Buying travel insurance, direct from the insurer, is a sure way of paying less money than one would through a broker. However, it lacks the transparency and assistance that brokers offer.
Elements: Travel Insurance Direct
Buying travel insurance directly from the insurer not only means that the rates will be lower, one can also get more comprehensive coverage. The various elements of such insurance are:
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Medical cover: In case a traveler falls ill or requires emergency medical assistance, medical cover comes to one’s aid by paying for all the medical bills and a few of them include repatriation and air transfers as well.
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Cancellation cover: Prepaid bookings for accommodation or flights can cause financial losses if you have to cancel the trip for any reason. Cancellation coverage thus protects you against the financial losses and reimburses you for the prepaid amount.
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Baggage loss cover: Traveling can become a nightmare if you realize that you belongings have been stolen or got lost. Baggage loss coverage provides you cash for buying or renting essential items in such cases.
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Rental cars cover: Accidents can happen any time and can cause heavy losses especially in the case of rented cars. Travel insurance covers you against the financial and legal liabilities for such adverse times.
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Personal liability cover: You may get involved in an accident that causes serious injury to the other party. Being without any cover can prove to be a bad decision if an unforeseen situation does arise during your travels. With personal liability coverage, a traveler gets cover for third party liabilities as well. It covers you financially as well as legally.
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Delays cover: In a situation where a flight gets delayed and interrupts the whole trip, a travel insurer covers a partial amount of the losses and arranges for the next flight or transfer.
Although all these elements are an integral part of a standard travel insurance policy, experts suggest that a traveler must read the details of the policy, regardless of whether it si bought directly or indirectly. Many a times, a policy looks as though it provides wide cover but turns out to be a shallow policy with too many exceptions, such as pre-existing medical conditions or foreign land.
Therefore, buying travel insurance directly may help in saving some cash but the real effectiveness of a policy is gauged by reading the exceptions clause.