What is shipping insurance?
Shipping insurance is an insurance policy that pays for a package that is lost, stolen or damaged while it is being shipped. With InsureShip, coverage applies to loss, damage and theft in transit, including porch piracy, up to $5,000 per shipment, subject to the policy terms, limits and exclusions.
It is different from a store's refund promise or a carrier's limited liability: a licensed agency sells it, a named insurer backs it, and claims are decided under a written policy.
Learn more: Shipping insurance vs carrier liability · Full coverage terms
Related questions: What is InsureShip? · Why did I see InsureShip at checkout on another store's website?
What is InsureShip?
InsureShip is a licensed shipping insurance agency for ecommerce. It is the business name of Online Shipping Insurance Services, Inc., a California corporation based in Los Angeles that has operated as InsureShip since January 2009.
InsureShip is licensed by the California Department of Insurance (license #0G55434) and is licensed nationwide. Coverage is underwritten by Navigators, a Hartford company.
Learn more: About InsureShip
Related questions: Why did I see InsureShip at checkout on another store's website? · Is InsureShip the insurance company?
Why did I see InsureShip at checkout on another store's website?
The store you shopped with offers InsureShip shipping insurance as an optional add-on so you can insure your order against loss, damage and theft in transit. InsureShip does not sell the products in your order; it provides the insurance on the shipment.
The store is not InsureShip's agent and is not an insurer. It cannot change coverage terms or decide claims. Questions about your products, tracking or delivery dates go to the store; questions about coverage and claims go to InsureShip.
Learn more: Shipping Policy · Contact InsureShip
Related questions: Why is there a separate InsureShip charge on my card statement? · Should I contact InsureShip or the store?
Is InsureShip the insurance company?
No. InsureShip is a licensed insurance agency, not the insurer. The insurer that underwrites the coverage is Navigators, a Hartford company. InsureShip does not itself assume the insurance risk.
Navigators Insurance Company is rated A+ by AM Best (as of 2024).
Learn more: Terms & Conditions, Section 3
Related questions: When does my shipping insurance coverage start? · Is shipping insurance required at checkout?
When does my shipping insurance coverage start?
Coverage starts when the merchant ships your order and the shipment is in transit. It applies only if the premium for that shipment has been charged and received, the shipment is eligible under the policy, and the coverage was not cancelled before shipment.
Seeing an insurance offer or checkbox at checkout does not, by itself, create coverage.
Learn more: Shipping Policy, Section 4
Related questions: Is shipping insurance required at checkout? · What is the difference between shipping insurance and "shipping protection"?
Is shipping insurance required at checkout?
InsureShip recommends, and configures by default, an opt-in offer: an unchecked, clearly labeled insurance option with the price shown, which you choose to add. Whether to buy it is your decision.
If you were charged for coverage you did not select, InsureShip will refund the mistaken charge after confirming it. Email hello@insureship.com with your order number, the store name and the email address you used at checkout.
Learn more: Refund Policy
Related questions: What is the difference between shipping insurance and "shipping protection"? · How is shipping insurance different from carrier liability?
What is the difference between shipping insurance and "shipping protection"?
Shipping insurance is sold by a licensed agency and backed by a named insurer under a written policy. Some checkout "shipping protection" or "package protection" programs say in their own terms that they are not insurance, and in some of them the fees fund the claims.
Whether a product is legally insurance is decided by state law and regulators based on what it does, not what it is called. InsureShip coverage is insurance: InsureShip is a licensed agency and Navigators underwrites the policy.
Learn more: Shipping protection vs. shipping insurance · Shipping protection providers compared
Related questions: Is package protection legally considered insurance? · What is "fake" shipping insurance?
How is shipping insurance different from carrier liability?
Carrier liability is the limited amount a carrier such as USPS, UPS or FedEx may pay under its own rules when it loses or damages a package. Shipping insurance is a separate policy that covers loss, damage and theft in transit under the insurance terms.
The two can overlap. Under the InsureShip certificate, the insured remains responsible for, and entitled to, collecting any amount the carrier may be liable for, and the insurer can pursue recovery from the carrier after paying a claim.
Learn more: Shipping insurance vs carrier liability · Carrier claim vs shipping insurance claim
Related questions: Is a carrier's declared value the same as shipping insurance? · Does InsureShip ship or sell my order?
Is a carrier's declared value the same as shipping insurance?
No. Declared value raises the carrier's own liability limit under the carrier's terms, and claims are handled by the carrier. Shipping insurance through InsureShip is a separate insurance policy underwritten by Navigators, with claims filed with InsureShip.
Learn more: Declared value vs shipping insurance · USPS vs UPS vs FedEx shipping insurance
Related questions: Does InsureShip ship or sell my order? · How do I get proof of my shipping insurance coverage?
Does InsureShip ship or sell my order?
No. InsureShip does not sell, store, pack, ship or deliver the goods in your order. The store you bought from chooses the carrier and shipping method, sets processing and delivery times, provides tracking, and handles address changes, returns and exchanges.
InsureShip provides the shipping insurance on that shipment and handles insurance claims.
Learn more: Shipping Policy
Related questions: How do I get proof of my shipping insurance coverage? · Where can I read the full coverage terms?
How do I get proof of my shipping insurance coverage?
Your coverage is recorded for the shipment when you select it at checkout and the premium is charged. Confirmation, certificate information and claim communications are delivered electronically: by email, on the InsureShip website, or through the claims portal at claims.insureship.com.
Nothing is mailed automatically, but you can ask for a paper copy of any required insurance document by contacting hello@insureship.com or 1-866-701-3654.
Learn more: Shipping Policy, Section 3
Related questions: Where can I read the full coverage terms? · Can I buy InsureShip coverage for a personal package I am mailing?
Where can I read the full coverage terms?
The full insurance certificate is reproduced, unchanged, in Section 4 of InsureShip's Terms and Conditions. It lists the exclusions, excluded countries, waiting periods, filing deadlines and documentation requirements.
If anything on the website, in marketing or from a store conflicts with the certificate or policy, the certificate or policy controls.
Learn more: Terms & Conditions, Section 4
Related questions: Can I buy InsureShip coverage for a personal package I am mailing? · What is shipping insurance?
Can I buy InsureShip coverage for a personal package I am mailing?
InsureShip's programs are built for online stores and businesses: shoppers add coverage at a participating store's checkout, and businesses can insure their own outbound shipments through enterprise bulk coverage. The certificate also excludes personal goods unless endorsed in writing.
If you have an unusual shipment, contact InsureShip to ask whether coverage is available.
Learn more: Pricing and programs · Contact InsureShip
Related questions: What is shipping insurance? · What is InsureShip?
