Personal Item & Baggage Loss Insurance

Key Takeaways

• Baggage and Personal Item coverage can reimburse you for delayed, lost, stolen, or damaged baggage and personal items.
• This can include coverage for common items like clothing, toiletries, travel documents, jewelry, and more.
• Excluded items vary by policy and provider, and typically include expensive electronics, money, credit cards, and specialized equipment unless otherwise stated in the policy.
• For this benefit especially, it’s important to review your travel insurance policy document before purchase to ensure your items are covered under the plan.
• Baggage and Personal Item coverage offers an overall policy maximum, as well as a per-item limit, so it’s best to use a comparison tool to find policies that can cover the value of your items.

What is Baggage & Personal Items Loss Coverage?

Baggage and Personal Items Loss is a popular travel insurance benefit that provides reimbursement if your personal belongings get damaged, stolen, or lost at any point during a covered trip. Some policies will also provide reimbursement if your passport, visas, or other travel documents go missing during your trip.

Most plans will reimburse you the actual cash value of the lost or damaged items at the time of the incident. When filing a claim, you may be required to include a copy of a police or incident report.

Baggage Loss coverage limits and exclusions can vary dramatically from one plan to the next.

What Does Baggage Loss Insurance Cover?

Baggage Loss insurance is generally designed to protect your personal belongings during a trip. Plans that include this coverage will reimburse you if you experience loss, theft, damage, or destruction of your baggage up to a specified limit per person.

If you lose your tickets, passport, visa, or other travel documents essential to your itinerary, Baggage Loss insurance can also cover administrative fees to reissue new documentation.

To be eligible for coverage, you must take all reasonable measures to protect, save, and recover your belongings.

Common items covered by travel insurance include:

• Luggage, both checked and carry-on
• Clothing
• Toiletries
• Travel documents
• Jewelry
• Electronics
• Cameras
• Computers
• Cellphones

This benefit can also have limits for the amount reimbursed per item and for specific items, including items made of gold, silver, platinum, furs, cameras and their equipment, electronics, etc.

What Are Common Baggage Loss Exclusions?

Baggage Loss insurance is not all-encompassing, and all plans come with exclusions that outline the specific items that are not eligible for reimbursement.

Common items excluded from Baggage Loss insurance include:

• Animals
• Household items, such as furniture or antiques
• Sports equipment, unless your policy includes adventure sports coverage
• Medical equipment, including hearing aids or artificial limbs
• Keys, money, or credit cards
• Damage caused by normal wear and tear or gradual deterioration
• Theft of items left in an unlocked rental car
• Items that were illegally acquired, kept, or stored

A full list of exclusions can be found in your policy’s Certificate of Insurance.

What Documentation Do I Need to Supply for Baggage Claims?

Typically, for baggage loss or damage claims, your insurer needs:

• An irregularity report from the travel supplier and documentation that confirms the travel supplier is not providing any compensation (if damaged or lost by the travel supplier)
• Photos of the damaged items
• Original purchase receipts for the items they are claiming.
• Repair invoice (if the item can be repaired)
• Police report (if your items were stolen)

Some policies restrict this coverage to checked luggage only, meaning items will only be covered while checked on a common carrier. If a policy has this limitation, the Policy Details on our Quote Results page will state “Checked luggage only” for the Baggage and Personal Items Loss benefit.

Be sure to document the contents of your baggage, and share original purchase receipts for the items you are claiming. Most policies require the original purchase receipts, but some policies can provide coverage as long as the item is under a certain dollar amount.

For this reason, it’s important to compare coverage and review the policy information before purchasing.

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FAQs: Baggage & Personal Items Loss Coverage

Does Travel Insurance Cover Personal Belongings?

Yes, almost all travel insurance policies include protection for your personal items through the Baggage & Personal Items Loss and Baggage Delay benefits.

Baggage Loss coverage, as explained, is designed to cover your personal items in the event of loss, theft, damage, or destruction.

Baggage Delay, on the other hand, is another travel insurance benefit designed to reimburse travelers if their luggage is delayed en route to their final destination.

