The best value travel insurance??

[mandy_sparkle]

My husband and I are taking our first cruise in November, 9 nights - RCI Rhapsody of the Seas from Sydney to South Pacific Islands. We made a disastrous mistake not getting travel insurance on our honeymoon and don't want to make the same mistake again.

 

What kind of cover do we need, how much should we pay and what (Aussie?) company should we go with?

 

Mandy :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Aus Traveller]

I think that the best-value is the 'free' travel insurance that comes with the (ANZ) Platinum Visa card where the customer just has to pay at least $250 of the travel cost on the card. This will probably cost 1% or 1.5% surcharge for using the card. As your cruise is soon, this option is not open to you but I mention it in case someone else is interested.

 

We use Travel Insurance Direct now for a few reasons. The price is very reasonable. As we cruise fairly often we take out an annual policy for $345 for two people. My daughter and her boyfriend have just taken out a policy for a 14 night cruise for $95.

[Bluekat74]

I have also just booked a cruise with RCI for next year and have my travel insurance through travel insurance direct. I had to change the dates as I was flying out a day earlier and they were fine with it, and also extended my policy to the maximum days they could for me at no extra charge in case I wanted to stay longer in Singapore. I choose to pay $25 extra so that I didn't have to pay an excess.

[bazzaw]

The best value travel insurance is the one that pays out if you make a claim. There are many here in Queensland who are still wondering about the "best value" house insurance after the floods!

 

I received an easy payout from a small claim with Worldcare - who as far as I can see offer reasonable premiums. I do not know how easy it would have been if it had been a large claim. Being one who ernestly believes that there is no such thing in life as a free lunch - I am very reticent to place my trust and future in something which is free, or unusually cheap. But - to each, their own :)

 

Barry

[Sonicked]

Hi Mandy,

 

I'm not sure whether you'd be interested into looking into them, as they're prominently NZ based, but Southern Cross Travel Insurance are very good. Reasonably priced and provide good payouts. I'm an Aussie, but living in NZ, and I have no problem booking with these folks with an Aussie passport. Not sure if Aussie residents are able to book through them though?

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Hi Mandy,

I'm not sure whether you'd be interested into looking into them, as they're prominently NZ based, but Southern Cross Travel Insurance are very good. Reasonably priced and provide good payouts. I'm an Aussie, but living in NZ, and I have no problem booking with these folks with an Aussie passport. Not sure if Aussie residents are able to book through them though?

 

We have always used Southern Cross and find them very good. Had 2 claims over the years , both paid promptly. You can take it out on line now, and yes I think that although NZ based they have an e site for Australia.

 

I agree with Barry...

There is no free lunch in life....

especially with credit card deals:eek:

 

[icat2000]

Look at what the policies cover then look at the cost. Depends on where your going and what are the potential risks.

 

I use either CoverMore or AAMI.

[Kinkacruiser]

Get an online quote from Southern Cross or OneCover. They were very similar when I bought our policy.

[Aus Traveller]

I agree with the couple of comments about the 'free' travel insurance. Of course there is no 'free lunch'. The excess is higher than with other insurance companies. The way we look at is that when we have had to claim, the $200 excess was similar to what we would have paid as a premium with the other type of insurance, but with the dozens of trips we have made over the years, we are way out in front. We had one large claim (around $5,000 - $6,000) paid promptly and our son had an even larger claim for hospitalisation in Germany paid promptly.

 

One reason we now take out a policy is that the 'free' one does not cover the excess on a hired motor vehicle and we sometimes hire a car or motorhome overseas. Because we travel several times a year the annual policy works well for us.

[lizzy77]

I have had a personal experience using my NAB credit card Travel insurance and can only say brilliant things about it. Our bill was well into the thousands of dollars with a $200 excess.

We put the claim into them a few days after our cruise and our refund was in our bank account 6 days later. No complaints about that:D

[wotaripper]

I think that the best-value is the 'free' travel insurance that comes with the (ANZ) Platinum Visa card where the customer just has to pay at least $250 of the travel cost on the card. This will probably cost 1% or 1.5% surcharge for using the card. As your cruise is soon, this option is not open to you but I mention it in case someone else is interested.

 

We use Travel Insurance Direct now for a few reasons. The price is very reasonable. As we cruise fairly often we take out an annual policy for $345 for two people. My daughter and her boyfriend have just taken out a policy for a 14 night cruise for $95.

