Before buying a policy, travellers need to check what individual benefits cover, whether any sub-limits apply and what conditions must be met for a claim.
Here are some of the key things to check before buying travel insurance.
Check sub-limits, not just the sum insured
A policy may offer a large overall medical cover, but individual expenses can have separate caps, known as sub-limits. These may apply to hospital room rent, ICU charges, surgery, doctor consultations, diagnostic tests and ambulance expenses.
Data shared by insurance aggregator Policybazaar shows that such limits can vary across plans. For example, the company cites room-rent limits of $1,500-$2,500 per day and ICU limits of $3,000-$4,000 per day across entry-level and premium plans. Surgery limits in the examples range from $12,500 to $22,500.
These are not standard industry limits and can vary by policy. Therefore, travellers should look at benefit-wise limits rather than assuming that the entire sum insured is available for every medical expense.
Check whether age affects the limits
Age can also influence how some benefits are structured.
According to Policybazaar, some plans introduce sub-limits from age 50, while others apply them from 56 or have separate provisions for travellers aged 61 and above.
This becomes particularly relevant for senior travellers, who should check whether different limits or conditions apply to hospitalisation, diagnostics, surgery and other medical expenses at their age.
Check what counts as a covered cancellation or delay
A flight cancellation or delay does not automatically mean that the resulting expenses will be paid by travel insurance. The reason for the disruption and the specific claim conditions in the policy matter.
Saurabh Vijayvergia, founder and CEO, CoverSure, an AI-powered, IRDAI-licensed digital insurance management platform, said medical emergencies tend to account for higher-value claims, while flight delays, cancellations, missed connections and baggage-related issues occur more frequently.
Travellers should check the minimum delay required for a claim, what causes of cancellation are covered, whether missed connections are included and the maximum amount payable.
Check how pre-existing medical conditions are treated
Travellers with existing medical conditions should not assume that these will be covered simply because a policy provides a large overseas medical sum insured.
The treatment of pre-existing conditions varies between policies. A condition may be covered, excluded or subject to specific terms. Travellers should check these provisions before departure, particularly if they may require medical treatment during the trip.
Check whether your card already provides travel protection
A traveller may already have some travel-related protection through a credit or debit card. However, such benefits can have conditions, including requirements around how the trip was paid for, eligibility, coverage limits and the type of event covered.
Vijayvergia said travellers can have protection from multiple sources, including standalone insurance, credit-card benefits and booking-platform add-ons. These benefits may work differently and should not automatically be considered equivalent to a standalone travel insurance policy.
Checking existing benefits can help travellers identify what additional cover they may need.
Match the policy to the type of trip
The requirements can differ depending on where a person is travelling and what they plan to do. A standard holiday, student travel, cruise, adventure trip or pilgrimage can involve different types of risks and expenses.
Dev Karvat, founder and CEO, Asego, an Indian provider of global travel insurance and assistance services, said travel protection is moving towards more trip-specific requirements. He pointed to examples such as missed port departures and prepaid excursions on cruises, student-specific protection and adventure-sports cover for activities such as scuba diving.
Travellers should therefore check whether planned activities and the specific nature of the trip fall within the policy’s coverage.
Check cover for non-medical disruptions
Medical emergencies can create significant financial exposure on an international trip, but other disruptions can also result in out-of-pocket expenses.
Baggage delays or loss, trip delays, missed connections and certain cancellation-related costs can affect the overall cost of a trip. The relevance of these benefits will depend on the itinerary, bookings and the amount already paid in advance.
Karvat also noted that travel protection can include assistance services such as doctor-on-call facilities and baggage tracking, although the availability of such features depends on the product.
Read exclusions and claim conditions
Finally, travellers should check exclusions, claim triggers, documentation requirements, benefit limits and how each benefit is paid.
A policy may reimburse an eligible expense up to a specified limit, while another benefit may provide a fixed payout when a defined event occurs. This distinction can matter when comparing policies.
Manas Kapoor, Head, Travel Insurance at Policybazaar, said travellers should consider limits for benefits such as room rent, ICU, surgery, diagnostics and ambulance expenses alongside the overall sum insured and premium.