CC Complimentary Travel Insurance Warning

Anyone who uses credit card complimentary travel insurance be aware some card's policies will not cover deposits paid. I have just found out to my dismay when I rang Citibank Complimentary Travel Insurance with Allianz that the insurance is only available after "paid in full international tickets have been issued". We booked a cruise in November 2015 for a return cruise to Hawaii this year and since then have paid over $4000 deposit. The insurance company will not cover it because we have not made the final payment, which is not yet due, and the cruise company will not refund any of it although it is 133 days away (their cruise book says 119 days for full refund but this cruise says188 days) and the cruise is booked out and probably has a waiting list. Yesterday we found out my husband has to have major surgery with a 3-4month recovery time, so we cannot possible go with this hanging over our head. OK so we have learnt our lesson in a very hard way I just hope no one else gets caught. Bad news comes in 3s can't image what the next will be.

Anyone who uses credit card complimentary travel insurance be aware some card's policies will not cover deposits paid. I have just found out to my dismay when I rang Citibank Complimentary Travel Insurance with Allianz that the insurance is only available after "paid in full international tickets have been issued". We booked a cruise in November 2015 for a return cruise to Hawaii this year and since then have paid over $4000 deposit. The insurance company will not cover it because we have not made the final payment, which is not yet due, and the cruise company will not refund any of it although it is 133 days away (their cruise book says 119 days for full refund but this cruise says188 days) and the cruise is booked out and probably has a waiting list. Yesterday we found out my husband has to have major surgery with a 3-4month recovery time, so we cannot possible go with this hanging over our head. OK so we have learnt our lesson in a very hard way I just hope no one else gets caught. Bad news comes in 3s can't image what the next will be.

I just had a quick look at that cover......and yes, it does state No cover until you have received your ticket.

I hope your hubby has a successful op and you return to cruising soon....an no 3's......you have had enough bad news!!

Is he having at Port Base hospital? or heading to Sydney?

I just had a quick look at that cover......and yes, it does state No cover until you have received your ticket.

I hope your hubby has a successful op and you return to cruising soon....an no 3's......you have had enough bad news!!

Is he having at Port Base hospital? or heading to Sydney?

No he is having it at JHH, Newcastle. Will be in for 2 weeks. So I will stay down there somewhere with him. Thanks for your concern.

i know its off topic but cruising with princess those FCD do come in handy as it only costs $100 and thats your deposit paid and if something happens before final payment you can cancel out and get your FCD back to use again

i have a cruise booked for NYE out of Auckland and i get the Complimentary Travel Insurance but i wont be using that cover as i have a pre existing and i got cover with Insure & Go for $69 extra on top of the price and it was done over the phone as we have our flights and pre accommodation booked and paid we are covered now plus they cover for any missed ports

i rang around and you mention heart problems and they dont want to know you or they jack up the price

i know its off topic but cruising with princess those FCD do come in handy as it only costs $100 and thats your deposit paid and if something happens before final payment you can cancel out and get your FCD back to use again

It was with Princess not FCD but cruise required 20% deposit.

It was with Princess not FCD but cruise required 20% deposit.

FCD is future cruise deposits which you buy off princess once onboard but i know it doesnt help you now

when i cruise i make sure i have a few in my account and if you dont use them you get your $100 back

It was with Princess not FCD but cruise required 20% deposit.

JFYI......we had friends booked on our Emerald cruise last November, she became very ill after the cancellation period which required hospitalisation. They call Princess stating they were not sure if they could go. Princess offered them to swap their deposit for another cruise as long as it was booked by this September. ( not cruised, just booked).

Have you given them a call? you never know, your deposit may not be lost:)

Whoops...just read you have spoken to them..call back, you may get someone else!!

Have sent an email hoping they have a heart and suggesting $$s towards a future cruise. Will see what happens.

Have sent an email hoping they have a heart and suggesting $$s towards a future cruise. Will see what happens.

It is worth asking them. I do hope you receive some credit.

All the best with the surgery and recovery for your husband.

Heading into a major surgery is enough to deal with in itself. I'm sorry you had to deal with the whole cruise deposit thing as well.

