Weird Travel Insurance Claims

The Telegraph has published some crazy travel insurance claims made by holidaymakers, some were so funny we thought it would be rude not to share!

 

One pensioner on a cruise decided to claim for new false teeth by declaring them ‘lost baggage’. The hapless pensioner had lost his dentures whilst vomiting over the side of the cruise ship. In our experience travel insurance for cruises is usually to cover the costs of cancellation, not the cost of new dentures!

 

Not many lost luggage claims are blamed on monkeys, but that is what happened to a couple holidaying in Malaysia who returned to their lodge to find that their clothes had been stolen and scattered throughout the rainforest by monkeys.

 

During a trip to the south coast, two holidaymakers claimed that the paintwork on their car had been damaged by a herd of cows licking their vehicle, promptly filing a claim on their return. Having your hire car damaged by a herd of cows could be grounds for a claim on car hire excess insurance, but we are not entirely sure how damaging a cow tongue can be on a car’s paintwork!

 

During a trip to the beach, two thoughtful children thought it was wise to bury mum and dad’s video camera in the sand whilst they went swimming to prevent it from being stolen. Unfortunately, the kids could not remember where it was buried when they came out.

 

A soon to be wed couple on a wedding holiday in the Caribbean found out how to put a spark in their marriage as the bride’s dress caught fire on the barbeque. The groom quickly picked up the damsel in distress and threw her into the ocean. The ruined wedding outfits prompted a claim upon return to the UK. This is exactly the kind of mishap that wedding insurance is intended to cover, we hope the happy couple enjoyed the rest of their rather unusual wedding day!

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What is a European Health Insurance Card?

And do I need travel insurance if I have one?

A European Health Insurance Card, also known as an EHIC entitles the holder to medical treatment abroad at the same cost a resident of that country would be expected to pay – in the event of an accident or injury. While the card alone can save the bearer a huge amount of money in medical bills – it does have its limitations.

These limitations, in relation to the types of injuries or ailments that can be treated for free or very little, vary from country to country. For example in France visitors are expected to pay £17 to see a GP, but hospital treatment is free; however – if you need an ambulance it must be paid for.

But the real limitations occur when facing the knock on effects of an accident or illness abroad, which can have a huge impact on a bank balance. Whilst medical bills may be covered, being flown back to the UK because you have missed your flight is not.

For this reason, the Government recommends that travellers take out private travel insurance as well as registering for a free European Health Insurance Card. For more information about what a European Health Insurance Card covers please visit the NHS EHIC advice page.

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What is Car Hire Excess Insurance?

With an insurance premium payable through car hire companies, many people end up asking ‘what is car hire excess insurance?’

Car hire excess insurance is an insurance policy that covers you for charges that are not covered by the insurance supplied by the car hire company. Cheeky some may say. Car hire companies often provide limited cover and have certain exclusions. They also make the person hiring the vehicle liable for the first proportion of the repair or replacement, which in some cases can be thousands.

Exclusions are commonly tyres, windscreen, keys and undercarriage – so if anything happens to your hire car that involves these parts of the car, you would be required to cough up some cash. The type of car hire excess insurance you need to cover you against such expenses can also vary from country to country.

For example, in the United States and Canada all drivers must have third party liability cover for at least $1 million. Without this, if a driver is deemed responsible for an accident, crippling bills can end up breaking the bank. It may not come as a surprise to the more cynical traveller that the insurance provided by car hire companies does not meet these essential criteria.

 

Basically car hire excess insurance tops up what the car hire company provides to a level where your excesses are covered.

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Getting Travel Insurance With A Pre Existing Medical Condition

If you have an illness, or have been unwell in the past, you may find that your pre-existing medical condition pushes your travel insurance premium up, and in some cases, prevents you getting cover at all; but this is only if you want a pre-existing problem covered by your travel insurance. It is up to you whether you want to get cover for that condition or not, but you must be aware that if the pre-existing illness requires treatment on holiday or  means that you have to cut your holiday short – your insurance will not cover the costs as your condition will be considered excluded from the policy. If you require medical assistance or have an injury that is not connected with the pre-existing condition, your normal travel insurance will provide cover.

 

The other option is to purchase special travel insurance that provides cover for pre-existing medical conditions. Whilst Travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions is more costly, it does mean that if you are at risk of suffering from a pre-existing condition, you will be covered for all eventualities.

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Top 5 Reasons Travel Insurance Claims Are Declined

The results of a recent survey showed that the most common claims on travel insurance are for medical reasons, flowed by holiday cancellation, lost luggage, travel delays and finally missed departure. In the event that any of these occur, distressed holidaymakers feel safe in the knowledge that they have taken out travel insurance.

Unfortunately for some, not all claims can be honoured – here are the top 5 reasons why travel insurance claims are rejected.

 

  1. Not disclosing a pre-existing medical condition

You must make your insurer fully aware of a pre-existing condition. If you need medical help for an illness or injury you haven’t declared, your insurance will not cover the costs. Declare any pre-existing  condition when applying and you will be covered for all eventualities.

