Decoding travel insurance lingo explained
Travel insurance plans often come with terms you might not be familiar with, so here's a simplified guide to understanding your travel insurance plan before embarking on your journey.
Travel Insurance Terms Decoded
Adventure & extreme sports: An optional add-on for coverage of medical and transportation costs if you're injured while engaging in high-risk activities such as skydiving, bungee jumping, motocross, or free diving. Always double-check your policy to ensure the sports you'll be participating in are covered.
Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR): An optional add-on that allows you to cancel your trip for any reason, up to 48 hours before departure. Whether it's a change of heart or an unexpected conflict, CFAR gives you more flexibility.
Claim: The process of submitting proof of a covered event (such as a medical emergency or trip delay) to your insurance provider for reimbursement. Approval and payment depend on your policy's coverage.
Emergency care coverage: Covers medical care that requires immediate assistance while traveling, such as hospital visits, urgent care, or doctor consultations.
Emergency evacuation: Provides transportation to the nearest medical facility capable of treating your condition in case of a serious injury or illness.
Emergency medical expenses: Covers unexpected medical costs while traveling, including doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription medications.
Insight: Primary vs. Excess (Secondary) coverage
Primary coverage: Evaluates claims and pays out up to the policy's coverage limit, acting as your first payor for medical claims. This can be your regular health insurance or a travel medical insurance policy. filing a claim with a primary travel insurance policy means it covers medical expenses directly, leaving any remaining expenses to be claimed with your primary healthcare provider.
Excess (Secondary) coverage: pays out after primary insurance has paid its portion of the claim, covering remaining expenses not covered by the primary policy. To file a claim with secondary coverage, you must first file a claim with your primary insurance provider.
Exclusions:
Situations, events, or activities not covered by your travel insurance plan.
Lookback period: The window of time an insurance provider reviews your medical history to determine if a condition qualifies as pre-existing. This period typically ranges from 60 to 180 days before purchasing your policy.
Pet care: Covers pet health-related expenses if your furry friend gets sick while traveling with you or requires quarantine due to illness, or incurs additional kenneling expenses due to delayed returns.
Pre-existing medical conditions: Any diagnosed condition you had before purchasing travel insurance. To be covered for cancellations or interruptions due to a pre-existing condition, you typically need to:
- Buy your policy within 14 days of your first trip deposit
- Be medically fit to travel when you purchase your plan
Additional Coverage Options:
Rental car care: Covers rental car-related accident and theft expenses, such as collision, loss, and damage.
Repatriation: Provides transportation home for travelers who fall ill or get injured while traveling or transportation home for the deceased in case of illness or injury during the trip.
Telemedicine: Offers virtual healthcare services, enabling you to consult with licensed doctors 24/7.
Trip cancellation: Covers non-refundable travel expenses if you need to cancel your trip due to covered reasons such as illness, injury, or natural disasters.
Trip delay: Covers additional costs incurred due to flight delays, theft of passport, or other unforeseen circumstances, helping to reimburse travelers for lost prepaid expenses and unexpected travel costs to return home.
Trip inconveniences & snafus: Provides coverage for travelers inconvenienced during their trip due to flight delays, cancellations, security delays, or late hotel arrivals.
Trip interruption: Covers unexpected costs if you must cut your trip short or extend it due to unforeseen circumstances, such as emergencies at home or illness while abroad.
Urgent care: Medical care that shouldn't be postponed but doesn't pose a life-threatening situation.
Vacation rental damage protection: Covers unintentional damages to vacation rentals (like a Airbnb or Vrbo) during your stay, such as broken furniture or stained carpets.
Whole-trip travel insurance: Comprehensive coverage that protects your entire trip, from departure to return.
Need More Information?
Our customer experience team is available 24/7 to answer your questions about our coverage via the our website app on iOS or Android or by reaching us at support@our website.
Explore More Travel Tips!
Visit our blog for expert insights on travel insurance, trip planning, and staying safe abroad. Read more here.
- When planning your vacation, consider adding travel insurance as an optional add-on for coverage of medical and transportation costs, especially during high-risk activities or in case of flight delays or trip cancellations.
- To get more flexibility in canceling your trip, you can opt for the Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) add-on, allowing you to cancel up to 48 hours before departure for any reason.
- In case of emergencies such as medical emergencies or trip delays, you'll need to submit a claim to your insurance provider to receive reimbursement for covered expenses.
- Primary coverage evaluates claims and pays out up to the policy's coverage limit, acting as your first payor for medical claims, unlike excess (secondary) coverage which only covers remaining expenses not covered by the primary policy.
