to the travel insurance experts at Yonder to make sure your policy includes the coverage you need!
Ask About Next Steps
Your insurance company is there to help you, but they won’t always know what information you’re looking for if you don’t ask for it outright. Once you’ve determined what they’ll cover, ask them how to move forward. More often than not, they’ll provide you with additional information to help ensure you get the coverage you need–as soon as possible. If you’ve purchased your coverage with Yonder, you can send us an email to request the information needed to open your claim under your travel insurance policy as well!
File Your Claim ASAP
Although most providers offer flexibility if something comes up, some have specific timeframes in which you need to get your claim in. It’s best to start working on filing your claim once you return home from your trip. Check in your travel insurance documents or reach out to your provider for specific timelines.
Document Everything
If you want to file a travel insurance claim, you’re going to need proof of what happened to show your insurance company. This means you’ll want to save any documentation before and during your trip that might help the claims analyst put the story together. Depending on what kind of coverage you’re seeking, this could be medical bills and intake forms, police reports, or receipts for unexpected things you had to purchase as a result of an accident or delay, to name just a few. You may even need to provide evidence of payment when it comes to bookings and reservations if looking to file a trip cancellation claim.
Most claim forms will tell you what documentation you’ll need to submit based on the type of claim you’re filing. “Not submitting all required documentation is usually what causes claims processing delays,” says Terry Boynton, co-founder, and president of Yonder. “Triple-check your claim forms and make copies of the documentation if submitting your claim by mail.”
When it comes to saving these documents, our best advice is to err on the side of too much – you can always get rid of it later, but it may be difficult to track it down once you return back home. If you aren’t given the documentation you’ll need to show proof of the incident during your trip, just ask for it. Most officials and administrators will be happy to oblige. Most claim forms will tell you what documentation you’ll need to submit based on the type of claim you’re filing.
Pro-Tip: Make sure all documentation has a date displayed showing when the loss occurred!
Follow Up Quickly & Often Until Resolved
After you’ve submitted your claim form and required supporting documents, it’s important to follow up on your travel insurance claim status. Most policies say that once all documentation is received by the insurance company, the claim will take 30 – 60 days to approve. With the pandemic, this timeline has been a bit delayed due to the vast amount of claims that have been filed. Ask about the current timeline with your provider, and stay on top of it. As much as we’d all love for insurance companies to do the follow-up, to ensure claims are taken care of in a timely manner, the responsibility may fall on you to keep the ball rolling.
Ask Questions!
During the process of filing a claim, ask questions. If you don’t understand why something isn’t covered, you have the right to know why. Sometimes claims aren’t approved because they didn’t receive the necessary documentation. It might not be the end of the road but a temporary hurdle. You might just need additional documentation to prove your case.
Have any tips to share on this topic? We’d love to hear them! Tag us on Instagram with @insureyonder, tweet us, or comment on Facebook.
As a seasoned professional with over seven years of experience in the travel insurance industry, Meagan has honed her expertise in marketing and operations working for Yonder Travel Insurance.
Throughout her career, she's shown dedication assisting customers at every stage of their travel insurance journey, from the initial quote process to navigating the claims process. Her expert understanding of travel insurance equips her to provide unbiased and valuable insights, which help travelers find the best coverage and maximize its benefits.
Tags: claims
