Insurance World

Severe storms can cause enormous property damage to your home. They can also do the same thing to your car. With storms getting worse, what can you do? Take a look at your insurance policy. “Too often, people don’t notice they lack certain types of coverage until they try to make a claim,” says Ron Berry, senior vice president of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

In fact, the number of reported claims for vehicle losses due to severe storms nearly doubled in the first five years of this century, according to ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS) unit, the recognized authority on insured property losses from catastrophes in the United States.

Fortunately, the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), a nonprofit organization, says comprehensive coverage will reimburse you for loss due to fire, falling objects, storms, vandalism, animals and floods.

Comprehensive insurance usually has a $100 to $300 deductible, though you may want a higher one to lower your premium. Comprehensive insurance will reimburse you if your windshield is cracked or shattered.

“But, even if you have comprehensive coverage, it is not always guaranteed to meet your individual needs,” says Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the I.I.I. “For example, you may be surprised to discover that after a storm your auto insurance does not automatically cover the cost of a replacement rental car while your car is in the repair shop or you wait for authorization for a new car.”

She added that an individual could pay as much as $1,000 to rent a replacement car. “Rental reimbursement coverage, which is only a couple of dollars a month, covers the cost of a rental car while your car is being repaired or you are waiting for authorization for a new car. Renting a car for one day can cost more than one full year’s coverage for rental reimbursement,” Gorman said.

If your car is ever damaged in a storm:

• Know what your insurance covers. Don’t wait to find out it doesn’t include comprehensive or won’t cover emergency roadside assistance or a rental car.

• Report damage as soon as possible. If your car is not drivable, your agent or claims center may be able to save you time and money by having it towed directly to the repair facility and providing you with a replacement rental car.

• Know your deductible and any other additional charges before authorizing work. Expect your insurance adjuster, claims representative or repair facility appraiser to review the damage with you and explain the process, including the use of original or generic auto parts.

Travel insurance is something you should include in the planning of almost any trip. Planning any trip can be a long process that requires much organizing, make sure all the important measures are taken care of such as your travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance needs. Anything can happen just before you date of departure that may tie you up, causing you to cancel your vacation, and being prepared for such occurrance can save you time and money. You don’t have to get the most detailed and costly policy there is, but it is a good idea to at the very least to be sufficiently covered with cheap holiday insurance. You can take a chance and travel without it, but take it from us, the last thing you want is to end up in a situation that can be quite devastating to you and your family.

Especially when visiting a country other than your own, whether you are there for reasons including business and/or pleasure, buying some form of travel insurance is usually a wise decision. for instance, your typical medical insurance plan usually does not cover medical emergencies and hospitalization when you are in a foreign country. Being unprepared can end up costing you thousands of dollars, which could have been avoided simply with an affordable and cheap holiday insurance policy of some kind. As stated earlier, trip cancellation insurance is a wise choice, but it would be also wise to look into insurance that will cover you once your trip has started, and you are in an area beyond your countrys’ borders.

Types of travel insurance may include ;

- Cruise travel insurance
- International travel insurance
- Single trip or multi trip insurance
- Flight insurance
- Student travellers insurance
- medical travel insurance

and many additions, including special packages for seniors citizens.

A big part of enjoying a vacation usually involves taking part in activities, and unfortunately can become potentially dangerous such as bungee jumping, skiing in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and scuba diving in Belize for example. If unfortunate circumstances were to arise, your dream vacation can qiuckly turn into a nightmare for you and your family without proper travel insurance.

Situations most travel insurance packages may cover include ;

- Flight delays
- Damage and loss of personal property
- Trip interruption
- Lost luggage and baggage
- Emergency evacuations
- Emergency medical expenses and hospital stays
- assistance

and you can find out about more by consulting a certified travel insurance professional. They will explain to you in detail and rectify whatever concerns you may have.

We have compiled this resource of information to help you with your travel insurance needs, including trip cancellation insurance, medical, cheap holiday insurance and much more.