Best Travel Insurance

[jiminyC_fan]

I got a quote for Viking's insurance but I'm not real pleased with the cancel for any reason. You only get Viking vouchers. I usually compare on Insuremytrip.com and I found companies only offer 75% of cost of trip. What company do most of you use?

 

Thank you!

[QRB4539]

Hey Jiminy C - just joined cruise critic today and I see you are from Littleton CO like us! Small world.

I have checked insuremytrip also for travel insurance.

[jiminyC_fan]

Hey Jiminy C - just joined cruise critic today and I see you are from Littleton CO like us! Small world.

I have checked insuremytrip also for travel insurance.

 

Small world indeed. We are from the Columbine area.

[QRB4539]

Us too - south and west of the HS.

[jiminyC_fan]

Us too - south and west of the HS.

 

Well how about that! Welcome to CC!

[Little Rascal]

Our travel agent sent us a insurance quote which was a lot cheaper than Vikings. The company is called Allianz. We have also bought Travel Guard Gold in the past that was a lot less expensive also and good coverage like cancel for any reason.

[mhb1757]

I always check insurmytrip and pick the coverage best suited to our needs for that trip. We don't usually add the cancel for any reason coverage but have used Allianz and Travel Guard as well as Nationwise. Only had to make a claim once and it was with Travel Guard and they paid the claim in full promptly.

Insuremytrip has AM Best company ratings as well as user reviews and ratings so I suspect you can make a good decision based on those for the coverage you want.

I never think it is wise to get your insurance from the cruise line because there are too many exceptions to the coverage and it is always WAY more than independent coverage. Just seems like a huge conflict of interest to me.

[jiminyC_fan]

Thank you both. I will check out Allianz, Travel Guard and Nationwise for their coverage. Cancel for any reason is important to us because of health issues for other family members.

[roothy123]

Thank you both. I will check out Allianz, Travel Guard and Nationwise for their coverage. Cancel for any reason is important to us because of health issues for other family members.

 

You probably already know this, but just in case: Make sure the policy clearly states you can cancel for any reason. I think insuremytrip has a block you can check to filter only those policies that offer it. You'll pay more for it. With that feature, you may find that the cost is as high as the Trip Mate insurance offered by Viking.

 

If you decide to take a chance on a policy that doesn't have it, at least read the section on cancellation carefully to make sure it meets what might be an issue for you, and that your definition of a family health emergency is the same as the company's.

 

We've used a number of companies and only made two small medical claims. I know Allianz paid up without any problems; I forget which company we used the other time when we had to make a claim. Be aware that some insurance you purchase could be secondary to any other policies you hold or companies that you could ask to pay for a claim. For example, for medical, you have to file with your health insurance company first (or Medicare, except I don't think they pay outside the U.S.) For lost luggage, you have to submit a claim to your airline carrier. It's not usually a big deal, but it slows up your claim.

[jiminyC_fan]

Thank you Roothy! Looking at Nationwide and a few others, they definitely don't add cancel for any reason without checking a box and then it does have an added fee. I didn't see that Allianz even offered it

[Host Jazzbeau]

Viking's "any reason" coverage is better and worse than most: better because the coverage is 100% rather than the standard 75% -- but worse because it is only a credit for a future Viking cruise [within a certain time limit], not cash. The better third-party policies are better than any cruise line's own policy because they include coverage against supplier default [e.g. if the cruise line goes out of business before your cruise]. The fine print really matters when buying trip insurance!

[jiminyC_fan]

Fine print is important to read indeed!

[roothy123]

One thing to keep in mind is "pre-existing condition" coverage. I won't try to explain it, as it's a little complicated. However, if it's important to you, you'll probably need to purchase it within 10 or 14 days of the date you made a DEPOSIT on your cruise. I think that's why Viking probably automatically adds insurance on their invoices unless you very specifically tell them to take it off right away. (If you wait to purchase the insurance later, it may or may not cover pre-existing conditions that you have now or might develop before your cruise rolls around.) If you're unfamiliar with this aspect of travel insurance, I would ask someone at Insure My Trip or Squaremouth to explain it, and of course, read the fine print on any policies you're considering. Pre-existing coverage will cost a little more, and require you to pay for non-refundable insurance a lot earlier than you might want. However, in some cases, having it could be a financial lifesaver.

 

Here's something to read on the subject: https://helpcenter.squaremouth.com/hc/en-us/articles/204118486-What-is-a-Pre-Existing-Condition-and-how-do-I-know-if-I-have-one-

 

Sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball to predict what will happen in the future!

