With millions of American travelers affected by travel disruptions every year, Allianz Global Assistance is aiming to make the process of navigating delays in travel and baggage a little easier with the launch of its new SmartBenefits.
Thanks to the new benefits along with other customer-centric product enhancements, Allianz Travel Insurance customers can now receive proactive claim payments within minutes of a qualifying flight delay. By actively monitoring customers’ flights for qualifying delays of three to five hours (depending on the policy benefit), the company automatically files a claim for the customer and offers three payment options. Customers can receive typical fixed payments of $100 per person per travel delay on their debit card within minutes of entering payment details, while direct deposit payments can be available in 24-48 hours. If no action is taken, customers are mailed a check automatically.
Additionally, on certain plans the company’s new fixed-amount payment option allows travelers to file other travel delay and baggage delay claims without a receipt. A complete claim can be filed online or through the TravelSmart app by entering basic data points to verify coverage eligibility. The customer is then notified of their claim approval status typically within seven days and may receive $100 per person per day impacted by the delay. Allianz Global Assistance also enhanced existing covered reasons and redesigned Travel Delay and Baggage Delay benefits for better coverage. New covered reasons include hurricane warning (available on select plans) and mandatory evacuation. In addition, Allianz has improved its emergency medical coverage by including primary emergency medical coverage in all travel plans. Coverage limits on trip cancellation claims involving pre-existing medical conditions were also improved for travelers taking more expensive trips.
For more information about the new SmartBenefits, visit the training section of the Allianz resource center at agentmaxonline.com. For advice from our resident expert travel advisor, Susan Farewell, click here.