If you do take another Princess cruise please look at buying a future cruise deposit for $100 when you are on the ship.You can use this as your deposit for your next cruise and book it when you get home and the bonus is that you get onboard credit for using it.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and suggestions. It's is a most difficult time for both of us. I'm waiting for the straw...

Actually, I think the above is disputable if you're so inclined.

It doesn't say that it needs to be fully paid, or not a deposit, that I can see.

It just says, for an 'unexpected cancellation' claim, that you need to have obtained your "overseas journey ticket." This ticket is just defined as the one way, or return ticket to an overseas destination.

When you book, you have that booking confirmation which serves as the ticket. In that after you make final payment you're not issued with any other form of ticket - it's the same, just the residual balance owing changes.

I haven't pored through every word in the policy so may have missed something, but from skimming through these seem to be the key points.

So if it were me, I'd look into it further.

Have sent an email hoping they have a heart and suggesting $$s towards a future cruise. Will see what happens.

I agree with Chez. Princess might be willing to transfer your deposit to another cruise once your husband has recovered. Good luck.

It was with Princess not FCD but cruise required 20% deposit.

Sorry to hear that your husband has to have major surgery and you weren't covered by your travel insurance for the refund of your large deposit.

Do you know why your deposit so large? I am wary of large deposits, requested by cruise lines, eg I wouldn't put a 20% deposit on a new car purchase ($4000).

Anyone who uses credit card complimentary travel insurance be aware some card's policies will not cover deposits paid. I have just found out to my dismay when I rang Citibank Complimentary Travel Insurance with Allianz that the insurance is only available after "paid in full international tickets have been issued"

I'm sorry to hear of your situation and hope you are able to resolve it and most importantly that your husbands health improves

Just like any insurance policy it's important to read and understand the terms and conditions - not all CC included policies are the same and I've found that those underwritten by QBE provide better cover than those from Allianz - however each policy varies

For many they start to apply once a certain amount (some are $250 and some $500) on land or sea or air has been charged to the card

Sorry to hear that your husband has to have major surgery and you weren't covered by your travel insurance for the refund of your large deposit.

 

Do you know why your deposit so large? I am wary of large deposits, requested by cruise lines, eg I wouldn't put a 20% deposit on a new car purchase ($4000).

Looking at Princess Passage Contract the longer the cruise the larger the deposit.

I have spoken to Allianz and although sympathetic couldn't help. The consultant suggest I contact Citibank/Mastercard as they have the final say on what is covered in the policy. At this stage all I can say to fellow cruisers is be careful if you are relying on certain CC Complimentary Travel Insurances. They are OK if you buy a plane ticket as you pay the entire amount upfront. Not OK if you pay a deposit on a cruise then something unexpected happens before you pay the final payment.

Sounds like they're blowing you off, as it's their responsibility to help, not the credit card issuer - who has basically outsourced this insurance to them.

The dispute/complaint procedures are at the tail end of the coverage - starting page 51. It sits with Allianz and then the ombudsman if you wish to take it further.

Thanks for the warning.

I do hope all goes well with the operation and recovery.

I also hopethat you get your money back or at least transferred to another cruise.

Thanks for the support. I'm going to go as far as I can with this. But at the moment it's my second concern.

Thanks for the support. I'm going to go as far as I can with this. But at the moment it's my second concern.

Good luck with both situations.:D

What my credit cards cover or not related to travel insurance is very confusing. This article helped http://blog.csatravelprotection.com/index.php/why-credit-cards-arent-great-for-travel-insurance/

but unfortunately reading both the details of the credit card policy and the travel insurance policy are time consuming. We have not found a credit card that covers all aspects of travel insurance and found it less expensive to buy direct from the insurer on a cruise by cruise basis and get a credit card that has lower annual fees.

Have sent an email hoping they have a heart and suggesting $$s towards a future cruise. Will see what happens.

I hope your husband makes a full recovery.

I know the topic is CC insurance so that is where the focus is. But have you had any feedback from Princess in regard to your email? If they are not going to have any problems reselling the cabin, it seems punitive to keep your money just because they technically can. Especially under these circumstances.

