What Does Travel Insurance Cover?

At a glance

Do you know what travel insurance covers? What is the difference between temporary and annual insurance?

What does a travel insurance contract cover?
What assistance services can you expect in case of a problem?
How long does the assistance cover last?

Here are a few answers to these questions, and many others...

Temporary contract or annual contract: what's the difference?

You can choose between two different contract durations:

1. The temporary contract

It is designed to cover one specific trip, limited in time.
You determine the validity period of the contract based on the length of your trip (but this period cannot exceed 45 days for a standard temporary contract).
The contract covers you for the duration of your trip in the country you specified when taking out the policy. It also covers countries in the same geographical zone that you pass through on your way to your destination country from your home country (e.g. a temporary contract taken out for Spain also covers you during your journey through France on your way to your destination).
The beneficiaries are the people you named in the contract. They do not necessarily need to be related to the policyholder, but they must reside in Belgium.
Reimbursement of medical expenses incurred abroad is limited to €250,000.
If you are travelling for more than 45 days, you may want to consider taking out an annual contract (Smart, Sport or VIP, see below) or a Long Trip contract, which covers trips of up to 364 days in Europe or worldwide and offers higher medical expense reimbursement (€750,000 for Europe and €1,250,000 worldwide).

2. The annual contract

This contract is valid for 1 year, automatically renewable. It can cover different trips taken by the various beneficiaries during the term of the contract.
Limitation: However, an uninterrupted trip has a limited coverage period: 14 days for the Light contract, 3 months for the Smart, Sport or VIP contracts. If you return home and then leave again, this new departure is considered a new trip, and the counter starts again from zero. If your trip is longer than the covered period, you have the option of taking out a separate Long Trip contract. The Light, Smart, Sport and VIP contracts can be taken out with geographical coverage limited to Europe or extended worldwide. Coverage limited to Europe can be extended worldwide during the term of the contract if necessary.
Depending on the plan chosen, the beneficiaries of the annual contract are either an individual, a couple (living under the same roof), or a family (living under the same roof)*.
At Redion, reimbursement of medical expenses incurred abroad amounts to a maximum of €250,000, €750,000, €1,250,000, or is unlimited, depending on the type of contract.

These annual contracts can be supplemented with various options, such as roadside/technical assistance for your vehicle, trip cancellation insurance and/or baggage insurance.

The description above refers to Redion's new range of annual products. You'll find all the useful information about these assistance plans by clicking here.

What does travel insurance cover?

Below you'll find a description of the main guarantees provided in a travel assistance contract. Depending on the type of contract taken out, these services may be more or less extensive, or provide for a higher or lower amount of financial intervention. Refer to the contract's general terms and conditions for more details.

1. Medical assistance

Medical assistance is generally the main reason for taking out a travel insurance contract. It provides, among other things:

coverage of the sick and/or hospitalised person during their stay abroad, as well as their insured travel companions. Besides medical follow-up, it will also cover any necessary repatriation.
reimbursement of medical expenses incurred abroad by the insured. This amount has a maximum cap depending on the type of contract taken out (e.g. max. €250,000, €750,000, €1,250,000, or an unlimited amount). The level of cover can prove important once you're travelling in a country where medical costs are high and not reimbursed by your health insurance fund, such as the USA. Good to know: in order to limit medical costs, your assistance provider will decide on your possible repatriation as soon as your state of health and medical file allow it. Reimbursement of medical expenses incurred abroad takes place after reimbursement from your health insurance fund.
possible reimbursement of search and rescue costs (sometimes limited to mountain rescue costs, whether or not related to a snow or ice activity such as skiing). Reimbursement is subject to a maximum amount.
repatriation of a deceased insured person.
repatriation of people travelling with a hospitalised or deceased insured person.
financial assistance towards funeral costs (e.g. funeral arrangements, coffin).
early repatriation due to the hospitalisation or death of a relative, or a loss at the insured's home.
…

2. Assistance during the trip

Assistance also comes into play in the event of problems or inconveniences during the trip, including:

repatriation of luggage and/or pets belonging to the insured when the latter is repatriated;
provision of money abroad;
sending replacement luggage;
assistance in the event of legal proceedings abroad;
sending medication or prosthetics not available locally;
assistance in the event of a natural disaster (covering extended stay costs);
…

Travelling with your vehicle?

