Hurricane Irma leads to record high travel insurance claims, delays expected

The travel insurance industry is gearing up for record claims as Hurricane Irma forces thousands of travelers to cancel trips to Florida and the Caribbean. With an upsurge in claims submissions, travelers should anticipate delays.

“Any traveler filing a claim during this time will likely experience a significant delay getting it processed. To prevent additional lag time, we are urging affected travelers that purchased a policy before the storm being named, to contact their travel insurance company as soon as possible to start the process,” says InsureMyTrip Claims Expert Gail Mangiante.

When filing a storm-related travel insurance claim, travelers should do the following:

• Call or email the travel insurance company to understand the claim requirements. A specific form may be required for each benefit within a policy. For example, if a hurricane forced the traveler to cancel a trip, that traveler would then fill out a trip cancellation form — not a trip delay or trip interruption form.

• Save all travel-related receipts and documents. While claims examiners are aware of the hurricane, documentation is still required and will be requested from travelers submitting claims.