How to claim travel insurance? A comprehensive beginner's guide (2025)

Travel insurance is one of those things you hope you'll never need — but you'll be glad you have it when the unexpected happens. Whether it's a missed flight, a lost bag, or a surprise bout of food poisoning, knowing you're covered takes a huge weight off your shoulders.

And when it comes to making a claim? It doesn't have to be overwhelming. We'll walk you through what to do, what to prepare, and how to get it sorted without the stress.

1. Most common travel insurance claims

Think it's lost luggage? Not quite.

Medical expenses? Closer — but still not the top reason.

The most common claim? Flight delays. And when you consider how popular budget airlines are (with tighter schedules and fewer buffers), it all starts to make sense.

Flight delays

Flight delays can happen to anyone, due to a myriad of reasons — mechanical faults, bad weather, or even airline operational issues. Such delays can significantly disrupt your travel plans.

Lost or damaged luggage

It's unfortunate, but luggage can get lost or damaged during transit. Whether it's due to mishandling or misplacement, this remains a common issue for travellers.

Luggage delayed

Sometimes, your baggage isn't lost but delayed. This can leave you without essential items for hours or even days, causing inconvenience and additional expenses.

2. Step-by-step guide: How do I make a travel insurance claim 

Travel insurance is often an afterthought until something goes wrong. To ensure a smooth claims process, follow these steps:

Step 1: Contact your insurance company promptly

Notify your insurer as soon as possible. Most policies require you to inform them within a specific timeframe, often within 30 days of the incident. Delays can complicate the claims process.

Step 2: Download and complete the travel insurance claim forms

Ensure you use the correct form corresponding to your claim type — be it medical, delay, or cancellation. Incomplete or incorrect forms can lead to delays or rejections.

For claims related to illness, injury, or death, a medical professional may need to complete sections of the form, certifying the nature and cause of the condition.

Step 3: Prepare your supporting documents

Gather all necessary documents before filing your claim. These may include:

• Completed claim form
• Copy of your insurance policy or certificate
• Proof of travel (e.g., passport stamps, boarding passes)
• Relevant supporting documents based on the claim type:

Generally, if it requires a police report, you will need to report it to the local police within 24 hours of the incident.

Step 4: Submit your claims documents online, in person or via snail mail

Most insurers offer online platforms for claim submissions. Alternatively, you can submit your documents via mail or in person at the insurer's branch office.

3. Covid-19 travel insurance claims

As of 2025, most travel insurance policies treat Covid-19 like any other illness, covering medical treatment abroad and trip cancellations due to a positive diagnosis. However, it's crucial to check your policy for specific terms and conditions.

Covid-19 coverage may Include:

• Medical treatment if you contract Covid-19 abroad
• Quarantine costs if required by authorities
• Trip cancellation or interruption due to Covid-19 illness or restrictions

What might not be covered:

• Cancellation due to fear of Covid-19 without a medical diagnosis
• Changes in government travel advice or restrictions not covered by some policies

Supporting documents to prepare:

• Proof of positive Covid-19 test or medical certificate
• Flight itinerary or boarding pass
• Medical reports or inpatient discharge summaries
• Original medical bills
• Proof of vaccination status, if required by the policy

4. How long do travel insurance claims take?

Typically, claims take a week to a month to be processed. The first thing to do is to make sure they've received your supporting documents.

If you haven't heard anything from them in two weeks, you should definitely be pro-active and contact your insurer. The last thing you want to hear is that they hadn't even started processing your claims because you left something out, and weren't informed.

5. My travel insurance claims were denied and rejected

If your claim is denied, don't lose hope. While there may be several reasons for the rejection, your insurer is required to provide a clear explanation.

Once you receive this explanation, you can:

• Request a claims appeal with additional supporting documents
• Escalate the issue to the relevant financial ombudsman or regulatory body if necessary

6. Mistakes causing your travel insurance claims to be rejected

So, you've bought travel insurance. Now it's time to go skydiving and swimming with the sharks. Right? Not so fast.

Travel insurance isn't a "get out of jail free" card that magically frees you from having to pay any expense you incur due to mishaps.

In fact, if you take the time to read your travel insurance policy, you'll realise that there's actually a lot of things you can do to get your claims thrown straight into the bin.

Here are five common travel mistakes that may cause your travel insurance claims to be rejected:

1. Playing in a competition or tournament

Participating in a seemingly harmless game of football may not exactly be as exciting as jumping off cliffs into the ocean, but suffer an injury during the game and you could well get your insurance claim for medical expenses rejected.

Read your insurance policy carefully to see if cover is excluded if you participate in a competition or tournament. Beware, as any sporting event that gives you the opportunity to win a prize might be considered a competition.

2. Risky activities

Many Singaporean tourists flee the country to escape from boredom during the holidays, since there's so much more fun stuff you can do overseas, like skydiving and bungee jumping.

But before you sign yourself up for that motorcycle drag race, know that many travel insurance will not cover you for injuries or losses suffered in the course of high risk activities, which often include flying planes for hobby or sightseeing, racing any kind of vehicle, skydiving, and even rock climbing.

3. Consuming alcohol or drugs

While enjoying a few drinks overseas is not uncommon, it's important to know that if an incident occurs while you're under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your travel insurance claim may be denied.

This applies not only to medical expenses but also to liability claims or lost belongings. For instance, if you're involved in an accident or lose your passport while intoxicated, your insurer may reject your claim due to the circumstances. Always check your policy wording and drink responsibly while travelling.

4. Pre-existing medical conditions

It's worth noting that most basic travel insurance policies will not cover pre-existing medical conditions.

If you were recently injured or have a medical condition like diabetes or anaemia, you might want to consider upgrading your insurance so it includes pre-existing medical conditions, just in case something happens and you run into problems when trying to make a claim.

5. Not making a police report ASAP

Before you heave a sigh of relief that your insurance policy offers coverage if you lose your passport or laptop, beware. To make sure people don't try to make claims for forgetting their stuff on the train or trying to pawn their belongings, most insurance policies require that you make a police report or contact the authorities within 24 hours of the loss.

Failure to do so can result in claim denial.

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This article was first published in MoneySmart.