What Travel Insurance Plan did you buy and why?

[Hlitner]

I'm glad that you posted your response again. It is the most helpful advice I have read on Cruise Critic. You will have saved me almost $2,500 per year by going with an annual plan instead of regular travel insurance. Thank-you.

 

Glad you found a good solution to fit your travel pattern. And now we have a new issue that is kicking around the boards that might apply to you...since it sounds like you do travel a lot (like us). Some folks are really pushing the relatively new Chase Saphhire Preferred Reserve card. Like the AMEX Platinum, this is an expensive card that is only for those that can justify the cost. It also requires an excellent credit rating. But that card provides a $10,000 cancellation policy as part of its annual benefits. So some folks are thinking that having that card plus an annual travel med policy might be a good combination for those of us who do a lot of travel. The only negative is that the card is expensive (about $450 a year) and $10,000 is a nice benefit but does not cover the really expensive trips. But for those of us who already pay for AMEX Platinum...there is a good case to switch to the Chase card.

 

Hank

[klrcruises]

Glad you found a good solution to fit your travel pattern. And now we have a new issue that is kicking around the boards that might apply to you...since it sounds like you do travel a lot (like us). Some folks are really pushing the relatively new Chase Saphhire Preferred Reserve card. Like the AMEX Platinum, this is an expensive card that is only for those that can justify the cost. It also requires an excellent credit rating. But that card provides a $10,000 cancellation policy as part of its annual benefits. So some folks are thinking that having that card plus an annual travel med policy might be a good combination for those of us who do a lot of travel. The only negative is that the card is expensive (about $450 a year) and $10,000 is a nice benefit but does not cover the really expensive trips. But for those of us who already pay for AMEX Platinum...there is a good case to switch to the Chase card.

 

Hank

Hi Hank! I have learned so much from reading your posts! I happen to have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card. It also has a $10000 per person cancellation insurance benefit ($20000 per trip) with $40000 annual benefit. the cost of this card is $95 per year. I will pass on trip cancellation insurance because I can cover most of the cost with the cc insurance. I will definitely supplement insurance with medical and evacuation insurance. What type of medical and evacuation insurance (limits) do you buy? Not sure how to determine what we will need for these services in foreign countries.

[PoppyandNana]

Hi Hank! I have learned so much from reading your posts! I happen to have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card. It also has a $10000 per person cancellation insurance benefit ($20000 per trip) with $40000 annual benefit. the cost of this card is $95 per year. I will pass on trip cancellation insurance because I can cover most of the cost with the cc insurance. I will definitely supplement insurance with medical and evacuation insurance. What type of medical and evacuation insurance (limits) do you buy? Not sure how to determine what we will need for these services in foreign countries.

 

Just bought a medical evacuation policy from Travel Guard. $50,000 for accidents and sickness. $25,000 for accidental medical expenses. $1,000,000 for security evacuation. All for $134. Trip cancellation, baggage loss etc are all covered by my Chase One Pass card.

[GeezerCouple]

I think the usual rule for cancel-for-any-reason insurance is "within 14 days after first payment is made," and since you're making a deposit when you book, it is effectively 14 days from the date the cruise is first booked.

 

One of the MOST IMPORTANT THINGS is to double check all of the terms of the SPECIFIC POLICY YOU PURCHASE.

 

Please do not rely upon statements like this and assume that a policy you purchase will be the same.

 

Just because someone "thinks" a rule is "within 14 days..." doesn't mean all policies are like that.

 

There are too many complaints here on CC about dissatisfaction with travel insurance if claims are denied, when the underlying problem was the the traveler making the claim did not fully understand the terms of the policy.

 

To get "Cancel For Any Reason" (CFAR) coverage and/or the waiver of the pre-existing condition exclusion, different policies/insurers have different requirements.

Some policies do have that 14 day window.

 

The policy we usually purchase through http://www.TripInsuranceStore.com is from Travel Insured, and this requires starting the coverage within 21 days of the initial payment.

