Decoding travel insurance terminology explained
Travel Insurance Glossary: Navigating the Jargon
Travel insurance policies can be complex, laden with terminology unfamiliar to many. To help travelers make informed decisions, this comprehensive glossary delves into common insurance terms and concepts.
Adventure & Extreme Sports: A supplementary coverage option designed to provide coverage for medical and transportation expenses should injuries occur during high-risk activities such as skydiving, bungee jumping, motocross, or free diving. Always consult your policy to confirm which sports are included.
Claim: The method by which proof of a covered event (e.g., medical emergencies, trip delays) is submitted to the insurance provider for reimbursement. Approval and payment depend upon the specific policy's coverage terms. For travelers using our website, the process of filing a claim is detailed in a series of simple steps.
Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR): A flexible add-on that enables passengers to cancel their trip for any reason—not just those typically covered—up to 48 hours prior to departure. This feature gives travelers greater control over their plans.
Emergency care coverage: Medical care required immediately while traveling and covered by the plan. This can include hospital visits, urgent care, or doctor consultations.
Emergency evacuation: Transportation to the nearest medical facility capable of treating a condition in case of a serious injury or illness.
Emergency medical expenses: Insurance coverage for unexpected medical expenses incurred while traveling, including doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription medications.
Excess vs. Primary coverage:
Excess (Secondary) coverage: Payouts occur only after any other applicable insurance (e.g., health, homeowners) has paid their share.Primary coverage: Pays first, meaning no need to file a claim with another provider before travel insurance covers related costs.
Exclusions: Situations, events, or activities not covered by the travel insurance plan.
Lookback period: The timeframe during which an insurance provider reviews a traveler's medical history to determine if a condition qualifies as pre-existing. This period usually ranges from 60 to 180 days before policy purchase.
Pet care: Covers pet health-related expenses if a pet falls ill or must be quarantined during travel due to sickness, or if travel is delayed, resulting in additional kenneling costs. Quarantine applies if the traveling companion is forced into strict medical isolation by a recognized government authority or medical examiners due to a contagious disease, infection, or contamination.
Pre-existing medical conditions: Any diagnosed conditions that travelers had before purchasing travel insurance. To be covered for cancellations or interruptions due to pre-existing conditions, several conditions generally apply. These include purchasing the policy within 14 days of the first trip deposit and being medically fit to travel when the policy is purchased.
Primary: This term refers to the priority of payment when filing a claim. For example, if a traveler purchases a travel insurance plan with primary emergency medical benefits, this means that the travel insurance company pays out the benefits initially.
Rental car care: An optional benefit that provides coverage for car rental-related accident and theft expenses, such as collision, loss, and damage coverage.
Repatriation: If a traveler falls ill or gets injured while traveling, the insurer arranges for their return home for treatment. Additionally, repatriation coverage includes handling transportation home if the traveler passes away while abroad due to illness or injury.
Telemedicine: A virtual healthcare service offering 24/7 consultations with licensed doctors. Some providers also offer prescription services when legally permitted. Our website policyholders on international trips from over 75 countries have access to a telemedicine offering through Air Doctor.
Trip cancellation: Coverage for non-refundable travel expenses incurred due to a covered reason, such as serious illness or injury, death of a covered person, or extraordinary events like airline strikes or natural disasters.
Trip delay: When a traveler must cut their trip short or miss part of it due to uncontrollable reasons, such as flight delays or theft of a passport. This coverage can help reimburse the traveler for lost prepaid expenses and unexpected travel costs to get home.
Trip inconveniences & snafus: Situations where a traveler experiences flight delays, cancellations, security delays, or late arrivals at a hotel during their trip.
Trip interruption: When a traveler must unexpectedly cut their trip short or extend their travel due to unforeseen circumstances, such as emergencies at home or illness while abroad, altering their planned return date.
Urgent care: Medical care that requires attention but does not pose an immediate threat to life.
Vacation rental damage protection: An add-on providing coverage for unintentional damage to vacation rentals (e.g., Airbnb or Vrbo) during a stay, such as broken furniture or stained carpets.
Whole-trip travel insurance: Comprehensive coverage protecting the entire trip, from departure to return. Our website's entire trip protection covers travel, health, and personal belongings. You can view the coverage offered and additional options available here.
Questions about our website's coverage?
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Vacation rental damage protection can help travelers avoid financial consequences if they unintentionally damage a vacation rental during their stay.
Some travel insurance policies include trip delay coverage, which can reimburse travelers for unexpected costs if they miss part of their trip due to flight delays or lost passports.
By purchasing Whole-trip travel insurance, travelers can protect their entire trip, including travel, health, and personal belongings.
For travelers using the company's website, the process of filing a claim is detailed in a series of simple steps.
