7 Best Travel Insurance Tips You Will Want to Read About
Having a good travel insurance plan is a clever way to safeguard the money you spend on a trip in case something unexpected occurs. And let’s be honest, unexpected things can happen when you’re traveling.
If you’re planning an amazing vacation this year, here are some useful tips to help you find the best travel insurance policy and get the most out of your coverage.
Choose The Right Coverage According To Your Destination
If you’re traveling within the country, your provincial health plan will probably take care of your medical expenses. However, there might be some things that are not covered, which is why some travel insurance companies offer special packages for traveling within Canada. But when it comes to going abroad, your provincial health plan may not provide much or any coverage.
That’s why it’s really important to have travel medical insurance when you go on trips outside of your country. This kind of insurance helps pay for things like prescriptions, doctor’s fees, lab tests, ambulance services, hospital costs, and other necessary medical expenses. It covers the charges that are considered reasonable and customary.
Coverage And Itinerary – Make Sure They Match
The activities you have planned for your vacation are important when deciding how much insurance coverage you should get. For example, if you’re booking a trip abroad with multiple flights and you’ll be going on sightseeing tours, enjoying entertainment at different places, and participating in adventurous activities, you’ll need to consider all of these factors.
Consider an all-inclusive travel insurance plan for your trip that also encompasses
Trip interruption – trip cancellation coverage: If you have trip cancellation or interruption coverage, it means that you can get your money back for any costs you’ve already paid for but can’t get a refund for. This applies if you have to cancel your trip or end it early because of reasons specified in the policy.
Trip delay insurance: With this coverage, you’ll be reimbursed for any expenses you have during a layover, as well as for any activities you couldn’t participate in because of the layover or other reasons. This is especially helpful when you’ve already paid for those activities in advance and they are non-refundable.
Medical cost coverage: If you unfortunately experience a medical emergency, this coverage will help you cover medical expenses.
Baggage loss coverage: In case your baggage gets lost/ damaged or stolen during a trip, this insurance will provide compensation for the loss.
Emergency medical evacuation coverage: During an emergency medical condition, if you need better medical facility, this coverage will look after your expense.
Book Your Trip and Buy the Travel Insurance Right After
As soon as you buy travel insurance, it starts doing its job. One important type of coverage is trip cancellation and interruption insurance. It helps you get your money back for non-refundable expenses like flights or hotel bookings if you have to cancel your trip for a valid reason, like being sick. However, if you get sick and then decide to buy travel insurance, it won’t cover the expenses you already incurred before purchasing the policy. So it’s best to get travel insurance as soon as you make your travel arrangements to ensure you’re protected from the beginning.
Additionally, there are certain types of coverage that you can only get within a specific timeframe after you make the initial payment for your trip. For instance, if you want to add a “Cancel for any reason” upgrade to your policy, which gives you more flexibility to cancel for various reasons, you typically have to do it within two to three weeks after making the first payment for your trip. So it’s important to be aware of these time limits if you want to include specific coverage options in your travel insurance.
Decide Whether You Want “Cancel For Any Reason” Coverage Or Not
When you have regular travel insurance, it only covers cancellation if it’s for a specific reason mentioned in the policy. But if you want more flexibility, you can consider getting “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) travel insurance. It’s a bit more expensive than standard coverage, but it allows you to get a partial refund for the prepaid expenses of your trip, even if you want to cancel for reasons not listed in the policy. For instance, you could make a CFAR claim if you decide to cancel because you heard it’s going to rain at the beach resort where you planned to go. However, it’s important to know that not all CFAR policies have the same rules, so make sure you understand them before making a decision.
– Usually, you don’t receive full compensation for your expenses; instead, you get either 50% or 75% of the amount, depending on the plan you have.
– To make sure you’re covered, you need to add the CFAR coverage within two or three weeks of making the first payment for your trip. Different companies have different deadlines for purchasing it, so it’s best not to delay if you’re considering getting CFAR coverage.
– It’s important to know that you can’t cancel your trip right at the last moment, and each insurance company has its own deadline for when you need to cancel by. For instance, TuGo requires you to cancel at least five days before your departure, whereas AMA Travel Insurance allows you to cancel up to three hours before your departure time.
Check The Different Travel Insurance Offers Provided By Your Credit Card
Before you spend money on a travel insurance plan, it’s a good idea to check if you already have coverage through your credit card. You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that your credit card includes travel insurance benefits.
Let’s take an example: Some credit cards provide trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. This means that if you need to cancel your trip for a valid reason or if your trip gets disrupted due to situations covered by the credit card, such as severe weather conditions, this insurance coverage will come into effect.
However, it’s important to note that travel credit cards may not provide the same extensive coverage as a separate travel insurance plan. For example, the coverage for emergency medical expenses might be limited to $500,000 with a travel credit card, whereas a standalone plan could offer coverage up to $5 million. Additionally, it’s crucial to use the credit card for booking the trip in order to qualify for the insurance benefits offered by the card.
Choose Adventure Travel Insurance For Risky Activities
Travel insurance policies usually have specific activities that are considered high-risk and are excluded from coverage. For instance, if you decide to go skydiving or parasailing during your trip and end up getting injured, your travel medical insurance may not provide coverage for those activities.
If your trip involves activities that are different from the usual sightseeing or museum tours, it’s important to get a travel insurance policy that will specifically cover those higher-risk activities. A travel insurance agent can assist you in finding the appropriate options that align with your itinerary.
Keep The Receipts Safe Before You Go On Your Trip
When people purchase insurance, they hope they won’t ever need to use it. But if you do find yourself in a situation where you need to make a claim, it’s important to have all the necessary documents ready. This will help ensure that your claim gets processed quickly and efficiently.
The most common reason for delays in processing a claim is when the policyholder doesn’t provide enough proof or documentation to show the actual financial loss they experienced. It’s important to provide all the necessary information and evidence to support your claim so that it can be processed smoothly.
If you need to make a claim for lost or stolen baggage, it’s essential to have copies of receipts for any items you would like to be reimbursed for. This means keeping records of the purchases you made so that you can provide proof of their value in case your luggage goes missing.
