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BENEFITS
1.
What level of cover do I get?
This
is set out in detail on the policy
benefits page. It varies depending on the type of cover
you buy (single, couples or family).
For
example, for fraudulent use of your cards (prior to you reporting
them lost or stolen), we cover a single policyholder for up
to £500, a couple for up to £1,000 and a family
for up to £1,500.
For
full details of the policy benefits click
on this link.
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2.
What are your opening hours?
We're
open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We're always here to
help you solve that travel emergency.
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3.
Calls to you to cancel my cards from abroad will be expensive.
Do you cover the cost of these telephone calls?
Yes,
your TravellersSOS policy will cover the cost you pay
in order to notify us, your card issuers and your mobile telephone
network of your loss.
For
a single policy we will pay up to £50, for a couple
up to £100 and for a family up to £200 for any
one incident. Even if the calls cost £1 a minute that
should be all the cover you'll need.
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4.
What cover does TravellersSOS provide for fraudulent
use of my credit or debit cards?
Your
bank may hold you liable for part of the cost of any fraudulent
use of your cards prior to you reporting them lost or stolen.
You will have no liability once they have been reported lost
or stolen.
As
long as you have complied with the card issuer's terms and
conditions (for example you have not disclosed your PIN number),
and our terms and conditions, we will cover you for up to
£500 for a single policy, £1,000 for a couples
policy and £1,500 for a family policy for the cost of
fraudulent use on your cards prior to reporting them lost
or stolen.
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5.
What is my potential (card) liability in the case of fraud?
More
than 3 million credit and debit cards go missing each year.
On average fraudsters spend between £350 - £400
on a debit or credit card even before it is reported missing.
Fraudulent activity normally occurs within hours of the loss
or theft, before most victims report the loss - and in 2000
this fraudulent use totalled £300 million.
So
what's your potential liability? In the UK, provided you have
complied with the terms and conditions of your card, and there
is fraudulent use after a card went missing, but before you
have reported it to the card issuer, the Banking Code of Practice
limits your liability to £50 per incident.
What
does this mean in practice? If you lose two credit cards and
one debit card, and each is used in a store and at an ATM,
your liability is limited to £50 times 3 cards, times
2 incidents, or £300. Some banks will limit this to
£150 (or £50 per card). So on these simple numbers
you'd only need one loss every 15 or 30 years to pay for a
single policy! And that ignores the other benefits.
If
you have any cards from foreign banks you will usually be
held liable for all of the fraud on a card until it is reported
lost or stolen, depending on the terms and conditions of the
card.
Remember,
as long as you've complied with the card issuer's terms and
conditions (for example you have not disclosed your PIN number),
and our terms and conditions, we will cover you for up to
£500 for a single policy, £1,000 for a couples
policy and £1,500 for a family policy for the cost of
fraudulent use on your cards prior to reporting them lost
or stolen.
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6.
Some card insurance policies offer cover of up to £50,000
or unlimited cover after you have reported your cards lost
stolen. What level of cover do you offer for fraud after my
card has been reported lost or stolen?
We
offer exactly the level of cover you need once your cards
have been reported lost or stolen. Nothing! Once you have
reported your cards lost or stolen to your card issuer you
have no liability, so you don't need any cover. No we don't
understand why the companie offer this 'benefit' either!
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7.
What cover does TravellersSOS provide for fraudulent
use of my mobile telephone?
Your
telephone network will usually hold you liable for the cost
of any fraudulent use of your phone prior to you reporting
it lost or stolen. You will have no liability once it has
been reported lost or stolen.
As
long as you have complied with the networks terms and conditions
(for example you have not disclosed your security PIN number)
TravellersSOS will cover you for up to £50 for
a single policy, £100 for a couples policy and £150
for a family policy for the cost of fraudulent use on your
phone prior to reporting it lost or stolen.
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8.
What is my potential (mobile telephone) liability in the case
of fraud?
In
theory unlimited. In practice if it is a pre-pay phone only
the cost of the unused credit and on a pay monthly phone the
network will normally spot an unusually high level of calls
and bar you phone quite quickly. The levels of cover provided
will normally be enough to cover this cost.
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9.
What if my prepay mobile phone is lost or stolen?
As
long as you have complied with the networks terms and conditions
(for example you have not disclosed your security PIN number)
the cover limits still apply. In other words we will refund
your lost credits.
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10.
What is an emergency cash advance?
