What do I do if I have lost luggage on a trip?

Question

Step 1: Report your missing luggage

As soon as you realize you’re dealing with lost luggage (or delayed baggage, if that’s the case), report it to your transport provider. This could be your airline, airport, bus, coach, or train authority, depending on how you traveled.

They’ll usually have a lost luggage desk or office where you can tell the staff about the delay or loss and get a report confirming the situation. This is usually called a “property irregularity report" (PIR), and we’ll need a copy if you submit a claim. So be sure to hold onto it!

Did you know: Our Travel On app gives you quick access to 24/7 emergency assistance support, travel safety alerts, and helpful tools on the go. If your luggage is lost, the app can help you connect with our assistance team fast — so you can start sorting things out without missing a beat.

Step 2: Call our 24/7 emergency assistance team for help

We’re here to help in exactly this sort of situation – it’s what we do. Contact our emergency assistance team as soon as possible. We'll walk you through your next steps based on your plan’s coverage.

You can also contact our travel assistance provider by:

Calling from the U.S./Canada at 1-800-555-0870
Calling overseas at 1-416-977-1803
Emailing [email protected]

Good to know: All our plans, apart from the Flight Insure plan, include a delayed luggage benefit.

What does this benefit do for you? Well, our plans can help cover up to $500 for essential items you have to buy till you get hold of your luggage, depending on the plan you chose. Check your policy documents to find out more.

Step 3: Replace the essentials until your bags arrive and keep your receipts

One of the most annoying things about finding your lost luggage isn’t on holiday with you is not having the essentials you need to start your fun. (Think: your carefully packed outfits, toiletries, and other must-haves).

Here’s the good news, though: Thanks to our useful delayed luggage coverage, if your bags are delayed by at least 12 hours, you may be reimbursed for essential items you purchase while you wait (up to the limit on your policy).

By essentials, we mean things like underwear, socks, toiletries, non-prescription medication and a change of shoes, clothes and a bag.

This doesn’t mean shopping for extras or splurging on souvenirs — just stick to the basics you truly need. (Because if it’s not an essential item — or you go over your coverage limit — these costs would not be eligible.)

We may also reimburse transportation costs (within your coverage limit) to return to the airport, train station, or bus terminal to retrieve your delayed luggage once it arrives.

Good to know: Your luggage must be delayed by at least 12 hours before you purchase replacement essentials and submit a claim. More details are outlined in the baggage delay section of your policy documents.

This benefit does not apply to our domestic Flight Insure plan, so be sure to double-check what’s included in your coverage.

Step 4: Make a claim for what you had to spend because of your delayed, missing or lost luggage

Make sure you keep all receipts for any essentials you’ve replaced, plus any transport costs you had to pay when you eventually picked up your bags. We’ll need these if you decide to make a claim.

Need help? Give us a call at 1-800-555-0870, and our claims team will walk you through it. We’re happy to help.

Be prepared — know what to do if something goes wrong on your trip

Whether it’s an emergency, or something less urgent but still a sticky situation, we’re here to help. That goes for all sorts of vacation hiccups beyond lost luggage:

Our app can help you get out of a (travel) pickle

When you travel with our Travel On app, you’ve got our emergency assistance team at your fingertips.

You can tap a button to call them, plus our app makes it easy to keep track on what’s going on around you. It’ll send you real-time alerts if there’s something risky happening near you (as long as you have enabled notifications and allowed GPS access to the app), give you useful destination info, and more.

Get more out of your travel insurance coverage

Traveling is a great adventure, but adventures can come with the unexpected. From flight delays to illnesses to a lost phone or unexpected delay on the road, sometimes things can stray from the plan. Having the right coverage makes all the difference: