Worldwide Insure

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.

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.

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.

The simple answer is yes. Without travel insurance for EU countries, you could face medical bills even though you hold a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Although UK residents with an EHIC can access healthcare in mainland Europe, this is to the same level as local resident of that country – not the same level as is provided by the NHS here. This means that there will usually be a fee to pay – and it certainly does not cover repatriation to the UK if needed.
To give you an idea of what these costs could involve, in September 2011 it was reported that the average cost for falling seriously ill abroad was in excess of £2,000 – but that depends on the country you are in and the nature of your illness. Whilst a heart attack in Greece could incur a medical bill in the region of £12,000, a simple visit to outpatients for a nasty looking insect bite in Spain could set you back £200; and for all you revellers heading to Ibiza – treating a head wound from a fall might see you nearly £500 out of pocket.
When you have the right travel insurance for visiting EU countries, these excess medical fees are waived, so you don’t need to worry about paying for treatment.