An
emergency cash advance is a 28 day interest free loan available
to policyholders (subject to the policy terms
and conditions) stranded away from their permanent country
of residence with no other means of paying for services or
obtaining cash as a result of their cards being lost or stolen.
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11.
If I need a cash advance how much will I get?
In
effect we are advancing you money that you had planned to
draw on your card, and you are agreeing to repay us within
28 days, so this will depend on how much you need.
A
single policyholder can get up to £500, a couple up
to £750 and a family up to £1,000, but the advance
given will depend on where you are and how long it will need
to last.
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12.
How will the cash advance be paid?
We
will arrange for funds to be made available to you in the
local currency at a Western Union office (normally a bank,
post office or currency office). The cash will be available
as soon as possible, often within 2 hours, but may take up
to 24 hours from the time of the request.
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13.
What is a hotel (or accommodation) advance?
An
hotel or accommodation advance is a 28 day interest free loan
available to policyholders (subject to the policy terms
and conditions) stranded away from their permanent country
of residence who have reported cards lost or stolen and have
no other means of paying for accommodation as a result of
their cards being lost or stolen.
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14.
If I need an accommodation advance how much will I get?
This
will depend on how much you need. A single policyholder can
get up to £500, a couple up to £750 and a family
up to £1,000, but the advance given will depend on where
you are and how much longer you need to stay.
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15.
How will the accommodation advance be paid?
An
accommodation advance is usually paid directly to the hotel.
In effect we are paying a bill that you had planned to pay
with your lost or stolen card, and you agree to repay us within
28 days. We reserve the right to select a hotel for you, but
if we do this we will pay for transport costs from where you
are to the hotel we have selected.
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16.
What is a flight ticket or travel costs advance?
An
flight or travel cost advance is a 28 day interest free loan
available to policyholders (subject to the policy terms and
conditions) stranded away from their permanent country of
residence with no other means of replacing their ticket home,
where the ticket was lost or stolen with their cards.
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17.
If I need a ticket / travel costs advance how much will I
get?
This
will depend on how much you need. A single policyholder can
get up to £1,000, a couple up to £2,000 and a
family up to £5,000, but the advance given will depend
on where you are and how much it costs to replace your ticket(s).
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18.
How will the ticket advance be paid?
A
ticket advance is paid directly to the ticket issuing company.
At our option we may choose to get the tickets from one of
our partners, or we may ask you to do so. In effect we are
paying a bill you would normally use your lost or stolen card
to pay, and you agree to repay us within 28 days.
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19.
Are there rules or tests I need to pass to get a cash / hotel
/ ticket advance?
Yes.
Firstly you need to ask us for an advance at the time you
contact us to report the loss of a credit or debit card, and
you can only apply for one advance per incident.
Secondly,
you must be stranded away from your permanent country of residence
with no other means of paying for services or obtaining cash
as a result of your debit or credit cards being lost or stolen.
Thirdly,
as the advance is an interest free loan, you need to agree
to repay it within 28 days, and to allow us to carry out a
standard credit check to confirm that you can repay it.
Finally,
you also need to be near a Western Union office. These offices
span the globe, but there are a few places in the world where
they do not have an office.
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20.
Are there any additional rules for hotel / flight advances?
Yes.
We will only pay for the accommodation and tickets for the
cardholders registered on the policy. So for example if you
have a single policy we will only pay for a single room and
for one ticket.
We
cannot pay for costs relating to travelling companions who
are not cardholders.
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21.
Can I get all three types of advance?
No,
we can only make one type of advance per incident, but this
is normally enough. For example, those needing a ticket advance
are normally on the way home and therefore don't need any
other advance. And a cash or accommodation advance can be
used to pay costs whilst you wait for an emergency card or
replacement travellers cheques (normally 24 - 48 hours).
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22.
How much does the emergency advance cost?
As
long as you repay the advance in full within 28 days, there
are no administration or interest charges, so there is no
cost to you.
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23.
What about obtaining an emergency card replacement whilst
abroad?
If
you are near the start of your holiday it may be more convenient
for you to obtain an emergency card from your bank. If you
can use other funds (such as travellers cheques) during the
time it takes for a card to be issued, we will meet card replacement
costs of up to £100 for a single policy, £200
for a couples policy and £500 for a family policy.
