Insurance when purchasing tickets: is it necessary?
Dmitry bought tickets online for an intercity bus. And when they were sent to the post office, I saw that at the same time, he had also paid for insurance, although he did not seem to have taken out any. It is inexpensive, but is it needed at all? And how can I refuse it now?
Before paying, Dmitry did not notice that in the list of additional services for tickets, there was already a checkmark next to insurance. Although sellers of various services are not required to provide any consent marks for the buyer, some firms still use them. Or they act even more aggressively: to cancel the policy, a person has to click on the “I take all risks upon myself” button.
Any passenger receives mandatory insurance coverage along with the ticket. By law, it is paid for by the transport company. And if something happens to a person and his belongings on the road due to the fault of the carrier or due to an accident, he or his relatives can count on insurance payments:
- in case of property damage – up to 23,000 rubles (but under compulsory insurance, the airline will not be responsible for luggage that is lost or damaged by airport employees);
- for injuries – up to 2,000,000 rubles;
- in case of death – 2,025,000 rubles.
You must contact the carrier’s insurance company for compensation . Prepare an application and documents confirming your right to payment: copies or scans of your passport, ticket, medical certificates. You will also need an official accident report – it should be drawn up by a representative of the transport company.
In the event of an accident, the carrier is obliged to inform the victims or members of their families that they are entitled to insurance compensation and how to receive it. But if the transport company has not done this, you can request this information from them yourself – for example, from employees on your flight, by calling the carrier’s hotline or on its website.
Insurance from the carrier is already included in the price of the trip; you do not need to pay for it.
Why then do you need a voluntary policy?
Policies sold with tickets typically provide coverage for a wider range of events than carrier insurance. Apart from accident, they can cover other risks that travelers face. For example:
- you were forced to cancel your trip at the last minute or were late for boarding due to reasons beyond your control;
- the flight was delayed at the airport or the train arrived late at its destination;
- your luggage was lost, damaged, or given away days later, leaving you to make unplanned purchases.
Before agreeing to purchase voluntary insurance or refusing it if you have already paid for the policy by mistake, it is worth studying all the conditions. You may find additional protection useful.
Find out in which cases payment is due and in which it is not. In particular, baggage insurance for air travel usually does not cover carry-on luggage. Buying a policy will be justified if you are afraid that your expensive skis will be damaged when loading suitcases. But insurance will be useless when the most valuable thing is your laptop in your backpack. Even if, due to a hard landing, it falls from the luggage rack and breaks, the policy will not cover the damage.
In most cases, a link to the insurance conditions is located next to the checkbox that confirms consent to the service, or before the payment button. If you have already purchased a policy, all the information will be in the insurance contract – it will be sent by email along with the tickets.
Let’s say you are not against additional insurance, but this particular one is not suitable for you – it has little coverage or does not have the necessary options. Then you can choose your own policy from an insurance company that is convenient for you.
I’m thinking of leaving insurance. How to use it?
Study the documents you received after purchasing the policy. From them you will learn how compensation is paid. Take a look at the “Insured Event” section on the insurer’s website, there are instructions for different situations: how to draw up an application for payment, what certificates to collect.
Most incidents must be verified, otherwise the insurance company will not pay anything. Canceled a trip due to illness – imagine a sick leave. If you broke your arm during sudden braking, show me a certificate from the emergency room.
Is it possible to cancel insurance that has already been purchased?
Yes. If you change your mind or pay for the policy by mistake, you have the right to get your money back. All voluntary insurance can be surrendered during the cooling-off period – at least within 14 days after purchase, provided that the policy has not yet expired and there have been no insured events for which compensation is due.
It will be possible to return the full cost of the policy only before it begins to operate – usually before boarding a plane, train or bus. If you bought round-trip tickets and did not have time to cancel the cancellation before the first flight, do it before the next one – you will be able to compensate at least part of the money. After the trip, nothing will be returned to you.
How to return money for a policy?
Sometimes you can cancel your insurance directly on the website or app where you purchased it. In this case, the seller will transfer the money to you. If you return a ticket that came with a policy, the money will be returned automatically.
When the service does not have online returns, you will have to contact the insurance company or the seller with a return application. In it you need to indicate the ticket and policy number, as well as passport details. The insurer may request copies of these documents.
If you cancel your policy during the cooling-off period, you will be refunded within 10 working days after submitting your application. In other cases, everything depends on the terms of the contract.
