Just Travel Cover and insurtech CPP partner to launch ‘UK first’ lost bags policy

Policy holders offered real-time automated support and pay outs

Travel insurance specialist Just Travel Cover has launched new automated lost baggage cover as part of a tie-up with insurtech specialist CPP.

Smart Luggage offers policy holders real-time support and immediate pay outs to airline passengers for bags that are lost in transit and cannot be located.

The technology behind the new insurance is being provided by Blink parametric which was acquired as part of the wider CPP Group in 2017.

Policy holders are entitled to a £50 pay out within 30 minutes of their luggage being unlocatable rising to an additional £500 if the case has still not been located within 48 hours.

All policy holders have to do it upload an image of the receipt for their lost luggage from the airline, they do not have to make a claim. Users will get regular text updates as they are reunited with their belongings.

Just Travel Cover, which specialises in insurance for holidaymakers with pre-existing medical conditions, is including Smart Luggage in all of its gold travel insurance policies.

Alternatively, it can be added to any silver or bronze polices, and is available in annual and single trip formats.

Just Travel Cover claims the policy is the first parametric lost luggage product made available in the UK. In 2018, 25.4 million items of baggage were mishandled costing the industry £1.8 billion.

Andrew Jackson, managing director at Just Travel Cover, said: “Overseas holidays fell by approximately 79% in 2020, but the appetite remains: 62% of people we surveyed said they’re still hopeful of a holiday in 2021 and over a third have booked for next year.

“This summer season, after months of restrictions, complex claim processes and travel disruption like never before, the stress of losing luggage is the last thing that passengers need. With Smart Luggage, lost luggage doesn’t need to be another obstacle to passengers fully enjoying their travels.

“Though it’ll be a long road back to recovery for the travel sector, we’re pleased to play our part with CPP UK in making the industry and customers’ return to travel as enjoyable and stress-free as it can be.”

Carl Carter, chief executive of CPP UK, added: “As Covid-19 restrictions relax and non-essential travel gradually returns, it’s important that passengers continue to ensure they not only have the right travel insurance cover but are also able to spend more time travelling and less time filling in claims forms should the unfortunate happen.

“The CPP parametric solution for delayed and lost baggage allows them to make the most of a streamlined and automated claims process should they encounter delayed or lost checked in luggage.

“With the average checked luggage of a UK passenger worth £535, losing a bag on your travels cannot only be an inconvenience, but also a potentially hefty financial blow.

“The technology behind Smart Luggage, which taps into the global database for lost luggage (SITA), automates everything from the moment the passenger registers their luggage as missing at the lost luggage desk, making an otherwise stressful experience as seamless as possible – with no paper forms to fill in.”