Travel Insurance India, Buy Indian travel insurance online

The premium payable shall be based on your age, country of visit and number of days of travel. The applicable premium shall be remitted as a single payment.

No, as per the insurance rules within India, the traveller must be in India at the time of purchasing their insurance policy. Hence it is ideal that the traveller does not keep insurance purchase as the last document to add to their travel itinerary. It is as important as their visa or hotel reservation. Some insurance companies have a slightly flexible approach and offer coverage (subject to underwriting approval) for a traveller who has already travelled out of India. In this case, the traveller will need to submit a request letter along with a good health and no claim declaration, based on which an underwriting approval can be obtained from the insurance company’s underwriting team. Post approval the applicable premium needs to be remitted by the traveller after which a policy can be issued. Please note that this is an exceptional process to be followed and not the norm. Also please note that this is subject to underwriting approval by the insurance company.

There are many types of travel insurance plans which cater to the requirements of all categories of travellers. At a broad level, there are India travel insurance compare plans for popular destinations which cover travellers bound to The Americas (North & South American continents including USA & Canada) as well as other countries in the world other than North & South American, which is known as Excluding Americas plans. Most companies offer a specific plan for Asia, which covers their travel to any Asian destination or a Schengen Plan which covers travel to any of the 26 Schengen countries in Europe. A few insurers also offer a Domestic Insurance plan for travel within India. All these are Single Trip plans which cover the individual traveller for a specific trip.
Almost all insurance companies also offer a Multitrip Insurance policy, which is specifically suited for the frequent flier. This is an annual plan which covers the insured traveller for any number of trips during that year.
A simple guide to travel insurance

Travel Insurance can be categorised as "best travel insurance India" if they offer a comprehensive coverage to the insured traveller every time they travel abroad. Depending on the age of the traveller, their destination country and duration of travel, the traveller has a variety of plans to choose from across all insurance providers. But they must ensure they choose a plan with adequate coverage for their trip. For example, if they are travelling to USA, UK or Europe, it is recommended that they choose a plan with a A&S coverage of atleast $250,000. They should also opt for a plan with non-medical coverages like Trip Cancellation, Passport & Baggage Loss, Baggage Delay, Personal Liability etc.
Tips to find the best travel insurance

Most insurance companies have a benefit called Missed Departure/Flight wherein they offer coverage for incidental expenses incurred by the insured traveller on account of the Missed Departure/Flight, by the scheduled airline the insured is supposed to travel on, if the missed connection / departure is due to the following reasons:

• Inclement Weather; or
• Strike or other job action by employees of a Common Carrier (scheduled airline) to be used by by the insured during their return journey; or
• Equipment Failure of a Common Carrier (scheduled airline)

This benefit is provided only for the return journey and will not cover missed departure/flight in India while departing from India on the trip.

Cheapest insurance often represents the insurance plan which offers the least premium to the traveller. These plans normally come with lesser sum insureds and coverages for the traveller and hence it is prudent for the traveller to not only look at the premium but also compare the benefits of the plans available before making an informed choice. Given that the traveller is already spending reasonably large monies for their tickets and hotels, there is a tendency to cut corners on the insurance policy and buy the one with the least premium. By spending a little more effort and a slightly higher premium outlay, the traveller could end up buying a relatively more comprehensive insurance plan that just the cheapest insurance policy which if the best way to proceed. A cheaper premium plan could also mean that the deductible (insured’s contribution to a claim) is higher which may result in the insured shelling out a higher part of the claim incurred later during the trip. Hence it is advisable that the traveller compare travel insurance like products (apples with apples) before arriving at the optimum plan.

Ideally the traveller must buy travel insurance once they have finalise their travel plans and booked their air tickets and hotels/tour packages. The specific reason for booking the insurance at this stage is that for any unforeseen yet covered reasons if the traveller’s trip is cancelled and they have a Trip Cancellation benefit in their insurance plan, then they can make a claim for the non refundable part of the Air Tickets/Hotel & Tour Bookings even before their trip would’ve started. Covered cancellation reasons include:

• Death or diagnosis of Critical illness of the Insured or following immediate family members-Spouse, Children, Parents, Brother, Sister, Grand Parent, Grand Children, Parent In Law.
• A booked common carrier outside India being delayed for at least 24 hours due to Strike, industrial action, riot, civil commotion, severe weather condition, natural disaster, hijack or mechanical breakdown of public common carrier.
• Serious Damage to Your residence in India arising from fire, flood, earthquakes and riots.

• Passenger A had booked an International Holiday on 10th February 2019 for travel from 25th May 2019 onwards for 1 month. It is recommended that he book his insurance policy with Trip Cancellation benefit immediately on 10th February 2019. Here's why...
• The cost of the Airfare was INR50,000, Hotel INR15,000 and Tour Package INR20,000 totalling INR85,000. As is normally the case in all these bookings, there will be a cancellation clause attached to them.
• Unfortunately Passenger’s A immediate family member was diagnosed with a critical illness and unfortunately passed away in March 2019 due to which Passenger A was forced to cancel his trip.
• Without insurance in place and assuming that the airline, hotel and tour package company had a 50% cancellation clause, then Passenger A would receive a refund of INR42,500 and forfeit the other 50%. With an insurance policy covering Trip Cancellation in place, he can file a claim with the insurance company for the remaining INR42, 500 giving the reason for cancelling the travel and the insurer would’ve reimbursed the non refundable expenses.
• Without Insurance in place, Passenger A's loss would've been INR42,500. With Insurance in place, Passenger A's loss would've been INR0.

The above example illustrates why the traveller should buy travel insurance online (with a coverage for Trip Cancellation) when they book their tickets/hotels/tour packages.
If for whatever reason the traveller does not purchase their insurance policy immediately, they should definitely buy the same prior to their departure from India. No insurance policy can be purchased once they have left India and their trip has commenced.
Also, in the case of Schengen countries where insurance is required for obtaining a visa, the insurance policy will need to be purchased upfront.

A pre existing condition means any condition, ailment or injury or related condition(s) for which the insured had signs or symptoms, which was diagnosed and for which the insured received medical advice/ treatment, within 48 months prior to commencement of the first policy issued by the Insurer. This means that if the insured is traveling abroad with a pre existing condition and avails of any treatment abroad, the insurance company will not be liable for paying the claim.
The insurance company normally goes by the guidance of the attending physician in the medical facility abroad while deciding whether a condition is pre existing or not. If the attending physician declares that the cause of the treatment is a pre existing condition carried by the insured, then the treatment costs will not be reimbursed under the policy.
Some insurance companies offer a limited India travel insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions medical expenses, when the situation is Life threatening in nature.

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