Claiming on Your Travel Insurance – What to Do Before You Get Home
Travel insurance is a necessity when you are overseas, covering you for all sorts of adverse circumstances. If you need to make a claim on your policy, you should be aware that there are quite a few things which you’ll need to arrange before you get home. In some cases, if you return home before getting the necessary supporting documents, your insurer will have to reject your claim. Familiarise yourself with what is necessary before you get caught up in the excitement of travel – here we are looking at the general documents required for most travel insurance claims.
For medical travel insurance claims
The first person you contact after ensuring that you get the appropriate medical care should be your travel insurance company. They will advise you of exactly what documentation is needed, which may include items like:
- A company claims form signed by a hospital authority
- Your original itemized bill for medical services. Make sure you take a photocopy before sending irreplaceable documents like these by mail.
- An original report from the attending doctor, stating the nature of your condition as well as what caused it.
- Original receipts showing that you have paid for the service.
For accommodation, flight and other travel insurance claims
In most cases, the type of documentation you’ll need to obtain before leaving the country is the same as what is needed for medical travel insurance claims. You’ll usually need:
- Original itemized accounts for the services
- Original receipts showing that you have paid for the service.
There may also be additional requirements for the expenses incurred through changing your travel plans, including:
- A copy of your original itinerary
- A medical report confirming an injury or illness, if the change in plans was due to the health of a policyholder
- Written confirmation of a delay by your transport provider – for example, confirmation that a train delay caused you to miss a flight.
- If the transport provider offered any compensation to you, you’ll need to make that claim first, and then provide all of the documentation along with your travel insurance claim form.
- Copies of any refund notices for unused accommodation time, if this is applicable.
Personal liability claims
These can vary widely, and documentation that may be needed to assist in paying for them through travel insurance includes pieces like:
- Police reports
- Claims on other insurance policies – for example, if you claimed for rental car damage through a policy on your credit card, the documentation might be needed to help process a personal liability claim arising from the same car accident.
- Legal letters and notices
Baggage and personal effects, loss and damage
In addition to some of the above documents (like police reports and other insurance policy claims forms), if your property is lost or stolen while overseas you may need to give your travel insurance company:
- Receipts or copies for any electronic equipment stolen – claims for mp3 players, video cameras or digital cameras often need to be accompanied by original receipts
- If you don’t have receipts, you will need to substantiate ownership so you can submit photos of the items, bank statements, or warranty cards.
- In the case of damaged items, you’ll need a letter from your chosen repairer stating the cost of repairs, or that repairs are not economically viable.
