June 1, 2020
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with travel dates on or after
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with effective start dates on or after
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Ukraine; Belarus; Moldova; North Korea; Russia; Israel
Jamaica
Jamaica;
The travel delay benefit can be one of the most valuable parts of your travel insurance plan. Why? Because delays happen: All. The. Time.
There’s about a 1 in 5 chance that a U.S. flight will be delayed or canceled.1 About 1 in 4 Amtrak trains are delayed, too.2 As a result, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll experience some unexpected downtime during your trip.
If that occurs, travel insurance can save the day.
There are some limits and restrictions to keep in mind, however. Each plan has a maximum dollar limit (per person and per day) for travel delay benefits, so your travel insurance probably won’t cover a night at the Ritz-Carlton.
And—and this is vitally important to remember—travel delay benefits only apply when the delay is caused by a covered reason.
A covered reason is a specific situation, circumstance, or event that, when it occurs, means you may be eligible to file a claim.
Pretty much all travel protection plans name specific covered reasons for benefits. That’s because travel insurance isn’t designed to safeguard you from every possible thing that can happen (that would make insurance really expensive!) Instead, insurance protects you from the most common mishaps you might encounter while traveling.
So your trip delay benefits only apply when you experience a covered delay—that is, a delay of a certain length that’s caused by one of the covered reasons mentioned in your plan.
Each travel protection plan specifies a minimum required delay length. This is the amount of time a covered delay must last in order for travel delay benefits to kick in.
| Travel Insurance Plans | Minimum Required Delay |
| OneTrip Premier | 3 hours |
| OneTrip Prime | 5 hours |
| AllTrips plans | 6 hours |
| OneTrip Cancellation Plus | 6 hours |
| OneTrip Basic | 6 hours |
| OneTrip Emergency Medical | 6 hours |
What if a travel delay lasts a really long time? If your travel carrier is unable to get you to your destination for at least 24 consecutive hours from the originally scheduled arrival time, that may be a covered reason for trip cancellation or trip interruption. And if a travel carrier delay or other covered delay causes you to miss at least 50% of the length of your trip, that can be a covered reason for trip interruption benefits. Restrictions and exclusions apply; please see your plan documents for details.
What are covered reasons for travel delay insurance?
In general, covered reasons for travel delay include:
If you’re wondering, “Does travel insurance cover delayed flights?” the answer is yes, it can. In the world of travel insurance, a “travel carrier” means a company licensed to commercially transport passengers between cities for a fee by land, air, or water—such as an airline, bus line, cruise line, or train company.
❌ Travel carriers do not include rental-car companies, private or non-commercial transportation carriers, chartered transportation (except for group transportation chartered by your tour operator), or local public transportation.
If a strike delays your trip, that can be a covered reason for travel delay. Examples include an airline workers’ strike or a railway workers’ strike.
❌ If the strike was threatened or announced prior to the purchase of your policy, then travel insurance can’t cover any delays related to that strike.
If you’re quarantined due to illness or exposure to an illness and your trip is delayed as a result, that can be a covered reason for trip delay benefits.
❌ An optional or suggested quarantine isn’t considered a covered reason for travel delay. “Quarantine” means mandatory involuntary confinement ordered by a government, public or regulatory authority, or the captain of a commercial vessel on which you are booked to travel during your trip, which is intended to stop the spread of a contagious disease to which you or a traveling companion has been exposed.
If your travel plans are delayed by an earthquake, wildfire, flood, hurricane, volcanic eruption or other extreme weather or geological event, trip delay insurance can cover your losses. Not only that, but our 24-hour assistance team can help make arrangements to keep you safe and get you out of the affected area as quickly as possible.
❌ Does travel insurance cover weather delays? Only if the weather causes a covered travel carrier delay. On its own, severe weather that’s not a natural disaster is not a covered reason for travel delay.
Oh no! Your passport was in your bag 15 minutes ago, and now it’s gone. If it was lost or stolen, travel delay coverage can reimburse your losses during the resulting delay in your travel. Be sure to report the loss or theft to local authorities, and contact 24-hour assistance for help replacing your passport while you’re abroad.
❌ If you make a mistake with your travel documents, such as forgetting to get a required visa or letting your passport expire, that’s not a covered reason for travel delay.
Hijackings are rare, but they do occur. If your aircraft, train, vehicle, or ship is hijacked, that can be a covered reason for trip delay benefits.
If public protests or demonstrations delay your planned travel, that can be a covered travel delay.
❌ If the situation rises to the level of political risk, then your trip delay would not be covered. Political risk means a coup, a revolution, or any kind of events, organized resistance, or actions intending or implying the intention to overthrow, supplant or change the existing ruler or constitutional government.
If a vehicle accident disrupts your trip, that can be a covered reason for travel delay. And if you’re hurt, your emergency medical benefits can pay for your care.
❌ Only traffic accidents that cause injury, property damage, or both are included. If your trip is disrupted because a vehicle has a mechanical breakdown, that’s not a covered reason for trip delay.
❌ This does not include being denied boarding due to your refusal or failure to comply with the rules or requirements of your destination.
No matter the reason for your travel delay, you’ll need documentation when you file your insurance claim. This means any kind of proof that a) a covered delay occurred and b) you incurred expenses that are eligible for reimbursement. So keep all your receipts, any communications from your travel carrier, and anything else you can think of that explains the delay.
If your plan includes SmartBenefits®, you don’t need to show the receipts! You can opt to receive a fixed inconvenience payment of $100 per insured person, per day, for a covered travel delay (or baggage delay) up to the maximum no-receipts limit. No receipts are required—just proof of a covered delay. If your expenses exceed the fixed payment amount, you can still file a claim for the remainder, up to the daily with-receipts limit of $200 (for plans with SmartBenefits).
Have questions about what’s covered? We’re here to help! Call us at 1-866-884-3556, and we’re happy to review plan documents with you and explain your benefits. If you’re not satisfied, you have 15 days (or more, depending on your state of residence) to request a refund, provided you haven't started your trip or initiated a claim. After this review period, your premium is nonrefundable.
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Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Please see your plan for full details. Benefits/Coverage may vary by state, and sublimits may apply.
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