FAQ

Your personal possessions represent your family’s security and in the event they were destroyed it would be necessary to come up with the money to replace them. Insurance not only provides you with this protection against financial loss but also the peace of mind you require.

There is a significant difference between purchasing your insurance through an independent insurance broker versus directly from a captive agent or salesperson of a bank or insurance company. Rather than being “sold” the one product line offered by the direct channel, an independent broker represents different quality insurers. By marketing your insurance requirements among many companies and by comparing products and prices, an independent broker can tailor an insurance program that delivers the best value for you. You get professional expertise, personal attention and the benefit of choice.

It does not cost you more money as the broker gets paid directly by the insurance company chosen. The price is usually well negotiated so that you get a better deal having an insurance product which suits exactly your needs at no higher prices than dealing with an insurance agent in France.

Enrollment confirmation, including personalized ID card, Summary of Coverage, claim form depends on the type of insurance chosen (medical, home…etc.) and can be handled from one day to 1 or 2 weeks (if for example details are needed for the best quote and documents are missing), please contact us for more information.

Some insurance premiums are calculated on a monthly basis, some travel insurances are calculated on a daily basis and others are calculated on a quarterly basis. You can purchase coverage therefore on a daily basis, monthly basis or quarterly basis depending on the insurance.

It is recommended that a participant pay upfront for the full period of insurance that is needed. Most insurance offer payment facilities with quarterly payments. For commodity reasons, some persons prefer to pay their premiums per semester or annually.

You can purchase coverage by phone, by fax or mail.

Credit card insurance policies sometimes protect you for flight accidents, car rental damage or for accidental death while travelling, but this protection is usually only offered to you when you purchase your tickets with that particular credit card, maximum limits of reimbursement are low and deductible are high.

The cost of insurance varies from company to company and is determined by your claims history and the underwriting variables unique to your “risk”. Ask us to obtain quotations on your behalf, but remember the best is not always the cheapest.

After contacting the police in the event of an accident, or to report a theft or burglary, your first step is to contact us or directly the assistance platform. We will council you on your coverage particulars and contact the company on your behalf. For health insurance, you would need to contact the medical platform.

Once your claim is reported, you’ll be contacted promptly by an adjuster to verify the facts relating to the claim and to determine the amount of settlement. This adjuster will be your contact person until your claim file is closed and will guide you through your options in replacing or repairing your property. Depending on the severity of the loss, the claim will be handled by telephone or in person, either by a staff adjuster or by an independent adjuster appointed on our behalf.

After reporting your claim you may have to make temporary repairs to your property to protect it from further damage. You will need to save receipts for what you spend and submit them to your adjuster. You will be asked to complete a “Proof of Loss” form and support it with medical invoices, repair bills and a copy of a “Police Report”. Maintain records of your expenses and copies of your paperwork. Also retain copies of correspondence we provide to you. Once the insurance company agrees on the terms of the settlement, payment will be sent promptly.

Turnaround for claim payments depends on the insurance chosen but is generally handled in a maximum of one week from receipt date. To check the status of your claim, depending on the insurance, you can do it through internet with you personal login or contacting us. You need to send original bills and all prescriptions. You will be explained in detail how your insurance works.

We do offer temporary coverage for spouse, son, daughter and other family members. If you are looking for health insurance coverage for your spouse while travelling overseas, then we recommend you to contact us.

It is best to review your current insurance programs and the coverage they offer when you are travelling. Many Homeowner’s and Medical Insurance policies offer limited coverage when travelling outside your country. Medicare supplement benefits also need to be reviewed to determine their exact benefits or lack of benefits when travelling. Our plans offer primary medical coverage because of the varying degree of limitations offered by many medical plans. Homeowner’s and rental policies usually have large deductibles when travelling.

Simply call us or request additional coverage in the Request a plan change section for the policy. We will adjust your coverage prior to departure and accept additional premium to cover your additional trip cost.

You need to call our medical platform to get a direct payment between the hospital and the insurance.

The insurance coverage we provide is specifically designed for expatriates, international students, tourists or anybody travelling overseas. We have quite a large portfolio of insurance coverage while travelling overseas. For individual coverage, please contact us.

All travel suppliers, whether they are Tour Operators, Hotels, Travel Agencies, Cruise lines or Airlines, have cancellation penalties. You pay a deposit or final payment toward a trip and these suppliers will apply their published penalties to your trip. You will find the published penalties more severe as your scheduled departure date gets closer.

These published penalties inform you that if you cancel, the supplier will hold all or a large percentage of your money placed as down payment, deposit or final payment. You will lose this money. Trip Cancellation and Interruption is designed to reimburse you for your loss if you cancel or interrupt for a covered reason.

You must notify Our Insurance Services desk that you intend to cancel your trip before your original departure date. We will allow you to “re-use” your purchased coverage up to one year from original departure date.

