Travel Insurance/MedJet vs. Chase Sapphire Reserver

For piece of mind over the last few years we have been using a combination of a yearly travel policy and a Medjet membership. We also use a Chase Sapphire card for all of our travel purchases as we receive double points for these.

I recently received an offer to upgrade to a Sapphire Reserve Card. In addition to other benefits, the list of benefits includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance as well as emergency evacuation & transportation.

Has anyone considered such an option rather than travel insurance/Medjet?

TIA

We have Sapphire Reserve card and use it to cover our trip insurance as opposed to buying a separate insurance starting from 2018. We have the card since 2016 and love the card. Please note that there is a pre-existing illness exclusion. Medical coverage and evacuation coverages are very low which make us take a look at a medical + evacuation plan.

We had looked at buying MedJet to cover the evacuation piece but instead we went with GeoBlue Trekker Choice. GeoBlue Trekker covers medical and evacuation. So our combination is Chase Saphhire Reserve + GeoBlue Trekker Choice.

Try posting to the Cruise Travel Insurance Subforum in the Cruise Discussion Topics Board.....you may find helpful posts there.

Thank you for your replies. I will also post to the travel insurance forum as suggested.

We have Sapphire Reserve card and use it to cover our trip insurance as opposed to buying a separate insurance starting from 2018. We have the card since 2016 and love the card. Please note that there is a pre-existing illness exclusion. Medical coverage and evacuation coverages are very low which make us take a look at a medical + evacuation plan.

 

We had looked at buying MedJet to cover the evacuation piece but instead we went with GeoBlue Trekker Choice. GeoBlue Trekker covers medical and evacuation. So our combination is Chase Saphhire Reserve + GeoBlue Trekker Choice.

Chase Saphhire Reserveis covered for Cancellation.GeoBlue Trekker Choice covered your evacuation plan.

You may also need Medjet to transport you back from Oversea.

Chase Saphhire Reserveis covered for Cancellation.GeoBlue Trekker Choice covered your evacuation plan.

You may also need Medjet to transport you back from Oversea.

From my understanding evacuation in GeoBlue should cover the transportation back from Overseas. I will look at it again but is it your understanding that it does not?

From my understanding evacuation in GeoBlue should cover the transportation back from Overseas. I will look at it again but is it your understanding that it does not?

Some evacuation insurance covers to move you if, at their discretion, it is medically necessary to get you to a place that can provide the treatment not to where you want to go. So injury in Lanzarote Carnary could mean evacuation to larger island or Spain.

MedJet will move you if you are able to be moved to where you want to go for care. For us that would be back to Texas.

For piece of mind over the last few years we have been using a combination of a yearly travel policy and a Medjet membership. We also use a Chase Sapphire card for all of our travel purchases as we receive double points for these.

 

I recently received an offer to upgrade to a Sapphire Reserve Card. In addition to other benefits, the list of benefits includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance as well as emergency evacuation & transportation.

 

Has anyone considered such an option rather than travel insurance/Medjet?

 

TIA

We have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and love it for the airline lounge benefit and the triple points for travel-related expenses. That being said, the medical evacuation does not get you to your medical facility of choice, but rather the closest qualified medical facility. We did purchase a multi-year Medjet Assist Policy.

From my understanding evacuation in GeoBlue should cover the transportation back from Overseas. I will look at it again but is it your understanding that it does not?

It appears that they will only get you to a qualified medical facility, but that is MHO, I would check the language carefully.

Thanks for the information on GeoBlue. I took a look at their site and took out a policy.

On the subject of evacuation I read a Case Study on their site and it clearly shows how in the case study a person was evacuated back to the U.S. by private air ambulance.

Thanks for the information on GeoBlue. I took a look at their site and took out a policy.

 

On the subject of evacuation I read a Case Study on their site and it clearly shows how in the case study a person was evacuated back to the U.S. by private air ambulance.

Thank you for that.

The huge difference between GeoBlue and Medjet Assist seems to be that GeoBlue determines the need for transport based on whether the level of care can be provided in the place of the medical emergency - the case study shows that they will transfer you if your current facility is not able to meet your needs. They say that patient needed a higher level of care. With MedJet you are in control to request a transfer to a hospital of your choosing in any emergency that occurs more than 150 miles from your home (as long as you are deemed stable to be transferred). It was an important consideration for us to know that we would be transferred home to where we wanted, when we wanted.

We have Sapphire Reserve card and use it to cover our trip insurance as opposed to buying a separate insurance starting from 2018. We have the card since 2016 and love the card. Please note that there is a pre-existing illness exclusion. Medical coverage and evacuation coverages are very low which make us take a look at a medical + evacuation plan.

 

We had looked at buying MedJet to cover the evacuation piece but instead we went with GeoBlue Trekker Choice. GeoBlue Trekker covers medical and evacuation. So our combination is Chase Saphhire Reserve + GeoBlue Trekker Choice.

Yes, the big issue with CC insurance is the lack of PEC waivers, which could render the travel coverage useless (if related to the PEC).

