Canceling a planned trip is a big — and often expensive — decision. That’s why trip cancellation is one of the most valuable benefits in your travel insurance plan. It can reimburse your prepaid, non-refundable expenses if you have to cancel your trip due to a covered reason. But to get reimbursed, first you must file a claim. We’ll show you how.

Don’t have travel insurance yet? Now’s the time to protect your next trip. See all your plan options from Allianz Global Assistance.

Step 1. Before you cancel, check your plan documents.

Please note that trip protection plans sold on our website are not “cancel for any reason” travel insurance. In order to be reimbursed for a trip cancellation, you must cancel the trip for one of the covered reasons named in your plan. So before you call the airline/hotel/cruise line, take a look at your plan documents on our site, in your email, or on the Allyz® TravelSmart app. Are you canceling for a covered reason? And what do you have to do before you cancel?

For instance, if you’re planning to cancel a trip because you or your traveling companion gets sick, you’ll see that two conditions apply. One, the illness must be disabling enough to make a reasonable person cancel a trip. Just have a cold? That’s not going to cut it.

And two, a doctor must advise the sick person to cancel the trip before you cancel it. (If that isn’t possible, a doctor must examine or consult with the sick person within 72 hours after the cancellation to confirm the decision to cancel.)

Also, check the definitions section in your plan documents. For example, the death of a family member can be a covered reason for trip cancellation. Our definition of “family member” is pretty broad, but it doesn’t include every relative. For example, aunts and uncles are included, but not cousins. Also: service animals (as defined by the ADA) are included, but pets are not.

Step 2. Notify your travel providers as soon as possible.

Failing to show up at the airport/cruise dock/hotel is not the same thing as officially canceling a trip. You need to let your travel suppliers know you’re not coming within 72 hours of discovering that you will need to cancel your trip. If you notify travel suppliers any later than that, and your refund is reduced as a result, your trip cancellation benefit will not cover the difference. What if you’re too sick to call? If a serious illness, injury or medical condition leaves you unable to notify your travel suppliers within 72 hours, you must contact them as soon as you can.

Step 3. Round up all your documentation.

To file a trip cancellation claim, you’ll need to provide proof of two main things: the covered reason for cancellation, and the prepaid trip costs for which you want to be reimbursed. We provide a documentation checklist to guide you, but the exact documents required may vary depending on the nature of your claim.

To show you canceled for a covered reason, think of any documents you can procure that back up your claim.

• If you canceled because of a serious illness or injury, you’ll need the paperwork from your doctor’s visit/hospitalization: a visit summary, letter from your doctor, etc.
• If you canceled because you were in a car wreck on the day of your departure, submit the police report and/or photos from the scene, if you have them.
• If you canceled because severe weather caused a 24-hour plus travel delay, you should submit the delay notification from your airline/travel supplier.

You get the idea! Make sure you submit your original travel itinerary, too. To show the amount of your prepaid expenses, you can submit any receipts you have from hotels, airlines, cruise lines, tour operators etc. If a travel supplier didn’t issue receipts, you may be able to submit other proof, such as original unused tickets, a letter from the tour operator, or an itemized bill from the travel agent that states the non-refundable amounts of your trip costs. You’ll also need to provide the refund policies of your travel suppliers, as well as info on any refunds you received.

Read more: 7 Receipts You May Need to File a Travel Insurance Claim

Step 4. File your trip cancellation claim.

Canceling a trip is stressful, so we do our best to make filing a travel insurance claim as painless as possible. Download the free Allyz® TravelSmart app for mobile claims filing, or file a claim on our website.

In the claim process, we’ll ask you about:

• The dates of your trip
• The type of claim
• The reason for your trip cancellation
• The date of the incident
• Details about the incident and your loss
• The amount and types of the expenses you’re claiming

We’ll also ask you to upload the documents that support your claim. If you don’t have everything you need, that’s OK! You can go back later and submit additional documents. Then, if we need additional information, our claims processors will reach out to you.

Once you’ve filed your claim, please allow 10 business days for us to review it. We’ll do our best to process your claim as quickly as we can. To receive payment faster, select direct deposit or debit-card disbursement.

Contact us if you have questions! Our claims experts are happy to help walk you through the process.

Related Articles

• Trip Cancellation Insurance: Covered Reasons Explained
• 5 Tips for Dealing with a Trip Cancellation
• How to Use Your Trip Delay Benefit and When to Cancel