 

  1. Purchasing inadequate cover

Too many people look at policy price and not what is included resulting in holidaymakers realising too late that their budget travel insurance does not cover lost luggage or cancelation.

  1. Lack of evidence for a claim

If you want to make a claim for goods that have been stolen, you will need to produce a police report or the insurer is not obliged to pay out. This can be tricky to sort out after the event, especially if you were on holiday abroad when the incident took place. You will also need to prove that you owned the item in the first place.

 

  1. Being intoxicated

If you have an accident on holiday whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will not be covered by your travel insurance policy. Unsurprisingly, you must be compos mentis and seen to be capable of looking after yourself. This is an important point to remember if you are planning a boozy break in the sun!

 

  1. Getting into a fight

As ending up in a fight is often a result of being intoxicated, insurers will be unwilling to pay out if you make a claim. However if you can prove that you were defending yourself – and probably prove that you were not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the insurer may honour the claim.

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Travel Insurance on a Budget

You may not associate being thrifty with buying insurance, but it is possible to get the right travel insurance for your needs on a tight budget.

A lot of insurance companies provide travel insurance that can only be tailored to meet your needs by adding on extras, but it is possible to tailor insurance to meet your needs by removing what you don’t need cover for – which results in cheaper policy.

Removing certain elements of a policy is possible if you know that you already have cover through another policy – life insurance for example, or a home insurance policy that includes gadget insurance.

These choices can be made easily whilst purchasing travel insurance online, or clarified over the phone when purchasing your policy.

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Finding The Right Insurance For A Cruise Holiday

It is essential to get the right type of travel insurance to match the holiday you are going on, so if you are planning on taking to the high seas, cruise travel insurance is the right product to go for. This insurance provides similar cover as regular types of travel insurance, but has all important cancellation cover.

As you probably know, cruise holidays aren’t usually in the budget section of a holiday shop, and therefore trip costs per person are generally a lot higher than with other types of holiday. If for some reason you need to cancel your cruise before you go on holiday, you stand to lose a lot of money.

Cruise Travel Insurance covers the cost of cancellation in unexpected circumstances – these will however need to be clarified or defined by your insurance provider. For example, if you have a pre-existing medical condition that could potentially be a problem, this would need specialist cover.

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UK Travel Insurance Advice

The term ‘staycation’ has become increasingly popular over the last few years, as more UK residents opt to pack up the car and head to the many wonderful tourist attractions that can be found in the United Kingdom. You may be one of them – but how often do you consider UK Travel Insurance for your trip?

You would be right in thinking that when holidaying in the UK, you are covered in the event of an accident, so won’t be stranded in Kingston-Upon-Thames with mounting medical bills should you encounter a mishap whilst on a weekend break. What you may not have considered however are the sort of things that can go wrong with a holiday no matter where you are.

Missed flights or ferries for example are just as likely with UK destinations as they are with overseas holidays. There is also the need to have cover in case you need to cancel your holiday and still need to pay for the hotel. Cover for stolen or lost luggage and personal possessions are also a common feature of UK travel insurance deals, but generally speaking the policies are more basic – and of course cheaper than travel insurance for trips abroad.

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Year Out? Longstay Travel Insurance Keeps Your World Safe

Before jetting off on a gap year, you need travel insurance that keeps your belongings safe and you safe too! Longstay travel insurance is designed to cover trips that last between 2 and 18 months (if you go for a shorter length of time you will be fine with normal holiday travel insurance), and includes everything you’d expect: health cover, financial assistance if your possessions get stolen, lost baggage insurance.

Last time I went on a long trip I didn’t need to use my longstay travel insurance – and let’s face it, who wants to end up in a situation where they have to make a claim on holiday? – but it’s always good to know you’ve got it. Particularly when you’re trekking around Central Asia with your worldly belongings in a backpack. I wouldn’t fancy injuring myself in that kind of climate without an insurance policy that could get me home in a hurry.

Most longstay travel insurance will cover you for multiple countries as standard – but as ever it’s important to check. Find out what your policy doesn’t cover you for as well as what it does – the exclusions, as they’re called, are where you can run into trouble just when you need help the most.

Always talk to your agent in detail about your plans before you decide to buy: and remember to shop around before making your final decision. If you’d like any help or advice on the best policy for your needs, you can contact Worldwide Insure anytime.

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How Many Times Can I Use Multi-Trip Travel Insurance?

Multi-trip travel insurance is an ideal option if you plan to go abroad on more than one occasion in the space of a year, and the number of times you can use multi-trip travel insurance is unlimited. However, the length of time you are covered or in any one trip will vary depending on your policy option. The travel insurance from Worldwide Insure provides cover 31, 45 or 62 days per trip.

Multi-trip travel insurance is ideal if you travel frequently with work, are inclined to book a last minute holiday and for families where individuals may travel separately. The insurance covers each family member so it can be used for children going on school trips as well as on family holidays.

Choosing trip multi-trip travel is cost effective, time saving and convenient, not to mention flexible, and the more often you travel, the more convenient it is. If you want to know more about using multi-trip travel insurance and the options available, give our experienced and friendly sales team a call.

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