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The deciding factor between MedJet vs. GeoBlue Trekker for us is that GeoBlue includes both medical coverage and transportation whereas Medjet only covers transportation. To us GeoBlue is alot more comprehensive. An ideal situation is to have all levels of travel insurance but it is up to each of us to way cost vs. risk. For us it is simply Chase Sapphire Reserve + GeoBlue Trekker Choice.

Thank you for that.

The huge difference between GeoBlue and Medjet Assist seems to be that GeoBlue determines the need for transport based on whether the level of care can be provided in the place of the medical emergency - the case study shows that they will transfer you if your current facility is not able to meet your needs. They say that patient needed a higher level of care. With MedJet you are in control to request a transfer to a hospital of your choosing in any emergency that occurs more than 150 miles from your home (as long as you are deemed stable to be transferred). It was an important consideration for us to know that we would be transferred home to where we wanted, when we wanted.

Has anyone ever encountered a situation where a health insurance company thought you could get adequate care in a location but the patient disagreed and Medjet sent an air ambulance to bring them home? Somewhere in the Medjet policy it must say that the evacuation is medically necessary and it seems like you would have the same discussion with Medjet. If you can get medical treatment deemed by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to be adequate, I wonder if Medjet would consider it an emergency.

Has anyone ever encountered a situation where a health insurance company thought you could get adequate care in a location but the patient disagreed and Medjet sent an air ambulance to bring them home? Somewhere in the Medjet policy it must say that the evacuation is medically necessary and it seems like you would have the same discussion with Medjet. If you can get medical treatment deemed by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to be adequate, I wonder if Medjet would consider it an emergency.

Have used Geo Blue for emergency treatment of Bi-Pulmonary embolism while oversea.

after discharged a week from the hospital,had the Medjet transported back to the hospital back home with a licensed nurse.Have also used Chase Sapphire for trip cancellation.

Has anyone ever encountered a situation where a health insurance company thought you could get adequate care in a location but the patient disagreed and Medjet sent an air ambulance to bring them home? Somewhere in the Medjet policy it must say that the evacuation is medically necessary and it seems like you would have the same discussion with Medjet. If you can get medical treatment deemed by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to be adequate, I wonder if Medjet would consider it an emergency.

That is the difference. MedJet does not require that you meet the criteria of not being in a qualified facility or have a clause saying the evacuation must be medically necessary. You must be hospitalized in a location more than 150 miles from your home and deemed stable for transport. BC/BS (Geo Trekker) has nothing to do with determining if MedJet will transfer you, they are independent. You choose the facility to which you want to be transferred. It is very easy to compare the two and get more definitive answers, both companies were very responsive to our telephone queries. We travel in the US and overseas and do not need extra medical coverage. It really depends on what will best meet your personal needs, I want to be close to home in the US if an emergency requires treatment in a hospital.

For piece of mind over the last few years we have been using a combination of a yearly travel policy and a Medjet membership. We also use a Chase Sapphire card for all of our travel purchases as we receive double points for these.

 

I recently received an offer to upgrade to a Sapphire Reserve Card. In addition to other benefits, the list of benefits includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance as well as emergency evacuation & transportation.

 

Has anyone considered such an option rather than travel insurance/Medjet?

 

TIA

We have Sapphire Reserve card and use it to cover our trip insurance as opposed to buying a separate insurance starting from 2018. We have the card since 2016 and love the card. Please note that there is a pre-existing illness exclusion. Medical coverage and evacuation coverages are very low which make us take a look at a medical + evacuation plan.

 

We had looked at buying MedJet to cover the evacuation piece but instead we went with GeoBlue Trekker Choice. GeoBlue Trekker covers medical and evacuation. So our combination is Chase Saphhire Reserve + GeoBlue Trekker Choice.

We also have Chase Sapphire for cancellation and Geo Blue for medical.

We do NOT have the Reserve card - just the regular Chase Sapphire.

My understanding was that we had cancellation ( without PEC coverage) through the regular card.

Is that correct?

The deciding factor between MedJet vs. GeoBlue Trekker for us is that GeoBlue includes both medical coverage and transportation whereas Medjet only covers transportation. To us GeoBlue is alot more comprehensive. An ideal situation is to have all levels of travel insurance but it is up to each of us to way cost vs. risk. For us it is simply Chase Sapphire Reserve + GeoBlue Trekker Choice.

We agree and that’s exactly what we have

Bon Voyage

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We have Chase Reserve card but we also buy Travelex insurance when we travel. Have used them in an emergency situation and they were great. We now purchase the lowest level of coverage versus their "Select" level in addition to Chase because Chase limits the cost of the trip and some travel exceeds their limits.

