Am I covered by travel insurance if my bags are delayed?

You’ve arrived but your bags haven’t? If you need to buy some essential items to make life a little more comfortable while you wait, read on to find out what you must do to claim for these expenses ........

If your checked-in bags are delayed by 12 hours or more from the scheduled arrival time, you might need to buy some clothing, toiletries or medications to get you by until they arrive. Provided these items are essential, you can claim reasonable expenses for such items.

How much can I claim?

This depends on what plan you buy (Standard or Explorer) and how many travellers are listed on your policy
 

Plan1 Traveller (Single)2+ Travellers (Couple/Family)
Standard  $150 per day, up to $300 total claim   $300 per day, up to $600 total claim 
Explorer  $150 per day, up to $450 total claim   $300 per day, up to $900 total claim

 

What do I need to do if my bags are delayed?

  • Report it. You’ll need a written statement from the carrier confirming the delay, a reason for the delay and what time your bags did finally arrive.
  • Keep all luggage checks, air tickets and receipts for essential items you buy (make sure they’re time and date stamped prior to the arrival of your delayed bags but after 12 hours from your scheduled arrival).
  • Make a claim online for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred due to your baggage delay and have ready all relevant documentation to support your claim. No policy excess applies to delayed baggage claims.

What’s not covered

Travel insurance is not designed to cover everything, so take the time to read the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions in the policy wording, particularly Section 4 – Your Belongings and the General Exclusions, so there are no surprises if you do need to use it.

There’s no cover for:

  • the purchase of essential items if your bags are delayed on the way home (it’s expected that you’ll have other clothes to wear once your return home).
  • any items that wouldn’t be considered ‘essential clothing and toiletries’…like sporting equipment!

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