judy marlborough

You would have to use the definition of common carrier as stated in the Am Exp Platinum Insurance T&C, which is what I quoted, NOT a dictionary definition

There is a definition of "common carrier" in the T&C - "Any land, water, or air conveyance operating under a valid license for the transportation of passengers for hire and for which a ticket must be purchased prior to commencement of travel. CC does not include taxis, limousine services, commuter rail or commuter bus lines, personal automobiles, or rental vehicles," Maybe that's the issue - whether or not a cruise line is a "common carrier"? Is our booking contract a "ticket"? Seems like we are all over the place and getting all different answers because we're asking a lot of different questions. Regarding sticking with third party insurance - sure - great if you don't mind spending an additional 10% (for one of my cruises, I was quoted $7000 for insurance! but most are about $2000) and yes, no quibbling if you do that. But one of the reasons I decided to upgrade to the AmEx platinum was the availability of embedded coverage.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Coincidentally, I was talking about this with friends last night and used the example of someone who lived in, say, Ft. Lauderdale, who could get on a cruise without flying there: why wouldn't the AmEx Platinum insurance benefit apply where that person starts and ends the "round trip" by "common carrier [which includes a ship]" on a cruise? So I was interested to hear about your experience. I just don't see where RT airfare is required. The other thing is, I had heard that where airfare is included in the total cruise price(for example, Regent), there might be a loophole that would result in a denial of coverage. I don't see how both things could be true. There is also an issue with "A. . . . you must charge the full amount of a Covered Trip to your Eligible Card or in combination with your Eligible Card and accumulated points on your Eligible Card or redeemable certificates, vouchers, coupons, or discounts awarded from a frequent flyer program or similar program." Does this mean "full amount" to the traveler? So for example, you get a RT ticket through points plus a small amount, is that the "full amount"? (I know the Points Guy says yes -- and I would agree that's what it sounds like - - yet others out there have questioned his conclusion.) To show how ridiculous this is - - if all this is true, since the significant point seems to be the purchase of a RT, this means to get coverage, the traveler could buy a cheap ticket from someplace to the point of departure. For example, drive to a city 3-4 hours from where you live, stay in the airport hotel, fly to the embarkation point, drive home after the cruise. If this costs you a few hundred dollars, it's still a lot less than $2000 (typical cruise insurance policy). In fact, does it even matter if you actually fly? This is meant to show how ridiculous this is.

This makes no sense to me. I've read the AmExp platinum policy. Why wouldn't the cruise be considered a "common carrier" and why can't the "round trip" begin with the cruise/common carrier? Forget about the plane tickets - what happens if you just focus on the cruise? Also, as I understand it from speaking with the insurance company - - I made a few calls before upgrading to Platinum to try to understand whether I still need to buy trip protection/cancellation insurance for a cruise - - paying with points is still within the definition of "paid." How did you make out and can anyone else comment on this topic?