Insurance is a service that modern travelers often underestimate. The well-known expression "avaricious pays twice" is confirmed everywhere in practice. In order not to be like this mean one, it is worth paying once, but to warn of possible negative consequences from losing money in case of refusal of a previously planned trip.
Usually this service is called "travel insurance." What does she give the traveler? As a rule, in the insurance itself different programs are indicated for reimbursement of losses from risk: “Medical risks”, “Inability to make a trip”, “Lose baggage”. It is possible to limit yourself to just one program. With one significant “but.” The travel insurance service cannot be ordered separately without medical insurance. Therefore, we consider here not only the features of reimbursement for travel insurance, but also reimbursement for medical risks.
Travel Insurance: Important in Brief
Travel inability insurance is a product that allows you to return the funds spent on booking services in case the trip cannot take place for objective reasons. As a rule, a free interpretation of the concept of “objective reasons” is not the basis for the payment of insurance compensation. These reasons are strictly regulated and spelled out in the text of the contract, may vary depending on the specifics of the service.
The issue of travel insurance often arises in the case of the purchase of a finished tourism product. This service is included in the package. In fact, a voluntary service often becomes a “pleasant surprise”, which is not always possible to refuse.
Travel insurance against travel out guarantees the return of that certain amount of funds that is indicated when concluding the insurance contract, upon the occurrence of an insured event. In fact, the amount of money spent on the trip is insured.
Insured event not to travel abroad
Payment is made on the basis of a fixed fact of occurrence insured event. Their list may vary depending on the terms of the contract. Therefore, special attention should be paid to it if a decision is made to use insurance.
There are general rules and restrictions on the basis of which a decision is made on reimbursement of expenses or refusal of payments if travel insurance is purchased. Travel insurance coverage:
- Death, trauma, health disorder of the insured or close persons, or close persons of the spouse traveling jointly with common reservation.
- Damage to personal property from fire, water damage, damage by third parties during the term of the contract.
- Participation in court proceedings on the basis of a court act.
- Refusal of the consulate to issue a visa.
- Conscription for military service (fees).
- Early return or after a period from abroad for medical reasons.
Programs of insurance companies offer different travel insurance options. Therefore, you need to carefully read the terms of the Insurance Contract to decide whether this program is suitable for you, or to choose other conditions. Travel insurance is not subject to cancellation or cancellation.
Limitations on the recognition of an event as insurance
Insurance companies currently impose restrictions in accordance with the specifics of the program that they offer as a service. Travel Insurance Ingosstrakh does not recognize events as an insurance event if, at the time the event occurred, it was established:
- The presence of alcoholic or other (narcotic, toxic) intoxication.
- Natural disaster or force majeure.
- The intentionality of the actions of the insured or close relatives, people traveling together with him.
- Exacerbation of chronic diseases.
- The presence of pregnancy.
- Classes in various sports (for this, other methods of insurance with a special raising factor are provided).
- The commission of unlawful acts having a causal relationship with the insured event.
Natural disasters, force majeure circumstances cannot be an insured event, as they are widespread, and if recognized as an insurance event, they could cause significant damage to the company. The purpose of travel recognizance is to compensate for individual risks.
When is it profitable to travel abroad
To choose or refuse a service is a traveler’s voluntary decision. There are reasons that make this service an uniquely appropriate solution. If a:
- children go on a trip;
- the tour is purchased and paid in advance, for a long period of time before the trip, and there is a high risk of failure;
- the trip carries the risk of not getting a visa from consular services;
- it is planned taking into account the long moving, the use of water transport is included;
- the trip is organized in exotic or with a dysfunctional epidemiological situation of the country;
- when making a sea cruise - the cost of such voyages is significant, it is acquired long before the start of the trip and is associated with the use of high-risk vehicles.
In such cases, it is very important that there is travel insurance. Making and purchasing it is very simple. You should decide on the features of your trip in advance and assess your personal risks so that the choice of an insurance program best suits your own needs.
How to get travel insurance
Several design options are possible:
- Insurance Company.
- Insurance intermediary (agent, bank, travel agency).
- The tour operator from whom the trip is purchased.
If you have the mood, opportunities, or you have a certain competence in the field of insurance services, you can choose your own company whose product will satisfy your request to a greater extent. An insurance intermediary can offer several design options for different companies. It is clear that for this he receives his commission. If you believe that the person has a sufficient level of professionalism, and you trust him, discuss all possible options and arrange travel insurance.
Separately, it is worthwhile to dwell on the case of purchasing insurance from a tour operator. Today it is the most common way of travel insurance.
For insurance, you must submit personal documents, pay insurance premium no later than a week before the planned departure. When signing the contract, consent must be given to the processing of your personal data.
Acquisition of insurance as part of a tour package
The best option is if you get insurance as part of a tour. When registering with agencies, they form a package of documents that includes: tickets, voucher, insurance, visa. From travel insurance all tour operators. Since they are directly interested in the quality of your trip and are responsible for this, this option optimally meets your goals. Especially when organizing trips with a high degree of risk.
