A salutary lesson for us all(Insurance)

[titong]

Yes & yes - no points for taxes (not a significant amount) and the points post only after the cruise - they want to make sure you actually take it :D

 

Paulchili, thank you very much. One more question, how long did it take for you to receive your points after you took your cruise?

[Paulchili]

I just checked it - the post date was the same as the start of the cruise, I'd call that pretty prompt :D

PS Appologies to OP for being OT

Edited March 10, 2015 by Paulchili

[bitob]

Just a followup to this thread

 

We insure through Sapphire and United cards.

 

We just had to cancel a trip (Viking China) due to some unexpected surgery.

Sapphire card is picking up the entire cruise bill under trip cancellation provisions -- no issue at all.

 

My wife "convinced" the airlines to refund non refundable airfare and waive mileage redeposit fees so we did not have to make a claim for airfare related losses. If you ask nicely . . . .

[Jancruz]

Just a followup to this thread

 

We insure through Sapphire and United cards.

 

We just had to cancel a trip (Viking China) due to some unexpected surgery.

Sapphire card is picking up the entire cruise bill under trip cancellation provisions -- no issue at all.

 

My wife "convinced" the airlines to refund non refundable airfare and waive mileage redeposit fees so we did not have to make a claim for airfare related losses. If you ask nicely . . . .

 

Good Job..I to use the Chase Saphire because of all of you on C C and have enjoyed 1st class tickets..Bitbob hope all is good now and the surgery went well..

Janruz1

[edgee]

Although attorney Walker's blog post states the cost of the cruise was $43,000 I really wonder why anyone would self insure such a large amount. I personally do not know anyone who could afford such a large loss from their own funds. I believe as others have stated that the cruise line should be compassionate if they are able to rebook the cruise with no loss to them. It seems like good pr and would make me more likely to book with a company that had that type of behavior.

 

I usually sail 3x per year and rarely spend more that $8000pp and I almost always book my own flights using points. What I learned here on CC is that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card will pay up to $10000 per trip if the trip is paid with their card. My wife pays her fare with her card and I pay my fare with mine giving us a total of $20k with no out of pocket cost. No additional travel insurance needed.We use a company called GeoBlue for an annual medical policy and it costs a total of $360.00 annually. The coverage is for trips up to 70 days and provides a $250k benefit and also includes $500k for evacuation. We haven't needed to use the medical benefit but Chase very quick in paying for a cancellation when I fell running and suffered a concussion and a broken hand the morning of a Florida cruise and I missed the ship.

 

I believe I discussed this option when I met you on post Thanksgiving Regatta cruise last year. I am seriously considering the Sapphire card option except, concerned about pre-existing conditions. Does Sapphire card cover those…or is that not a concern for you guys? Best, Ed

Edited May 9, 2015 by edgee
spelling

[bitob]

Not a concern

Call the benefits line

It's Chubb

Very helpful

[DOJO466]

I believe I discussed this option when I met you on post Thanksgiving Regatta cruise last year. I am seriously considering the Sapphire card option except, concerned about pre-existing conditions. Does Sapphire card cover those…or is that not a concern for you guys? Best, Ed

 

Upon reading the small print there is a pre existing condition clause. If you have been treated for the condition within 60 days prior to booking and that condition is the reason for cancellation. It is very confusing to me and I called Chase 2 different times and got two different replies. I was told to contact Chubb. I emailed them and did not hear back. Please refer to your most recent guide to benefits Page 19.

"Pre existing conditions: illness, disease or accidental injury of you, your travelling companion, your immediate family member or the immediate family member of your travelling companion for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received within the 60 day period immediately prior to the purchase of a covered trip. The taking of prescription drugs, medications for a controlled condition throughout this 60 day period will not be considered to be a treatment of illness or disease".

[DOJO466]

Not a concern

Call the benefits line

It's Chubb

Very helpful

 

Perhaps I will call directly to Chubb instead of email.

[titong]

Upon reading the small print there is a pre existing condition clause. If you have been treated for the condition within 60 days prior to booking and that condition is the reason for cancellation. It is very confusing to me and I called Chase 2 different times and got two different replies. I was told to contact Chubb. I emailed them and did not hear back. Please refer to your most recent guide to benefits Page 19.

"Pre existing conditions: illness, disease or accidental injury of you, your travelling companion, your immediate family member or the immediate family member of your travelling companion for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received within the 60 day period immediately prior to the purchase of a covered trip. The taking of prescription drugs, medications for a controlled condition throughout this 60 day period will not be considered to be a treatment of illness or disease".

 

Does anyone know if the 60 day period begins upon the payment of the DEPOSIT or upon the payment of the FULL amount. I talked to two different Chase agents and got two different answers. One said after the deposit. The other said after the FUll payment. Neither could point to or give me a specific regulation which gave an answer. :confused:

[edgee]

Upon reading the small print there is a pre existing condition clause. If you have been treated for the condition within 60 days prior to booking and that condition is the reason for cancellation. It is very confusing to me and I called Chase 2 different times and got two different replies. I was told to contact Chubb. I emailed them and did not hear back. Please refer to your most recent guide to benefits Page 19.

