|
Information : Travel Insurance |
 |
Travel insurance may cover you for some costs if you suffer loss, damage or delay of luggage, cancelled flights, delayed or missed departure, curtailments of your trip, loss or theft of money or passport and illness or injury. However, if you have private health insurance, you are probably already covered for illness and injury, so check this before you buy travel insurance online, rather than paying for travel insurance you may not need!
for an instant online travel quote... |
|
|
You can choose between many different types of travel insurance policies such as: |
| • |
Single trip travel insurance |
| • |
Multi-trip (or annual) travel insurance policies |
| • |
65+ travel insurance |
| • |
Backpacker travel insurance. |
| • |
Business travel insurance. |
If you plan to take more than two trips per year, it may be cheaper to buy annual travel insurance (a multi-trip policy) rather than separate single trip travel insurance policies. Should you have a private health insurance policy in place you may be able to get discounted travel insurance. Travel insurance providers can give you cheaper travel insurance because you are covered already for certain amounts by your private health insurer. You should be able to avail of discounted travel insurance with most travel insurance providers not just the travel insurance offered by your private health insurer. You should always be aware of the conditions of your travel insurance cover and any restrictions that apply to you travel insurance policy. Before signing up to a travel insurance policy, ask yourself:
| • |
How does this travel insurance policy cover me in areas of most concern to me: |
| • |
It may be medical cover, cover for delays or cancellation. Different travel insurance policies provide very different mixtures of travel cover. Specialist or extra travel insurance is needed for holidays which include snowboarding, skiing, adventure holidays etc. You can usually cover optional extras like golf travel insurance cover, business travel insurance cover winter sports travel insurances usually for an additional premium. |
| • |
What excess applies to the travel insurance cover? How much of any claim will I have to pay myself? |
| • |
What restrictions and exclusions apply to my travel insurance cover? |
| • |
Sometimes you are covered if your trip is cancelled or cut short for reasons set out in the policy document. It is very important to read your travel insurance policy documents to ensure you are comfortable with what your provider is covering you for as policy conditions vary between travel insurance providers. |
| • |
What information do I have to give about my own health and the health of relatives? |
| • |
Many travel insurance policies include the costs of an emergency return flight if a close relative of yours dies. Make sure to fill out your travel insurance application as truthfully as possible as you may not be able to claim if you have not filled out your medical information honestly. |
| • |
Before I make a claim what should I make sure to do? |
| • |
Your travel insurance provider will usually expect you to report losses or theft quickly to the local police or the airline lost-luggage department. You should check if you have to inform the insurer immediately. If so, ensure you keep the relevant contact numbers with you. |
| • |
Some credit card companies provide automatic travel insurance cover usually if you book a certain amount of the holiday or trip using your credit card. Check with your credit card provider if this is the case. Read the terms and conditions of your credit card account and the travel insurance policy they will provide. |
It is important to compare and consider not only the cost of different travel insurance policies but also the protection each offers. You may save money by taking out the cheapest travel insurance policy available, but make sure you are comfortable with the cover provided. This is not to say that the cheapest travel insurance policy will provide less cover, but just make sure to read over the terms and conditions on whatever policy you take out. Make sure to read all the terms and conditions carefully and ask questions on anything you are unclear about. Many travel insurance policies will not provide cover for pre-existing conditions (suffered by you and/or immediate relatives) that happen when you are abroad, unless you tell the insurer in advance and they accept that risk. With Travel insurance through bumblebee.ie you should call 0818 48 48 49 please see your policy details for further information. This is very important to do this as your travel insurance provider although they may refuse you cover for certain illnesses or place an extra premium on your policy will more likely pay out if they have already accepted the risk. The risk of not telling your travel insurance provider before hand is that any claim you may make will not be valid. The terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy will give you details of who you should contact if you need to make a claim. Many travel insurance policy conditions require you to contact the company's medical assist/emergency assistance line as soon as possible after the event, in order for your claim to be accepted. It is very important to keep all documents and receipts that support your claim. Get your claim as soon as you can, as there may be a time limit for making claims.
Travel agents and tour operators often sell travel insurance as part of a package (and can insist on you having a certain level of cover in place if you are taking a package holiday) but you do not have to take their travel insurance and you may be able to get better value or cheaper travel insurance by buying your travel insurance separately from a regulated provider, particularly if you will need travel insurance again, in the same year.
|
Our complaints procedure for travel insurance is as follows? |
|
If You have cause for complaint with our travel insurance policy, please know that that we are committed to providing you with an exceptional level of service and customer care. We realise that things can go wrong and there may be occasions when you feel that we have not provided the service you expected. When this happens, we want to hear about it so that we can try to put things right.
Who to Contact?
The most important factors in getting your complaint dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible are:
- to be sure you are talking to the right person, and;
- that you are giving them the right information.
When You Contact Us:
- Please give us your name and contact telephone number.
- Please quote your Travel insurance policy and/or claim number and the type of travel insurance policy you hold.
- Please explain clearly and concisely the reason for your complaint.
So We begin by establishing Your first point of contact:
Step One - Initiating Your Complaint
Does Your complaint relate to:
A. Your policy?
B. A claim on Your policy?
If A, You need to contact Bumblebee.ie on 1890 333 123. If B, You need to contact AXA Assistance Claims on Tel: 01 883 3132.
We expect that the majority of complaints will be quickly and satisfactorily resolved at this stage, but if you are not satisfied, you can take the issue further:
Step Two - Contacting AXA Head Office
If your complaint is one of the few that cannot be resolved by this stage contact the Head
of Customer Care, who will arrange for an investigation on behalf of the Chief Executive:
Head of Customer Care, AXA Insurance, 7th Floor, Civic Drive, Ipswich IP1 2AN
Tel: 01473 205926, Fax: 01473 205101, Email: customercare@axa-insurance.co.uk
Step Three - Beyond AXA
If we have given you our final response and you are still dissatisfied you may refer your case to the Financial Services Ombudsman (FSO) in Ireland.
The FSO is an independent body that arbitrates on complaints about general insurance products. It will only consider complaints after We have provided You with written confirmation that Our internal complaints procedure has been exhausted. The Ombudsman can be contacted at:
Financial Services Ombudsman, Financial Services Ombudsman's Bureau, 3rd Floor, Lincoln House,
Lincoln Place, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 662 0899, Fax: 01 662 0890, E-mail: enquiries@financialombudsman.ie
Referral to the FSO will not affect Your right to take legal action against Us.
Our Promise to You
To help us improve our service we may record or monitor telephone calls.
We will provide you with the name of one or more individuals appointed by us to be your point of contact in relation to your complaint until the complaint is resolved or cannot be processed any further;
We will provide you with a regular written update on the progress of the investigation of your
complaint at intervals of no greater than 20 business days.
We will attempt to investigate and resolve Your complaint within 40 business days of having
received your complaint; where the 40 business days have elapsed and the complaint is not resolved,
We will inform you of the anticipated time frame within which We hope to resolve your complaint within 5 business days of the completion of the investigation of your complaint, we will advise you in writing of the outcome of the investigation and, where applicable, explain the terms of any offer or settlement being made. Step three above outlines your right to contact the Financial Services Ombudsman, should you be dissatisfied with the outcome of our investigation.
Click here for Direct Policy details Travel Insurance Policy Details .
|
|