While the majority of travel insurance companies will cover your belongings for the entire length of your trip, others will only cover luggage that was checked into a common carrier.

Does Travel Insurance Cover Sports Equipment?

While standard travel insurance doesn’t usually cover personal sports equipment, some policies offer optional add-ons or built-in benefits that protect items like skis, golf clubs, mountain bikes, snorkel gear, and more.

If you are traveling with sports equipment, it’s important to find a plan that includes Sports Equipment Loss and Sports Equipment Delay benefits. Policies with this protection can provide reimbursement if your gear is lost, stolen, damaged, or delayed during your trip.

What Are Baggage Loss Insurance Coverage Limits?

Most travel insurance plans include per-person limits and per-item limits. You may also see policies with specific item limits, which set a limit on how much total reimbursement you can receive for high-priced items like jewelry, laptops, cameras, and other valuable belongings.

In general, you can expect plans to fall into the following ranges:

• Per person: $500 – $3,000
• Per-item coverage: $50 – $500
• Total coverage for specific items: $250 – $1,000

How Do I File a Lost Luggage Insurance Claim?

If you’re unable to locate your luggage, filing a claim with your travel insurance provider may help you receive reimbursement for your missing items. Typically, this involves the following steps:

1. Contact Your Provider: If your items are missing and you plan on filing a claim, you should first contact your provider. They will be able to advise you on their process, the baggage coverage you have, and what documents you may need.
2. File a Report: Before filing a claim, your provider may require you to file a report with your airline or local authorities, depending on where the incident occurred. Doing so will alert officials that your items are missing and may even result in them being returned to you.
3. Collect Your Documentation: Proving something is missing can be tricky. Most travel insurance providers require proof of original purchase as well as proof the item was lost, stolen, or damaged. Your provider may ask for a detailed list of the items in your bag, any relevant receipts, police reports, and any other related documents that support your claim.
4. Complete A Claims Form: Once you have collected all documents, you may then begin to file your claim. Most modern providers will allow you to fill out a claims form online, either through their website or mobile app.
5. Submit Your Claim: Once you submit your claim, your provider may reach out to you for additional information. Be sure to check back from time to time to see the status of your claim and if any judgments have been made.

Does Travel Insurance Cover Jewelry and Other Valuables?

Most travel insurance policies don’t offer sufficient loss coverage for expensive items. They typically have a per-person benefit amount, and can also have limits for the amount reimbursed per item, and per specific items, especially expensive items. Policies also may exclude certain items. If you’re traveling with luxury goods, valuable jewelry, or other belongings that are excluded or have a value greater than your policy’s coverage limits (usually $1,000 or less), we recommend finding an alternative source of protection.

Many travel credit cards now offer generous protection for personal effects while you’re traveling. Some homeowners’ insurance or renters’ insurance policies also allow you to add protection for high-priced items while traveling.

Is Baggage Loss Insurance Worth It?

Absolutely. Travel is unpredictable, and luggage issues are often unavoidable. From an airline misplacing your luggage to your backpack being snatched in a crowded city center, Baggage Loss insurance can provide the peace of mind and save you thousands if your belongings get lost, stolen, or damaged.

Fortunately, this benefit is typically included in your coverage at no additional cost. If you’re traveling with sports equipment or high-cost valuables, it’s important to find a plan that provides you with the right coverage.

Coverage can vary dramatically from one plan to the next. To find the best plan for your trip, we recommend comparing travel insurance policies from at least 2-3 different providers.

What Does “Actual Cash Value” Mean in a Travel Insurance Policy?

“Actual cash value” means the depreciated value of an item. Most travel insurance policies will reimburse for the actual cash value of a lost, stolen, or damaged item rather than the replacement cost.

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Please be aware that coverage and eligibility requirements for this benefit differ by policy.

Looking for a policy with Baggage & Personal Items Loss coverage?

Enter your trip information on our custom quote form. Once you receive your results, select the Baggage & Personal Items Loss filter to find the best policy for your trip with the coverage that you need.