 

But when we've "missed" that window (thus far, happened only once because we made a deposit on a trip we then decided we probably wouldn't take, but left the deposit, and later were glad... and took the trip!) we use CSA which allows the insurance coverage to start within 24 hours of the FINAL payment (note: "final payment" is narrowly defined for this).

CSA insurance purchased this late may be considerably more expensive for CFAR coverage, but is not much more expensive for that often important waiver of pre-existing condition exclusion.

 

We always suggest that travelers call Steve and his colleagues at TripInsuranceStore. They are remarkably patient with those just learning about travel insurance, and they also don't "oversell". We learned a great deal from them, plus from carefully *reading* the policy, and sometimes asking questions to clarify something. (He once explained why for a particular trip we could get a *less* expensive policy. Nice.)

 

Explain your own specific needs/concerns, and they'll suggest appropriate policies. They'll also likely ask a few more questions to get the best match.

 

We've had two reasonably large claims with Travel Insured, and in both cases, the claims were paid very promptly once we had all of the documents submitted. And we didn't think any of the documentation required was unreasonable.

 

Also note that with the waiver of pre-existing condition exclusion, the claim might be faster. If there is no concern about "when" any underlying medical condition started, there is no need to request previous medical records. All that is needed is information about the current medical problem.

(One must be "able to travel" on the day the insurance coverage is purchased.)

[DoggieStu]

Anyone know if a cancer in remission is considered a preexisting condition?

 

Also, thanks to those of you kind enough to spell out acronyms for those of us who are less fluent in the language of cruising. CFAR. Stumped me for awhile.

[dreadpirate3]

I bought coverage with Travel Insured through USAA. It was $25 each for DH and I, and covers cancellation, and the items below.

 

Trip Cancellation Up to 100% Trip Cost*

Trip Interruption Up to 100% Trip Cost*

Travel Delay (12 hours) $300 ($100/day)

Reimbursement of Miles or Reward Points $250

Baggage & Personal Effects $750**

Baggage Delay (24 hours) $200

Accident & Sickness Medical Expense $10,000

Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation $100,000

[poss]

$25.00????? What is USAA??

[dreadpirate3]

$25.00????? What is USAA??

 

USAA is the United Service Automobile Association, which began as an insurance company for US military service members and grew to have banking, mortgages, and other financial services.

 

USAA

 

 

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is a Texas-based Fortune 500 diversified financial services group of companies including a Texas Department of Insurance regulated reciprocal inter-insurance exchange and subsidiaries offering banking, investing, and insurance to people and families that serve, or served, in the United States military. At the end of 2015, there were 11.4 million members.

USAA was founded in 1922 by a group of U.S. Army officers as a mechanism for mutual self-insurance when they were unable to secure auto insurance because of the perception that they, as military officers, were a high-risk group. USAA has since expanded to offer banking and insurance services to past and present members of the Armed Forces, officers and enlisted, and their immediate families.

[Happy2cruise]

$25.00????? What is USAA??

I think it is a site for military and vets to purchase different products such as insurance. Maybe someone else will chime in with more knowledge of this site.

[poss]

Oh, I see. For those of us not in the military (especially for those of us over 85) the cost of insurance is very, very high.

[Happy2cruise]

Oh, I see. For those of us not in the military (especially for those of us over 85) the cost of insurance is very, very high.

I don't know about that because my husband checked out the travel insurance on that site and found the coverage lower and the price was not that cheap:confused:

[Cruisermann]

Most plans I've seen include some form of medivac coverage that gets you to the "closest facility". Anyone know of a plan that will get you back to a US hospital?

[GeezerCouple]

Most plans I've seen include some form of medivac coverage that gets you to the "closest facility". Anyone know of a plan that will get you back to a US hospital?

 

We have an annual subscription to MedJetAssist.

 

This kicks in ONLY once you are admitted to a hospital as an inpatient (not just ER), at least 150 miles from home.

At that point, you can have MedJetAssist medevac you to the hosp.ital of YOUR choice, such as your home hospital (or perhaps a specialty hospital elsewhere).

