Travel insurance will give you cover and protection in the case of an emergency. We all buy travel insurance but hope not to have to use it – but what if you need to? How do you claim? Here’s what you need to know to make claiming from your travel insurance policy a little bit easier.

24/7 telephone number

Your insurer would possibly have a 24/7 telephone number you can dial. You would probably need some supporting documentation, depending on the emergency, like a medical report, police report or receipts showing the value of items that are lost, damaged or stolen.

Report the incident

It’s always a good idea to report the incident to your insurance for the claim. Your travel insurer needs to be notified as soon as possible, even if you still are waiting for some of the supporting documentation. Your insurer can also possibly help you locate emergency medical assistance or find the nearest medical facility – reaching out to them will help you handle the emergency with a bit more ease.

Your excess

Depending on your travel insurance policy, you might need to pay an excess amount in order for the claim to payout. We always recommend comparing different travel insurance policies and benefits before you buy any travel insurance you are sure to have the best cover for your needs. Compare engines like Compare Insurance makes comparing easy – with a few clicks you get a wide range of insurance policies all on one website.

Read the fine print

It’s important to be thorough when looking for the right travel insurance policy and read the fine print and terms and conditions. With regards to health and medical insurance, pre-existing health conditions are generally excluded from your standard policy – you can sometimes buy top-up insurance for this at a premium.

It’s always a good idea to phone your insurer for advice in the case of an emergency so you are sure to understand how to arrange medical care or which hospitals you can visit. Always get a copy of the report – if it’s a medical report or a police report as you might need it to get your travel insurance claim processed.

In short, get copies of all the possible documents you might need to send to your insurer, get advice from your insurer and be sure to report the incident as soon as possible.