A Guide to Claim Travel Insurance (2)

 ▲ Claim Travel Insurance: Supporting Documents, Flight Delay, Delayed Baggage

Read Part 1 of this guide, which outlines the steps to claim travel insurance.

Read the quick guide to buy travel insurance.

IMPORTANT

Remember to always carry your travel insurance provider’s emergency contact, and your insurance policy number. This is so you can inform your insurer about your situation as soon as possible and they can promptly forward you other necessary documentation to submit your claim.

It’s important to get all necessary supporting document to prevent delays in the claim process, or worse, have insufficient proof to claim.

Some examples of supporting documents you need to get whilst in the situation / overseas, depending on the type of claim:

• Medical-related claims – 1) Original bills and receipts, 2) a medical report/inpatient discharge summary, and 3) the proof of the length of the hospital stay. Do refer to the policy for the list of documents to obtain if seeking treatment overseas or when you return.
• Victim of Crime – “Proof of the event”. Having to file a police report while overseas for any loss cash, travel documents or personal effects. Give your statement and they will give you a police report that states what has happened. You might need a translator or to pay a “fee” for a proper report. *bummer*
• Flight Delay or Delayed Baggage – More details below.

 Flight Delay

Flight delays might cause you  to fork out extra cash to pay for a no show penalty and new ticket for a connecting flight; or extra nights’ accommodation if the delay lasts for hours or days.

Airline Claim

Airlines might or might not compensate you with monetary compensation, meal, overnight hotel accommodations, or reimbursements.

European Union (EU) Travels – If you travel to an EU country on an EU airline, or from an EU country, you are entitled by EU flight regulations to a compensation of up to €600 after a 3-4 hour delay, and if overnight, meals, phone calls, emails and accommodations.

Most Asian Airlines – usually provide free refreshments and meals in the form of meal allowances. And free hotel accommodations and transport is provided for an overnight delay arising from the airline’s fault such as technical problems or overbooking. They might not provide if delays was by force majeure, such as natural disasters, bad flight weather, civil unrest.

Travel Insurance Claim

Single trip insurance will protect you on your way back from your journey,
Multi-trip insurance should protect you from delays occurring within any of the trips under the policy duration.

You are eligible for a insurance claim only after a minimum hours of flight delay (usually 6-12 hours). There is usually a daily payout limit per person under the policy, until the policy limit.

For Singapore travel insurance coverage, outbound flights from Singapore might not be covered.

Steps to make a insurance claim for delayed flight

1. Get document or report issued by your airline confirming the flight delay, cause and length of delay.
2. Contact your travel insurance company about your current situation. In case they need to send you documentation or forms to fill.
3. Always keep the receipts from your expenses for later use in your claims.
4. Contact the company again, as soon as possible, when you reach your destination. Send them all your flight details and airline’s delay report.
5. Send your travel insurance company your claim form, copy of your policy, flight itinerary, boarding pass, passport copies, PIR, receipts you want reimbursed, and the additional documents they sent you earlier on. Do it as soon as you can.

 Delayed Luggage

Airline Claim

Airlines are not obligated to compensate you for emergency purchases resulting from missing baggage, depending on the T&Cs. And definition of “emergency purchases” and method of compensation varies from company to company.

For some, purchases are strictly to be toiletries and essential clothing. Some may pay a lump sum up-front, some pay a set limit per day, reimbursement based on PIR and receipts and some travel discounts.

If you need to submit a claim to the airline with the PIR and receipts, remember to always file a written claim within 21 days of recovering the missing luggage. Airline has 21 days to return the missing luggage, if not, the luggage will be written off as permanently lost.

 Travel Insurance Claim

Travel insurance covers where airline coverage is lacking. The insurance will reimburse your necessities bought as long as it is within their payout limits and policies terms.

Also, most insurance companies cover the emergency expenses spent after a 12-hour delay of the luggage, as compared to 24 hours from the airline coverage. So, you can replace your necessities faster.

If your luggage is nowhere to be found on the carousel or beside it, here are some useful steps: 

1. Fill out a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at your airline’s baggage service desk as soon as possible. Describe your luggage and its characteristics as best as you can on PIR.
2. As you return the completed PIR to the airline agent, ask for a tracking I.D. to track the case and a copy of the report to file claim with your insurance company or airline. You can still claim without a PIR, but it’s better to have it than without.
3. Ask the airline agent for the available claim options by the airline.
4. Contact your travel insurance company about your current situation. In case they need to send you documentation or forms to fill.
5. Always keep the receipts from your emergency purchases for later use in your claims.
6. Send your travel insurance company your claim form, copy of your policy, passport stamp copies, flight details, PIR, receipts you want reimbursed, and the additional documents they sent you earlier on. Do it as soon as you can.

Do you have any hair-pulling travel insurance claims experience to share? Leave a comment.

Past posts that might be useful for you:

A Guide to Claim Travel Insurance – Part 1

• Steps to Claim Travel Insurance

A Guide to Buy Travel Insurance

• Online Comparison Tools
• Introduction to the General Types of Travel Insurance
• 5 Tips for Buying Travel Insurance

• Common exclusions on travel insurance coverage
• Credit card travel perks such as travel insurance, is that enough