#HolidayHelp | travel insurance questions – all you need to know about travel insurance
Find out all you need to know about travel insurance and why it's an essential in our #HolidayHelp series at Girl About Travel
#HolidayHelp | travel insurance questions
We spoke to the experts at Battleface travel insurance to get the lowdown on this most essential of travel purchases. Yes buying travel insurance is nowhere near as exciting as booking a flight or reserving a hotel, but without it, you could be left seriously out of pocket.
As with many of life's boring but essential things, we don't want to spend any longer than we have to thinking about it – so read this, and feel confident that you'll now know all you need to know about travel insurance, then get back to the fun stuff of researching and booking that next holiday.
So let's dive into the questions.
Why should I buy travel insurance?
One of the principal reasons for buying travel insurance is to protect against the cost of any unexpected medical expenses during your trip. Travel insurance may also protect travellers from financial risks such as trip cancellation or curtailment, loss of baggage and personal belongings, sports, excursions or other activities. In the current climate, it’s crucial that travellers are aware of how they’ll be protected in the event of an accident or medical emergency when abroad
Many countries are now requiring proof of travel insurance that covers COVID-19 medical expenses on arrival, so travellers need to check the entry requirements for their destination before they travel to ensure they have the right documentation. Chile, Argentina, Oman, Mauritius and the British Virgin Islands are among the countries that require proof of travel insurance that covers COVID-19 medical expenses in order to enter.
battleface provides relevant travel insurance products to meet the needs of today’s traveller and today’s risks. battleface challenges the traditional insurance industry legacy of a ‘one-size fits all’ product accompanied with lots of exclusions. battleface provides customised travel insurance so that, regardless of where people are going, they are covered for the risks they are going to face.
Unlike most travel insurance plans, battleface offers cover for popular tourist destinations worldwide as well as more remote destinations including those that are under FCDO travel advisories and COVID-19 restrictions.
One good thing that has come out of the pandemic is a heightened awareness by consumers of the benefits and limitations of travel insurance. Customers now want to know what is and, more importantly, what isn’t, covered by policies. They understand that insurers can’t cover everything and aren’t put off by exclusions as long as it’s clear and they know which benefits are included.
What can travel insurance cover?
In addition to medical expenses, travel insurance will also typically cover for:
o Emergency evacuation
o Accidental death & permanent total disability
o Baggage loss or delayed baggage
o Personal money and passport
o Trip cost cancellation
o Curtailment – returning home earlier for an emergency
o 24/7 assistance
o Personal liability
The cost of travel insurance is determined by several factors, including the traveller’s country of residence, destination, age(s) of traveller(s) and the duration of trip. Click the link at the bottom of the page to get a quick quote.
battleface policies can also be customised to add Winter Sports cover. When selected, this covers you for cold weather activities during your trip such as skiing, snowboarding and ice skating. It extends the standard benefits under your policy to include claims that may arise when you are participating in winter sports.
Some travel insurance providers may also offer cover for hazardous sports / adventure activities, rental car collision, and identity theft.
How do I know who is a 'good' insurance provider - what should I be looking for?
Travellers need to ensure they have adequate insurance for:
· Their destination
· Any activities they expect to be doing
· The duration of the trip
· Any pre-existing medical conditions
As mentioned above, many countries are now requiring proof of travel medical insurance that covers COVID-19 medical expenses (or other expenses) on arrival, so travellers need to check the entry requirements for their destination before they travel to ensure they have adequate cover. battleface has a travel tool which provides details on restrictions and entry requirements. The link is at the bottom of this page.
What Covid-19 cover can I typically expect?
Most insurers now offer ‘COVID-19 cover’, but some policies are significantly more comprehensive than others so travellers need to check the policy limitations before purchasing.
battleface policies include cover for emergency medical expenses caused by or resulting from COVID-19. The COVID-19 cover is available on all policies for travellers up to the age of 65.
battleface does not provide cover for quarantine or self-isolation, or COVID-19 related trip cancellations, trip interruption, curtailment of a holiday or lockdowns.
Should you contract COVID-19 prior to departure, and you are not able to travel as planned, you are not covered for cancellation under the terms of the battleface policy. However, battleface remains fully flexible and will offer a full refund of the policy as long as you make contact before travelling or on the same day.
There are a few companies who offer cancellation cover, although many have FCDO exclusions and would not be valid if the country advisory changes. battleface policies, however, will remain valid and available should you decide to travel regardless.
Does travel insurance cover trips to destinations that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is advising against visiting?
Travelling against FCDO advice could invalidate emergency medical cover on many policies, so it’s important that travellers ensure they have the right insurance for their destination at the time of travel.
battleface provides full benefits, up to the policy limits, for all destinations including countries under FCDO and government essential and non-essential travel advisories.
battleface does not actively encourage people to travel to places the FCDO is advising against, it just simply offers travellers protection should they need to travel regardless.
I've had an accident or an incident on holiday, what do I need to do?
In case of emergencies, battleface, along with most reputable travel insurance providers, are available 24/7 via an emergency line and they will advise on the medical providers or relevant authorities in your destination, and what you need to do.
battleface strongly recommends that you provide your policy details and/or contact information to your travel companies, friends or family members, in case you need someone to contact them on your behalf.
To make a claim, you will need to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible for further advice. The claims process should also be outlined in your policy.
A third-party administrator is responsible for claims administration and for providing emergency assistance for battleface.
What receipts and/or records do I need to help process a claim?
You need to keep the receipts of all expenses incurred that relate to your claim.
Should I buy a single or annual policy?
Annual multi trip policies allow customers to travel any number of times throughout the year (check your individual trip length limit) to the area of travel selected when you purchased the policy. Especially if purchased with “worldwide” cover it provides customers with peace of mind that they are covered at all times, importantly for the cancellation section where cover operates as soon as the holiday has been purchased.
Single trip policies provide cover for a specific trip meaning the price will match the exact trip and there is no chance of paying for cover that you won’t be using. There is also the chance for these policies to be tailored for any extra activities you maybe doing during your trip.
What about winter sports cover - what can I expect from that?
battleface winter sports product provides medical expenses for accidents and illness on the slopes (up to the policy limits) as well as additional benefit for sports equipment including:
Winter Sports equipment up to £750 (£500 per single article, set or pair)**
Hired equipment is also covered (£300 per single article, set or pair)**
**subject to the policy excess
Do I need to buy separate insurance for my children, or are they covered under my policy?
Children under the age of 18 can be covered under the same battleface policy as their parent, guardian or legally responsible adult, provided they reside at the same address and are following the same travel itinerary. This is the case for most travel insurance providers and there are also a few companies that offer cover to under 18s.
battleface offers a 10% discount as standard when you buy a policy covering more than one traveller.
Just add each additional traveller at the quotation stage and the discount will automatically be applied.
It's always really hard to know the level of coverage to choose - what should I base my decision on?
Everyone should have relevant and adequate cover for the country they’re travelling to and for the activities that they plan to carry out while there. There are certain sports and pastimes that may not be covered under a policy, or which require an additional insurance product, so it is important to check the terms and conditions of the policy. For example, those intending to practice winter sports while away may need to purchase our Winter Sports Optional Cover to ensure they are covered for cold-weather activities during their trip, such as skiing, snowboarding and ice skating. Again, it is really important to check the full policy documents to ensure that the activity is covered.
Travellers must take the following factors into account when purchasing travel insurance:
· Their destination
· Any activities they expect to be doing
· The duration of the trip
· Any pre-existing medical conditions
THE DETAILS
Handy links list
Read more of my blogs and articles
CLICK HERE
