The purpose of travel insurance is to ensure that you get something out of an unfortunate event or emergency that occurred before or during your trip. If something goes wrong while on vacation, and you want to get travel insurance claims, it’s ideal to have a smooth and straightforward process. You want to avoid unnecessary hassle and the possibility of your claims being denied.
It would be nice if we could easily receive insurance claims, but this is not always the case. Not all claims are compensated even though insurance providers shell out hundreds of millions of money annually to pay insurance claims. In the UK alone, insurers pay out £345m annually for their clients’ claims payments. But why are travel claims rejected? Here are the most common causes that everyone should know.
Insufficient supporting documents
Let’s start with the most common reason for insurance claims to be denied – you have incomplete supporting documents. When making a claim, you must provide or provide strong evidence to support the events that caused you distress during your travels. Such evidence may include carrier delay information, police reports of accidents or illegal acts, medical certificates, or purchase receipts.
unattended items
Unattended items are things you lost or left at your destination, including cell phones, laptops, cameras, bags, watches, and wallets. Unless the items are safely locked inside the vehicle or safe, you cannot file insurance claims for items you lost by accident or negligence. Insurance providers have policies regarding this, so make sure you are aware of them. And to avoid being rejected, always look after or take care of your belongings when you are on holiday.
Events before buying travel insurance
Of course, events that happen before you purchase your travel insurance are not included in the coverage. Attempting to file claims for such situations will not only result in refusal, but is also considered fraud, and you can be held liable for it. The ideal time to purchase travel insurance is once you have booked your flight. It will come in handy for future situations.
Not recommended Travel
If you are against travel advisories issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), your insurance provider will not reimburse your claims. If you travel to a place where the World Health Organization has advised everyone not to go, that will become your decision, and you will be responsible for that. To ensure you have safe travels, always check the latest travel advisory issued by the World Health Organization.
Illegal, dangerous and reckless activities
If you do anything illegal like fraud, theft, dishonest behavior, drug use, among others, your insurance provider will not pay for your claims. A claim will also be denied if you have an accident or miss a flight due to excessive alcohol consumption. It is your responsibility to drink in moderation, so don’t expect to be covered by your travel insurance for not being held liable.
For hazardous activities, the conditions depend on the insurance policies. Some companies do not cover extreme sports and activities. However, if you pay an extra premium, there may be policy coverage for parasailing, bungee jumping, trekking, and mountaineering, to name a few. It is best to read the terms and conditions of your chosen travel insurance policy.
Unauthorized sanitary conditions
One of the reasons people buy travel insurance is for health security. Knowing the fact that medical services are quite expensive, it pays to have insurance ready, especially if you are traveling. However, you should never forget to declare your pre-existing medical condition along with supporting medical documents when purchasing travel insurance. It will ensure that you cover the medical expenses incurred during your trip, and you will not have to spend large sums of money.
If you fail to declare your state of health, you cannot benefit from your travel insurance. You are also advised not to travel if your doctor advises you to do so.