Benenden Travel Insurance

If you purchased your policy on or after the 30th November 2017
Policy wording document

If you purchased your policy before the 30th November 2017
Policy wording for policies with MF/BD
Policy wording for policies with BEN

24/7 Medical Assistance – 0800 414 8306* from the UK and (+44) 1904 427 155 from abroad

Lines open 24 hours

Making a change to your policy or any other queries about your policy – 0800 414 8302*

Lines open Mon to Fri 9am - 8pm, Sat 9am - 5pm and Sun 10am - 5pm

Making a claim – 0800 414 8303*

Lines open Mon to Fri 9am -5pm

Purchasing a policy from Benenden – 0800 414 8301*

Lines open Mon to Fri 9am - 8pm, Sat 9am - 5pm and Sun 10am - 5pm

Benenden Travel Insurance do everything they can to make sure that you receive a high standard of service.

If your policy begins MF/BD and you are not satisfied with the service you receive for sales or claims issues, such as how sales staff dealt with your call please write to us at:

The Customer Relations Manager
Benenden Travel Insurance
MAPFRE Assistance
One Victoria Street
Bristol Bridge
Bristol
BS1 6AA
Phone: 0800 414 8304
E-mail: customerrelationsteam@mapfre.co.uk

If your policy begins BEN or BNR and you are not satisfied with the service you receive for sales or claims issues, such as how sales staff dealt with your call please write to the following addresses:

For a complaint about the sale of your policy – please contact:

Benenden Travel Insurance
AllClear House
1 Redwing Court
Ashton Road
Romford
Essex
RM3 8QQ
Phone: 0800 414 8305
E-mail: 66+complaints@benendentravel.co.uk

For complaints following a claim notification – please contact:

The Customer Relations Manager
Benenden Travel Insurance
MAPFRE Assistance
One Victoria Street
Bristol Bridge
Bristol
BS1 6AA
Phone: 0800 414 8304
E-mail: customerrelationsteam@mapfre.co.uk

Whether you’re planning a Caribbean cruise, Spanish beach holiday or a city break to Paris, we have a cover to suit you. Our policies are grouped into five different areas:

Your home area (the UK)
Europe (except Algeria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Libya)
Worldwide, not inc. USA, the Caribbean and Canada
Australia and New Zealand
Worldwide, inc. USA, the Caribbean and Canada

Review the complete list of countries.

Make sure you have your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) ready. Our factsheet on the EHIC helps you discover what it is, how to apply for one and how it differs and complements your travel insurance. Please note that an EHIC card is not a substitute for travel insurance as there are some substantial differences, so it’s important to travel with both.

The UK has reciprocal healthcare agreements with non-European Economic Area countries and territories such as Australia and New Zealand. So if you need immediate medical treatment in these countries, you may be entitled to it at a reduced cost, or even free. Similar to the EHIC card, you would be treated as if you were a resident of the country. However, it’s important to note that some may have more restrictions than the NHS and these agreements do not cover routine appointments for pre-existing conditions or repatriation. Therefore it’s essential to be fully covered by travel insurance. For more information, visit the NHS website

Our travel hub is your one-stop-shop on handy tips and hints about travelling – from conquering fears of flying to packing your suitcase, we answer everything you’ll need to know about your upcoming holiday.

How to claim

If you have a medical emergency whilst you're on holiday

If you need to make a claim

Important documents

Send your claim

Useful phone numbers

The claims process

If something’s gone wrong and you need medical assistance whilst overseas, or you need to make a claim when you return, don’t worry.

Benenden Travel Insurance gives you access to a specialist Assistance Team who can help you whilst you are overseas, if you, or any person insured on your travel policy has a medical problem on holiday.

For all other types of claim you might need to make, Travel Claims Services provide claims handling services on behalf of MAPFRE, the underwriter of Benenden Travel Insurance.

If you have a medical emergency whilst you’re on holiday

Your Benenden Travel Insurance policy gives you access to 24/7 medical assistance if you, or any person insured on your travel policy is ill or injured whilst on holiday. If you have a medical problem overseas, it is best to contact the Assistance Team as soon as possible – the 24/7 emergency service is provided 365 days a year.

24/7 medical assistance line +44 (0) 1904 427155 from abroad / 0800 4148306* from the UK. Lines are open 24 hours.

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The assistance Team is there to:

• To provide emergency medical assistance
• To assess the validity of your claim

For full details of what to do in the event of a medical emergency, please see your policy terms and conditions.

