As I’ve written many times before, I always travel with travel insurance. I have an annual plan with Allianz Global Assistance, for whom I’m an ambassador, and I have only great things to say about them. Fortunately, I’ve never needed to file a claim after a trip, but I rest easier knowing that I’m protected if I ever run into trouble away from home. That’s the thing with travel insurance. You don’t always need it, but if you ever do, you’ll be glad you’re covered.
What many people don’t know, though, is that your travel insurance provider can help you in more ways than just claim-processing. (See more on real-time claim-processing with Allianz here.) When you purchase a policy, therefore, you should make sure to look over the additional services you’re paying for. And you should consider taking advantage of them.
With Allianz, for example, I get 24-hour assistance and concierge benefits. That means that I can call Allianz at any hour for:
- Flight assistance
- Accommodation assistance
- Destination information
- Lost travel documents assistance
- Emergency language translation
- Emergency message delivery
- Personal effects collection and return
The concierge service can even help with destination and activity planning (like finding a sporting event to attend). If you have an event or meeting to plan, the concierge team can help you set it up. Tech services are fair game, as well. If you’re looking for a place to rent a phone or fix a broken computer, for example, an Allianz team member can point you in the right direction.
A few examples
In my communication with Allianz on the subject, the team shared a few stories of policy holders taking advantage of these Allianz concierge services. Here are a few of them:
- One customer called about a purse she left at a rest stop on a road trip. She couldn’t remember which rest stop she’d left it at, so the associate asked a few questions, located her and her route, called several rests stops to ask about the purse, and finally found it and coordinated its return.
- Another customer called to discuss an upcoming trip to England. She expressed an interest in knitting, and a team member found knitting classes in cities she was visiting.
- Another customer called about a trip to Australia on which he would be driving his boss around on the “wrong” side of the road. Allianz concierge services found him a driving school in the U.S. so that he could practice before he left.
Pretty cool, eh? I have to say that I haven’t taken advantage of these Allianz concierge services, so I’ll be thinking about them on my next trip.
How to reach Allianz concierge services
If you’re an Allianz policy holder, you can reach Allianz concierge services 24 hours a day using the number provided with your policy. You can also call 1-800-654-1908 in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands or call collect via 1-804-281-5700. On the phone, you’ll be asked to share your name and plan number, so have that ready.
Disclaimer: Johnny Jet works as an ambassador for Allianz Global Assistance (AGA Service Company) and receives financial compensation.
For more information about Allianz Global, visit AllianzTravelInsurance.com.
