6 surprising new developments in travel insurance that will change the way you plan your next trip

If you want to understand how travel insurance is changing – and how it could change the way you travel this year – you should meet Robin.

Robin (full name, Robin Assist) is a new technology-driven service platform used by insurance companies to process travel insurance claims, among other things.

“Technology can really help when making a claim,” says Sasha Jenolin, CEO of Inc. battle face, the company that created Robin. “He can find the policy you have. He can eliminate the need for a claim form. He can determine the charges you are filing against the policy.”

Radical changes to travel insurance for 2023

Robin could change the way you file your travel insurance claim in 2023. Right now, travel insurance companies are looking at hundreds of thousands of unprocessed claims from holiday air travel meltdowns and even a few from this summer. Technology like Robin can greatly speed up the process, reducing claims processing from weeks to just minutes.

According to Dan Skilkin, President of Inc TripInsurance.com.

“US Fire and Nationwide have started mailing out claim checks,” he says. “Once payment is approved, the check is emailed as a PDF. This cuts at least five days of delay for the Postal Service getting payments.”

Insiders say the changes to travel insurance are dramatic. It’s not just the speed of processing, but also the types of coverage and other technologies offered by travel insurance companies.

“Travel insurance has seen a renaissance over the past 24 months,” says Ross Caldwell-Thompson, CEO of Travel Insurance. Kovac Global. “Just as it evolved to cover more post-9/11 security concerns, post-pandemic travel insurance consumers are looking for more risky solutions on their behalf when it comes to medical possibilities.”

It’s also more popular than ever. The number of travelers planning to buy travel insurance in 2023 will exceed the average of the previous seven years, according to the most recent Travel insurance status report By Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. (For more information on purchasing the right policy, you can refer to Free travel insurance guide.)

So what are the big changes for 2023?

1. Smarter travel insurance apps

Some travel insurance companies have upgraded their apps to detect when a traveler is changing activities or potentially embarking on a risky activity that is not covered, such as renting a scooter or engaging in off-roading.

Frank Harrison, Regional Security Director for the Americas at Global travel protection.

Joe Cronin, President International Citizens InsuranceYou’d also expect the next version of travel insurance apps to help you find local pharmacies and hospitals, as well as doctors who speak your language. “They will also provide travel advice, including emergency phone numbers,” he says.

2. New travel insurance options

Travel insurance companies plan to introduce new features and products this year. Allianz travel insurance Just introduced an Optional Cancel Anytime upgrade to consumers in several states on its popular OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier packages.

“The Cancel Anytime upgrade can reimburse you for up to 80% of your lost non-refundable flight costs if you cancel your flight for almost any unforeseen reason that your plan doesn’t already cover,” says Allianz spokesperson Daniel Durazo. “And you can cancel as late as the day of departure.”

These types of “cancel for any reason” options have been available for some time, but Allianz has provided them in more policies on their website.

3. More policy customization

says Adam St. John, CEO Start. For example, his company offers travel insurance that covers all the basics, but allows travelers to personalize their coverage and choose what’s important to them.

“For example, if you’re the type of person who travels with a lot of equipment, you may want to increase your baggage coverage limits,” St. John says. “If the trip is last-minute, you may not want trip cancellation coverage, as it can be very expensive. This kind of flexibility allows our members to choose the right coverage for their needs.”

Personalization was a big trend last year, but experts say we should expect more in 2023.

Rajeev Shrivastava, CEO, Visitor coverageinsurance market.

4. Fewer personal payments

Travel insurance companies are investing heavily in technology that allows customers to avoid having to pay out of pocket for medical services. INF visitors care Recently introduced a cashless guaranteed concierge assistance program. You know how your health insurance plan says it works with a major PPO network, but providers are often unwilling to accept the plan? This fixes it.

“I think the biggest hurdle with travel insurance is that you always have to work on a reimbursable basis,” explains PK Rao, CEO of INF Visitor Care. “We have introduced a medical assistance concierge service that will schedule appointments for members with their preferred service providers and ensure that the transaction is cashless, meaning there is no need to reimburse for medical expenses.”

5. Better coverage of the coronavirus

As the pandemic subsided, travelers wanted more sensitive triggers for their COVID coverage. This includes being able to come home and get treatment at home instead of having to stay abroad. Travel insurers will adjust their policies in 2023 to offer better coverage for the coronavirus, Kovac Global’s Thompson predicts.

He adds, “The relaxation of traditional requirements for medical evacuation, so that clients can return to their home hospitals without mandatory stays at a local hospital is the most effective innovation that has emerged in the industry in the past months.”

6. A simpler claims process

Stan Sandberg, co-founder of travel insurance website predicts TravelInsurance.com. “The most common complaint we hear about the industry is the dissatisfaction with the claims experience.”

Robin is just one of many travel insurance platforms trying to streamline a claims process that has traditionally been bogged down by paperwork. For example, fi It allows you to submit claims within the app within a few minutes. The company also pays claims with a secure digital debit card called Faye Wallet, so you’re not left waiting for a check in the mail. “You can use the Faye Wallet card by adding it to your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, or you can simply transfer money directly to your bank account,” explains Faye spokeswoman Lauren Gumport.

Robin’s approach goes beyond faster payments. Its platform offers other travel insurance companies several benefits, including multilingual customer support, emergency medical evacuation, travel assistance, medical case management, access to medical networks, and global cost containment. In other words, he takes care of just about everything.

Read this before you buy travel insurance

As exciting as these developments in travel insurance may sound, the truth is that travel insurance is a highly regulated product and by its very nature slow to change. So while you’ll see new options, smarter applications, and faster claims processing, the reality is that it will be very similar—maybe even identical—to the policy you purchased last year.

Also, you may already have coverage through your car insurance, homeowner’s insurance, or credit card.

Pallavi Sadkar, Chief Operations Officer, says: VisitorGuard.com“That might be useful.”