Claiming on your Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a type of insurance that protects a person against financial losses that may be incurred while travelling. These losses may come in form of medical costs, loss of baggage, trip cancellation, flight accidents and so on. It may either be international or national, some insurance outfits only cover trips within the nation while some only cover international trips, making it important that you take special note of the what type of package you go for.
Different insurance companies offer different levels of coverage, usually differing on some point or the other, therefore it is imperative that you look through what is covered by the plan offered before agreeing to the insurance plan.
You may need to make a claim on your travel insurance over a number of things however, the most serious and probably most important is when you need to claim for a medical emergency or when there has been a crime (e.g. theft of your valuables).
So, what are the things you need to think about when making a claim? Well the first thing is that before you travel on holiday, remember to take all your travel insurance information with you, this includes the policy number, emergency contact telephone number etc.
For medical treatments, you should attempt to contact your insurance provider before any medical treatment, it would be best if they agreed before treatment commences, so you can be sure that they will either arrange for the payment to be made or reimburse you for any payments you make. Although in cases of emergency contacting your insurer immediately might not be very practical, but you should endeavour to contact them as soon as possible. You may have to pay up-front for medical treatment and claim it back when you get home. Always make sure you get receipts for any treatment or medication you’re given.
In cases where crimes have been committed against you, then you should ensure that you file a report at the police station in the country (ideally within 24 hours), and then obtain a police report. This report will be essential to filing your claim on the insurance when you return home.
Once you get home, ensure you make a claim on your travel insurance policy as soon as possible, as most policies will have time limits within which you can make your claim. Contact your insurer as soon as possible and ask them to send you a claim form or you might even be able to complete the claim form online. You’ll need to include copies of all paperwork that will help your claim, including receipts or medical certificates. You should also keep copies of the originals in case your claim is queried or refused. Some countries give foreigners access to free medical treatment in some cases, so before you travel it would be a good idea to check up on the country’s policy as it relates to medical treatment for foreigners. For example, this is the policy of the UK Government.
Finally, when you are making a claim on your insurance, the most important thing to do, is to be honest and tell thr truth, do not make fictitious insurance claims. This is a crime – insurance fraud, which not only invalidates your insurance policy, but could lead to criminal prosecution.
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We hope you have found this information helpful. Please note that this information is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. No lawyer-client relationship is formed nor should any such relationship be implied. This answer is not intended to substitute for the advice of a qualified lawyer. If you require legal advice, please consult with a qualified lawyer.