Travel Insurance Cover
Flights are a major expense in any trip, especially when you are traveling abroad. With today’s tumultuous travel climate and rising airfare costs, you may be asking yourself whether it’s worth it to purchase flight insurance.
A good flight insurance policy will cover a variety of expenses related to travel insurance plans issues. These include trip cancellation, lost luggage and emergency medical coverage. The exact coverage varies from policy to policy, and it’s important to read the fine print to understand what is and is not included.
Most flight insurance policies offer trip cancellation coverage that reimburses a percentage of your nonrefundable trip costs if an event listed in the policy causes you to cancel your trip. The list of events varies from policy to policy, but some common ones are severe weather conditions, a family emergency or work obligations. Some policies also offer a “Cancel For Any Reason” option, which provides broader coverage but usually reimburses only a percentage of your trip costs and has additional restrictions.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Plane Tickets?
Another type of coverage offered by most flight insurance plans is emergency medical coverage that pays for any hospital bills you incur while traveling abroad. This type of coverage is typically secondary, meaning your health insurance will pay first and then the policy will cover the remaining expenses up to a certain limit. Some plans even provide a 24/7 helpline to assist you with medical issues and evacuations, which can be incredibly helpful when you are stranded overseas.
Depending on your health coverage and how comprehensive the trip insurance policy is, it may also cover preexisting conditions while you are traveling. Most of the time, the coverage is supplemental and covers only those expenses that your normal health insurance or Medicare doesn’t cover. However, some companies do offer primary coverage, which means that it will take precedence over any other existing insurance you have (including your home and auto policies).
Many flight insurance plans also include trip interruption and baggage delay coverage. Trip interruption coverage is similar to trip cancellation coverage, except it reimburses you for any prepaid and nonrefundable expenses that you forfeit if you are required to return early because of a covered reason. These reasons might include a natural disaster or terrorist event that affects the region of your destination or departure.
Baggage delay coverage pays for the cost of food, water and accommodations if your checked luggage is delayed more than a specified amount of time on the day you are scheduled to arrive at your destination. These coverages may or may not have a daily maximum and minimum, which is also listed in the fine print of your policy. It’s also important to note that if you are traveling in an area where the government has issued a travel advisory, it is likely that your coverage will be void unless you have purchased a supplemental plan from a company such as Travelex or Travel Guard.