We too use travel insurance direct and get a 10% discount for having used them before it is hassle free and can be done online the only problem we have encountered is that you cant insure more than 12 months out (wanted to insure a cruise booked for 2013) they also inlude in there policy alot of pre existing medical problems with automatic cover that other insurance companys do not (i.e high blood pressure, menopause etc.)

[Aus Traveller]

We too use travel insurance direct and get a 10% discount for having used them before it is hassle free and can be done online the only problem we have encountered is that you cant insure more than 12 months out (wanted to insure a cruise booked for 2013) they also inlude in there policy alot of pre existing medical problems with automatic cover that other insurance companys do not (i.e high blood pressure, menopause etc.)

We had the issue where our 12 months' policy expired while we were on a long cruise. We bought another policy and they were happy for it to start when the first one ended. All good.

 

I am sure you can just buy another policy when the time comes for yur 2013 cruise. The only problem is that you are not covered between now and the time you take the policy out for cancellation costs. However, this far from the cruise there might not be any loss if you have to cancel. I can't say because I don't know the terms of your cruise fare.

[wotaripper]

We had the issue where our 12 months' policy expired while we were on a long cruise. We bought another policy and they were happy for it to start when the first one ended. All good.

 

I am sure you can just buy another policy when the time comes for yur 2013 cruise. The only problem is that you are not covered between now and the time you take the policy out for cancellation costs. However, this far from the cruise there might not be any loss if you have to cancel. I can't say because I don't know the terms of your cruise fare.

Our cruise deposit will be covered if we cancel more than 90 days out however as we are going on a 2 month trip (U.S.A for a month including cruise then U.K and Europe for a month I will be booking hotels excursions etc also, so I am having to hold fire on these untill we can take out insurance.

[Australian family]

The best value travel insurance is the one that pays out if you make a claim. There are many here in Queensland who are still wondering about the "best value" house insurance after the floods!

 

I received an easy payout from a small claim with Worldcare - who as far as I can see offer reasonable premiums. I do not know how easy it would have been if it had been a large claim. Being one who ernestly believes that there is no such thing in life as a free lunch - I am very reticent to place my trust and future in something which is free, or unusually cheap. But - to each, their own :)

 

Barry

 

I totally agree with you Barry, the way the insurance companies have treated people during the floods is disgusting. Even the so called big companies that have come out shining in the media are not so good either. I know people here in Queensland who have been badly treated by the insurance companies.

 

These free insurance things are good until you make a claim. You get nothing for nothing.:)

[Sonicked]

These free insurance things are good until you make a claim. You get nothing for nothing.:)

 

Exactly. Sometimes, a small price is a good price to pay considering the other option is a potentially ruined holiday, and being caught out in an even bigger problem.

 

SCTI, the company I mentioned earlier, only charged us $60 per person for the two weeks coverage we needed. $120 to cover what could amount to a huge amount of money lost is definitely money well spent, in my opinion. There are just some things you shouldn't skimp on.

[Kinkacruiser]

I checked out Barry's tip re Woldcare...could be the one I choose next time. I like the quote section and the slide-rule adjustments for different aspects of the cover. Thanks Barry.

[Aus Traveller]

I totally agree with you Barry, the way the insurance companies have treated people during the floods is disgusting. Even the so called big companies that have come out shining in the media are not so good either. I know people here in Queensland who have been badly treated by the insurance companies.

 

These free insurance things are good until you make a claim. You get nothing for nothing.:)

sorry, I don't agree with that comment. It is a bit hard to make that comment unless you have had personal experience.:) Have you had a claim knocked back that should have been paid?

 

I know a lot of people are sceptical about anything that is 'free', but as long as the customer reads the terms and conditions (as they should with any insurance) they know what to expect.

 

We have had years of experience with the 'free' travel insurance and it is all good. As I mentioned previously, we had a large claim ($5,000-$6,000) paid without hesitation and our son had an even larger claim also paid without hesitation. Both were with the 'free' insurance. We didn't mind the $200 excess that applied instead of the usual $100.

[Topaz_M]

As with all insurance policies, it pays to read the fine print in the PDS.

 

Insurance companies can .. and DO ... change the wording to include, or exclude, as they see fit.

 

With SCTI especially, if you are taking the option where your children are included free in the price, it DEFINITELY PAYS to read the fine print.