 

The thing we like about this is that it doesn't require the approval of insurance beancounters and it doesn't require that the local hospital staff declare themselves not able to care for you properly.

 

Also, with the annual coverage, rather than per-trip, we are also covered for regular business travel or just to visit friends/family.

 

Call Steve at http://www.TripInsuranceStore.com

(If you have AARP membership, tell him; there is a discount.)

[Hroswitha]

I can second what Geezercouple said.

 

Friends of ours had occasion to use MedJetAssist several years ago and were extremely satisfied.

 

It is also possible to purchase coverage directly through MJA's Web site--don't know if there is any difference in price.

 

Also: A single policy covering a couple (or family) is much more economical than separate coverage for each person.

[onlybyland]

I used travel nomads when I went on the Antarctica cruise. I think its cheaper than what most cruisers use but with the same coverage.

 

http://www.onlybyland.com/2016/10/travel-insurance.html

[Happy2cruise]

I can second what Geezercouple said.

 

Friends of ours had occasion to use MedJetAssist several years ago and were extremely satisfied.

 

It is also possible to purchase coverage directly through MJA's Web site--don't know if there is any difference in price.

 

Also: A single policy covering a couple (or family) is much more economical than separate coverage for each person.

No difference booking thry MJA website, but if you are an AARP member there is an 18% discount;)

[GeezerCouple]

No difference booking thry MJA website, but if you are an AARP member there is an 18% discount;)

 

You can get that same discount through TripInsuranceStore.com

 

We do :)

[beezer248]

My advice to the OP (having spent over thirty years in the Medical Insurance industry) is do not try to copy others....but simply assess your own needs and wants as to cancellation coverage and medical insurance. We, for example, travel out of the country about 7 months a year (on cruises and extended land trips) and never purchase any cancellation insurance. The reason is that we have a high "risk tolerance" and if we had to cancel a trip (which has never happened) would simply eat the cost (we would have spent the money anyway). Over the years we figure that we are ahead by far more then $100,000 (the money we saved by not buying cancellation insurance). On the other hand, we do purchase an Annual Travel Medical Policy that is quite inexpensive and provides $250,000 of Medical coverage (far in excess of the ridiculous $10,000 offered by many trip insurance policies).

 

But what works for us many not work for you (or anyone else). There are some folks that need a good "cancel for any reason" policy because of work demands. Others need to make sure they get medical coverage that includes pre-existing conditions...because they have medical issues. So, ask yourself what do you need and what would make you comfortable...and then look for the product that meets your specific needs.

 

Hank

What company do you purchase the Annual Travel Medical Policy through? Agree with everything you mentioned. Do you have Medjet coverage or is that covered in your policy? Planning overseas trips for next year and looking into all this. Thank you!

[donaldsc]

We carry a high limit annual policy that covers all trips for medical and evacuation only. We consider that the rest of the stuff such as cancellation, delay, loss of luggage , etc is a waste of money. My general policy is to insure for the big stuff and self insure for the smaller stuff.

 

DON

[Hlitner]

What company do you purchase the Annual Travel Medical Policy through? Agree with everything you mentioned. Do you have Medjet coverage or is that covered in your policy? Planning overseas trips for next year and looking into all this. Thank you!

 

Our policy is issued by GeoBlue....which is part of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield network. Here is a link to their site

https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com

 

They offer several different policies. But while this coverage is perfect for our needs, they may not be good for you. So certainly do some homework, check out other options, and then choose what best suits your own needs.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

We carry a high limit annual policy that covers all trips for medical and evacuation only. We consider that the rest of the stuff such as cancellation, delay, loss of luggage , etc is a waste of money. My general policy is to insure for the big stuff and self insure for the smaller stuff.

 

DON

 

While we agree with you on most points, there are now some interesting options. One that really caught my interest is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card which give you up to $10,000 of trip cancellation insurance for any trip put on that card. While the annual $450 a year sounds high, they also give you back $300 a year nearly any travel expenses.

 

Hank