How to make a travel insurance claim

Before you even embark on your trip, it’s important to understand exactly what your policy covers and the limits, sub-limits and exclusions of that policy.

• Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). Your policy documents will list the specifics of your coverage, which may include cover for hospital and medical treatment, stolen or lost belongings, cancellations or delays and emergency repatriation.
• Compare with us. Using our online comparison tool you can compare cover for multiple similar products and search for a policy that’s good value and offers the benefits you need.
• Declare pre-existing medical conditions. Not all pre-existing medical conditions can be covered, and some may require you to pay an extra premium to be covered. You must declare any pre-existing conditions to your insurer when applying for travel insurance to allow them to assess your claim and what coverage is available to you. Otherwise, your insurer may reject any claims related to your conditions.

If an incident or unforeseen event affects your travel, you might need help figuring out what to do next.

Filing a report with the relevant authorities (e.g. police for stolen belongings) and getting a copy of this report will help your insurer validate your claim. Depending on your travel insurance policy, you may only be able to claim if you report the incident to the relevant authorities within 24 hours.

Possible documentation that might support your claim includes:

• A valuation from your rental car insurer would be ideal for claims involving motor accidents
• Your transport provider’s report for stolen, lost or damaged items while travelling
• A police report for any stolen items or other crime-related losses
• Medical reports from your healthcare physician that demonstrate you were ill or injured
• Receipts, bank and credit card statements, instruction manuals and photographs taken before your trip of any items that were damaged or stolen can help you provide proof of ownership

For most travel claims, it’s best to alert your insurer early on. They’ll let you know what they need from you to complete your claim, and also be able to direct you to medical facilities, embassies or consulates that can help get you back on your feet faster.

Explain to your insurer what happened and ask what they’ll require from you. If you don’t have supporting documentation for your claim yet, you can still start the claim process and forward any documents to the insurer later on.

Many travel insurers can be contacted 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. However, their helpline’s hours of operation are worth checking in advance if you’re heading across time zones.

Remember, if it’s an emergency, contact the relevant authorities first before your insurer.

If you’ve contacted your insurer and obtained any necessary documentation (or at least contacted the relevant authorities about getting your supporting documentation), you should be able to submit an online claim to your travel insurance provider. Alternatively, you can download a claim form and send it to your insurer via fax or post.

Your insurer may periodically contact you to let you know how your claim is progressing, or ask for further information, or you might be able to check this out yourself online through your insurer’s customer portal.

Your policy’s exclusions will vary depending on your insurer and level of cover, but it’s important you understand them so you aren’t surprised when making a claim. Some standard exclusions include:

• Claim for losses or expenses incurred prior to you purchasing your policy
• Loss or theft of your belongings due to your negligence (e.g. leaving your bag unattended in a public place)
• If you were injured while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• If the incident was the result of you acting illegally or recklessly
• Travelling to a country with a Do Not Travel warning from Smartraveller
• If compensation has already been awarded to you from a third party (e.g. airline).

Make sure you read your PDS to understand what your policy doesn’t cover you for.

Your excess is the amount of money you pay towards an incident that you’re claiming for. You may be able to choose your excess amount, but keep in mind that lowering your excess will likely increase your premium.

Depending on your policy and level of cover, you may be covered for lost, stolen or damaged belongings up to specific limits listed in your PDS. However, you may need to provide proof of ownership for your claim to be accepted.

Consider taking photos of your belongings before departing on your travels if you don’t have the relevant documentation (e.g. receipts or bank statements) that prove ownership. If you’re taking valuables, consider choosing a policy with higher limits and sub-limits for lost or stolen items.

Beyond following the steps above, you can make your claim as smooth as possible by:

• Checking if you meet the eligibility criteria to be reimbursed before submitting a claim
• Making sure your initial application for the policy is accurate, including details of any pre-existing conditions
• Contacting your insurer as early as possible to begin the claim process
• Keeping and then providing your insurer with all incident reports, receipts, bills, medical certificates and any other documentation that supports the incident you’re claiming for
• Being honest in your claim and making sure you don’t leave out any details or provide misleading information

Insurance claims usually go smoothly, but if you feel your claim has been wrongfully denied or not paid in full, you can contact your insurer’s complaints department to try settling the dispute. If that doesn’t work, you can get in touch with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) to lodge a complaint.

It’s best to lodge a claim as soon as possible. However, some insurers may allow you up to 30 or 60 days from the completion of your trip to claim. Check your PDS to find out when you need to lodge your claim.

It may vary from insurer to insurer, but you can generally expect to be contacted about your travel insurance claim within 10 business days. However, it may take longer if your insurer doesn’t have enough information to complete your claim. In this case, they’ll typically contact you for the missing details.

Any payment on your travel insurance claim is likely to be paid in Australian dollars and may not come through to your account immediately. Check with your insurer to see if they can give you an estimate of when your claim will be paid.

While you hope that everything will go smoothly on your trip, sometimes things go wrong when we least expect it. Not only that, but medical bills can be expensive in some parts of the world, as is replacing phones, cameras and other pricey items if they’re stolen or lost. But with a suitable travel insurance policy, you may be covered for all of this and more.

Your coverage will differ depending on your insurer and level of cover, but comprehensive travel insurance policies usually cover things like:

• 24/7 emergency assistance
• Emergency overseas medical expenses incurred overseas
• Emergency medical evacuation or repatriation back to Australia
• Legal liability
• Damaged, lost or stolen luggage and personal effects
• Cancellation costs
• Additional expenses (e.g. if your original travel plans are disrupted and you incur additional travel expenses to ensure you don’t miss a wedding you’re attending)
• Rental vehicle excess.

Your insurer may also offer optional extras like cruise, ski or adventure sports cover, since these things aren’t typically included in travel insurance. These extras will cover activities that aren’t included in your standard travel insurance policy.

Read your PDS to help you understand the policy terms, what you’re covered for and what claims processes you need to follow. You can also read an insurer’s Target Market Determination (TMD) to check your suitability for a policy.