"Pre existing conditions: illness, disease or accidental injury of you, your travelling companion, your immediate family member or the immediate family member of your travelling companion for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received within the 60 day period immediately prior to the purchase of a covered trip. The taking of prescription drugs, medications for a controlled condition throughout this 60 day period will not be considered to be a treatment of illness or disease".

 

Not totally clear, but from what you have posted it sounds like the pre-existing condition clause is much more stringent than most travel policies because it includes pre-existing condition exclusions for non traveling family members whose illness might force trip cancellation, not just for the actual travelers as most policies do. With my 88 year old Mom in assisted living, I will definitely check out that provision before relying on coverage from a Chase card.

Edited May 10, 2015 by edgee

[DOJO466]

Not totally clear, but from what you have posted it sounds like the pre-existing condition clause is much more stringent than most travel policies because it includes pre-existing condition exclusions for non traveling family members whose illness might force trip cancellation, not just for the actual travelers as most policies do. With my 88 year old Mom in assisted living, I will definitely check out that provision before relying on coverage from a Chase card.

 

Exactly, this was my confusion too and as the previous poster stated when calling Chase we got two different answers. As far as Dh and I are concerned it is no problem, but if my parents had an issue this is a whole new can of worms. So I am holding my breath on our upcoming Alaska cruise as I did not get our usual coverage (long story). As some of you may know, we had to cancel our TA MIA-BCN last month due to a medical problem with DH. We had personal coverage (not Chase) and are still waiting for the outcome which I am sure will be favorable as this was in no way a pre-existing condition.

As long as my parents are alive (ages 83/86..and hoping for many more years) I think I will purchase the expensive insurance just for peace of mind. After that...it's a crap shoot. Deb

[hondorner]

Frankly, I find I don't have enough faith, or trust or whatever, to rely on a Credit card policy for this important decision. I'll stick with traditional travel insurance, even though it might be a poor economic decision. I know firsthand that works.

[DOJO466]

Frankly, I find I don't have enough faith, or trust or whatever, to rely on a Credit card policy for this important decision. I'll stick with traditional travel insurance, even though it might be a poor economic decision. I know firsthand that works.

 

Totally agree Don

[corpkid]

Not even sure if I can ask this on here, but here's to hoping in the spirit of "oops - I didn't know" :)

 

So roughly what SHOULD insurance cost per unit? For example, say the cruise was $10k. What would be considered a competitive (yet comprehensive) rate?

 

I ask because we have never taken insurance, but as our cruises get more exotic (and much longer and expensive) this is something that's been in the back of my mind (and probably should be closer to the front). :)

 

Sorry again if I can't ask that CC mods - delete please if so. Thanks!

Edited May 11, 2015 by corpkid

[rallydave]

Not even sure if I can ask this on here, but here's to hoping in the spirit of "oops - I didn't know" :)

 

So roughly what SHOULD insurance cost per unit? For example, say the cruise was $10k. What would be considered a competitive (yet comprehensive) rate?

 

I ask because we have never taken insurance, but as our cruises get more exotic (and much longer and expensive) this is something that's been in the back of my mind (and probably should be closer to the front). :)

 

Sorry again if I can't ask that CC mods - delete please if so. Thanks!

 

There are some variables such as age, length of cruise, deductables, etc. that it would be better if you went to insuremytrip.com, plug in the numbers as see what the various insurance companies would charge. This has been discussed on these boards and is not a taboo issue. The sight will compare the various prices you get from their insurance engine and will give you a much better idea than someone saying 2% or 4% or ???

[LHT28]

Not even sure if I can ask this on here, but here's to hoping in the spirit of "oops - I didn't know" :)

 

So roughly what SHOULD insurance cost per unit? For example, say the cruise was $10k. What would be considered a competitive (yet comprehensive) rate?

 

 

It will depend on many factors

Age, length of travel, coverage etc..

you can check insuremy trip for different policies

 

Now that we are senior citizens the rates have gone up;)

[corpkid]

Thanks (hey - and only ONE of us is a senior citizen) ;)

 

Looks like about 6% ($1600) of roughly $25k for a month in N. Asia (all in). Not crazy but also a little more than I was expecting. I'm going to have to start reading some coverage docs and see if this makes sense...... Thanks for turning me onto that site.. :)

Edited May 11, 2015 by corpkid

[hondorner]

A bit more than $14,000 for 6 months World Cruise. We had to go with one of the more expensive ones because no one else would cover more than 100 days. That was approximately 15%. It was worth it, especially after the 2015 cancellation, as we made final payment in July, 2014 and couldn't afford to lose any of that if we had to cancel. Fortunately, John Hancock insurance extended it for us for another year at no cost. Many insurance companies will not extend coverage beyond a certain time, usually 24 months.

 

I obtained the coverage within 21 days of the initial deposit (in July, 2013) to get the pre-existing condition waiver (important for me). I initially insured only the amount we were at risk, which was $250 each (the non-refundable portion of the deposit). I raised the coverage and paid the additional premium when we made final payment.

