A business traveler traveling abroad loses his wallet; while on vacation overseas, a parent can’t find his child’s passport days before the family’s return trip home; a vacationer loses her family heirloom necklace while attending a soiree in Paris. What do all these American travelers have in common?
Fortunately, before they booked their itineraries, they had selected the right trip insurance plan so they were covered when their travels hit a snag.
How Trip Insurance Protects Your Luggage
In addition to costs related to flight cancellations and disruptions, trip insurance also helps cover expenses caused by baggage loss, damage, or delays. As the travel industry continues to rebound, more people are booking their flights and scheduling hotel stays. This means more checked baggage. The increase in sky traffic also increases the chance that you yourself might face a luggage mishap. The right coverage can help ease the financial loss related to these issues. It can even reimburse you for a change of clothes and basic necessities.
How Trip Insurance Helps If You Lose Your Wallet
Dealing with the fallout from losing your wallet is stressful. You have to cancel your credits, get a new driver’s license, and any cash you had in the billfold are gone. These stresses are doubled if you lose your wallet in a foreign land. Fortunately these losses are covered under the additional benefits that make it easier to navigate the logistics.
How Trip Insurance Can Help if You Lose Your Passport
If you lose your passport while traveling abroad, while benefits vary from plan to plan, in general, this is how it works:
Before Your Trip:
- Losing your passport before you leave can be stressful. While there are services that can expedite the processing of a new passport, there may not be enough time to get a new one before your departure date. However, If you have trip insurance with a Cancel For Any Reason benefit, you’ll be able to cancel your flight and recoup prepaid expenses.
After departure:
- If you lose your passport abroad, you may have to extend your stay unexpectedly. In this case, trip delay benefits can help cover expenses related to the extension.
- Coverage for passport replacement fees up to a certain, specified amount, are usually between $50 to $100.
- Free assistance. If you lose your passport and you have trip insurance, the best first move to make is to contact your insurance provider and explain the situation. They can walk you through the steps to take to get your passport back and help you file reimbursement claims to cover related expenses.
How Trip Insurance Can Protect Your Valuables
From rings to a destination wedding to family heirlooms, trip insurance can help keep the precious items you’re traveling with safe. This is usually included under baggage coverage and is subject to the policy coverage maximum. Additionally, there may be a per item limit depending on the dollar value of each piece of jewelry. Remember that if you have to file a claim for reimbursement, you’ll need to provide the insurer with receipts to prove that you are the rightful owner.
How Trip Insurance Can Help If You Lose Your Cash Abroad
Depending on your trip insurance plan, your insurance company may be able to help if your cash is lost or stolen while traveling abroad. They may offer assistance in making arrangements for you to get the cash you need, provided you have someone willing to fund you, or they may offer a cash advance to help you return home safely. In that case, you would need to reimburse the insurer.
Get Trip Insurance Coverage For Your Belongings
Choosing the right plan for your needs can help reduce travel stress so you can stay focused on what really matters, whether it’s landing an important business deal overseas, reuniting with loved ones, or enjoying the ultimate family vacation.
If you have any questions or need help choosing the right trip insurance policy for your needs, our Customer Success Team of licensed travel insurance experts is happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are some valuables that aren’t often covered by trip insurance?
While the coverage for valuables varies from plan to plan, generally, trip insurance does not cover for the loss or delay of the following items:
- Animals
- Essential items such as eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, artificial teeth, dentures, dental braces, dental bridges, retainers or hearing aids
- Antiques and collector’s items
- Prescribed medications
- Household effects and furnishings
Exclusions for baggage loss and delay may be a longer list than the one we provided, so it is important to read your policy details to review what valuable items are often excluded.
Are items left unattended excluded from trip insurance coverage?
It is pretty often that trip insurance policy plans may exclude items that were left unattended in a public space or in an unlocked vehicle. Even if you momentarily leave your stuff alone to go to the bathroom, it may exclude your coverage. It is important to try to keep your belongings on you at all times or in places where they can be locked, like a hotel.
What happens if my valuables are stolen at an Airbnb?
Travel insurance can help cover you if your items are stolen at an Airbnb. You must file a police report and contact Airbnb to see how they can help on their end, but oftentimes, their coverage may be limited. That is where travel insurance can come in and help recoup some of the costs that were in your luggage.
If my phone gets damaged abroad, will trip insurance cover me?
Depending on the situation and your trip insurance coverage, trip insurance can cover you if your phone gets damaged abroad. If your phone was damaged by someone else with provided documentation or from a natural disaster, it may be covered. However, if you accidentally drop your phone, it would not be covered by trip insurance. Instead, if you have a warranty for your phone, the phone manufacturer may provide coverage.
Can I make a claim if my valuables are taken from a rental car?
If your valuables were hidden and locked in your rental car yet your valuables were still stolen, travel insurance may cover your items if you file a police report and provide documentation of your valuables. Before your trip, you may want to take a photo of your valuables to help support your insurance claim.
If I get pickpocketed abroad, can trip insurance cover me?
Insurance may cover the cost of the items that were pickpocketed while traveling abroad. Typically, there are per-item and overall maximum benefit limits. Make sure to read your plan documents to understand the full details of what is covered and to what extent, since every plan is unique.
How do I prove ownership of valuable items when filing a trip insurance claim?
When filing a trip insurance claim, you often have to prove ownership of the valuable items that were stolen, lost, or delayed while traveling. Documentation can be bank and credit card statements, receipts, online registration, photos, or serial numbers for electronics. You may want to make an inventory list before your trip with photos of what you are bringing and a description of what they are and keep that list handy in case something does happen.
Do I need a police report to claim stolen valuables?
Yes, a police report will greatly support your claim when it comes to stolen valuables, which ideally should be made within 24 hours of the incident. Without a police report, most insurance companies will deny theft claims, as they have no official verification that items were stolen rather than lost or left behind.
