If Travel insurance covers traveller not holiday buyer…

bluebirdy

If Travel insurance covers traveller not holiday buyer…

…then what happens when a claim has to be made? How do the insured claim under a policy when they haven’t made the financial outlay and don’t have receipts etc?

I have been - extremely painfully - on the other end of this, in which I naively assumed, since I’d booked/paid for a self-catering property that my adult children and their partners were casually invited to “if they could find the time” etc that I was the one who needed insurance for the cost. We had to cancel during COVID and found that we could not claim the full amount, even though we’d have travelled whatever number of young adults joined us!

We’re planning to take the family away on a big trip next year and having been burned/learned previously am keen to avoid under insurance.

My own (bank account) policy only allows extension to one extra adult (over and above those children in the family under 24 still in education)

That means there will be one older adult son and three non-family partners to insure.

So if they set up their own policies, if we need to claim, how do *I* get reimbursed?

eskbanker

bluebirdy said:

So if they set up their own policies, if we need to claim, how do *I* get reimbursed?

They'd each claim under those policies and would then be responsible for reimbursing you thereafter.

bluebirdy

eskbanker said:

bluebirdy said:

So if they set up their own policies, if we need to claim, how do *I* get reimbursed?

They'd each claim under those policies and would then be responsible for reimbursing you thereafter.

Thank you. That seems far too simple for insurance companies though - I’m wondering if anyone has successfully made a claim on this basis. Given that my single experience of claiming insurance so far is the insurer trying very hard to challenge the claim, I’m wondering if this is typically paid out when it happens/is needed? 

eskbanker

bluebirdy said:

eskbanker said:

bluebirdy said:

So if they set up their own policies, if we need to claim, how do *I* get reimbursed?

They'd each claim under those policies and would then be responsible for reimbursing you thereafter.

Thank you. That seems far too simple for insurance companies though - I’m wondering if anyone has successfully made a claim on this basis. Given that my single experience of claiming insurance so far is the insurer trying very hard to challenge the claim, I’m wondering if this is typically paid out when it happens/is needed? 

Insurance companies do have a reputation for challenging claims and requiring documentation, etc, but if the claim is valid under the terms of the policy then yes, they should pay out.

bluebirdy

I’m imagining my sons ringing up a travel insurer and saying “I want a policy that definitely covers my parents’ costs not mine…” and them being laughed at and sent on their way. 

In fact, I might ring my own insurer - who is still the same one who slashed our previous claim due to “underinsurance” - and ask if they would sell a policy to my sons on this basis!

It felt very wrong at the time, particularly for a large, flexible UK self catering property - this time we’ll be flying and staying in hotels so at least the individual costs will be more obvious.

eskbanker

bluebirdy said:

I’m imagining my sons ringing up a travel insurer and saying “I want a policy that definitely covers my parents’ costs not mine…” and them being laughed at and sent on their way.

But their insurance is to cover the cost of their trip, regardless of who actually paid it.

Hoenir

bluebirdy said:

That means there will be one older adult son and three non-family partners to insure.

So if they set up their own policies, if we need to claim, how do *I* get reimbursed?

You'd need a Group Policy that covers all (named) persons travelling on the same trip. 

sheramber

if you want one policy to cover the costs for everybody then you need a group policy.