knowledge center & faq
You've got questions. We've got answers.
What is Traverse?
Traverse is an affordable kind of insurance that follows the life you lead. Wherever you go. Whatever happens. Powered by Travelers, an insurance brand over 100 years old, Traverse is designed to help you bounce back from accidental phone drops, lost laptops, unplanned vacation mishaps, and things that directly affectyou - like identity fraud and lawsuits.
How does it work? It's pretty simple.
- You choose protection that matches your lifestyle
- Life happens - you lose your phone or your bike is stolen
- We help take care of the solution - like the cost of a new phone or bike
Insurance Vocab
Those key insurance terms that have you saying “Oh, I totally know what that is. Wait… what does that mean again?”
Deductible:
At its simplest, a deductible is the amount of money you agree to pay until your insurance kicks in. That means, with other insurance companies, if you agree on a $250 deductible and break your $1,000 laptop, they’ll only give you the difference of $750. But with our deductible-free plans, you wouldn’t have to pay anything upfront, so you’d get the full $1,000. If you prefer having a cell-phone deductible in order to reduce your monthly payment, you can do that too (only available in TX).
That’s right. We offer no deductible plans.
Liability Coverage:
Protection for bodily harm to others or damage that you cause to someone else’s property for which you are legally responsible (see examples below!). If you are sued and the claim is covered, our liability coverage will help pay for lawyer fees and other legal expenses. Plus, it provides you with up to $100,000 in protection in NY, and up to $500,000 in TX. This coverage may satisfy your landlord’s insurance requirements*.
Bodily harm at your home:
Brad trips over your drum set, falls down at your apartment, and then wants to sue you.
Damage to others property:
Your bathtub accidentally overflows, leaks through the floor, and ruins your neighbor's furniture.
ID Fraud Coverage
When someone steals your personal information (like credit card, bank accounts, or your social security #) to commit a crime or to gain financial advantage. In the event that this happens to you, we help cover expenses including but not limited to legal fees, salary lost due to court appearances, and other expenses that arise when attempting to resolve the issue. We can also hook you up with a consumer fraud specialist to help you sort through the mess.
Amount of Coverage: Our ID Fraud coverage will pay up to $25,000 worth of covered expenses.
Policy Details
Traverse lets you choose what items you want to cover so you don’t pay for extra coverage you don’t want. Just pick the category of item you want to protect and how much that item is worth. If you break, lose, or have the item stolen we will pay you for the repair or replacement. It is as simple as that.
What can I cover?
We currently offer coverage for:
- Mobile Phones
- Personal Electronics
- Musical Equipment
- Sports Equipment (includes bicycles in NY)
- Jewelry
- Handbags
- Cameras
- Bicycles (only available in TX)
- Clothing (only available in TX)
- Misc. Medical Equipment (only available in TX)
How do coverage limits work?
You will need to choose a coverage limit for each category you select for your policy. The coverage limit determines the maximum amount Traverse will pay to repair or replace your valuables if they are lost, stolen, or accidentally damaged.
How much coverage should I choose if I have more than one item in a category (i.e. 2 Cell Phones, 2 bikes, etc.)
Traverse provides “blanket coverage” for all your items within a category, up to the limit you choose. Blanket coverage simply means we don’t need to know every single item you own up front. When selecting a coverage limit, you’ll want to make sure you select an amount high enough to cover all of your items within that category. If you are unfortunate enough to have multiple items lost, stolen, or damaged in a specific category, we will repair or replace all of those items up to your coverage limit. For instance, if you have 2 cell phones worth $500 a piece and you purchased $1,000 of cell phone coverage, we would pay up to $1000 to replace both devices in the event they were both lost or stolen.
Are Cracked Cell Phone Screens Covered?
Yes, we will pay to repair or replace a screen that is cracked as long as you have an active policy at the time the damage occurs and the damage was accidental. Sorry, any damage that already existed before your policy effective date is not covered and attempting to file a claim for a previously cracked screen could be considered insurance fraud.
Not seeing a category that fits something you want to protect or need different coverage limits?
There are some types of stuff and special things that we might be able to help you protect. Email or call to find out!
How much coverage do I get per category?
We want to make sure you can protect your favorite things, so we let you choose how much coverage you need up to $5,000.
Do I have a deductible for this plan?
In NY, nope, no deductible. In TX, we offer no-deductible plans, and we offer an optional cell-phone deductible if you prefer a lower monthly payment. Your choice!
What will Traverse pay me if I make a claim for my thing(s)?
You'll receive the full repair or replacement cost of your item(s) up to the amount of coverage you purchased, minus any deductible amount (if you chose to have a deductible).
