General travel insurance questions ....

I was asked this question by mum. I don't know the answer so I thought I'd ask the experts here on Cruise Critic!! ;)

Mum's 76 and looking for travel insurance for her 12 day cruise Sydney- New Zealand - Sydney. She's confused about why the price differences etc

Seniors & Budget Travel both have $100 excess and charge $142 & $153 respectively.

COTA and NRMA however are more expensive - COTA has no excess & is $300 and NRMA $100 excess costs $300 and w/o the excess is $325.

There's a difference of $150+ but the only differences are things like the maximum hospital expenses reimbursed (or maybe it was max. expenses reimbursed? she didn't remember) and amount paid on death.

Can these expenses really be the cause of the higher premiums? Especially if the lower ones are very reasonable anyway?

Has anybody ever had any problems with any of these 4 insurers?

Thanks everyone :)

Its called competition but make sure you read the fine print. Have a look at InsureandGo. Have used them a number of times and found their prices very good. I must add though that I have never claimed so I cannot comment on their claim processes.

If your mother has an eligible credit card, she would be able to utilise the 'free' travel insurance attached to some cards. It does not cost anything, but you have to pay either a set amount ($250 with ANZ) or the full amount on the card. In the unlikely event of a claim there is an excess of $200.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll let mum know :) :)

Just be careful with credit card insurers if Mum has any pre existing conditions. Some are covered some are not. For example if she has a heart condition and does not declare it, the insurer may not pay for any illness, treatment or repatriation.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Just be careful with credit card insurers if Mum has any pre existing conditions.

Noted. Thanks Gwendy :)

And whatever you do, do not use Compare the Market. We had nothing but problems when we attempted to use them. Never again.

I've used them and found them fine. Guess YMMV.

So far as I'm concerned InsureandGo are the way to go, we even got $100.00 each for missing a port.

Reading the fine print is important. I once got a cheap insurance quote but when I read the fine print I found it would only cover the rental car excess for a maximum 14 day rental and I was renting for 30 days. The price difference may be in the fine print, though to be honest I find most insurance products are the same.

You should also check the submission process as some companies offer 24hr assistance while others have limited contact hours. It is important to know which would best suit your mother and her needs.

Reading the fine print is a 'must'. A couple of years ago we were on a cruise on the Sea Princess to PNG islands. On the return trip, a woman passenger had a heart attack and had to be taken off the ship by helicopter to the Cairns hospital. We happened to meet her husband at disembarkation when he was trying to handle a lot of luggage. I casually remarked "I suppose you had travel insurance". The gentleman said "Yes and no". We were curious. He then said that when he contacted the travel insurance company they said that the policy he bought had the proviso "Does not apply to passengers on cruise ships". He bought the product on the internet. We were horrified, thinking he would be up for maybe $80,000 + for the medical evacuation. It involved a helicopter and a Coast Guard plane that circled overhead for probably an hour. He was lucky. He and his wife are Queensland residents and the helicopter evac was treated as an ambulance trip - free for Queensland residents. He said he had to pay the $7,000 bill for medical services on the ship where his wife was a patient in their (limited) version of ICU for 36 hours. They got out of it lightly compared with what it could have been. Yes - reading the fine print is essential, and if someone is not sure how their particular circumstances would be covered, they should phone the insurer to check.

Yes, reading the fine print is a must.

I have hypertension and when I rang and mentioned this to a well know travel ins. company they asked if I was being treated by a GP or a Specialist. when I told them it was a Specialist they then said they would not cover me for that. Also some companies have cruise insurance and you must take that instead of normal travel insurance or you wont be covered. Insure and Go does that. We have used them a few times and made a couple of small claims and never a problem when it comes to getting paid for them. They also covered for my pre-existing medical conditions. I was checking Worldcare travel insurance and they also have cruise insurance which you must use if cruising.