 

We have always used insuremytrip.com but choose different policies depending on circumstances (and cost). Insuremytrip makes it easy to get details, and will patiently spend oodles of time on the phone explaining such esoterica as look back periods.

[Paulchili]

The insurance that is provided by the credit cards (like Chase Sapphire) is not provided by Chase but rather by an insurance company (Chubb). Thus in principle it should be no different than that provided by any other insurance company listed with Insuremytrip. Of course, it will differ in details and coverage, much like coverages by any other company.

For example, with Insuremytrip you can find Allianz Global that offers 3 different policies - Basic, Classic & Classic Trip Plus. This is true for many other companies. Each one covers more than the previous and thus costs more. You have to choose the one you are comfortable with.

But in principle Allianz is no different from Chubb if you are comfortable with the extent of coverage, limitations and exclusions (that all policies have to some extent). The price will be different as Chubb is included when you make the purchase with your cc and the other one is extra.

Everyone has to choose the one that they are comfortable with.

BTW, I had one claim with Chubb (via my Sapphire card) and it was paid out in the full amount claimed.

PS Don, your situation with the World cruise is very different. I certainly would not (could not) even consider using my cc as an insurance policy.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Paulchili

[titong]

The insurance that is provided by the credit cards (like Chase Sapphire) is not provided by Chase but rather by an insurance company (Chubb). Thus in principle it should be no different than that provided by any other insurance company listed with Insuremytrip. Of course, it will differ in details and coverage, much like coverages by any other company.

For example, with Insuremytrip you can find Allianz Global that offers 3 different policies - Basic, Classic & Classic Trip Plus. This is true for many other companies. Each one covers more than the previous and thus costs more. You have to choose the one you are comfortable with.

But in principle Allianz is no different from Chubb if you are comfortable with the extent of coverage, limitations and exclusions (that all policies have to some extent). The price will be different as Chubb is included when you make the purchase with your cc and the other one is extra.

Everyone has to choose the one that they are comfortable with.

BTW, I had one claim with Chubb (via my Sapphire card) and it was paid out in the full amount claimed.

PS Don, your situation with the World cruise is very different. I certainly would not (could not) even consider using my cc as an insurance policy.

 

Very good explanation. I agree.

[bitob]

One size does not fit all. The credit cards work. They pay just like insurance bought from your TA or a website We are saving thousands a year and scoring points for miles towards free air at the same time.

 

We have no preexisting conditions so not a concern

 

It's good for people to be aware that this is a viable option so they can make an informed choice

 

It may not be suitable for everyone or for every trip

[titong]

One size does not fit all. The credit cards work. They pay just like insurance bought from your TA or a website We are saving thousands a year and scoring points for miles towards free air at the same time.

 

We have no preexisting conditions so not a concern

 

It's good for people to be aware that this is a viable option so they can make an informed choice

 

It may not be suitable for everyone or for every trip

 

Plus 1. I agree and like you we too are saving big bucks and earning points towards miles by using the credit card insurance. :)

[findacruise]

We are using our Chase Sapphire for "regular"cancellation coverage. We do still buy a very small Travelguard policy so that we are covered in case we need medical evacuation (hope we never do) It also covers accident and medical expenses. We purchased it when we booked our cruise. For $144 total for both, we got 25K each medical and 500K evacuation plus some other items thrown in like baggage, delay etc., which I know is covered by Sapphire, but comes with this as standard.

[mort&fran]

As everyone has said (or at least implied), you have to consider your personal situation, and evaluate the different companies and coverages in that light. But don't just consider you and your travelling companion.

 

We bought travel insurance for our first cruise, simply through naivete, and didn't use it. So we saved bunches of money by not buying on subsequent cruises and vacations. But my mother-in-law was very sick a few years ago so we decided to get the insurance for our South America cruise in case we had to rush home for her. We didn't have to, but I had a heart attack off the southern coast of Argentina. (Long story involving two hospitalizations and surgery in Argentina, business-class airfares for my wife and me, protracted stay because a volcano in Chile disrupted air travel in Argentina...) The insurance covered just about everything; medicals alone were more than $30,000.

 

So we've purchased the insurance on every cruise since. Because of my heart attack history. Didn't need it for that, but did when my wife unexpectedly needed surgery and we had to cancel another cruise.

[lyndenfa]

We are using our Chase Sapphire for "regular"cancellation coverage. We do still buy a very small Travelguard policy so that we are covered in case we need medical evacuation (hope we never do) It also covers accident and medical expenses. We purchased it when we booked our cruise. For $144 total for both, we got 25K each medical and 500K evacuation plus some other items thrown in like baggage, delay etc., which I know is covered by Sapphire, but comes with this as standard.

 

We use our Chase Sapphire and also buy a small medical policy.

Our Chase Sapphire is $95 annual fee. Do others pay that? Looks like United charges this but did not see other posts that Chase Sapphire does also.

 

Are we missing something?

Thanks.