[Australian family]

sorry, I don't agree with that comment. It is a bit hard to make that comment unless you have had personal experience.:) Have you had a claim knocked back that should have been paid?

 

I know a lot of people are sceptical about anything that is 'free', but as long as the customer reads the terms and conditions (as they should with any insurance) they know what to expect.

 

We have had years of experience with the 'free' travel insurance and it is all good. As I mentioned previously, we had a large claim ($5,000-$6,000) paid without hesitation and our son had an even larger claim also paid without hesitation. Both were with the 'free' insurance. We didn't mind the $200 excess that applied instead of the usual $100.

 

No I haven't had a bad experience. I looked at this insurance just recently, and it didn't cover hire car insurance excess. It was actually more economical to purchase travel insurance through another company which covered the hire car insurance excess. All up cheaper then paying the hire car company the extra insurance to lower the excess. So to me it was false economy paying for the platinum ANZ credit card. You will really need to do your sums.

 

Everybody has different needs, and as somebody stated before you need to read the PDS carefully, and ask lots of questions.

[Aus Traveller]

No I haven't had a bad experience. I looked at this insurance just recently, and it didn't cover hire car insurance excess. It was actually more economical to purchase travel insurance through another company which covered the hire car insurance excess. All up cheaper then paying the hire car company the extra insurance to lower the excess. So to me it was false economy paying for the platinum ANZ credit card. You will really need to do your sums.

 

Everybody has different needs, and as somebody stated before you need to read the PDS carefully, and ask lots of questions.

We certainly do our sums. :D It is a bit insulting for you to suggest otherwise. :D The credit card has other benefits.

 

We all have to work out what suits our own needs.

 

As I mentioned earlier, we changed to the annual policy because the credit card one did not cover hire car insurance excess. On previous trips when we were not hiring a vehicle the credit card insurance was adequate for a couple of dozen overseas trips - cruises and land tours.

[Australian family]

We certainly do our sums. :D It is a bit insulting for you to suggest otherwise. :D The credit card has other benefits.

 

We all have to work out what suits our own needs.

 

As I mentioned earlier, we changed to the annual policy because the credit card one did not cover hire car insurance excess. On previous trips when we were not hiring a vehicle the credit card insurance was adequate for a couple of dozen overseas trips - cruises and land tours.

 

Get your facts right, I was not insulting you:confused:

[Aus Traveller]

Get your facts right, I was not insulting you:confused:

That is how it sounded to me. You were replying to my post and said "So to me it was false economy paying for the platinum ANZ credit card. You will really need to do your sums." To me that sounded like an implication that I had not done my sums.

 

If you meant a generic "you" meaning everyone, then I apologise for assuming you were replying to my post when you had quoted it. Maybe if you are not replying to a post you shouldn't quote it.:)

[Australian family]

That is how it sounded to me. You were replying to my post and said "So to me it was false economy paying for the platinum ANZ credit card. You will really need to do your sums." To me that sounded like an implication that I had not done my sums.

 

If you meant a generic "you" meaning everyone, then I apologise for assuming you were replying to my post when you had quoted it. Maybe if you are not replying to a post you shouldn't quote it.:)

 

I was speaking generally I didn't intend to insult you.

[sherri3802too]

We too use travel insurance direct and get a 10% discount for having used them before it is hassle free and can be done online the only problem we have encountered is that you cant insure more than 12 months out (wanted to insure a cruise booked for 2013) they also inlude in there policy alot of pre existing medical problems with automatic cover that other insurance companys do not (i.e high blood pressure, menopause etc.)

 

We have taken out insurance with a few different companies, but I found if you have someone with a couple of medical conditions eg high cholesterol and diabetes, then although either condition is covered, both together won't be. It pays to read it carefully and if in doubt, ask. For us, it requires higher premiums and the company with the cheapest initial quote isn't always the same one with the cheapest quote for special circumstances.

 

By the way, as a matter of interest, is there anyone else out there who finds it amazing that 'menopause' is listed as a pre-existing medical condition?

Surely it is a natural stage of life, not a 'medical' condition.

And yes, I know some people take medication for it, but I would have thought there are as many women out there who may take medication for period pain or may even be on the pill and that could lead to as many doctor's visits, surely.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

It certainly does pay to ask , re pre existing medical conditions.

 

Dont just accept the summary of their conditions, read the small print, and if not sure phone them up and ask.