Travel Insurance Claims

Travel insurance covers trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical expenses abroad, baggage loss, and travel delay costs — the exact combination depends on the policy type you purchase. Comprehensive travel plans bundle all these coverages; medical-only plans cover just emergency healthcare and evacuation; trip cancellation plans cover only the financial loss from canceling. Read your policy's certificate of coverage to confirm exactly which events trigger each benefit before you travel.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Contact your travel insurer within 24 hours of the incident — most policies require prompt notification — then complete the claim form they provide and submit all supporting receipts and documentation within the filing deadline, typically 90 days. Call the 24-hour emergency assistance number on your policy card immediately for medical emergencies or evacuations; do not wait until you return home. For non-emergency claims such as baggage delay or cancellation, log in to your insurer's claims portal or call member services to initiate the process.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Gather your policy document, original booking confirmations, cancellation or delay notices from airlines and hotels, medical records and bills (for medical claims), receipts for all expenses incurred, and police reports (for theft). For trip cancellation claims, also include the official reason for cancellation — a doctor's letter for illness, a death certificate for a covered family death, or official notice from an employer for work-related cancellations. Submit originals or certified copies; keep digital backups of everything.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Standard travel insurance covers cancellation only for the specific covered reasons listed in your policy — typically illness, death in the immediate family, natural disaster at your destination, or jury duty. Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) is a separate add-on that reimburses 50 to 75 percent of your prepaid trip cost for any reason not covered by the base policy, but must be purchased within 14 to 21 days of your first trip payment. CFAR coverage also requires you to cancel at least 48 hours before departure.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Most comprehensive travel plans cover $50,000 to $250,000 in emergency medical expenses abroad, including hospitalization, surgery, and evacuation to the nearest adequate medical facility. US health insurance plans (including Medicare and most employer plans) provide little or no coverage outside the United States — travel medical coverage fills this gap. Call your travel insurer's 24-hour emergency assistance line before seeking non-emergency treatment abroad so they can coordinate payment directly with the hospital.

Source: US State Department — Your Health Abroad

File a report with the airline or local police immediately — before leaving the airport for baggage loss — then submit a claim to your travel insurer with the incident report, your baggage claim tags, and a written list of contents with estimated replacement values. Airlines are required to compensate you for lost bags under DOT regulations (up to the current DOT maximum for domestic flights (this amount is adjusted periodically — check DOT.gov for the current figure)), but travel insurance pays separately for items not covered by airline limits. Keep receipts for any essential items you must purchase while waiting for your bag.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Most standard travel insurance plans exclude pre-existing conditions, but many insurers offer a pre-existing condition waiver if you purchase the policy within 14 to 21 days of making your first trip payment and are medically able to travel on the purchase date. Without the waiver, a medical event related to a condition you had before purchasing the policy will likely be denied. Review the exact definition of 'pre-existing condition' in your policy — most look back 60 to 180 days before the purchase date.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Buy travel insurance within 14 to 21 days of making your first trip deposit to qualify for pre-existing condition waivers and cancel-for-any-reason add-ons — both benefits have strict purchase-window requirements. The earlier you buy, the more cancellation events you are covered for: if you wait and a hurricane forms near your destination before you purchase, that storm is already a known event and will be excluded. You can purchase travel insurance up to the day before departure, but you lose the time-sensitive benefits.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Many premium credit cards include basic trip cancellation (typically $1,500 to $10,000), baggage delay, and trip delay coverage when you pay for the trip with that card — but medical coverage and evacuation benefits are usually excluded entirely. Credit card travel benefits are usually secondary coverage, meaning they pay only after your primary travel insurance or health insurance pays first. Review your card's benefits guide carefully; the covered reasons for cancellation are often narrower than a standalone travel insurance policy.

Source: US Travel Insurance Association — Travel Insurance Explained

Medical evacuation coverage pays to transport you to the nearest adequate medical facility or back home if you are seriously ill or injured abroad — emergency evacuation costs commonly exceed $100,000 and can reach $250,000 or more for remote locations. Standard health insurance does not cover international evacuation. Look for a policy with at least $250,000 in evacuation coverage if traveling internationally, and confirm the policy includes both evacuation to the nearest adequate facility and repatriation (return) to your home country.

Source: US State Department — Your Health Abroad