California and Washington buyers of Allianz Global Assistance travel and event-ticket protection plans who claimed a share of the $19.75 million assistance-fee settlement have not been paid as of September 2026. The court approved the deal in October 2024, but payments wait on a Ninth Circuit appeal that was argued May 18, 2026 and remains undecided.
What Is This About?
AGA Service Company, which does business as Allianz Global Assistance, agreed to pay $19.75 million to resolve two class actions over the assistance fee included in the price of its travel and event-ticket protection plans. Jefferson Insurance Company and BCS Insurance Company are also defendants. The cases are Elgindy v. AGA Service Co., No. 4:20-cv-06304-JST, in the Northern District of California, and Tasakos v. AGA Service Co., No. 2:22-cv-00433, in the Western District of Washington. The Washington claims were folded into the California case for settlement.The plans were sold through the checkout pages of major airline and event-ticket websites, among other channels. Plaintiffs allege that charging an assistance fee for “non-insurance assistance services” as part of one plan price was unlawful, unfair or deceptive. The defendants deny any wrongdoing and say the plan price, coverage and assistance services were properly disclosed. No court has decided who is right.
Judge Jon S. Tigar granted final approval on October 29, 2024. An appeal followed, and the settlement cannot take effect, or pay anyone, until that appeal is resolved.
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Why the Money Has Not Gone Out
Under the settlement agreement, cash payments are due within 60 calendar days after the Effective Date. When no one appeals, that date is simply the end of the time to appeal. When an appeal is filed, the Effective Date is the day the Ninth Circuit issues its mandate after affirming the approval order or dismissing the appeal.The appeal, No. 24-7320, was argued in San Francisco on May 18, 2026. As of September 24, 2026, the Ninth Circuit’s opinion and memorandum-disposition databases show no ruling. Until one issues and the mandate follows, the 60-day payment clock has not started.
Class counsel’s fees are also tied to the Effective Date. The court held back 10% of the $4,937,500 fee award until class counsel files a post-distribution accounting, which is due 21 days after all funds are paid and uncashed checks have gone stale.
The Appeal and the Travel Guard Case
Two class members objected to the Allianz settlement and 661 opted out. The court overruled both objections. One rejected argument was that the class needed separately represented subgroups, because earlier and later buyers receive different percentages and because the class spans two states. The court found that the higher rate for earlier plans reflects how much disclosure those buyers received, and that the objector had not shown any real conflict between California and Washington law.A similar fee challenge against Travel Guard, sold largely through Expedia-family sites and United Airlines, settled for $23,997,500 and is also stuck on appeal. The same three-judge panel heard both appeals on May 18, 2026. The two settlements have separate funds, claim records and websites, and a ruling in one does not automatically decide the other. The Travel Guard case is covered in Travel Guard settlement payments.
How Payments Will Be Calculated
Each valid claimant gets a share of the assistance fees built into the plans they bought, at one of two rates:- California plans: 75% of the assistance fee for plans bought September 4, 2016 through July 31, 2019, and 40% for plans bought August 1, 2019 through September 30, 2023.
- Washington plans: 75% for plans bought April 2, 2018 through April 7, 2020, and 40% for plans bought April 8, 2020 through September 30, 2023.
A California plan bought in 2018 with a $12 assistance fee would start at $9, for instance, and a 2022 plan with the same fee would start at $4.80. Those starting amounts then move with the claim count. If money is left over, they can rise to as much as double, and if valid claims exceed the fund, every payment is cut proportionally. More than 480,000 people claimed more than 1.2 million plans.
The fund also pays $4,937,500 in attorneys’ fees (25%), $188,870.47 in expenses, $5,000 incentive awards to each named plaintiff, and administration costs. Anything left after distribution goes to Travelers Aid International.
Claims That Do Not Qualify
Some plans are excluded even when the buyer is otherwise in the class. There is no payment for a plan that was fully refunded, or for a plan on which Allianz Global Assistance opened and documented an assistance case. The billing address, or the plan owner’s address when no billing address was recorded, must be in California or Washington.The agreement lets the administrator reject a claim that is incomplete, unsigned or ineligible, and requires it to notify the claimant by email, or by mail when only an address is on file. The claimant can fix the problem or send supporting documents, but only by the deadline stated in the notice. That deadline can be no later than 14 days from the later of the claim deadline or the notice date, and the administrator’s decision after review is final.
Plans are easy to confuse with one another. A trip protected through one airline or booking site may carry a different insurer than a trip bought elsewhere, and a Travel Guard plan is not part of this settlement. The insurer’s name is printed on the plan confirmation.
Questions
When will Allianz Global Assistance settlement payments be sent?
No date has been set. The settlement agreement requires payment within 60 days after the Effective Date, and while an appeal is pending, that date arrives only when the Ninth Circuit affirms the approval or dismisses the appeal and issues its mandate. The appeal, No. 24-7320, was argued May 18, 2026 and was undecided as of September 24, 2026.
How is each Allianz settlement payment calculated?
Each valid claimant receives a percentage of the assistance fees included in the plans they bought: 75% for plans in the earlier part of the class period and 40% for later plans, with the cutoff falling on different dates for California and Washington. Those amounts can rise to as much as double or be reduced proportionally, depending on how far the fund stretches across valid claims.
Why would an Allianz settlement claim be rejected?
The class excludes plans that were fully refunded and plans for which AGA opened and documented an assistance case, and it covers only California and Washington purchases within set date ranges. Claims can also be rejected as incomplete or unsigned. A claimant who received a rejection notice can respond only by the deadline in that notice, which the agreement caps at 14 days from the later of the claim deadline or the notice date.
Is the Allianz settlement the same as the Travel Guard settlement?
No. They are separate cases against different companies, with separate funds, administrators’ websites and claim records. Allianz Global Assistance’s deal is $19.75 million; Travel Guard’s is $23,997,500. Both challenge the same kind of assistance fee, and the Ninth Circuit heard both appeals on May 18, 2026.
Can I still file an Allianz settlement claim?
No. The claim period, which was extended once past its original January 25, 2024 deadline, closed in 2024 and has not reopened.
Sources
- Order Granting Final Approval, Elgindy v. AGA Service Co., ECF No. 152 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 29, 2024), via GovInfo — claim totals, objections, opt-outs, fee and expense awards and the fee holdback.
- Settlement Agreement — the Effective Date definition (¶ 2.26), the 60-day payment term (¶ 6.5) and the deficiency and cure process (¶¶ 7.9–7.12).
- Long Form Notice — class periods, payment percentages and exclusions.
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, oral argument recording, No. 24-7320 (May 18, 2026).
- Official Allianz settlement website.
