Travel insurance comes with several benefits helping policyholders travel without spending money on unforeseen events. Trip delay is a common issue travelers often face while traveling. Trip delays are caused by aircraft maintenance problems, weather, and sometimes emergency issues. While this issue may cause travelers to spend while waiting, trip delay insurance is a good choice.
Trip delay insurance covers your meals, hotel bills, and other related bills while your trip is delayed. With this insurance coverage, you do not need to worry about paying off unexpected bills while you await your trip. Travel delay is one of the many benefits of travel insurance. It offers coverage for trip delays on issues covered by the policy for a certain period depending on the insurance plan.
What Type of Delay Does Trip Delay Insurance Cover?
Travel insurance offers coverage after a 6, 10, or 12-hour trip delay. It covers delays due to situations covered under your policy up to your policy limits. These situations include:
- Mechanical failure
- Weather
- Traffic accidents during your trip
- Stolen or lost passports
- Natural disasters like tornadoes
is important to check your policy for what is and is not covered by your insurance coverage.
What Does Trip Delay Insurance Not Cover?
While several reasons for trip delay are covered by this insurance, some trip delay reasons are not covered by this insurance. These reasons include:
- Trip delays smaller than the minimum required delay length.
- Rebooking costs.
- Delays due to foreseen events.
- Expenses over your coverage limit.
- Missed flights due to negligence.
Intentional delays are generally not covered by travel delay insurance.
What Trip Delay Insurance Covers?
Trip delay coverage is different but it pay out for necessary costs experienced due to travel delays. This insurance covers delays due to other weather and other unexpected events, unlike airlines’ insurance policy that only covers delays under control. However, trip delay coverage covers the following expenses:
- Hotel bills
- Toiletries
- Meals
- Transportation
- Medication
- Other personal use expenses
During trip delays, it offers coverage up to the policy limit or when the delay issue is resolved.
Benefits of Trip Delay Coverage
Some of the benefits of trip delay coverge include:
- Protection over lost costs.
- Peace of mind.
- Additional expenses coverage.
These benefits are reasons why travel delay insurance makes meeting travel delay needs much better.
How long Does My Flight Need to be Delayed Before My Trip Delay Coverage Kicks in?
Before your flight trip delay is covered, your flight is required to be delayed for a certain period. Some insurance policies have a 3-hour minimum delay period while most insurance policies delay period is between 6 to 12 hours before coverage begins.
If your trip delay is not up to this requirement, your travel delay policy will not cover the delay. However, it is important to know the delay limit your policy has before coverage begins.
How to File a Trip Delay Insurance Claim?
Some travel insurance companies have user-friendly mobile apps where policyholders can easily file claims without visiting the company in person. To file a claim, policyholders will need to provide some information such as policy insurance and other information about your travel delay situation. On these companies websites, you can find the insurance claim form, fill it out, and submit your claim which will be accessed by the insurer.
Sometimes, you will be required to provide some documents like receipts. However, if your insurance company does not have a mobile app, you can easily visit the company website to file a claim or contact the customer service number indicated in your policy.
How Can I Know Whether My Travel Insurance Covers Travel Delays or Not?
Avoid the assumption that your travel insurance automatically covers travel delays without confirmation. It is vital to get a comprehensive travel insurance policy that has trip delay coverage, medical and trip interruption coverage, and trip cancellation.
However, if your policy does not cover trip delay, you can purchase a standalone trip delay, interruption, and cancellation coverage. Also, medical-only insurance plans do not cover trip delays. For these reasons, it is important to check with your insurance policy whether or not travel delays are covered.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Trip Delays?
If your travel insurance policy contains trip delay coverage, then trip delays will be covered by travel insurance. All related expenses such as hotel bills, meals, transportation, etc. to travel delay will be covered up to your policy limit.
When Does My Trip Delay Insurance Offer Coverage?
After at least 6 hours of trip delay, your travel insurance will offer coverage. This, however, is effective mostly on a common carrier.
