If I buy a joint travel insurance policy do I always have to travel with my partner to be covered?

Generally, the coverage provided is for each person, but this kind of product is usually designed for persons who plan on traveling together. The best thing to do is to check your joint travel insurance policy provisions to check whether it allows you to travel separately and still enjoy the coverage being provided had you been traveling together.

Although it is important to note that there really are travel insurance providers that allow a couple to break into two and do some traveling separately at some point during the trip. That way, you can enjoy the benefits of a joint travel insurance policy even when you are in different parts of the world.

The advantage of a joint travel policy is that you can save on premium costs, because instead of two travel policies, you are buying just one.

When getting a joint travel insurance policy, you and your partner will usually be provided the same amount of cover. However, it depends on the company whether the travel insurance limits and benefits are for a "per person" basis or for a "per policy" basis.

• When it is on a per person basis, this would mean that both of you stand to get the same amount if the same covered event happened to both of you (i.e. you both had to cancel your trip).
• When it is on a per policy basis, the insurance company will pay only up to the limit provided in the policy, regardless of whether it is only one or the two of you filing a claim for the same covered event.

So to answer the question, it is best to first check the policy provisions. That is the only way you can know for sure whether you can travel on your own and still enjoy the coverage that the joint travel insurance policy provides.

You should also look into how the travel insurance company defines a "couple". Being a couple usually mean that you are living in the same address at the time you bought the travel insurance. However, there are some cases when engaged couples who are not yet living together plan to go on a trip together.

Before you buy a joint travel insurance policy, go over all the provisions to ensure that you agree with these and that these meet your needs both as a couple and as individuals.

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