Had an accident while on holiday? Top tips for making an insurance claim
Everyone loves a holiday, getting away from the daily grind to go somewhere exotic or spending the week doing the activity that you love. Unfortunately things can quickly turn sour with something that will turn your dream into a nightmare. Whilst the loss of valuables, a theft or an injury might disrupt your week, if you are adequately insured then there is no reason that you have to feel this in the pocket as well. Here are a few tips to take heed of when dealing with your travel insurance company to make sure you get back what you are owed.
The first thing to do before you leave, if you are traveling to an EU country, is to apply for a European Health Insurance Card, which will give you discounted and sometimes free healthcare when you are there. To ensure that your accident claim is successful, make sure that you take your policy details away with you, as most companies require that you ring them before you get medical treatment. Check your policy details closely as some will not pay out if you fail to give them a call. Your documents will also contain all the details should you need to make a claim, so having them handy is very important.
Make sure that you are always honest with your travel insurer. Trying to save a few pounds on your policy may come back to bite you, so if you are going skiing or on an activity holiday check that you will be covered for everything that you plan to do.
If your bag is lost or stolen and you have to buy new clothes, you get ill and have to pay for medicine or you have to buy food because of a long delay then make sure that you keep the receipts! Insurers will demand proof of the things that you are claiming for, so receipts are vital. This will help to ensure that you get your money back. Proof is important in all instances, so if the plane is delayed make sure that you have it in writing; and if you are robbed then keep a copy of the police report. This is hard evidence that your insurer will not be able to ignore.
This leads us to a seemingly obvious piece of advice – but one that is often overlooked – if you are robbed, report it straight away. If you claim to your insurer that you are robbed, but don’t report it and keep the evidence, then your claim is likely to fail. You should also read your policy as some insurers require you to report the theft to them straightaway. To try to avoid this happening always use common sense. Do you need to carry all the money you have for the trip with you all the time? Take simple steps to ensure that you are as safe as possible all of the time.
The best way to ensure that your insurance claims are successful is to be honest in your application and read the policy so that you know exactly what you are covered for. This will ensure that you can get the accident compensation you are due and stop the holiday from becoming a complete disaster.