Travel insurance, if I had issues with loss of items would i need to provide receipts?

[truthfix]

Hi I realise this sounds like a blonde moment, but I'm really having problems getting an answer online... If a bag was stolen, misplaced by an airline etc or anything else in Asia, for insurance purposes would I need to supply receipts etc for a claim, just trying to pre empt any issues down the line with buying insurance to establish it was a waste of time and monies etc as most of my items were bought from ebay etc sometime ago.

 

Any advice is appreciated,

 

Thanks

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

When settling claims, insurers usually require the policyholder to provide proof of loss. Proof of loss means that ownership and value of the lost items needs to be established as does the fact that the items are indeed lost or damaged in a manner not excluded by the policy. Receipts are the best way to prove ownership and replacement cost, but many insurers will be a bit lenient if the items are not high-value or unusual.

 

Photos can also help establish ownership and also value if the brand or model can be established from the photo. If receipts are not available, make an itemized list with estimated replacement values and take photos of the items prior to travel. You can get estimates of replacement values by finding ads online for the same or similar items.  A photo of the items, evidence of replacement cost from an online ad along with a lost baggage document from the airline or a police report may suffice in many cases.

 

Does your ebay account have a record of past purchases? I haven't used ebay, but my Amazon account has a record of items I bought going back more than ten years. Those records would probably suffice for most insurers. 

 

Note that some travel insurance policies only cover your luggage when it is in the care of a common carrier and not while in a hotel room, taxi or in an airport prior to check-in. Use a good insurance broker and ask him/her to explain how the policy would work.

 

Travel insurance is generally a very profitable line of insurance for most insurers and claims are often paid with a bit less scrutiny. But it varies by insurer and the facts of the loss in question, however.

 

[truthfix]

49 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

When settling claims, insurers usually require the policyholder to provide proof of loss. Proof of loss means that ownership and value of the lost items needs to be established as does the fact that the items are indeed lost or damaged in a manner not excluded by the policy. Receipts are the best way to prove ownership and replacement cost, but many insurers will be a bit lenient if the items are not high-value or unusual.

 

Photos can also help establish ownership and also value if the brand or model can be established from the photo. If receipts are not available, make an itemized list with estimated replacement values and take photos of the items prior to travel. You can get estimates of replacement values by finding ads online for the same or similar items.  A photo of the items, evidence of replacement cost from an online ad along with a lost baggage document from the airline or a police report may suffice in many cases.

 

Does your ebay account have a record of past purchases? I haven't used ebay, but my Amazon account has a record of items I bought going back more than ten years. Those records would probably suffice for most insurers. 

 

Note that some travel insurance policies only cover your luggage when it is in the care of a common carrier and not while in a hotel room, taxi or in an airport prior to check-in. Use a good insurance broker and ask him/her to explain how the policy would work.

 

Travel insurance is generally a very profitable line of insurance for most insurers and claims are often paid with a bit less scrutiny. But it varies by insurer and the facts of the loss in question, however.

 

That's incredibly informative and helpful! I have an itinerary to travel with and will be packing to travel soon, so will take individual photos of items on the same desk to show that they're uniformed and not random photos etc. Maybe I'll take a photo of all the contents collectively that I'll be putting in a bag, so it can also be seen as a whole, better to have more than enough information I guess.

 

With Ebay it appears that I can access previous purchases so will take screenshots to store should they ever be needed, unfortunately I had a password issue with Amazon and now have a different account so can no longer access previous purchases but I think all this with a list and photos should suffice in such a circumstance... I will however as you suggested check insurance brokers and ask them to explain how their policy works.

 

Thank you again for your information as it's simplified matters for me!