What to do if you’ve got lost, missing or delayed luggage on holiday

If you get to your holiday destination and then realise your bags haven’t made it along with you – ring us! We’re here to help get your plans back on track.

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After all your holiday planning, clothes shopping, and packing, ending up with lost, missing or delayed luggage can be hugely frustrating. Whether it’s because the airline (or other transport provider) has sent it elsewhere, it got left behind by mistake, or it’s temporarily lost and on an unplanned trip of its own, we can help ease your pain.  

If you wind up with lost luggage or delayed baggage when you get to your holiday destination, our 24/7 emergency assistance team can help. The earlier you get in touch with us the better, to  help you make the right decisions from the get-go.’

Julie Saunders – Cover-More's General Manager for Assistance, APAC 

If you’ve kicked-off your holiday sans luggage – or it’s gone walkabouts mid-trip – try to not worry too much. Yes, it’s irritating, but we can help you. It might be figuring out how to (hopefully) reunite with your lost luggage or helping cover the costs of replacing it. Either way, we’re here to help you sort it out so you can enjoy your holiday while you wait.

Do you need our help right now?

Our 24/7 emergency assistance team is standing by. Here are two ways you can reach us:

• Tap the assistance button in our Cover-More app.
• Call +61 2 8907 5619 from anywhere in the world.

4 steps to take if you wind up with lost luggage, or your baggage is delayed or missing:

1. Report your missing luggage  
2. Call our 24/7 emergency assistance team for help  
3. Replace must-have items while you wait for your bags arrive  
4. Make a claim for costs relating to your delayed, missing or lost luggage 

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Here’s what to do if you have lost, missing or delayed luggage  

Step 1: Report your missing luggage

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

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’, and we'll need to see it if you decide to make a claim. So, keep it safe! 

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. So call our emergency assistance team as soon as you can. Our team will explain what to do next, depending on your cover.  

Good to know: All our Cover-More plans, apart from the domestic Basic plan, include Delayed Luggage cover. What does this cover do for you, you ask? Well, we might be able to cover up to $1,500 for things you have to buy till you get hold of your luggage, depending on the plan you chose. Check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to find out more.  

Step 3: Replace the stuff you absolutely need until your bags arrive

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

Here’s the good news, though: thanks to our handy Delayed Luggage cover, if your luggage has been delayed at least 12 hours, you can be reimbursed if you need to replace some essentials while you’re waiting for your missing baggage to join you.  

By essentials, we mean things like underwear, socks, toiletries, non-prescription medication and a change of shoes, clothes and a bag, up to your cover’s total limit.  

This doesn’t mean you can go on a shopping spree or buy items that aren’t necessarily to your trip, though – keep it simple!  

We can also reimburse you the cost for transport back to the airport, train or bus station (up to your cover’s total limit), to pick up your luggage once it arrives.

Good to know: your luggage needs to have been delayed at least 12 hours before you can shop to replace your essentials and make a claim for their cost. More info about this is explained in the Delayed Luggage cover section of our PDS for those who are curious! This perk doesn’t apply to our domestic Basic cover, though, so double check your cover before you get new stuff. 

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.  

If you need a little extra help with your claim, give us a ring and our claims team can give you some pointers. It’s our pleasure. 

Be smart, be safe – know what to do if something goes wrong on your holiday  

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 holiday hiccups beyond losing your luggage. 

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

When you travel with our Cover-More 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. It’ll send you real-time alerts if there’s something risky happening near you (as long as you have turned on notifications), give you clever destination info, and more. 

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Get more out of your travel insurance cover

Travelling is a great adventure, but adventure can come with the unexpected. From flight delays or illness, to a lost phone or unexpected delay on the road, sometimes things can stray from the plan. But, we want you to focus more on the fun and worry less about things going wrong. That’s why a lot of our cover options include nifty perks like these.  

Looking for worry-less travel insurance?

Get more care and support  when you need it the most with our cover