Planning for a trip abroad is incomplete if you have not bought travel insurance yet. After all, it provides you with financial coverage against any unexpected situations during your trip. Anything can go wrong when you are on the go—a missed flight, delayed luggage arrival, loss of important documents and whatnot. Also, you cannot rule out the possibility of other more severe situations such as a road accident or sickness, demanding urgent hospitalisation during the trip.
Such circumstances can result in huge monetary losses along with anxiety and stress that can ruin a work-related trip or a vacation with your loved ones. Therefore, it is very important to buy travel insurance before you embark on the journey. However, there are a few things you must keep in mind while buying one.
Here are the top four things you must double-check if your insurance covers before buying travel insurance online.
- The extent of coverage of the policy
You are paying a premium against the promise of future services in the face of unpredictable incidents.So, before you finalise a plan, check whether it covers the following:
- Trip cancellation, missed flights etc.
- Luggage loss, loss of documents and other belongings
- Cash assistance by the insurer to buy essentials
- Coverage of home burglary while you are travelling
- Emergency evacuation during a crisis
- Coverage if there is a flight hijack
- Online purchase and claim settlement
Online transactions help you save time and money. For offline purchases, you have to visit the insurer’s branch office, which means investing time, energy and money for a physical visit. If you go through a broker or agent, they may try to push plans that benefit them and may not suit your needs. Besides, you will have to follow up with them for policy updates.
When you buy a policy online, you can select a policy without anybody influencing you. By calling up the toll-free number given on the insurer’s website, you can get assistance on how to claim online. Alternatively, you can click on the claims tab on the insurer’s website and follow the instructions. You may also get additional discounts from the insurer if you buy an online policy.
- Comprehensive travel insurance coverage
Under the comprehensive travel policy, you will get extensive coverage that includes both medical and non-medical situations. The features include:
- Coverage for 360 days overall, out of which the original policy cover is valid for 180 days. You can extend it by additional 180 days.
- No medical test for policy issuance if the applicant is 85 years old or less.
- Value-added services in India for the dependants of the applicant.
- Medical coverage within a range of ₹30 lakh ($50,000) to ₹3 crore ($5,00,000).
- Repatriation to the home country if there is loss of life.
- Disbursement of daily cash if you are hospitalised for more than two days.
- Compensation for a personal accident if there is loss of life or temporary or permanent disability.
- Evacuation from a foreign country if there is a natural disaster or political turbulence.
- If the insured individual is hospitalised for more than five days, the insurer will bear the cost of travelling and other expenses of a visiting relative or family member.
- Compensation if the policyholder loses their checked-in baggage.
- Exclusions
There is a limit up to which a travel policy can cover your trip. The situations that it does not cover are known as exclusions. Here are some of the standard exclusions:
- This policy does not cover any pre-existing disease, even if you declare it while applying for the policy.
- There is no compensation for treating orthopaedic problems, degenerative diseases, cancer etc.
- Expenses for any dental treatment are excluded.
- Injuries or accidents while performing a hazardous activity such as an adventure sport are not covered.
- Claims for an incident that occurred before the start of a trip or after you completed it are not entertained.
While buying a travel policy, there are certain things that you should take care of in advance to avoid hassles in the future. Follow the tips mentioned above and enjoy your trip stress-free.
