Exclusions and Limits To Watch in Travel Insurance Policies

One of the most important things to remember when booking a holiday or business trip is to always contract a good policy well in advance. Leaving it until the last minute could mean failing to obtain it at all, and risking travelling without cover; that, in turn, would lead to any and all setbacks experienced during the trip having to be paid out of your own pocket, resulting in potentially significant expense.

That is why it is so essential to purchase a policy before leaving home for any significant period of time. Whether you opt for single trip insurance, contract a multi-trip policy, or even take out an annual plan, you will always be protected, at least temporarily, in the case of any eventuality.

It is also important to know, however, that these plans do not cover everything. There are a few very clear restrictions common to most single trip insurance, multi-trip insurance or annual insurance plans, which you should keep an eye out for when contracting any of these policies. Failing to do so could – once again – result in seeing your claim denied and you being out a considerable amount of money.

Existing medical conditions

One of the most common of these restrictions, and one that most people are genuinely not expecting, is the one pertaining to previous illnesses or medical conditions. Most policies do not cover their beneficiaries against the resurgence of a previous medical condition. What this means, in layman terms, is that if you are, say, an epileptic, your single trip insurance policy will not cover you against an epilepsy attack, even if your last one was several years ago. This is one of the main sources of complaints from clients taking out cover, and something that is not always clear. As such, if you have a recurring medical condition, be on the lookout, as any expenses you incur during your trip will not be insured.

Self inflicted accidents

The other main exception that commonly pops up across all of these policies relates to accidents caused by, or after, the ingestion of alcohol or the consumption of drugs. Most policies are adamant about not insuring against this type of incident, mostly due to the high risk factor such a support would entail for the company. Although this particular caveat is rather more obvious than the one mentioned in the previous paragraph, it is still useful to be aware of it when contracting a policy.

Read the fine print

Other than these two major exclusions, customers contracting insurance policies should be on the lookout for the fine print. Some companies, for instance, will not cover against missed flights on their single trip insurance policies, while others may have different ‘quirks’ along the same lines. Travellers heading for holidays in which a high level of physical activity is involved should also strive to find a suitable policy, as most standard plans will not cover against high physical risk. Finally, most companies recommend that holidaymakers take good care of their belongings, as damages or theft resulting from negligence are usually not covered by these policies either.

All in all, the exclusions above make reading the terms and small print on any policy contracted highly recommended for any traveller.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Insuremore. We provide low cost travel insurance and offer a range of policies including single trip insurance, annual, multi-trip and family cover. For all your travel cover needs, Insuremore can help you in the quickest and most cost-efficient way.