A recent news article: Woman Surprised By Limitations In Trip Cancellation Insurance, highlights the importance of understanding the trip cancellation details of your travel insurance policy. In the article, a woman requested a reschedule for a family vacation to Florida only to be forced to reschedule again because of her unexpected cancer treatments.
Travel insurance plans typically view rescheduling as a cancellation to the original travel and most plans only cover one cancellation per policy.
Initially, when she filed the claim, the travel insurance provider refused to reschedule the second time because the travel protection she had purchased covered only one cancellation, but later waived the fees and rescheduled for their client.
While this story has a happy ending, the client’s initial surprise could have been avoided by understanding exactly what coverage their travel insurance company is providing.
Use the free review period wisely
Most plans offer a free 10- to 15-day review period with their policies, so you have time to read through the policy certificate and information to understand your travel insurance plan.
Review covered reasons for trip cancellation
The reasons for pre-trip cancellations vary from plan to plan, but most plans cover trip cancellations due to illness as long as it’s not a pre-existing condition. It’s important to note that if an even isn’t specifically listed as a covered reason, then it’s not covered.
Filing a trip cancellation claim
For pre-trip cancellations due to an illness, the travel insurance company is going to want a little proof. So, you’ll need to see a doctor and obtain written documentation that you are too ill for travel. The key is to prove to the travel insurance provider that you are canceling for a covered reason.
