How does travel insurance work?
Picture this: You and your siblings organize a cruise for the whole family to celebrate your parents’ 50th anniversary. Everyone else has uneventful travel to the destination, but a delay in your outbound flight results in a missed
connection. You finally arrive a day late and hours after the ship has departed without you.
Now what? In the worst-case scenario, you’re still stuck at the airport hours later. You feel powerless to do anything more than stare glumly at the vacation photos on your family’s social media feeds.
But if your trip is insured, your AXA-Assist representative already knows about that missed connection and started working on a solution even before you landed. Instead of having to figure it all out on your own, you have a team with the experience and contacts necessary to get you to the next port of call. Our priority is to get you aboard the ship as soon as possible so you can make everyone a little weepy with that toast you’ve been perfecting for weeks.
That’s how travel insurance works. It lets you offload the troubleshooting to the experts and frees you to just enjoy your trip.
- What does travel insurance cover?
- What exclusions should I be aware of?
- Can I add options to a plan after I buy it but before my trip begins?
- Can I extend my plan after my trip begins?
- Do policies cover travelers individually, or are plans available for couples or families?
- How much time do I have to file a claim?
- What documentation do I need to present to support a claim?
- For trip interruption or trip delay
- For medical or dental claims
- For baggage delay, loss or theft claims
What does travel insurance cover?
At the baseline, travel insurance covers:
Trip cancellation
Trip interruption
Lost, Misdirected or Damaged Luggage
Medical Emergencies (including Emergency Medical Evacuation).
You can also choose plansthat cover medical or dental treatment, car rentals, or optional add-ons such as lost ski days or lost golf rounds.
But those “baseline” bullet points cover more than you might expect at first glance.
For example, if your medical emergency requires hospitalization, our network of doctors and nurses are on call to review your medical records, monitor the care you’re receiving and ensure you’re getting appropriate treatment.
If your condition doesn’t require hospitalization but you need to see a doctor, we can secure an appointment for you at a reputable facility. And we’ll follow up with you by phone after you’re treated to review the care you received and provide further assistance if needed.
Or let’s say you and a group of school friends book a one-week tour together. Prices are based on double occupancy, so everyone pairs up with a roommate, but your roommate gets sick at the last minute and has to cancel. Your travel insurance protects you from getting stuck paying the single supplement.
We’re a global brand, but we’re also people with the same interests and concerns as you. So we get it: even something that others might regard as a little thing can throw your trip off. That’s why we immerse ourselves in details that you might not even think about, like what happens to your pet if your flight home is delayed overnight. The answer? Your travel insurancecovers reimbursem*nt for that unexpected extra day of boarding your best friend.
What exclusions should I be aware of?
We define a pre-existing medical conditionas an illness, disease or other condition that you had during the 60-day period immediately prior to the effective date of your travel insurance coverage. That restriction extends to your traveling companions, business partners or family members who are booked to travel with you.
The condition is excluded from coverage unless it is treated or controlled solely by taking prescription drugs or medicine and remains controlled during the 60-day look-back period.
There are options for waiving the pre-existing conditions exclusion if you purchase an AXA-Assist Gold or Platinum plan within 14 days of paying your initial trip deposit.
For additional information, be sure to read your policy’s Terms and Conditions or call one of our representatives to discuss your specific concerns.
Can I add options to a plan after I buy it but before my trip begins?
We allow you to make changes to your travel protection plan as long as your trip has not already started and you have not filed a claim. Refer to our contact page to get in touch with an AXA-Assist representative about any changes you wish to make to your plan.
Can I extend my plan after my trip begins?
No
Do policies cover travelers individually, or are plans available for couples or families?
Your AXA-Assist policy can cover up to 10 people per plan. They can be, but don’t have to be, family members. The only restriction is that each member of the group covered by your travel insurance plan must live in the same state. (That’s because travel insurance coverage is regulated by state.) If everyone in your travel group lives in the same state, but there are more than 10 people total, you’d have to buy multiple plans to extend coverage to everyone.
How much time do I have to file a claim?
The time limit for filing a claim can vary depending on the specific policy you have purchased. It's crucial to carefully review the terms and conditions of your insurance policy document provided by AXA Partners US.
What documentation do I need to present to support a claim?
For any type of claim, you must provide your completed claim form, policy verification and booking confirmation. Additional documentation will depend on the reason for your claim and could include, but not be limited to:
For trip interruption or trip delay
claims, a cancellation statement from the travel supplier, documentation of the circ*mstances (such as injury or illness) that caused the interruption and documentation of expenses you need to have reimbursed.
For medical or dental claims
receipts for costs you paid, a report detailing your diagnosis and the treatment you received and an explanation of the benefits statement from your primary insurance provider, if applicable. Note that if you have a Medicare supplement policy, you must submit charges to your Medicare supplement carrier before you submit your claim to AXA-Assist.
For baggage delay, loss or theft claims
your Property Irregularity Report from your airline, cruise line or tour company and a copy of the carrier’s written response to the report you filed. In the event of theft, we will need to see a police report. You will also have to provide receipts for essential items you purchased or had repaired and for which you need reimbursem*nt.
Refer to the File a Claim page on our website for additional details and phone contact information for team members who can answer any questions you have.
We wish you safe, happy travels, and we’re here 24/7 to help you resolve your concerns and get back to enjoying your best vacation experiences!
