From sickness to adverse weather to terrorism to natural disasters, travelers are faced with an innumerable number of disruptions that can affect their carefully calculated plans. With so many possible problems on the horizon, your clients may be aware travel insurance can’t take care of everything that could go wrong.
So how can travel insurance help the everyday traveler? Check out our top four travel protection features and discover the ways insurance provides peace of mind for millions of travelers every year.
Financial protection for prepaid expenses
Travel purchases are frequently subject to cancellation penalties. If your clients have to cancel or interrupt their plans, they may only receive a partial refund of their prepaid trip costs. In some cases, they might not be eligible for a refund at all. More than 87% of the travel insurance plans purchased in 2016 included coverages for trip cancellations and interruptions. If your clients have to cancel or interrupt because of a covered reason, travel insurance can reimburse their prepaid, non-refundable trip cost such as airfare, lodging, cruises, tours, event ticketing and more.
Worldwide medical coverages and 24-hour emergency assistance
Whether traveling domestically or internationally, traveling safely means helping your clients make sure they’ll have medical coverage during their trip if needed. Some health insurance plans don’t cover out-of-network costs such as hospitalization and most don’t cover international expenses. Travel insurance offers a unique solution. Generali Global Assistance plans include coverage for medical expenses if your clients get sick or injured on their trip, coverage for emergency evacuations—which can be especially important for cruisers and international travelers—along with access to 24/7 worldwide assistance services for help anytime.
Baggage protection and tracking services
Lost and mishandled bags continue to pose a problem for the air travel industry, a challenge that the International Air Transport Association’s recent resolution attempts to tackle. IATA Resolution 753 requires airlines and airports to track bags more diligently—good news for travelers since a 2017 study conducted by SITA revealed 82% of participants checked at least one bag for their flight. The bad news is only 35% of airlines expect to be compliant with the resolution by this upcoming June. More good news: travel insurance can help if your clients’ bags are mishandled. Baggage coverages can help if your clients’ luggage and personal belongings are lost, damaged, stolen or delayed while 24/7 travel assistance services can help your clients locate and replace their lost or stolen baggage.
Reimbursement for unexpected costs
Delays happen. Approximately 22% of departing and arriving flights in 2017 were delayed. If your clients have a flight delay for 12 hours or more, they may need to buy unexpected meals, use local transportation, find overnight lodging or even pay additional parking or pet kennel fees. Travel insurance can reimburse for these out-of-pocket expenses, provided the delay resulted from a covered event. Generali Global Assistance plans can also reimburse additional costs to get your clients caught back up to their trip or returned home if they’re interrupted because of a covered reason, like a flight delay because of adverse weather. And if your clients’ bags are delayed for 12 or 24 hours (depending on the plan they purchased), travel insurance can reimburse for clothes and other necessary items needed during the delay.
As the travel industry evolves, travel insurance continues to help solve some of travelers’ most commonly encountered problems. Don’t forget to prompt each of your clients to travel smarter and insure their plans this peak season—you’ll earn a commission on each plan sold. To learn more about improving your agency’s travel insurance sales or to set up a customized training, contact your account manager.
Travel insurance plans are administered by Customized Services Administrators, Inc., CA Lic. No. 821931, located in San Diego, CA and doing business as Generali Global Assistance and Insurance Services. Plans are available to residents of the U.S. but may not be available in all jurisdictions. Benefits and services are described on a general basis; certain conditions and exclusions apply. Travel Retailers may not be licensed to sell insurance, in all states, and are not authorized to answer technical questions about the benefits, exclusions, and conditions of this insurance and cannot evaluate the adequacy of your existing insurance. This plan provides insurance coverage for your trip that applies only during the covered trip. You may have coverage from other sources that provides you with similar benefits but may be subject to different restrictions depending upon your other coverages. You may wish to compare the terms of this policy with your existing life, health, home and automobile policies. The purchase of this plan is not required in order to purchase any other travel product or service offered to you by your travel retailers. If you have any questions about your current coverage, call your insurer, insurance agent or broker. This notice provides general information on Generali Global Assistance’s products and services only. The information contained herein is not part of an insurance policy and may not be used to modify any insurance policy that might be issued. In the event the actual policy forms are inconsistent with any information provided herein, the language of the policy forms shall govern.
Travel insurance plans are underwritten by: Generali U.S. Branch, New York, NY; NAIC # 11231. Generali US Branch operates under the following names: Generali Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A. (U.S. Branch) in California, Assicurazioni Generali – U.S. Branch in Colorado, Generali U.S. Branch DBA The General Insurance Company of Trieste & Venice in Oregon, and The General Insurance Company of Trieste and Venice – U.S. Branch in Virginia. Generali US Branch is admitted or licensed to do business in all states and the District of Columbia.
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