Travel insurance can be defined as insurance that is meant to cover medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost luggage, flight accident and other losses that might take place during traveling.
Travel insurance is very important and beneficial. A multitude of reasons support this claim. For instance, if you’ve reached the airport on time, only to find that your flight has been cancelled, travel insurance—if you have any—will help you find new flights. Travel insurance also helps with lost luggage, obtaining emergency cash in case of stolen money, medical treatment or evacuation, reimbursements, and much more.
Also read: 7 Misconceptions About Travel Insurance Every Frequent Traveler Should Know
When Will You Need to Claim Travel Insurance?
You can claim your travel insurance in the following circumstances or turn of events:
- In case of needed financial recovery for medical expenses caused due to accidents and illnesses.
- When you’re in need of legal support.
- In case of natural calamities/disasters and loss of checked-in baggage or passport.
- If you wish to be financially protected in case of trip cancellation or interruption.
- For covering your personal liabilities while on travel or in another country.
- If you’re a student and want all of your requirements covered including medical, baggage and many more.
- You can also claim your travel insurance on travel delay.
- Tour operator default warrants a claim on your insurance as well.
- Your insurance gets involved in case of an accidental death.
- Travel insurance also takes care your legal expenses.
- Repatriation.
- In case of an emergency reunion or a familial emergency.
- It might seem a little unseemly, by your travel insurance also covers dental expenses
Some insurance claims, however, are quickly dealt with over the phone; others require you to fill forms and/or present the agency with valid, legal documentation.
Also read: 6 Important Dos and Don’ts of Travel Insurance Plans
How to claim travel insurance abroad
If you’ve never claimed travel insurance before, the following procedure is essential for you.
There are six steps that are involved in the process of claiming travel insurance.
1. Contacting your insurer as soon as possible.
Upon having realized, recognized your emergency or issue, should immediately claim your insurance. Some policies provide you with a time limit as to how long you can wait to give a written/typed consent about your intention to claim. Waiting might land you into unseen trouble or might further your difficult situation.
You need to contact your insurer and claim your insurance as soon as you can.
2. Filling the right claim form and completely.
You are supposed to “know” what it is you are claiming for. Claiming on medical grounds, a student’s insurance or a delay in flight or cancellation, et cetera. Choose the right form and fill the details therein properly and completely.
In some exceptional cases, you would need a specialist to fill up sections of the form for you. For example, if you’re claiming for medical needs, word of your doctor or physician will be taken into consideration than your own. They will have to certify your claim.
3. Getting all your supporting documents prepared.
Next comes the part where you need to be very careful and accumulate all of your supporting documents in one place and ready to be used. Leaving out any sort of document might cause for your claim process to be slowed, or terminated even. It is advised that you provide a travel itinerary as well, to further prove that you had intended to travel.
The number of forms needed varies from case to case. For instance, you need medical insurance, you will be asked to provide the agency with relevant medical bills, discharge summary, prescriptions, et cetera from your doctor or hospital. You can’t provide irrelevant documentation.
Sometimes, you also need written approval or confirmation from other parties to support your claim.
4. Submitting your claim.
Follow the guidelines of your respective agency and then submit your form. Make sure you have provided all necessary documentation and filled all particulars. Before submitting your claim, proofread it and get rid of anything that might confuse people on perusal. In case the agency does online forms, make sure you have typed everything correctly and have no errors whatsoever. Do not send your claim more than once as it might cause both you and your agency problems.
5. Waiting.
It can take claims weeks or either a whole month to be processed. Usually it takes a few weeks. If it takes even longer, you need to start pressurizing your insurer. Make sure you’ve sent them all necessary documents. The delay people often experience is because of lacking or missing documentation. Agencies then find it easy to put your application on hold and take things slow.
6. Being prepared in case of conflicts.
Let’s just put it out there, the aim of most insurances is to reduce your claim as much as they can. They will try this by twisting and turning the wording of the contract/agreement and sway you. You need to be proactive and address to this with either a lawyer or an expert.
To avoid this from happening altogether, make sure you’ve conducted a sort-of survey into the backgrounds of different travel insurances online. Ask people around. And compare between agencies before you pick one.
Travel Insurance Agencies
We recommend the following travel insurance agencies and travel insurance providers. Be sure to compare between their offers and choose what feels right and convenient to you.
Jubilee Travel Insurance.
Jubilee Insurance is one of Pakistan’s widely-acclaimed insurers. They provide all their customers with promised services and more. Their travel insurance comes in six packages.
- International Travel.
- HomeTrip.
- Student.
- Hajj/Umrah.
- Ziarat.
- Domestic.
Learn more on Jubilee Travel Insurance
Adamjee Travel Insurance
Adamjee Insurance is a rather less known insurer. They have similar packages to those of Jubilee. Apart from medical assistance, they also provide concierge, travel, cash emergency and hotline services for their customers’ convenience.
Learn more on Adamjee Travel Insurance
IGI Travel Insurance
IGI provides—quoting them—a “bouquet” of services that include telephone medical advice, arrangement of hospital admission, medical translation services, medical evaluation and repatriation, legal referrals, arrangement of return of minor children, interpreter referral, emergency document delivery, delivery of essential medicine, lost luggage, compassionate visits, accommodation, and much more.
Learn more on IGI Travel Insurance
EFU Travel Insurance
EFU Insurance travel insurance provides a variety of services. They focus specifically on student insurance and tourism. Along with the usual, get additional benefits accommodation et cetera.
Learn More on EFU Travel Insurance
Askari Travel Insurance
The last one on our list is Askari Insurance. They provide benefits like international and domestic ticketing, group tour and travelling (domestic and international), international car rental services, visa facilitation, domestic and international travel insurance, Umrah, etc.
Learn more on Askari Travel Insurance
Concluding, it can be a tricky business having to claim your insurance. Especially in medical cases. You wouldn’t want to be kept on hold when in need of insurance money for some surgical procedure or worst. It is crucial to educate yourself to prevent irrecoverable losses in situations such as those faced in travel insurance processes. You should know what to do when you have to do it. Make sure you follow the above-mentioned information before you consider choosing travel insurance.
