Travel Delay Coverage

Travel Delay Coverage

There are times when unforeseen events occur that don't interrupt your trip, but rather cause what's referred to as a "travel delay" or "trip delay". Maybe a storm rolls in before your flight is to depart, the airline cancels the flight and reschedules it for later that night, or maybe even the next day. You could be looking at getting some food while you wait, and depending on the length of the delay, a place to stay for the night. What happens then? What covers you when unexpected delays occur?

What will the Airline cover if my trip is delayed?

The airlines are not under any obligation to pay or compensate you for your travel being delayed. As US Department of Transportation's page on flight delays and cancellations says:

"There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed. Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers."

We would recommend calling the airlines you are using to see what their policy is.

Is there any travel delay coverage through my credit card?

In most cases, credit cards will only provide coverage if the credit card was used to make the air ticket purchase. Always call your credit card company to see what coverage, if any, they provide.

What is Travel Delay coverage?

There are two Delay coverages available with trip cancellation/interruption policies- Baggage Delay and Travel Delay. Travel Delay has its roots in trip interruption. This is a benefit that helps cover additional living expenses (think accommodations, meals and local transportation) incurred if your travel is delayed due to a "covered reason" on your policy. It is usually only available on trip cancellation/interruption policies. This tends to be a more peripheral benefit for most travelers when looking for travel insurance, but can be an important benefit to have.

How does Travel Delay coverage work?

If your travel is delayed due to a covered reason on your policy, you can submit a claim to get reimbursed up to the benefit amount for reasonable expenses for hotels and meals. When looking at Travel Delay, keep in mind the three numbers you see listed- two are benefit amounts, the third is the number of hours. All plans will have a time trigger- that's how long your travel must be delayed for (again ,due to a covered reason) before the benefit will go into effect for you.

As mentioned above, there are two monetary amounts listed under Travel Delay- a per day limit and a policy limit. The per day is the maximum amount that would be reimbursed under the policy for each covered day, while the policy limit is the maximum amount that the policy would cover for. For example, $200 per day, $1,000 max - that would be a maximum of $200 per day, with a policy limit of $1,000. Once the maximum amount listed is exhausted, the benefit will no longer reimburse you.

Think of the hours listed as the time trigger - that's how long your travel must be delayed for (again due to a covered reason) before the benefit will go into effect. The time can range from 5 hours to upwards of 12 hours. The shorter the time limit, the quicker the benefit goes into effect for you. Remember to contact the insurance company as soon as you can to alert them of a claim.

Benefit Highlights

What does Travel Delay cover?

As per all travel insurance coverages, Travel Delay uses named perils, however, the perils tend to be a little more open than those found on trip cancellation/interruption coverages. With most plans, events such as common carrier caused delays, involvement in traffic accidents, lost or stolen passports/ travel documents/ money, and inclement weather are listed. Some plans do offer more named perils than others, so be sure to always check your policy to see what is covered.

Covered Reasons Recap

What can I use Travel Delay for?

Again, this benefit is for those additional living expenses you can incur while your travel is delayed. With most plans, the benefit will reimburse you for living accommodations (hotels, motels, ect), meals, and local transportation (taxi, driving services). Always remember to keep all receipts for your claim.

Covered Items

What to expect with a Travel Delay claim

The following is some of the best advice around if you need to submit a travel delay claim:

What to expect at claim time
To be successful in your claim you will have to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Proof that the travel delay was caused by one of the covered perils indicated in your plan. These covered perils may differ depending on the plan that you've purchased so check your plan details. The most common covered cause of trip delay is "common carrier delay including adverse weather conditions". If this is the cause of your delay you will have to provide proof that there was a common carrier delay for at least the specific time period. So ask for a statement from the common carrier (airline). The statement should indicate the cause of the delay and the length of the delay;
2. Keep receipts for all covered expenses. Most plans will reimburse you for lodging, meals,and transportation to and from the airport and the hotel.

As with all claims, the burden of proof is on you, the insured person, so the more information you have and the closer you follow the insurance company's instructions the faster they will be able to handle you claim and the more accurate they will be able to pay you.