Making a Claim on Travel Insurance

Travel insurance, the one thing that us travellers always buy with the idea that it's an added layer of protection in case something unfortunately goes wrong during our holiday. However, a large number of people are unsure as to how they would go ahead and claim back on their travel insurance policy if they fall victim to theft, lost baggage or a delayed flight. Knowing how to claim on your travel insurance is important not only because it will reimburse money spent on medical bills or on the replacement of items but will avoid being stranded in another country. 

Before Travelling

• Make sure you have bought travel insurance - this seems stupid but travellers should double check their policy covers the country they're travelling to, the dates they're travelling as well as declaring any medical conditions that they have. If you fail to state any medical conditions that then become relevant to your claim you may find that your claim is rejected and you're left out of pocket. I even list that I struggle with anxiety and depression - as for some reason it may affect my claim in the future and I'd rather be safe than sorry. 
• Print off all documents relating to your travel insurance. The most important document would be your actual policy, which states all the information regarding your reference number as well as what you're covered for under that specific policy. You may have other documents sent to you or emailed to you such as the policy wording and some companies send travellers cards with their reference numbers on which they can show if needed while abroad. 
• Once again you should check what you're covered for - even gadgets can now be covered under travel insurance as an optional extra. If you're travelling to a destination where you know you'll be participating in winter sports - then there's also additional cover avaliable since some of these sports can be considered high-risk. In turn this may result in the person needing medical treatment, which trust me, doesn't come cheap while abroad.​

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What Can You Claim On and How?
Even though there's tons of different insurance providers offering a wide variety of insurance cover for specific incidents - the main features covered will include medical and personal injury, lost or stolen baggage, theft of personal items, cancellation or abandonment of a holiday as well as delays within the airline. 

• Medical & Personal Injury - If you find yourself needing medical assistance which can either be through a simple doctors appointment or in more serious cases a trip to the emergency room - you should phone your insurance provider immediately. The reason being is that you can discuss your options with your insurance provider as well as allowing them to agree to go ahead with your treatment. While on the phone you can check what you're covered for in relation to the actual treatment - in most cases you will be covered up to £1 million depending on the country you're visiting. It's likely that you'll be asked to pay upfront for your medical treatment, very unfortunate I know, but then again your travel insurance is there to reimburse you once you return back home. If this is the case then keep all documents regarding your treatment as well as any receipts (including prescriptions). If you're travelling to a country within the European Economic Area then residents can apply for an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which entitles the user to free medical treatment throughout their stay. It's free to apply for this card and it might ending up saving you a small fortune. 
• Lost Baggage - One of my family members ended up being without their suitcase for the majority of their stay in Iceland which was the airlines fault - which led to them buying clothes, nappies and other essentials for her and her child. If your luggage is lost through the fault of the airline then firstly research if this is covered by your airline and then get a report from the airline. This report will outline the flight details, what happened with the luggage as well as the name of the passenger who lost their luggage. If you have any receipts from dropping off your luggage then keep hold of these since these will support your case even more. If you need to buy replacement items which can include clothes and toiletries then keep receipts of these also. 
• Stolen Baggage/Theft - If you become the victim of theft which can be of personal items including money, phones or even a camera and then even luggage then report this crime as soon as you can to the local police. If you're unsure where the local police station may be then the receptionist at your hotel or hostel or even your travel representative could help you. From there you'll get a written report stating what exactly happened and what items were stolen - a police will keep a report and in turn you'll receive a report which you can then use for your claim. If you need to buy replacement items or transfer funds from a private account, which may lead to a foreign transaction fee, keep all documentation as you may be able to reclaim even the smallest of costs. 
• Cancellation/Abandonment - There are hundreds upon hundreds of reasons why travellers may need to cancel their holiday or even make an early return from the country they're visiting. However, many travel companies are very strict with the reasons for cancelling or abandoning a holiday, the main list of reasons include: unexpected death of a travel companion or immediate family member or if the traveller is advised against travelling by a professional such as a doctor or advised by the government in extreme circumstances. For example, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office give information to travellers to allow them to make an informed decision when travelling to specific destinations such as Egypt and St Lucia (due to weather reports of a tropical storm in the upcoming days).  
• Delays - I think mostly all travellers have been on a delayed flight at least once - the constant checking of the travel boards and your watch to realise you've missed lunch and will be lucky to get to your destination by nightfall. Some airlines do provide compensation directly to passengers through food vouchers and a compensation form on their website - such as EasyJet and Ryanair if your flight is delayed for more than 3 hours and it's the fault of the airline. Passengers can claim expenses of cancelled activities and plans such as a prebooked taxi or even a hotel room if the flight is delayed overnight. Once again you should keep records of all receipts and updates about the flight which in turn will make your case stronger. It would be advisable for travellers to get a letter from the airline stating and confirming the delays for whatever reason as well as the amount of time the flight was delayed for. 

Claiming On Your Travel Insurance

• Claiming While Travelling - If you need to claim on your travel insurance while travelling then I'd get your documents at the ready for when you call your insurance provider. Once on the phone keep notes regarding what the outcome of your claim will be as well as keep additional documents which you may need to send to the company once you return home. 
• Claiming At Home - Once you've returned from your trip, I would recommend contacting your travel insurance provider within one or two days to keep within the time limits for your claim. You can then either phone, email or write to your insurance provider to then access a claims form which will need full completion and may require receipts and if needed additional medical information from your doctors regarding your medical history/current situation. State clearly what you are claiming for as well as listing all expenses but make sure you find out how much excess you may have to pay. For example, if I claimed £200 on my travel insurance and the excess was £50, I would only be entitled to £150 if my claim was approved and went through. From there, travellers should also check the small print to see if there's any information that may lead to their claim being rejected - travellers should do this before even taking out the policy to make sure that they're not going to be let down by the company. Travellers should photocopy all documents sent to the company and send their information recorded or tracked - so the company cannot claim that they didn't receive it or it got lost in the mail. It may take a while for your claim to go through depending on the company itself and whether they may need further information from you. However, the company should keep you up to date with the process, such as when they receive your form and the status of your claim. 

What Happens If I'm Not Satisfied?
If you're not satisfied with the outcome of your claim, then firstly request a final letter of response from the insurance provider you took our your travel insurance with. This will outline their reasons for rejecting your claim as well as the date it was rejected. From there you can then take it to the Ombudsman, if you live in the UK, or a place such as Citizen's Advice or similar. An Ombudsman's job essentially is to resolve a complaint before it escalates and goes to court. The Ombudsman may take a while - I'm currently in the middle of a claim which has been going on for 3 months as I needed to provide additional information as well as the Ombudsman having thousands upon thousands of claims that need investigating. If you're then not satisfied with the service as you're unable to gain help then you can complain to the Ombudsman once again and from there research other organisations that may be able to help with your claim.