Pro Tips: Helpful Hints for Your New Travel Insurance Plan

The best thing about travel insurance is that it’s insurance for your travels – we could all use a great trip! The worst thing about travel insurance is it’s insurance for your travels – and you know all the nasty things they say about insurance: it’s complex, impossible to understand, it doesn’t cover what you want it to, and so on.

With that in mind, and in the interest of making travel insurance a little easier to understand, here are some things you might not even know are in a travel insurance plan, and what they mean for you and your travels.

We give our travelers a window of time to “try out” the policy before deciding if they want to keep it. It gives buyers a chance to read through all the fine print before settling on that plan. This “free look” period is 10 or 15 days depending on the state you live in (30 days if you live in Indiana).

You have that amount of time from the day you buy the insurance policy to decide if you want to keep the coverage. If not – and if you haven’t filed any claims or left on your trip – you can contact us and get a full refund of your insurance premium.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your travel insurance if your trip is extended because you’re too sick to travel, because of adverse weather, or other extenuating circumstances? Is your insurance extended too?

It’s called “extension of coverage,” and it’s a common-sense part of Generali’s travel insurance plans.

In plain English, extension of coverage means that if you specified an ending date for your trip when you bought your policy, and your trip is delayed beyond that date, the coverage doesn’t stop on the originally specified end date. If coverage is extended, coverage will end either on the date you reach your originally scheduled return destination or seven days after your scheduled return date, whichever comes first.

Good to know if something happens on the last couple days of your trip.

Single-Occupancy

Suppose you’re booked on a tour that’s priced for double occupancy and the person you’re traveling with has to cancel for a covered reason. Do you have to pay more, do you get thrown in with other people?

With this benefit, you get to keep your room, and the plan will make up the difference.

Having a traveling companion bail might not be something you think about before you travel, but it sure is nice to know you can be covered when it happens to you.

Rescheduling

If you decide to reschedule your trip, instead of canceling it, for a covered reason, Generali’s plans can reimburse you for change fees charged by the travel supplier.

Frequent Flyer Miles

If you paid for air transportation with frequent flyer miles and cancel your trip, you may be reimbursed for the cost to reinstate the frequent flyer miles to your account. If frequent flyer miles were used to arrange anything other than air transportation, such as lodging accommodations, Generali’s plans do not provide coverage for those situations.

Exclusions are what insurance doesn’t cover.

For example, according to plan documents, the exclusions for Baggage coverage include:

1. defective materials or craftsmanship; or
2. normal wear and tear, gradual deterioration, inherent vice; or
3. rodents, animals, insects or vermin; or
4. mysterious disappearance; or
5. electrical current, including electric arcing that damages or destroys electrical devices or appliances. 

Baggage coverage applies to luggage and personal possessions taken by you on your trip. But, your plan will not cover damage or loss of some items, including:

• Musical instruments
• Computers and cell phones
• Glasses and hearing aids
• Some sporting equipment unless specifically covered

There are also excluded activities that will nullify coverage. Any claims related to you or your traveling companion taking part in these excluded activities will not be paid*:

• Being under the influence of drugs or intoxicants, unless prescribed by a physician
• Participation in an organized professional, amateur or interscholastic athletic or sports competition or event
• Riding or driving in any motor competition
• Operating or learning to operate any aircraft, as pilot or crew
• Mountain climbing, bungee cord jumping, skydiving, parachuting, hang gliding, parasailing, caving, extreme skiing, heli-skiing, skiing outside marked trails, boxing, full contact martial arts, scuba diving below 40 meters or without a dive master, or travel on any air-supported device, other than on a regularly scheduled airline or air charter company

That’s just some of the exclusions. The full list can be found in your plan documents.

Pro tip: If you’re taking an important item on your trip that exceeds or isn’t covered under the Baggage benefit, consider adding a rider to your homeowner’s policy for that item.

Learn more about: What Travel Insurance Does NOT Cover

Coverage for medical issues is one of the most desired coverages in a travel insurance policy, and it has a few wrinkles that can trip you up if you’re not paying attention.

First, if sickness or injury is the reason for canceling or interrupting your trip, make sure the sick or injured person is treated by a Physician in person. You will need documentation during the claim process.

Our travel insurance plans cover most types of expenses related to emergency medical treatments for illness or injury that occurs during your trip and are physician-ordered.

You can even be reimbursed for costs that aren’t covered by your standard health insurance. Let’s say your health insurance can cover most of your costs for a medical event on a trip, you might be held responsible for deductibles or copays that your travel insurance can cover.

For less severe medical attention, our plans include a Telemedicine service, which instantly connects travelers with a network of physicians for information, advice, and treatment, and even prescriptions when appropriate.

Also, most doctors outside of the U.S. have to be paid upfront before treating any American. That’s why it’s vital to contact your health plan and Generali right away in the case of a medical emergency requiring treatment. Coverage needs to be coordinated, and that needs to happen quickly.

Finally, coverage for pre-existing medical conditions is a big deal with travel insurance. Not all plans cover pre-existing conditions. Fortunately, Generali’s Premium plan covers pre-existing conditions, as long as certain requirements are met.

A few other things you may not have realized about claims:

• Claims for stolen items require a report to police or other authorities
  
  
• If you’re buying any new items for your trip, keep the receipts. Items without receipts are reimbursed based upon 75% of the Actual Cash Value.
  
  
• If you bought the Trip Cancellation for Any Reason add-on coverage and need to use it, you must cancel your trip 48 hours or more prior to the scheduled departure date.

The best way to understand what travel insurance can and can’t do for you is to read your plan documents. And if you have questions, see the help page or contact customer service.

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*Plan details may vary depending on the state you reside in