Your
card issuer will normally be able to provide you with an emergency
replacement card whilst abroad within 24 hours. As an alternative
to an advance we will pay for the cost of obtaining one emergency
card per cardholder.
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24.
Can I get an advance and cover for the cost of obtaining an
emergency card?
No,
this is an either / or choice. You can either ask for an advance,
or ask us to pay for an emergency card replacement.
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25.
What cover does TravellersSOS provide for lost or stolen
luggage?
TravellersSOS
covers costs of up to £100 for a single policy, £200
for a couples policy and £400 for a family policy for
retrieving lost or stolen luggage.
We
will cover the cost of a third party company to return your
lost or stolen luggage to you. Your luggage must be marked
with the luggage tags we have provided to you (to ensure that
we are contacted and can then contact you) and there is a
limit of one claim per policy period. We will not pay any
legal or travel costs incurred by you to obtain the return
of your luggage.
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26.
What cover does TravellersSOS provide for lost or stolen
passports and driving licences?
TravellersSOS
covers the costs of cardholders obtaining an emergency passport
and / or driving licence lost or stolen abroad with your cards.
The cover limits are up to £100 for a single policy,
£200 for a couples policy and £500 for a family
policy.
There
is a limit of one claim per policy period, and we will not
pay any legal, travel or other costs incurred by you to obtain
the documents, nor for documents obtained on your return to
the U.K.
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27.
Does TravellersSOS cover UK travel?
The
insurance and assistance elements of TravellersSOS
apply when you are abroad. If your cards are lost or stolen
in the UK we will help you cancel them. However you will not
be eligible for a cash advance nor any of the other insurance
or assistance benefits for a loss in the UK.
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28.
Why does TravellersSOS not cover UK travel?
The
travel assistance and insurance benefits are focused on non-UK
travel - so, for example, you won't need an emergency passport
for a loss in the UK, and your bank will be able to provide
an advance from one if its local branches.
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29.
Is there an excess on any of the insurance benefits?
No,
there is no excess on any of the policy
benefits.
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30.
What is the pre-travel advice service?
If
prior to departing the UK, you need information on your destination,
call us and we will assist you in providing the following
information, which will be available for most countries:
- Climate
and typical weather.
- Health
information: health precautions; vaccination requirements
and recommendations.
- Passport
and visa requirements and restrictions.
- Tourist
import and export allowances; embassy addresses and telephone
numbers.
- Currencies
used; current tourist exchange rates; credit card and travellers
cheque acceptance; general banking hours.
- Local
public holidays.
- Languages
spoken and general cultural information.
Please
note, whilst every effort will be made to ensure that all
the information provided is correct, we are reliant on several
sources of information outside of our control and cannot be
held responsible for errors or omissions.
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31.
What is the messaging service?
If
during your trip you need help to relay an urgent message,
call us and we will try to assist you. You will need to tell
us your message, a time to relay it and the recipients contact
details. If we are unable to relay your message, we will try
to let you know.
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32.
What is the lost / stolen travel documentation service?
If
your passport or other vital travel documents are lost or
stolen we can provide information, help and advice on how
to obtain replacements or arrange duplicate documentation.
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33.
What is the disrupted travel arrangements service?
If
during your journey your travel arrangements are seriously
disrupted and you need to make new transport or hotel reservations
we can arrange to make these on your behalf.
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34.
What is the lost property advice / assistance service?
If
you lose an important item of baggage whilst travelling abroad,
we will try to assist you in locating it by liasing with the
appropriate authorities. If found we will, at your request,
co-ordinate delivery arrangements.
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35.
What is the e-mail newsletter?
One
of the policy benefits is a free travel newsletter. The newsletter
is sent to you via e-mail and is stuffed full of interesting
articles and offers on flights, holidays and travel related
products at better-than-publicly-available prices.
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36.
Where do you send the newsletter too?
As
with most of our communication with you, we send it to your
home e-mail address.
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37.
Can I choose not to receive the newsletter?
Yes.
We hope that you will enjoy the articles and make significant
savings from the offers, which will more than cover the cost
of your policy. But we include an 'unsubscribe' message in
each newsletter. We make it simple for you to unsubscribe.
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38.
If I choose to unsubscribe does this affect the service you
provide me?
It
means that we won't be able to share our travel knowledge
with you, and we won't be able to give you the benefit of
our bulk buying power to offer you discounts on your travel
needs, but other than that no. We will still provide all of
the assistance and insurance benefits included in your policy.
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