KAYAK, a travel search engine, has partnered with InsurTech Koala to provide a digitised travel protection platform in Europe.
Koala and Kayak’s partnership will see the launch of KAYAK Flex and KAYAK Comprehensive, powered by Koala, two full digitised travel products integrated directly into the KAYAK platform, with KAYAK Flex that pays-out refunds instantly without the need of complex forms or reasons for cancellations.
From today, any traveller searching for their next trip on KAYAK can purchase both Koala products via a two-minute purchase journey.
KAYAK Flex, available to purchase within three days of booking your trip, provides cancellation protection before departure, allowing travellers to receive an instant cash reimbursement if they want to cancel their trip, if they, for any reason, decide not to travel. Travellers can be refunded up to 70% of their trip price if they cancel their trip up to 4 days before departure, with only essential information needed such as travel dates and destination.
KAYAK Comprehensive provides “added peace of mind” according to Koala, allowing travellers to be protected during their trip with coverage of medical expenses, including any Covid-19 related expenses, hospitalisation and repatriation costs for any trip around the world.
According to a study from KAYAK, about half (48%) of French adults are planning to purchase travel insurance for a holiday in 2022, with around 41% citing Covid-19 as a driving factor.
Koala said that despite the demand for travellers seeking financial protection for their trips in the age of pandemic travel, it appears most travel insurance products haven’t adapted to meet traveller’s needs. About a quarter (24%) of respondents from the same report said they don’t trust most insurance providers, with about 40% finding most policies to be unclear and misleading about what is actually covered, and a further 30% believe most to have complicated claims processes.
Ugo Weyl, CEO and co-founder of Koala, said, “We are proud of our new partnership with KAYAK which demonstrates our ambition to innovate and bring added value to travellers and travel partners across the industry. We are on a mission to make travel insurance fair and simple, and today’s launch is just the start of our journey with KAYAK as we will add to our product offering and increase the services and geographies further during the course of the year.”
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