If you want a monetary compensation for your travel insurance claim you should make some necessary steps.
Before Travelling:
Think of buying a suitable travel insurance policy beforehand. Your insurance agent may give you detailed information on the point. Mind please, you are the only person responsible for reading every line of your travel insurance policy carefully, and defining the circumstances when you may get the compensation. You may also buy an addition to your travel insurance policy which is to cover possible losses for a lawyer in a case of handling any future claim.
While Travelling:
Keep all documents in a proper order. Be very careful with any documentary papers, because you should submit not photocopies together with your claim but real documents – bills, tickets, luggage tickets, any types of certificates, receipts, buying checks, and so on, and so forth - all possible “material evidence” that may be useful to prove the subject of your claim.
After Travelling:
It is very good if you don’t need our further information, but if you do, then your actions may be as follows: call to your travel insurance agent to make a claim. Though you yourself can write a claim, it is better a professional does it. Well begun is half done! You should know any insurance company has claims department where experienced professionals undertake and investigate each claim, state its reasonable monetary value and authorize payment. You broker or agent will help you to find the most suitable standard registered form for your claim and to fill it in. Submit it to the travel insurance company as soon as possible, trying to prove everything with documents; do it politely but firmly, give all rational grounds behind your demands. Don’t take “no” for an answer. There are many ways to mount an appeal to a denied claim. Your insurance agent or an independent lawyer is the best person to present your interests in a small claims court. With the professional help you may even sue your travel insurance company on a tort claim in addition to a standard breach of contract claim, the result of which may be that a plaintiff (a policyholder in the case) will be able to recover an amount even larger than the original face value of the policy.
You see, there are ways to succeed in getting your travel insurance claims paid, but we still hope the above mentioned information will be of no use for you!