Checking travel insurance: what is really covered?

Insurance cover depends on terms and exclusions. Terms describe the circumstances in which the insurer pays; exclusions describe when it does not. Knowing these gaps before travelling lets you close them – for instance with additional cover – or consciously accept the risk, instead of being surprised in an emergency.

Many people assume that their regular health insurance pays for everything abroad. Often that is not true, or only partly. Which agreements exist between countries and which benefits statutory insurance provides abroad varies. Sometimes credit cards or existing policies already include benefits, but with their own terms. If in doubt, ask your insurer.

Medical repatriation can be particularly expensive, that is, being brought home ill or injured, sometimes with medical staff on board. So can search-and-rescue costs, for example after a mountain accident. The CDC Yellow Book covers travel insurance, travel health insurance and medical evacuation insurance as part of travel health preparation.

Go through the terms with a few clear questions. First: does the cover apply to your destination, for the whole trip and for all travellers? Second: are your planned activities included? Mountaineering, diving or motorcycling are excluded in some terms or only covered at extra cost.

Third: how are pre-existing conditions and pregnancy handled? Declare pre-existing conditions honestly when asked – otherwise the cover may be missing when you need it. Fourth: are medical repatriation and search-and-rescue costs included? Fifth: what is the 24-hour emergency number, and what do you have to do when you make a claim?

The terms are often hard to understand. If you do not understand a wording, ask the insurer in writing and keep the answer. Legal questions about insurance belong with an advice centre or a specialist lawyer – this page gives no legal advice and recommends no products or tariffs.

In a medical emergency the order is: first the local emergency number (112 in the EU), then – as soon as possible – the insurer's emergency number. Many insurers have an emergency service that can help find a suitable clinic, arrange cost cover and organise repatriation. Some services have to be agreed with the insurer in advance.

Keep all receipts, medical reports and invoices. Note whom you spoke to and when. That makes the claim much easier later.

Set aside 30 to 60 minutes before every bigger trip. Put the documents of all your insurance policies on the table, including those of your credit cards. Write down the answers to the five questions in keywords.

Save the policy number and the 24-hour emergency number in your phone and write them on your emergency card. Leave a copy of the policy with a trusted person at home. Then someone can act for you if you cannot do so yourself.