Chase coverage:

Who’s Covered

• Cardholder
  
• Immediate family members (even if the Cardholder is not traveling with them)
  

Coverage Amount/Period

Up to $10,000 per covered trip and a maximum limit of $20,000 per occurrence and a maximum benefit amount per 12-month period of $40,000

What’s Covered

This is not an exhaustive list. Examples include:

• Accidental bodily injury, loss of life, or sickness experienced by the Cardholder, a traveling companion or an immediate family member of the Cardholder or a traveling companion
  
• Severe weather that prevents the start or continuation a covered trip
  
• Terrorist action or hijacking
  
• Jury duty or a court subpoena that cannot be postponed or waived
  
• Financial insolvency of the Cardholder’s travel agency, tour operator, or travel supplier
  

What’s Not Covered

This is not an exhaustive list. Examples include:

• Travel arrangements canceled or changed by a common carrier, tour operator, or any travel agency unless the cancellation is the result of severe weather or an organized strike affecting public transportation
  
• Change in plans or financial circumstances
  
• A pre-existing condition
  
• Traveling against the advice of a physician
  
• A declared or undeclared war
  
• Trips that exceed 60 days in duration are not covered
  

We also have Chase Sapphire for cancellation and Geo Blue for medical.

 

We do NOT have the Reserve card - just the regular Chase Sapphire.

 

My understanding was that we had cancellation ( without PEC coverage) through the regular card.

 

Is that correct?

Read the fine print. Beyond trip cancel, you may have trip delay but NOT trip interrupt (I.e., have to head home mid-cruise) as well as no PEC waiver.

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..... MedJet does not require that you meet the criteria of not being in a qualified facility or have a clause saying the evacuation must be medically necessary....

Really? Medjet doesn't have a clause that says the evacuation is medically necessary? Perhaps, but that is hard to believe. Are you saying that if you come down with Noro and want to go home, Medjet will transport you home? Is it really up to the passenger to decide if evacuation home is necessary? I'm not saying that Medjet isn't a good plan, but the situation that you are describing doesn't sound reasonable. If someone is evacuated from a cruise ship the next stop should be a shore side facility for a additional examination and then the evacuation options from other insurance policies could take affect if necessary. If the shore side doctors don't think evacuation is necessary I wonder if Medjet would assist. If they do, most policies will assist.

Really? Medjet doesn't have a clause that says the evacuation is medically necessary? Perhaps, but that is hard to believe. Are you saying that if you come down with Noro and want to go home, Medjet will transport you home? Is it really up to the passenger to decide if evacuation home is necessary? I'm not saying that Medjet isn't a good plan, but the situation that you are describing doesn't sound reasonable. If someone is evacuated from a cruise ship the next stop should be a shore side facility for a additional examination and then the evacuation options from other insurance policies could take affect if necessary. If the shore side doctors don't think evacuation is necessary I wonder if Medjet would assist. If they do, most policies will assist.

My apologies if I was not clear that you must be hospitalized.( I am doubtful one would be hospitlalzed with noro so that situation is really not reasonable!) But yes, if you are hospitalized with noro more than 150 miles from home, MedJet Assist wiil transport you home. And yes again, you get to decide. And in case you still don't believe me here is a quote directly from their website:

MedjetAssist® is the premier air medical transport membership program for travelers. If you are hospitalized 150 miles or more from home, Medjet will arrange air medical transport all the way back to your hospital of choice in your home country — regardless of medical necessity. Most travel insurances and platinum card benefits programs will get you to the “nearest acceptable facility”, Medjet gets you all the way home.

In my previous post I clearly said you must be hospitalized.( I am doubtful one would be hospitlalzed with noro so that situation is really not reasonable!) But yes, if you are hospitalized with noro more than 150 miles from home, MedJet Assist wiil transport you home. And yes again, you get to decide. And because you still probably don't believe me here is a quote directly from their website:

MedjetAssist® is the premier air medical transport membership program for travelers. If you are hospitalized 150 miles or more from home, Medjet will arrange air medical transport all the way back to your hospital of choice in your home country — regardless of medical necessity. Most travel insurances and platinum card benefits programs will get you to the “nearest acceptable facility”, Medjet gets you all the way home.

Now I'm really confused, here's what you said in your earlier post: "

Now I'm really confused, here's what you said in your earlier post: "

 

 

 

That is the difference. MedJet does not require that you meet the criteria of not being in a qualified facility " Now you post something that says you need to be hospitalized.

 





Good luck in your travels. I like the option of the Blue Cross Geotraker and some form of travel insurance.

You need to be hospitalized,get the Doctor approval for discharge and confirmation of fit to travel and also have a hospital to accept you as a patient in what ever hospital you intended to have further treatment.With all the document in place then Med-jet will make the necessary arrangement for transferring the patient and also the travel companion.

Now I'm really confused, here's what you said in your earlier post: "

 

That is the difference. MedJet does not require that you meet the criteria of not being in a qualified facility " Now you post something that says you need to be hospitalized.

 





Good luck in your travels. I like the option of the Blue Cross Geotraker and some form of travel insurance.

I am sorry if you remain confused (perhaps by my use of a double negative.) It's really quite simple.

Geotrekker will probaby not transfer you if you are in a facility that ithey deem is qualified to treat your condition.

MedJet will transfer you whether or not the facility you are in is, or is not, deemed qualified to treat your condition, but yes, you must be hospitalized.