Contact the Assistance Team on: +44 (0) 1904 427155 from abroad or 0800 4148306* from the UK, with the following information:

• Your policy number
• Your location
• Medical information
• Your travel plans - the date you left and the date you are due to come back

If you are in an emergency situation, you should make use of the local emergency services and contact the Assistance Team as soon after that as possible; a delay in notifying hospital admittance may reduce the cover we can offer, or it may invalidate the cover. This should be within 24 hours if you are admitted to hospital or, admitted into hospital and it is likely you will remain in hospital for more than 24 hours

The Assistance Team will usually issue a medical release form and ask you to sign and return it – this gives consent for them to obtain medical information from your treating doctor and, if necessary, from your GP in the UK. It’s best to complete and return this form as quickly as possible to prevent any delay. This will be handled according to where you are in the world and will be discussed with you when you contact them.

The Assistance Team will remain in regular contact with you during your period of treatment. Having one main point of contact – the patient or, if that’s not possible a travelling companion or a relative, helps keep things simple.

You can contact the Assistance Team at any point but it’s worth noting in the policy terms and conditions where costs incurred to call them are covered by your policy.

After medical treatment, most people are able to continue with their holiday. Sometimes, it may be necessary for arrangements to be made to bring you back home. If you cannot return home as planned, due to medical reasons, your policy will automatically extend to cover you and one other person until you are deemed medically fit to return home.

The Assistance Team, in conjunction with your treating doctor, will determine when and how you are fit to travel and will make the necessary arrangements. Usually, it is possible to return home by commercial airline, sometimes with a medical escort or in an upgraded seat. Occasionally, an air ambulance may be required. If it is deemed necessary for hospital admission in the UK, the Assistance Team will arrange it, before you return home.

Once you are safely back in the UK, the Assistance Team’s role is concluded. If you need to make a claim for any expenses incurred that are covered by the policy, you can contact Travel Claims Services who administer claims on behalf of Benenden Travel Insurance, who will advise you as to whether your claim will be covered or not subject to the terms and conditions of your policy and how to proceed with the making the claim.

Please see your policy terms and conditions for full details of what to do in the event of a medical emergency.

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Claims for Benenden Travel Insurance are handled by Travel Claims Services, who provide claims handling services on behalf of MAPFRE, our travel insurance underwriter.

They aim to make claiming simple - to start, download and complete a claim from the options below – make sure you choose the claims form which is most relevant to the claim you wish to make.

Claims must be registered within 31 days of your trip ending. Please ensure that you send all the original documentation to support your claim with your completed form. Please note that photocopies cannot be accepted and can lead to a delay in the handling of your claim.

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Download your relevant forms

• Baggage Delay / Baggage / Money

• Cancellation

• Curtailment (cutting short your trip)

• Medical Emergency

• Personal Liability / Accident / Legal Expenses

• Ski Equipment / Piste Closure/Ski hire/Ski pack

• Travel Delay / Missed Departure

Once you have downloaded and completed the relevant claim form, please send it to:

Travel Claims Services
One Victoria Street
Bristol Bridge
Bristol
BS1 6AA

An acknowledgement letter will be sent upon receipt of your completed claim form which will advise you of your unique claim reference number. Please make sure you quote this reference number in any future contact you have about your claim.

Alternatively, claims can also be registered by email, please send a brief description of your claim to: claims@travelclaimsservices.com

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Speak to our claims team – 0800 414 8303*
Lines open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm

24/7 Medical Assistance Line – 0800 414 8306* or (+44) 1904 427 155 from overseas
Lines open 24 hours

How to make a claim

• Claim is initiated by completing a claim form and returning it by email or post; or if you have any questions and choose to speak to the claims team first, a claim form will be sent out within 1 working day. Once received, complete and return the claim form, with the required supporting documents, to Travel Claims Services.
• Your claim will be added to the claims system and an acknowledgement letter sent – so you know it’s been received.
• New claims are allocated to a claims handler to review. After this review if is possible that your claim may be settled or declined. This will depend on the documents received, the circumstances and the cover provided by your policy.
• If the initial review shows that further information is needed, you will be contacted to request this. This is to ensure that an informed decision can be made in relation to your claim, and, where eligible, reclaim the costs from any other relevant sources (such as other insurance policies that would cover the incident, or a third party who may have caused the incident the claim is based on.) This helps to protect your renewal premiums and the overall cost of Benenden Travel Insurance policies.
• Upon receipt of additional documents, the claims handlers will review your claim in line with the policy terms and conditions. If you’re covered, a settlement proposal will be prepared in line with the cover provided by your policy. If a claim is found not to be covered by your policy, a full explanation as to why it has been declined will be provided.
• If settled, to ensure accuracy and fairness, the claim will be reviewed by authorisers and a settlement letter will then be issued to you.
• Your claim should be released within 1 working day of the settlement being authorised and a cheque will be issued.

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