Allianz Global Assistance has launched SmartBenefits, a new system which will reshape how travel insurance works, along with many customer-centric product enhancements that add value and convenience.
Image: Allianz's head office in Munich. Photo: Courtesy of Oliver Raupach/Wikipedia.org
The new benefits and enhanced plans are currently available for any trips booked through the company’s travel agency partners.
Thanks to proprietary technology and new automated claims capabilities, Allianz Travel Insurance customers can now receive proactive claim payments within minutes of a qualifying flight delay. Additionally, on certain plans the company’s new fixed-amount payment option allows travelers to file other travel delay and baggage delay claims with no receipts.
To stay ahead of consumers’ evolving needs, Allianz Global Assistance has re-engineered its travel protection benefits and added coverages to give customers even better financial protection and emergency medical coverage in the event of travel disruptions, while making it faster and easier to get their claims paid.
Proactive Payments for Flight Delay
Allianz Global Assistance is one of the first travel insurance providers to offer proactive claim payments for domestic and international flight delays. 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 convenient 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 as little as 24-48 hours. If no action is taken, customers are mailed a check automatically.
“No Receipts” Fixed-Amount Payments
We’re making claims for travel and bag delays easier by giving customers the option to receive a faster, fixed-amount payment for their inconvenience, without the effort of uploading receipts. A complete claim is filed online or through the TravelSmart app by entering basic data points to verify coverage eligibility (e.g., proof of loss or delay). 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.
New Customer-Centric Benefits
These are the most extensive enhancements to the company’s entire product portfolio in more than five years. Allianz Global Assistance analyzed customer feedback and identified industry gaps to create new benefits and improved coverages that customers would find most useful and valuable. These include three main areas of product enhancements:
Expanded Travel Coverage – To better protect travelers from modern-day travel risks, Allianz Global Assistance enhanced existing covered reasons and redesigned Travel Delay and Baggage Delay benefits for better coverage. New covered reasons, such as Hurricane Warning (available on select plans) and Mandatory Evacuation, help keep customers out of harm’s way and allow them to cancel their trip if a natural disaster makes their destination unsafe. When severe weather or storms cause an extended delay by the travel carrier, our redesigned Travel Delay benefit can help travelers cover the cost of reaching their destination earlier by alternative means.
Improved Emergency Medical Coverage – All travel plans now include primary emergency medical coverage, which helps customers get quicker access to medical payments (up to their coverage limits) on qualifying claims. We also improved coverage limits on trip cancellation claims involving pre-existing medical conditions for travelers taking more expensive trips.
Simplified Benefit Descriptions and Usability – Descriptions of benefits and coverages were simplified on Allianz Travel Insurance policies, making it easier for customers to understand what situations can be covered. The company also now reminds customers what their insurance benefits are and ways to access emergency travel assistance through emails sent days before their trip.
Allianz Global Assistance president and CEO Mike Nelson said: “By offering proactive claim payments on qualifying flight delays, our innovative SmartBenefits make it easier for customers to get paid quickly for their inconvenience. These enhancements to our travel protection products make traveling easier, more worry-free and enjoyable for our customers.”
All the product enhancements for Allianz Travel Insurance plans became available in most US states on 24 July, this year for trips booked through the company’s travel agency partners.
Source: Company Press Release