Steps to Take After Purchasing a Travel Insurance Policy

March 7, 2024 - Meagan Palmer

Congratulations on purchasing a travel insurance policy! We truly hope having a policy in place gives you peace of mind as you prepare for your trip. Before departing though, we recommend going above and beyond to make sure your coverage is as accurate as it can be.

Follow the steps below so when the time comes for your well-deserved trip, you can fully enjoy it without second-guessing your benefits.

Receive Your Confirmation Email

Upon purchasing a travel insurance policy on Yonder’s website, you should automatically receive a copy of your purchase confirmation to your email address. If you don’t get this, please contact our team or travel agent to send a copy.

Important Note: Your official policy documents will be sent directly from the provider of the plan you purchased (for example: Generali, Travel Insured, AXA, etc). If you don’t see the confirmation email in your main inbox, check your spam folder!

In this email, you should verify your information such as:

• The spelling of your name (and any others insured under the plan)

• Your departure and return date

• The amount insured under the policy

• Your destination (if listed)

If there are discrepancies, it’s important to get those fixed before your plan becomes effective. Typically, you cannot make changes to your insurance after your plan has already started. We wouldn’t want you to be missing out on the coverage you paid for!

Review Your Travel Insurance Plan Coverage

Speaking of coverage, the most important step is reviewing your travel insurance policy terms. Remember your confirmation email? It’s handier than you think! Not only does it show your plan number, but also includes your full policy description or certificate of insurance for you to read. This document precisely lists what is covered and what is not.

Our team highly encourages customers to read this in full. We know it’s long, so sip on some coffee while you inspect. Not to worry, we’ve written an article on how to understand the different sections of your travel insurance policy.

Reading your travel insurance plan description has huge benefits –no pun intended! It’s empowering to know what types of situations are covered under the insurance and clears up confusion about what type of coverage is available. You’ll be even more prepared on how to deal with emergency situations too since policy documents list details on how to contact the emergency assistance team and how to file a claim afterward. 

Save the Emergency Assistance Contact

We hope it never happens, but sometimes your travel plans change for the worse. That’s why it’s helpful to save the 24/7 emergency assistance line phone number for your insurance plan in your phone. You can find this number in the policy description and sometimes even in your confirmation email.

Plugging this number into your phone will allow easy access to assistance when you’re on your trip should a travel or medical emergency occur. If you do experience something going wrong on your trip, be prepared ahead of time by reading this step-by-step article on how to deal with an emergency while you’re away.

Update Your Travel Insurance Policy

Sometimes your trip details might change in the travel planning process. Maybe your trip got rescheduled or you need to insure additional trip expenses you paid for recently. If your departure dates haven’t passed yet, you can make modifications to your travel insurance policy such as:

• Name changes

• Travel date changes

• Destination changes

• Beneficiary additions

• Address changes

• Trip cost increases

These modifications are fairly easy to make. If you purchased your travel insurance with Yonder, you’ll just need to reach out to our team of friendly humans with the updated information. Doing so will ensure your policy is accurate and will provide the benefits you need to protect your trip investment!

Important Note: Trip cost decreases and name changes can only be made within the first 10 days after purchasing your policy, known as the “free look period”.

Once this is all in order, you can travel with peace of mind knowing your travel insurance policy is in place if something were to put a dent in your plans. Time for you to unplug and enjoy your vacation –worry-free! Need some packing tips before you go? Check out our top 10 things you shouldn’t forget to bring with you on your trip.

If you need help making modifications or understanding your policy description, don’t hesitate to contact our helpful humans for assistance!

Tags: travel planning