Travel protection and trip delay benefits: what is covered?

September 23, 2024

If you ever look at an airport bench and evaluated whether you could sleep on it, or wondered if you could pull together a full meal from vending machine purchases, it’s a sure-fire sign that you’ve been stranded at least once while traveling. Once it happens to you, you never quite travel the same way, but if you add on a trip delay benefit through a quality travel protection plan like SafeTrip, you can shift to a more relaxed mode, knowing that if you’re delayed, you’ll have more comfortable options than that end-of-concourse floor.

What trip delay situations are covered?

If you have a covered delay, reasonable additional expenses are reimbursed, such as a hotel stay until your next flight, a new ticket if an original one is not being honored, or meals to see you through, all to help you get through an unexpected disruption.

Covered delays must be caused by or a result of:

• Sickness or injury, such as you or a travel companion coming down with a bug prior to departure

• Mechanical issues on a flight or other transportation modes that create a need for accommodations, meals or alternate transportation

• Inclement weather or natural disaster, like storms, floods or heavy snowfall that changes departure times significantly

• A traffic accident on the way to your transportation hub that causes you to miss a flight or boat/train departure

• Stolen passports or travel documents such as visas or paper tickets

What trip delay situations are not covered?

It's worth noting that trip delay coverage typically does not reimburse expenses incurred after travel becomes possible — so if you can hop on a flight, take advantage of the solution. Also, any delays caused by personal reasons such as changing your mind about your trip do not qualify for coverage.

Your coverage limits and specific conditions may vary depending on the insurance provider and the policy you have purchased, so it's essential to carefully review your policy details to understand the exact coverage provided. Be sure to check out SafeTrip Travel Protection plan and how its trip delay benefit kicks in, right when you need it most. You’ll be covered for:

• Lodging/accommodations and meals

• Local transportation

• And if your delay affects your return home, coverage even includes additional vehicle parking charges and pet kennel fees incurred due to the delay

So always hit the road prepared for delays, with a water bottle, some snacks and a neck pillow, and most important, be sure to choose a travel protection plan like SafeTrip Travel Protection or International Travel Medical Plus that includes trip delay coverage — and enjoy the comfortable feeling of knowing you’ve got a backup plan.