What does travel assistance insurance cover?

As we have already mentioned on other occasions, travel insurance is intended to cover the health expenses that we have to pay in the event of an unforeseen event during our trip. Today we will see the main guarantees offered by the policy and how to get a good price on this policy.

The main coverage: health care abroad

For us, without a doubt, this is the fundamental guarantee. When you go on a trip, you know how much you will spend on accommodation and transfers. But, if you have a sudden illness or an accident, an unexpected expense can arise, and in some cases, this can amount to several thousand euros. The travel insurance offers an assistance service. This means that if we have any type of incident during the trip, by calling the company, they will refer us to the nearest medical center to attend us, without having to assume those expenses. Thanks to this, for very little money (maybe 1-2% of the total cost of the trip) we can avoid unwanted surprises.

Warranties affecting our luggage and suitcases

Travel assistance insurance always comes with complementary guarantees. They are usually policies that we call: “packaged”, because they come with complete coverage. Regarding the goods we take with us on the trip, there are two independent moments:

• Travel: it is possible that when checking in, our luggage may be lost, delayed or damaged. This coverage is foreseen in the policy (always with maximum guaranteed capital sums).
• At destination: travel policies may cover theft or robbery (but not theft), although this is not the case with all companies and there are usually many limitations. It is also possible that our home insurance covers this circumstance (but it is usually within Europe). For all these reasons, it is common to take out luggage insurance when carrying valuable belongings, such as cameras, jewelry, etc.

We must be aware that the Insurance Contract Law will never allow what is known in the industry as “unjust enrichment”. This happens when we lose a suitcase and the airline compensates us for it. In this case, we cannot expect the insurance company to pay us again, because we would receive more than we had before. This is usually a point of conflict, but the companies are strict because the law imposes it on them.

Flight delays

Travel policies usually also provide for financial compensation when a flight or trip is delayed for more than X hours. Each insurance company marks a different one, although the usual is around 6 hours. The purpose of this coverage is to be able to pay, with this indemnity, the expenses derived from food and beverages while you wait.

Cancellation of uninitiated trip

As in the case of delays, these insurances usually include a guarantee to compensate the insured if, for specific reasons, they are unable to make the trip. We are talking about:

• Death or hospitalization of immediate family members
• Accident or illness of an insured
• Any serious incident in the home
• Dismissal or new job

Likewise, it is frequent that, in trips that have a high cost, a specific travel cancellation insurance is subscribed. This is due to the fact that the guarantee we were talking about, in a package policy, has a limited maximum indemnity and very limited causes. On the other hand, specific cancellation policies have up to 5 times more causes (from 6 cases to 30), which justify the payment of the indemnity, as well as wider economic limits. That is why in destinations such as: United States, Canada, some places in Asia, etc.; it is frequent to subscribe to the specific cancellation policy.

How to get affordable travel insurance

As an experienced travel insurance brokerage, we have negotiated special rates for our clients. In particular, we can provide insurance at a group price (more than 10 people), even if only one person or a couple is going. If you are interested in subscribing a travel insurance for your next destination, contact us, and enjoy the best price but, above all, a complete policy. In fact, you can take it out immediately. If you are going to travel to practice risky sports, do not hesitate to read this article dedicated to this subject.