Yes, you can choose a plan that excludes this coverage but still includes a full range of benefits to protect you during your trip, including coverage for: medical evacuation/ repatriation, civil liability and much more.

Travel Protection combines insurance coverage and travel assistance services into a comprehensive package that protects both you and your investment – before and during your trip. Our plans provide comprehensive coverage including Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption benefits. This coverage can protect you against losing your travel investment to travel suppliers, like cruise lines and tour operators, if you should cancel within their non-refundable cancellation period.

Your local car dealer or a specific car expert should be able to help you determine your vehicle’s value. Be sure to add those extras you want insured should you have a loss. Remember, our trailers and Cars are always worth more to their owners than they might be to someone else. We advise you not to under-insure.

Yes, you should obtain a notarized affidavit or permission from the legal owner.

French Carte Grise is the ‘Identification Card’ of the vehicle.

It is the Proof of car insurance in France.

Depending on the time you are spending in France, your driving history and your specific needs, we can offer you car insurance in France. For more information, please contact us.

In case of an accident; it is possible that the authorities will detain you with your vehicle impounded, until they conclude their investigation. Legal Aid helps prevent this, with one phone call an attorney will come to your assistance and negotiate your immediate release as well as the release of the vehicle.

In insurance, a Bonus or Malus system is a system that adjusts the premium paid by a customer according to his individual claim history.

Bonus usually is a discount in the premium which is given on the renewal of the policy if no claim is made in the previous year. Malus is an increase in the premium if there is a claim in the previous year. Bonus-malus systems are very common in vehicle insurance. This system is also called no claim discount or no claims bonus.

The fundamental principle of BMS is that the higher the claim frequency of a policyholder, the higher the insurance costs that on average are charged to the policyholder. This principle is also valid in an insurance arrangement consisting of a high maximum deductible which is common to all policyholders.

There are two major reasons for homeowners to buy insurance:

1. As one of — if not the — most important assets that a person has, you need to protect your home from damage and destruction.
2. Mortgage lenders require homeowners to carry insurance to protect the lender’s investment from damage or loss.

Just like homeowner’s insurance, renters face risks of loss. Sure, since a renter does not own the dwelling unit, she does not risk the residence itself. As a renter, the greatest risk is damage to or loss of personal property. Renters can also be liable to third parties that are injured while at the residence.

If you rent, insurance acts as a risk transfer device to protect you against a catastrophic loss. In exchange for payment of a premium, you transfer the risk of property loss and liability to third parties to an insurance company.

Insurance is a contract between the insured (you) and an insurance company that protects against the risk of large catastrophic loss. If a light bulb burns out in your hallway, that’s a small loss. If an electrical fire destroys a room, that’s a large catastrophic loss.

Insurance companies gather groups of people that share homogeneous risks. The probability of loss is determined across the group as a whole. By spreading the risk of loss across the entire group, each member contributes a small known loss (in the form of a premium payment) in exchange for protection against a catastrophic loss. Should a covered loss occur; the insurance company pays money.

In its essence, insurance is a risk transfer device – moving risk of loss from individuals to the insurance companies. Insurance companies determine the probability of loss across the entire homogenous group, add the cost of administration, and spread the estimated expected losses across the group by collecting a premium from each member of the group.

Homeowners are one such homogeneous group. All homeowners face similar risks, such as loss or damage to the home, loss or damage to its contents, and liability for injury or harm to third parties who come to the home. It is insurance company actuaries who determine what it will cost to pay all the losses the group is expected to incur, factor in administrative expenses and profit, and decide how much each member of the group must pay for the insurance.

The major risks covered by homeowner’s insurance are:

1. Damage or loss to the home itself, as well as other structures on the land;
2. Damage or loss to the items of personal property in the home and other structures
3. Injury or harm to third parties (typically guests and others who come to your home).

The major risks covered by renter’s insurance are damage or loss to items of personal property contained in the residence and liability to third parties who are injured while in the residence.

A homeowner’s policy is a package which covers loss not only to the dwelling structure, but other structures on the land, personal property contained in the dwelling, and liability to third parties who come onto the dwelling and surrounding land. In its purest form, a dwelling policy covers only the dwelling structure itself — providing a much smaller amount of coverage. Though not very common, dwelling policies are used in some areas of the country to insure seasonal homes that are unoccupied for part of the year.

As the insured, you and the members of your home are covered for the loss of the home and its contents. Third parties — other people who come to your home — are covered through the liability portion of the insurance policy for injuries caused by your negligence. In addition, you and the members of your household have some liability protection to others even while you are away from the premises.

With renter’s insurance, it is important to note that coverage is only provided to the person named in the policy. Even if you share the premises with someone else — if it is your insurance, the property of your “roommate” is not covered.