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Hi everyone, just an update on Princess, FCC and cancellation.

I just called our Princess Holiday Planner as our cancellation period starts tomorrow for a cruise in September and final payment is early July. We deposited with a FCC ($100)

New in this last week.......if you have deposited with a FCC, and cancel within the 20% period, so for us it is between tomorrow and final payment in July, you lose the FCC.

If you have paid the required 20% deposit, (cash/credit) you lose that.

Here is the Princess Cancellation policy from their website

Nights Prior to Cruise or Cruisetour Departure

Sailings 5 nights and less

60 nights or more

59-45 nights

44-29 nights

28-15 nights

14 nights or less

Cruises between 6 to 29 nights (including World Cruise Segments)

181 nights or more

180-75 nights

74-43 nights

42-15 nights

14 nights or less

Cruises 30 nights or more (incl. Full World cruise and World Cruise segments)

181 nights or more

180-90 nights

89-64 nights

63-43 nights

42 nights or less

Note: 'Total Fare' is the total amount payable to us for your booking.

^Any additional fees charged by airlines, hotels or transfer providers due to cancellations, will also be passed on to the passengers.

*For World Cruise (and World Cruise segments) bookings made under the ‘Onboard Sales Program’, any funds paid are fully refundable up until prior to the final payment date. After this time, standard cancellation charges apply.

So if booking with Princess, grab a FCC or a couple when onboard, if you dont use them or have booked with the 2 year period they are refundable. The bonus is the OBC which can be combined with other promotions.

Also check your Travel Insurance to make sure that your deposit is covered, especially for those longer cruises which require more.

I have double checked my QBE ANZ Qantas FF Black CC Travel Insurance policy to confirm it covers for cruises, covers for cancellation even if we havent paid in full.

This is part of the cancellation policy for overseas travel for QBE ANZ

Cancellation and Additional ExpensesSection B is made up of subsections B1, B2, B3 and B4.Specific terms, conditions, limits and exclusions, as well as the‘general exclusions’ and ‘claim procedures’ of the TravelMaster Policy, apply to each subsection.Section B1 - Cancellation or holiday deferment costsWhen does the cover begin and end?The cover under this benefit begins from the date your cover isactivated and ends when you return to your home in Australiaor when the period of insurance ends, whichever happens first.What is covered?If you have to cancel any pre-paid travel arrangements due toany unforeseen or unforeseeable circumstances outside ofyour control we will pay you up to the applicable limit as setout in the schedule of benefits for the value of the unusedtravel arrangements, less any refunds due to you, or thereasonable cost of rearranging your trip, provided that thiscost is not greater than the cancellation fees or lost depositswhich would have been incurred had the trip been cancelled.We will also pay the agent’s cancellation fees up to $2,000, whenfull monies have been paid. If only a deposit has been paid at thetime of the cancellation we will pay the agent’s cancellation feesup to the maximum of the deposit. In any event we will not paymore than the level of commission or service fees normallyearned by the agent, had the trip not been cancelled.We will also cover you if you make reasonable additionaltravel arrangements within 48 hours of a public warning ofsevere weather, natural disaster, riot, strike or civil insurrectionthat could affect your travel arrangements. This cover islimited to $1,000.ConditionsIf cancellation is due to an illness or injury you must provideus with documentation from your treating doctor to confirmyou are medically unfit to commence or continue with yourtrip. We will not pay for cancellation or holiday defermentcosts unless these costs are medically justified and if you havealready commenced your trip you must have our consent.

So, to activate my Insurance cover I need to pay $250 towards my cruise on the CC and will be covered from today on........

Sorry for the long post but I have received a few of emails asking for some info so posted here.

Just to add...

I believe you used to be able to deposit a FCC then withdraw it up until final payment without penalty, so now you can use it and if withdrawing within that 20% cancellation penalty time you lose the FCC., thats the change.

Also might be a good idea for those that use RCL and Celebrity Next cruise deposits or whatever they call them to check the cancellation policy on them.