Edited June 22, 2016 by roothy123

[roothy123]

Thank you Roothy! Looking at Nationwide and a few others, they definitely don't add cancel for any reason without checking a box and then it does have an added fee. I didn't see that Allianz even offered it

 

You may not even need cancel for any reason coverage if the primary reason for wanting it is worries that something will happen to family members, either at home or on the trip. I would read the cancellation or trip interruption clauses for a couple policies and see if you think they might cover likely scenarios.

[jiminyC_fan]

I would love to have a crystal ball for every trip. Insurance is always so stressful......... every.....single... time. If it wasn't so darn expensive I wouldn't stress, LOL

[Host Jazzbeau]

This is another reason to use a good Travel Agent. Mine has access to an Allianz policy that isn't sold to the public which includes "pre-existing condition" coverage no matter when you buy it [as long as you are medically able to travel on the day you buy the insurance]. That allows me to wait until final payment with no risk. [if I cancel the trip early enough that penalties are small, I can also roll this policy over onto my next trip.]

[jiminyC_fan]

Our agent actually uses Allianz as well.

[stretchcruz]

I use insuremytrip and pick the best coverage for my particular trip. I always buy it within the 10-14 days after putting the deposit down so preexisting conditions are covered. However, what I do to save having to pay that huge premium at that time is I only insure the deposit amount. Then, as I add expenses, I call and increase the coverage (the other day I added the airfare) then at final payment I increase it to the full cruise amount. That way, if I have to cancel before final payment for some reason I don't lose the huge premium amount. Plus through insuremytrip I've been able to transfer the premium toward a new trip if I've canceled the original one. Hope that makes sense.

[roothy123]

I use insuremytrip and pick the best coverage for my particular trip. I always buy it within the 10-14 days after putting the deposit down so preexisting conditions are covered. However, what I do to save having to pay that huge premium at that time is I only insure the deposit amount. Then, as I add expenses, I call and increase the coverage (the other day I added the airfare) then at final payment I increase it to the full cruise amount. That way, if I have to cancel before final payment for some reason I don't lose the huge premium amount. Plus through insuremytrip I've been able to transfer the premium toward a new trip if I've canceled the original one. Hope that makes sense.

 

Wow, that makes a lot of sense. I didn't know you could do that. Have you used that strategy on more than one company/policy? I just need a little assurance that it works!

[stretchcruz]

Yes many times. You just need to call Insuremytrip.com and they will check to make sure the company and policy you are looking at allows it. As a matter of fact they were the ones who told me that I could do it. When booking a cruise a few years out you never know what could happen. I've both added to the insured amount and changed it to a different trip, itinerary, etc.

[fnewman]

To me opinions of people (regarding the original question) who haven't had to file a claim are of little value-any policy is good if you never need it! For those who have had to file a claim, which policies paid and which were difficult to deal with?

[roothy123]

fnewman, since I last expressed my opinion (and mentioned that we had no trouble with a medical claim with Allianz) I've done more research on a site called Trip Insurance Store. They have some good articles which made it clearer to me how insurance works. In the end, it seems to me that the amount of coverage for each component (medical, cancel, trip interruption, etc.) isn't nearly as important as the timing. For example, sometimes travel delay/missed connection worries me. If you miss your cruise because the flight a cruise line booked for you left late, some policies pay if the flight left 6 hours late. Others pay if the flight left 9 or 12 hours late. You really have to read everything, and sometimes you have to figure out what it means. I am currently looking at the Travel Insured WTP plan - partly because the wording is better than other plans. I figure if the wording is precise, I have a better chance of getting them to approve a claim if the need should arise. They also seem to have lower timing thresholds - for example, 6 hours for missed connections when flying to connect to a cruise.

 

stretchcruz, thanks for letting me know about the incremental insurance. I did ask the Trip Insurance Store if any of their plans allowed that, and they said yes.

[cargo13]

75% of your trip investment is the normal on cancel for any reason. Here is a website that compares the coverages & costs of travel insurance:

http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/

 

We dont buy with the cruise line because its usually more expensive that buying direct from the travel insurance company. We have bought #1 rated CSA and found their claims payout to be fast.

 

They have different policies: http://www.csatravelprotection.com/plan-details

CSA's pre existing condition policies are liberal.

[jiminyC_fan]

Very nice. Thanks cargo13.

[Jacqueline]

I am thinking of doing. Viking cruise at some point and was checking out the board here.

Lots of good advice. There is also a separate board on CC just dealing with insurance issues.

While it sounds obvious, for each trip ones needs may vary.

Also, each state may have a different offering. For example, in NY we cannot obtain cancel for any reason coverage.

The biggest financial risk on any trip is a medical emergency. I just had over $100,000 worth of expenses due to my injury in May. My trip interruption is a paltry $3200.

I used Roam Right and so far they have paid up all my medical and emergency evacuation expenses in full. My NY insurance plan paid my medical expenses. Some people use chase sapphire to cover their trip cost.