As winter comes to its gradual end, many of us have started anticipating our summer holidays. Essential to any of your vacation plans would be the travel insurance you get. Therefore, keep in mind the below factors to avoid any insurance surprises during your vacation.
Always carry proof
We tend to get travel insurance and then dump it along with the rest of the luggage. Always carry your insurance around as you never know when you might need it.
Before paying from your pocket for an incident generally covered by your insurance, call your service provider and check. Keep all transaction documents with you to bring back, for example medication receipts, hospital bills, police reports etc. It’s advisable to get as much proof as possible for any claim you are going to make once you get back.
Health cover
If you have any pre-existing health conditions or a child with special needs, its best to let your service provider know before getting the insurance plan. Service providers might not cover hospital bills for pre-existing conditions. The same applies for pregnant women as some policies will cover up to a certain point into your pregnancy. Others may not cover pregnancy complications which occurred before getting your insurance plan.
Activities cover
While travel insurances will cover many activities, they might not cover extreme sports such as bungee jumping. For that reason, specify the kind of sports you want to try and see if those can be covered under your policy. A few service providers may still cover a part of extreme sports but not all. The same applies for danger zones or countries considered to be prone to terrorist attacks.
For example, Al Rajhi Travel Takaful will not cover situations where the individual exposed themselves to risk on purpose or volunteer to be part of a dangerous sport, including consequences to war or terrorist threats.
Missing flights & cancellation
Travel insurances specify incidences where a customer is considered to miss a flight. Therefore, don’t assume your insurance will cover you just because you forgot to wake up in time for the airport. SABB Travel Takaful Plan will cover a delay of journey resulting from a strike, industrial action, hijack, adverse weather conditions or mechanical breakdown. Note, that you will have to provide proof for incidences such as “adverse weather conditions” to be able to make a claim.
If you cancel a trip, insurance will cover costs of up to a limit based on your reasoning. For example the SABB Travel Plan provides coverage for canceled trips because of riots, civil commotion and death, illness and sickness of a family members. However, you have to be careful of who exactly is considered a “family member” by your service provider. Immediate family will be covered under this clause, but an uncle or aunt might not be.
Always check your cover limits before investing into a travel insurance plan. If you are carrying expensive items but your personal baggage allowance only covers up to SAR 10,000 than you won’t be reimbursed for the excess loss of baggage. The same applies for any medical covers as its best to be aware of your limits and avoid surprises when making a claim. Compare all travel insurance plans in Saudi Arabia and get the one which provides the best cover for your destination this summer.
