Woman wins $10,000 for reading fine print on her insurance policy

A Georgia schoolteacher won $10,000 from an insurance company for doing what dozens before her failed to do: She read the fine print.

Donelan Andrews was seven pages deep into the fine print on a travel insurance contract when she spotted some curious text, according to Squaremouth, the Florida-based company that issues a policy known as Tin Leg.

“If you’ve read this far, then you are one of the very few Tin Leg customers to review all of their policy documentation," read the text, revealing a secret contest inviting Andrews to claim a $10,000 reward.

Andrews was the first to reach out to Squaremouth about the contest, the company said, 23 hours after the event launched and after 73 policies spelling out the $10,000 reward had been issued.

The company calls the contest Pays to Read, an effort to reward those who read policy documents from beginning to end. Andrews told Squaremouth she never skips fine print and that she tells students in her life skills classes to do the same.

“I used to put a question like that midway through an exam, saying ‘If you’re reading this, skip the next question,'" she told the company. "That caught my eye and intrigued me to keep reading.”

Andrews plans to use the $10,000 on a 35th wedding anniversary trip to Scotland with her husband. Squaremouth hopes its campaign will highlight the importance of careful reading.

"We understand most customers don’t actually read contracts or documentation when buying something, but we know the importance of doing so," the company said, adding that "many travelers buy travel insurance and just assume they’re covered if anything goes wrong, without actually reading the details of their policy."

"This lack of understanding is one of the biggest reasons travel insurance claims are denied," the company said.

The two schools Andrews teaches at will benefit from her keen eyes, too: Squaremouth donated $5,000 to Upson-Lee High School and Lamar County High School in Western Georgia. Both schools will put the money toward new textbooks and work-based learning programs.

The company gave another $10,000 to Reading is Fundamental, the DC-based charity focused on children's literacy.