Travel Insurance Claims: The Complete Guide

The reason for any type of insurance is having protection against the potential for big financial losses. You have car insurance so you don’t have to pay out a lot of money to fix your car or repair someone else’s, for example.

Like other insurance products, travel insurance covers losses that can occur while you’re traveling.

Use this guide and follow the steps to file a successful travel insurance claim—that is, a claim that gets paid.

1. Adequately research your trip
2. Understand how travel insurance works
3. Know the limits of your travel insurance plan
4. Have your claims paperwork ready
5. File a successful claim

1. Adequately Research your Trip

“Research is boring – what could really go wrong?“

To protect your trip investment and yourself, you’ll want to research what risks you’ll be facing so that you: first, buy the right coverage, and second, understand the limits of your coverage.

Without adequate research you may inadvertently fail to:

• buy the right travel insurance plan,
• purchase your plan at the right time,
• see your doctor before your trip,
• protect yourself while traveling, or 
• know what to do if you get sick while traveling.

2. Understand how travel insurance works

It’s frustrating when an insurance claim is denied. 

Making a successful travel insurance claim starts with understanding how travel insurance works and being familiar with your travel insurance policy.

3. Know the limits of your travel insurance plan

Just like any other type of insurance, travel insurance doesn’t cover every disaster that can happen on your trip.

Knowing what’s excluded means understanding where your insurance claim may not be successful.

“How do you know what’s excluded?”

You’ll know by reading the plan. It might sound boring, but you won’t be sorry.

For example, travel insurance policies always provide a list of covered reasons for trip cancellation. If the reason you had to cancel isn’t one of them, your claim won’t be covered.

Make it a habit to take the time to review the policy so you understand what your travel insurance will cover and what it won’t. And pay special attention to the list of exclusions – those are the things that are absolutely not covered.

4. Have your claims paperwork ready

Like any other insurance provider, a travel insurance provider will need to verify that the claim you are making is legitimate. Verifying a claim typically means checking the facts.

Some of the documents you may need to support your claim include:

• Receipts and itemized bills for expenses (for canceled trips)
• Unused tickets and proof of payment (for canceled trips)
• Explanation of medical diagnosis from a doctor (for medical claims) – this is essential even for pre-existing conditions you know how to treat
• Police or airport security report (for baggage loss claims)
• Proof from the airline that your bag was delayed (for baggage delay claims)

The rules vary slightly by provider, but not by a lot. Timely notification is important, as is having the paperwork needed to prove you experienced a loss.

Pro tip: Save your documentation until the claim is fully paid.

5. File a successful claim

When you have all the paperwork and you’re ready to file a travel insurance claim, start at your email inbox. Open the confirmation you received from the travel insurance provider. In that message, you’ll find the contact information and/or instructions to start your claim.

After your claim is filed, see how travel insurance claims are paid to understand the process that the travel insurance company will follow.