Trip insurance what to buy?

[grooker]

How and what to buy

[SPacificbound]

Check out The Trip Insurance Store and Insure My Trip. They give you lots of options on coverage. You have to decide which coverage(s) are important to you.

 

https://tripinsurancestore.com/tripinsurancestore-customer-service/

 

https://www.insuremytrip.com/

[Ashland]

I'll just add to the above..."call" and speak to Steve or one of this associates at the Trip Insurance Store...You need to speak to a "live" person...don't just try to figure out what you personally need by looking at a website.

[LDVinNC]

Also take a look at the trip insurance forum here for lots of good information.

[iancal]

Agree.  Don't buy from a TA or from the cruise company. If you do the insurance will be overpriced and have less coverage.  Same with vendors like the auro club or bank in our experience.

[ontheweb]

58 minutes ago, iancal said:

Agree.  Don't buy from a TA or from the cruise company. If you do the insurance will be overpriced and have less coverage.  Same with vendors like the auro club or bank in our experience.

 

I have found in the past whether I buy trip insurance direct from the company or through my TA, the price is the same even though I assume the TA gets a commission.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Also check out your perSonal Insurance to see what coverage you have.  For most people medical and evacuation insurance is high on their list of needed coverage but you need to be aware of what coverage you already have.

[SRF]

Also contact your insurance company that insures your car or house.

 

But bottom line is, we can tell you where to look, but cannot tell you what to buy.  Just like I can't tell you what vehicle or what shirt to buy.

 

One thing is, if you are not worried about covering the cost of the cruise, you can insure for $0 trip cost for a LOT less money.

 

I figure I paid for the trip, and if I don't go, I will not be happy, but I am not incurring unexpected expenses.  However, a medical emergency on a ship or outside your home country can incur 10's of thousands or even 100's of thousands of dollars of unexpected costs.

 

Using this, I insure a typical trip for a whopping $32.

Edited November 3, 2018 by SRF

[iancal]

It is as important to buy insurance from someone who is truly knowledgable with the policy attributes, pre existing situations, limits, and deductible. Every time we have spoken to a live agent, vs on line, we have learned one or more salient facts about the policy and our specific coverage.

 

Dealing direct with the carrier enabled us to obtain excellent coverage and to realize a 30 percent reduction in the premium by increasing the deductible to 5K.  It was a six month travel policy. We took the higher deductible because we are really only concerned about the high cost risk claims.

[westcoastcruiser]

On 11/3/2018 at 5:52 AM, LDVinNC said:

Also take a look at the trip insurance forum here for lots of good information.

Highly recommend this....can learn a lot from people’s past experiences.  

[Joebucks]

Another recommendation is looking into a good travel credit card. Some of them will include good travel insurance and many other perks which can prove useful if you travel often. Compare and see what works best for you.

[LDVinNC]

On 11/3/2018 at 10:52 AM, SRF said:

 

One thing is, if you are not worried about covering the cost of the cruise, you can insure for $0 trip cost for a LOT less money.

 

Check carefully about this.  It is my understanding - which may not be accurate in all situations - that putting in $0 trip cost negates pre-existing condition coverage even if you book the insurance within the 14-21 day window.  Insuring a small amount will not cost much more.

[iancal]

We had to cancel a May trip to China for medical reasons.  

 

We we made the booking on a credit card that had, as one of it's attributes, cancellation insurance.  We rec'd full claim reimbursement within 10 business days, adjusted for mail time.

Edited November 5, 2018 by iancal

[LDVinNC]

Credit card insurance does not usually cover pre-existing conditions, though.  We too had a good experience getting reimbursed by our card when a newly arisen medical problem caused us to cancel a trip.

[SRF]

20 hours ago, LDVinNC said:

Check carefully about this.  It is my understanding - which may not be accurate in all situations - that putting in $0 trip cost negates pre-existing condition coverage even if you book the insurance within the 14-21 day window.  Insuring a small amount will not cost much more.

 

You have to talk to your insurer.

 

Mine only looks back 60 or 90 days (can't remember as either is fine by me) for coverage.

 

Ones that cover the trip cost have longer look backs.

[SRF]

On 11/3/2018 at 2:10 PM, iancal said:

Agree.  Don't buy from a TA or from the cruise company. If you do the insurance will be overpriced and have less coverage.  Same with vendors like the auro club or bank in our experience.

 

Not always true.

 

3rd party underwrite, so costs for older people is MUCH higher.

 

In 2014 we cruised with my parents.  They were 87 at the time.  The 3rd party insurance was several THOUSAND dollars.   Over half their cruise fare.  Coverage through Royal was much less.  

 

Yes, the coverage was less, but not unacceptable.

[schmeed]

You definitely need to weigh the option (and extra cost) of cancel for any reason.  And most insurers require that to be purchased shortly after booking.

 

Just remember....insurance is a gamble...
If you don't buy it, and you need it, you'll regret the decision.

If you buy it, and don't need it, you may be sorry you spent the money.

[Go-Bucks!]

On 11/5/2018 at 10:10 AM, iancal said:

We had to cancel a May trip to China for medical reasons.  

 

We we made the booking on a credit card that had, as one of it's attributes, cancellation insurance.  We rec'd full claim reimbursement within 10 business days, adjusted for mail time.

 

No matter how much the cruise (and other non-refundable things) costs?

 

I have read that most credit cards have a maximum amount that they'll cover.  If you take a very long, expensive cruise then it might not cover the entire amount.  If you get travel insurance, you can cover your costs even if they're high.

[NantahalaCruiser]

On 11/5/2018 at 7:55 AM, LDVinNC said:

Check carefully about this.  It is my understanding - which may not be accurate in all situations - that putting in $0 trip cost negates pre-existing condition coverage even if you book the insurance within the 14-21 day window.  Insuring a small amount will not cost much more.

Note that with some policies, paying a deposit on a cruise several months in advance can trigger a 14-21 day window for purchasing coverage with a pre-existing condition waiver. On the other hand, there are some policies that allow you to receive the pre-existing condition waiver as long as you purchase the policy prior to the final payment date for your cruise. Many things to consider; do your research and, as others have said, talk to a person who can answer your questions.

[pris993]

I am 72 and my dh is 85, so our main concern is health and emergency evacuation... we purchase a business travelers insurance on an annual basis for the two of us for $518.    We do not try to insure our trip costs ... only emergency health issues.  We are both in good health.  This insurance is available on line from Travel Guard