For Tez Tour operator, travel insurance is included in the tour price and is removed from the package upon the traveler’s personal application. According to this rule, many representatives work in the field of outbound tourism organizations. If you want to reduce the cost of the tour, and you think that insurance is not needed, discuss this situation when booking services. You won’t be able to do this later.
Often when buying a tour there is a choice insurance product with professional recommendations throughout the service. As a rule, travel insurance “Ingosstrakh” is present in the portfolio of many outbound tourism operators, along with other service providers. A significant factor in acquiring insurance from a tour operator is the fact that insurance here takes into account the specifics of the formed tourist product and travel conditions.
How to behave when an insured event occurs
The validity period of the insurance begins from the moment of signing the Contract and the full payment of the insurance premium until the end of the trip. If the insured event occurred before the start of the trip, all measures should be taken to reduce financial losses. Cancel the reservation, tickets, other services included in the package.
During the time period specified by the Insurance Contract, a written application must be submitted for reimbursement of the cost of risk. Prepare documents confirming actually paid services and information on reimbursed funds from service providers. The Agreement spells out the sequence of preparation and composition of these documents. Assistance in their preparation can be provided by an insurer agent.
If the insured event occurred abroad, in this case you should always have data with you to quickly use the service. First of all, it is important to know which insurance company you have. Travel insurance contains this information. It is not necessary to carry the entire Insurance Contract, which, as a rule, assumes the availability of a sufficiently large amount of information. Almost all insurers provide a special customer card that contains product data. It is very convenient when traveling abroad.
In order to correctly and effectively use the insurance, upon the occurrence of an insured event, it is necessary to inform the occurrence of the event by the telephone number specified in the information at the location or in the central office. After the policy number and surname are reported, an insured event is recorded, your event will be controlled by the insurer, you will be prompted for further actions.
Why may not pay insurance
Travel insurance is available, framed according to the rules, the case has occurred, and the insurer refuses to pay insurance compensation. This situation is met and actively discussed in travel forums and reviews about insurance companies. Why? There are some features that should be considered in order to avoid such incidents. Consider them.
The Agreement contains the terms of paperwork, which are not always taken into account by the insured. For example, some contracts require that the reservation date and the date of signing the insurance contract be the same. Either travel insurance is limited to certain periods from the time of purchase of the tour, or other conditions for the execution of documents are required.
If the insured event occurred on the territory of a foreign country, during the initial examination it is worth attesting with documentary evidence that the insured was not in a state of alcoholic (narcotic, toxic) intoxication.
Subsequently, it is difficult to prove the opposite. Subsequently, if the medical case is not recorded properly and involves hospitalization and a change in the timing of the completion of the trip, problems may arise in recognizing the case as insurance.
With an arbitrary deviation from the travel route, travel insurance may not work. Pegasus, the operator of mass tours, expressly declares that in the case of acquiring excursion programs from third parties, the traveler loses the right to insurance compensation.
Large restrictions on the insurance contract are provided for by the Biblio-Globus operator.Travel insurance does not cover expenses, in particular, on insurance events that occurred in the case of the acquisition of excursion programs from third parties, operators, when practicing various sports.
Double insurance
When traveling, you can ensure yourself safety through double insurance. For example, if you purchase a tour, but for various reasons, you must deviate from the travel route. Or if travel insurance as part of the tour package does not meet the needs of the traveler, then it is reasonable to provide additional travel insurance.
It is convenient to use additional bank services for Travel Insurance which are part of the package tied to bank cards. Customers often do not remember the availability of such services, despite the fact that they regularly use these paid packages. It is enough to contact the servicing bank and get comprehensive information.
Travel insurance: what includes and what you should pay attention to
First of all, you should carefully read the terms of the contract, with information about the company, as well as with the restrictions that travel insurance does contain. Insurance claims that are eligible for reimbursement may be related to health insurance and may affect payment decisions.
The service for reimbursing the risk of not traveling abroad cannot be executed separately, without medical.
Check if the deductible is provided for by the insurance contract - the amount of deduction from the insurance payment, and what is its value.
Checking the correctness of the documents issued and the compliance of your personal data with those included in the insurance is a prerequisite.
A mistake may constitute a legitimate reason for refusing to pay insurance compensation. It does not hurt to have the contact of an agent who has taken out travel insurance on hand. Insurance cases in this situation can be discussed immediately upon the occurrence of an event, guaranteed to prevent possible erroneous actions.
When planning a trip to the Schengen countries, it is advisable to take out insurance for the duration of the trip, plus one day or more. Consular services pay attention to the date when deciding whether to open a visa. The need for additional days is explained by the possibility of delaying the departure of the aircraft and changing the date of return from the trip.
If you take into account all the subtleties in the design of the insurance service and not be too lazy to analyze the contents of the Agreement on reimbursement of services in the event of an insured event related to travel abroad, you can protect yourself from the risk of losing money by 100%. Agree that the cost of a trip abroad is worth the forethought.
