How to Make a Travel Insurance Claim

If something goes wrong on holiday, or in fact before you are due to leave, and you have taken out travel insurance it is understandable that you will be looking to make a claim on the policy. But, with so much already on your plate you may not know where to start or more importantly – if the reason for the claim is even covered.

With this in mind, the first thing you should do is check that the reason for your claim is covered by your travel insurance – this can be found in the policy wording.

When making a claim with your travel insurance provider it is important to remember your travel insurance policy is there to protect you from loss of finances that cannot be claimed back from another source i.e. airlines, travel agent or accommodation provider.

Every travel insurer will have their own claims system so it is important to understand this. Having said that, there are some similarities across the industry that you can bear in mind; such as, when heading abroad ensure you take your travel insurance documents with you and make a note of the claims number and emergency assistance number.

To obtain a claim form, there are several avenues you can take; either call the travel insurer and ask them to post or email you the appropriate form/s or go to their website and download a form.  When filling out a claim form you will be required to send in additional paperwork or evidence to support your claim. Some travel insurers will also offer an ‘e-claim’ or smart phone app option allowing you to complete your claims form online and attached any supporting documents electronically.

This evidence will assist the claims team in assessing your claim. All documents should be scanned copies of the originals and must be good quality i.e. not blurred. Not sending in all the appropriate evidence will delay the claims process. It is advised you keep a scanned copy of everything you send to the claims team – just in case!

If you are looking to make a claim it is advised you submit your claim and all the supporting evidence as soon as possible, ideally when you return home from your holiday.

When thinking about time frames, it is important to set your expectations. Most travel insurers will state their claims ‘turnaround’ time. Bear in mind, this time frame is from the time the claims department receive all of the necessary information to make a decision about your claim and not from when you receive your claims form. Travel insurance claims departments will be busier during the summer months and ski season, so there may be a slight delay.

Sometimes whilst abroad, you or your travelling companion may need to seek emergency medical attention. If this happens, you should contact your travel insurer’s emergency team as soon as feasibly possible. They will be able to liaise with the hospital and ensure the right treatment is given. Regarding payment, most claims will work on a ‘pay and claim’ basis for outpatient treatment and some insurers will suggest you contact their emergency medical assistance team if costs go over a certain amount (this will be stated in your policy wording) or if you are admitted to hospital.

When claiming you should submit any itemised bills given to you by the hospital.

If you are looking to claim because you have had to cancel your holiday or come home early it is important that you check that the reason for the claim is covered under the travel insurance policy before submitting your claim form.

Most travel insurance policies will cover cancellation for the following unexpected reasons:

• Death, Injury or Illness of you or your travelling companion
• Death, Injury or Illness of a close relative (providing it is not related to an existing medical condition)
• You or a travelling companion being called for jury service
• You or a travelling companion being made redundant

Most travel insurance policies will cover curtailment (coming home early) for the following unexpected reasons:

• You or a travelling companion become ill or sustain an injury on holiday
• The death, injury or illness of a close relative back home (providing it is not related to an existing medical condition)
• You or a travelling companion being called for jury service
• News of your home being left uninhabitable (following a burglary, fire or flooding)

If your reason for making a claim is not mentioned in the policy wording it may be worth calling your travel insurer as they may assess claims on an individual basis, but bear in mind that if you have brought a policy with limited cover and not checked the policy wording prior to making your claim, it may be denied.

When submitting a claim for cancellation you will be asked to provide a letter from your tour operator, transport provider and/or accommodation provider confirming you did not travel with them or use the accommodation. You will also be asked to provide a ‘cancellation invoice’ which will state whether or not a refund has been processed and if so, how much you have received. This amount should be deducted from your claim.

If you are looking to claim for cancellation due to a newly diagnosed or existing medical condition you may be tempted to speak with your GP and ask for a doctors note explaining why you have had to cancel your holiday. However, all travel insurers will provide a medical claim form for your GP to fill out so it’s best to download or request this first. Travel insurers will have specific questions they want answered in order to process your claim. Once the medical form has been fully completed ensure it is submitted with your claim form. Please note if you are claiming due to an existing medical condition that you didn’t tell your travel insurance provider about when you bought your policy, it is likely your claim will be declined.

Should you have to come home early from your holiday (this may be called curtailment on your policy) you should either submit a letter from the treating doctor or the travel insurer’s emergency medical assistance team confirming that it was medically necessary for you to come home early.

Most travel insurance policies will NOT cover you for cancellation or curtailment (coming home early) if the claim is due to the death, injury or illness of a close relative, with a pre-existing medical condition, who is not travelling with you. There are a few providers that will offer this cover, if the medical condition was stable at the time you bought your policy, so if this is your reason for cancellation or curtailment check your policy wording, and the exclusions carefully before you submit your claim.

Depending on the policy you could be asked to pay an excess or deductible when making a claim, but how does this work?

It’s applied to travel insurance policies to share the risk between you and the insurer and will be payable if you need to make a claim. The rule of thumb generally is, the higher the excess, the cheaper the travel insurance policy and if you have a low or no excess your policy may be slightly more expensive.

From most travel insurance policies the excess or deductible is paid per person, per claim, per section. Here’s an example:

→ You are claiming under two sections of the policy; £500 for medical expenses and £500 for curtailment. The total claim amount is £1000.

→ Each section has a £100 excess.

→ So the medical claim will have a £100 excess and if it’s just you claiming for curtailment, this will be £100 excess. The total claim amount you will receive is £800.

→ If someone else is also claiming for curtailment, they will have to pay a £100 excess. The total claim amount you will receive, after excess, is now £700.

All travel insurers have exclusions on their policies and here are some of the most common:

Alcohol Limits: If you need to make a claim following an alcohol-fuelled incident you may not be covered under your travel insurance policy. Some policies will have limits on the amount of alcohol that is found in your system (check this on the policy wording as it will differ across companies) and no policies will cover claims if you deliberately put yourself at risk.

Narcotics: Travel insurance policies will not cover any claims where you were under the influence of narcotics.

Refused Boarding: If you are refused boarding and are unable to reach your destination, you will not be covered by your travel insurance.

Incorrect Travel Documents: Expired passports, passports not having the correct amount of validity left, incorrect visas, spelling mistakes/typos, etc. preventing you from reaching your destination will not be covered.

Small print: Don’t get caught out! We strongly advise you to take time to read your  make sure you do take time to read your policy wording carefully and that the cover is suitable for your individual needs and that it meets your expectations. It’s better to spend a few minutes doing this and possibly pay a bit more than not be covered if you need to make a claim.