Your travel insurance contract lets you cover your vehicle (car, motorbike and/or caravan or motorhome) to deal with any technical problem due to a breakdown, accident or theft. All you need to do is take out the "vehicle assistance" or "mobility assistance" option.
The geographical area of vehicle assistance coverage depends on the type of contract taken out. For temporary contracts, this is the country designated when taking out the policy, and those in the same zone on the way there (see above). For annual contracts, this is a specific geographical zone (in most cases — with a few exceptions — it corresponds to geographical Europe)*.

The services provided in Belgium, or in Belgium and abroad, include:

roadside assistance/towing of the vehicle. Please note that coverage of costs is limited in certain cases, such as a breakdown along certain motorways.*
on-site repair of the vehicle, with insured travellers able to continue their trip during repairs (e.g. thanks to a specific budget or a replacement car, …).
temporary accommodation for the insured during vehicle repairs, continuation of their trip, or their repatriation.
assistance in the event of vehicle theft, assistance with a trailer, …
you will be covered from your home* and may or may not be entitled to a replacement vehicle if your vehicle is immobilised in Belgium.
The "Mobility Assistance" option of the Light, Smart, Sport and VIP annual contracts also covers (electric) bicycles and other light means of transport in Belgium.
...

What are the main exclusions of travel insurance?

For the full list of exclusions, refer to your contract.

For medical assistance, pay particular attention to the exclusion of pre-existing conditions, uncovered activities (e.g. motorsport competitions), insurance coverage during pregnancy, the exclusion of certain medical procedures (health check-ups, cosmetic treatments, physiotherapy, certain outpatient costs), or the use of alcohol or drugs, ...
For the vehicle, the exclusion of fuel, diagnostic, customs, toll, and signage costs, …
And in general, the exclusion of restaurant or drink costs, acts of terrorism or nuclear accidents, countries at war, force majeure, …

Questions to ask yourself when taking out travel insurance

To make the best choice, work out:

whether you need a contract for a single trip or rather a contract that covers all your trips for a year,
how long an uninterrupted period of assistance cover you want (e.g. a specific period, periods of max. 14 days or 3 consecutive months),
how much medical expense reimbursement you want,
whether you want cover for your vehicle, and if so, whether you want a replacement vehicle in the event of your vehicle being immobilised in Belgium.

- Also ask yourself whether you want to supplement your travel insurance with cancellation insurance, and/or baggage insurance.

- Do you already have (partial) assistance coverage through another channel (credit card, health insurance fund, car insurance, hospitalisation insurance) and are you worried about double coverage? If so, read the articles "Is travel insurance really necessary?" and "Travel insurance and credit cards".

- For certain countries (the Russian Federation, Cuba, ...), taking out travel insurance is mandatory. The authorities of these countries will ask you for a certificate. This can be issued to you by our Customer Service on simple request (see contact details below).

How much does travel insurance cost?

Tip: Compare prices based on the plans that truly match your needs. However, don't lose sight of the fact that taking out several consecutive temporary contracts quickly becomes more expensive than buying an annual contract.
Taking out a trip cancellation contract is often cheaper if you choose it as an option within an annual travel assistance contract.

What price? The comparison table you'll find on our website after answering a few questions about the contract you're looking for will help you compare the prices of the different plans.
You can also contact your broker or our customer service, via the client area of our website or by phone on 02 541 91 91 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm).

Also read

* : Refer to the contract's general terms and conditions for precise details.

What Does Travel Insurance Cover?