Purchased travel insurance? Yes, good. Now go through it, and get to know it better
We prepare a lot before going for travel abroad. Sometimes, people take months to ensure that they have done their best to prepare for the perfect vacation. For a Stress-free vacation, the best thing you can do is to buy a travel insurance policy. Most people just buy a policy and do not bother to go over the details. This can lead to complications if there is ever a claim made during the trip. Knowing what your policy covers and does not cover can make a huge difference. Here’s all you need to check out.
Documents
Once the travel insurance policy has been purchased, an email will be sent across to you that will contain all the necessary information pertaining to your policy. Most companies have shifted to an online process and hence a mail by post is highly unlikely. This email sent across is called the confirmation document and has information such as the coverage date, policy number and most importantly, the emergency contact numbers.
The emergency contact numbers are extremely important, as these are the numbers that you’ll need to contact when you run into trouble on your trip. It is recommended that you keep a printout of these numbers on your person, as cellular coverage is something that cannot be relied on all the time.
Free Look Period
A free look period is the time given by travel insurance companies to go through the insurance policy, after it has been purchased. This period usually extends to 10 days or even more (depending on the insurer) and is there for the insured to carefully go through the coverage details. In case the insured is not satisfied with the policy, they can get it returned and get back the full amount. Of course, this is applicable only if you still haven’t departed for your journey or have not laid a claim.
Exclusions
The free look period also provides an opportunity to go over the ‘exclusions’ section of the policy. This section clearly states the situations in which coverage is not provided. It is imperative to go through this at least once so that you know exactly what you have signed up for, and what is covered. The certificate, policy and description of coverage documents, all will have this section in them.
Clear Your Doubts
Now that you have gone through your policy documents, you must be having doubts. That’s where the insurer’s 24x7 toll-free helpline comes into the picture. Call them up and get your doubts clarified. Envision a claim situation that you think is likely to arise and enquire about the possible steps and outcome. This will give you more confidence to tackle the situation, if it ever happens.
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