Experience Expense Reimbursement Coverage
What kind of not-so-fun vacation mishaps qualify for coverage?
The following are the types of events that would have to occur for Traverse to cover any increased transportation, lodging, or meal expenses that would ensue.
Canceled & Delayed Travel:
If your typical commercial flight, bus, or boat is missed, diverted or delayed because of:
- Terrible weather conditions
- Natural disasters like hurricane, flood, earthquake, tornado, fire, wildfire and even a volcanic eruption
- A mechanical breakdown that delays the flight/train/boat by 3+ hours
- Canceled flight/train/boat
Unbearable Home-Sharing Accommodations:
Below are what we consider get-me-out-of-here home sharing rental situations that are so unbearable that you have to leave. Note that hotel and resort stays are covered for TX customers only.
- Unbearable living conditions (stained carpets, furniture, mold, other similar conditions)
- Uninvited guests like insect or animal infestation
- Appliances that are definitely supposed to work but definitely don’t
- Broken locks/deadbolts
- Smells that make you cringe or loud noises that leave you sleepless
- Exaggeration of the amenities of the rental
- Severe allergic reaction to the rental you may endure
- When you book Mon-Fri, but you arrive and it’s really only available Mon-Tues.
Car Breakdowns:
When you’re living it up on vacation and all of a sudden your car has mechanical or electrical breakdown (50+ miles from your home).
What will I get from Traverse if these events happen to me?
So your vacation can continue, we’ll pay you up to $200/day (up to $600 per trip) for increased expenses that you now have to pay due after you have vacated the home sharing accommodation.
What type of expenses is the $200/day for?
Up to $200/day can be used for increased expenses for transportation, lodging or meals. Sorry, booze not included!
Do I have a deductible for this plan?
Nope! No deductible. No worries.
Claims
Filing a Claim
We’ll get you what you need. Just fill us in on what happened by logging in to your account, heading to Claims, and filling in the necessary information. Should take around 5 minutes.
Review Process
We’ll take a look at what happened and see if everything checks out. Sometimes we might need to contact you to get more information.
Getting Paid
Whether it is the repair or replacement of your favorite thing, or up to $200/day for your vacation gone wrong, or hooking you up with a consumer fraud expert to help with your identity theft, or providing a defense to a lawsuit that you got served with, if your claim is covered, we got you covered. When making payments, we can deposit it right into your bank account. We also support payments via PayPal and Zelle.
How many claims can I file per year?
- Item Coverage - up to 3 losses per year.
- Experience plan - up to 2 vacations per year.
What about Liability and ID Fraud claims?
There are no annual limits on how many Liability and ID Fraud claims you can submit.
What documents do I need to file a claim?
We will ask you to prove ownership of each item - like a receipt or cell phone bill. In the case of a damaged item, we will ask for a photo of the damage and estimate for it to be repaired. If more information is needed to process the claim, the claim professional will reach out to you.
Do I need to mail in my item to get it repaired?
No. You may get your item repaired at a store of your choosing as long as the estimate has been approved by a Traverse claim representative.
Does Traverse Cover my things when I travel internationally?
Yes! Traverse is truly worldwide coverage for your valuables and gives you piece of mind no matter where your travels take you.
Subscription Details
How do I pay for Traverse?
You can pay using your credit card. We cannot accept pre-paid cards. Your account will be charged once a month.
How do I reset my password?
Go to the login screen, click on the Forgot Password link. You’ll receive an email with the confirmation code. Enter this code, and select your new password. If you don't see the email within a few minutes, check your Spam/Junk folders.
What happens to my subscription if I move?
If you stay in the state of New York or Texas, you’re still covered. Just update your account with your new address. If you’re moving outside the state of New York or Texas, please let us know right away as Traverse is currently not available outside the states of New York and Texas.
How do I update my credit card information?
Log into youraccountand click on My Profile. Then change your info in My Payment.
How do I make changes to my plan?
Log into youraccount. Click My Subscription, then on Make Changes and choose the new options you’d like. As always, feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call.
If I cancel, will I get my money back?
Yes! We’ll refund you for the time period remaining on your subscription.
General Q&A's
Who do I contact if I have questions?
Customer-Service Email: help@withtraverse.com
Claim Email: claims@withtraverse.com
Phone:1-888-678-2114 (8am - 4pm Eastern Time M-F)
Where is Traverse available?
Right now, just in the states of New York and Texas. But stay tuned, we may come to your city someday!
Who is covered under a Traverse plan?
The person who buys the policy, their spouse/civil partner/domestic partner, and resident relatives in the home.