Refund of Insurance Premium when Cruise was cancelled by Oceania due to Covid

[china addict]

Our April 2020 cruise was cancelled, not by us but by Oceania due to Covid restrictions.  Most of the cruise fare has been refunded and our TA assures us that the small remaining portion will soon be credited to our charge card by Oceania.  That is not my issue.  I paid over $1,000 for a "cancel for any reason" insurance policy, worried about an onboard medical emergency.  Although the policy was purchased through my TA at the time of booking, she told me I would have to file a claim myself with the carrier for reimbursement.  I did so immediately but have not even received an acknowledgement from them.  I feel that most if not all of the insurance premium should be refunded to me.  Is anyone knowledgeable about my rights, and how have others handled this situation?   I can think of lots of things to do with $1,000+ if I can get it back.  Please share your wisdom with me.  

[LHT28]

call the insurance company  & ask is they will refund the  amount you paid  or at least let you  use the  premium for a future trip

 if you have no claim  they sometimes are willing to refund  

I have  had  the company let me use the  amount paid against  a future trip   this was before the pandemic though

[njhorseman]

26 minutes ago, china addict said:

Our April 2020 cruise was cancelled, not by us but by Oceania due to Covid restrictions.  Most of the cruise fare has been refunded and our TA assures us that the small remaining portion will soon be credited to our charge card by Oceania.  That is not my issue.  I paid over $1,000 for a "cancel for any reason" insurance policy, worried about an onboard medical emergency.  Although the policy was purchased through my TA at the time of booking, she told me I would have to file a claim myself with the carrier for reimbursement.  I did so immediately but have not even received an acknowledgement from them.  I feel that most if not all of the insurance premium should be refunded to me.  Is anyone knowledgeable about my rights, and how have others handled this situation?   I can think of lots of things to do with $1,000+ if I can get it back.  Please share your wisdom with me.  

Normal travel insurance practice by companies I've used is to not refund your premium but instead give you a credit than can be used toward a future purchase of a policy. I have no idea if insurance companies are modifying their usual practices at this time. You have to contact the insurance company to find out how they're handling it.

[basor]

In our experience, travel insurance companies will not refund a premium but will allow you to transfer the policy to a new trip......we just did this with 2 cruises.

[china addict]

Thanks for the prompt feedback.  Now I know how to proceed.

[Paulchili]

41 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Normal travel insurance practice by companies I've used is to not refund your premium but instead give you a credit than can be used toward a future purchase of a policy. I have no idea if insurance companies are modifying their usual practices at this time. You have to contact the insurance company to find out how they're handling it.

 

31 minutes ago, basor said:

In our experience, travel insurance companies will not refund a premium but will allow you to transfer the policy to a new trip......we just did this with 2 cruises.

My insurance gave me the option of a refund of premium or transfer to a future trip (see below)

To OP - in order to get a refund of your premium you must make that claim before the trip starts (I believe)

 

Please see below. If you are eligible for a refund of premium, please send us proof that your travel supplier cancelled the trip as well as proof that your full trip cost was refunded to you. 

If you are not eligible based upon the guidelines below, you will still be able to transfer your policy to a trip in the future - even if it is not yet booked - based upon the guidelines for Trip Postponement below. We would need proof of the cancelled trip for the exception to be approved now and then when you book the new trip you would forward your new itineraries to us so we could make the changes to your policy. Any time sensitive benefits you were eligible for at the time you originally purchased the policy will remain in place. If you were not originally eligible for time sensitive benefits, you would remain ineligible. 

 

Premium Refunds

1.Trip Cancellation If the travel supplier cancels the trip completely, and provides a full refund of trip costs, Nationwide will refund the premium for the travel insurance. Nationwide will not offer a refund for travelers who voluntarily cancel their trip, even if the tour operator gives a full refund.

 

2.Trip Postponement If a Traveler postpones their Trip due to the Coronavirus, Nationwide will allow the Traveler’s current insurance policy to extend to those new trip dates provided:

a.The new trip dates are no more than 18 months from their original trip dates.

b.Additional premium, if needed based on the new or postponed trip,will be collected. No refund will be considered if the premium for the new or postponed trip is less than the original trip premium.

[PaulMCO]

Every insurance company does their own thing,,

Travelex allows a one time transfer to a new cruise.  If the price is higher, then you pay the difference.  If is lower, they will refund the difference to your credit card on file.

[Mura]

Our experience is very old -- right after 9/11 when our Renaissance cruise set for January 2002 of course didn't happen.  The insurance company DID refund our premium but I had a feeling that DH was the only one who asked for that to happen ... But that was in 2001 and it wouldn't surprise me that today the answer might be different.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, china addict said:

Thanks for the prompt feedback.  Now I know how to proceed.

I agree with the above folks about asking your insurer to move the policy to a future cruise. The key items is that you need to demonstrate that the itinerary dates of your cancelled cruise have not yet occured and/or related expenses like air, pre/post-cruise hotels have been refunded or will not be claimed.

One other caveat: your insurer may no longer offer "cancel for any reason" or has now excluded Covid-19.

READ THE FINE PRINT!

[Petoonya]

OK, here's my stupid question related to this.

I was reluctant to transfer my insurance policy to another cruise or get a refund because i thought that if I didn't receive a full refund that policy would cover me. As it turns out Oceania refunded 82% of my fare a few weeks ago for a cruise 4/14 that was cancelled 3/12. My TA has pestered O but says she honestly doesn't know when the balance will be restored to my cc.

 

I'm a ninny with this stuff and really apologize. But your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Paulchili]

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I agree with the above folks about asking your insurer to move the policy to a future cruise. The key items is that you need to demonstrate that the itinerary dates of your cancelled cruise have not yet occured and/or related expenses like air, pre/post-cruise hotels have been refunded or will not be claimed.

One other caveat: your insurer may no longer offer "cancel for any reason" or has now excluded Covid-19.

READ THE FINE PRINT!

My issue with that approach is that I am not sure if either I or Oceania will survive this crisis and if so, when and in what shape.

I feel I have nothing to lose by getting a refund now and then buy the next insurance when I know that I am cruising again. If I am not cruising again then what - can I still get a refund 2 years later? It's the bird in the hand thing 😀

That's just me.

[Paulchili]

43 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

OK, here's my stupid question related to this.

I was reluctant to transfer my insurance policy to another cruise or get a refund because i thought that if I didn't receive a full refund that policy would cover me. As it turns out Oceania refunded 82% of my fare a few weeks ago for a cruise 4/14 that was cancelled 3/12. My TA has pestered O but says she honestly doesn't know when the balance will be restored to my cc.

 

I'm a ninny with this stuff and really apologize. But your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

I am thinking - but not sure - that you could claim the missing 18% from the insurance?

[royallondon]

Petoonya, I see your thinking!

just as soon as you receive the last 18% I’d be contacting the insurance company and asking the question.  Nothing ventured.....

 

Regards

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, Paulchili said:

I am thinking - but not sure - that you could claim the missing 18% from the insurance?

 

5 hours ago, royallondon said:

Petoonya, I see your thinking!

just as soon as you receive the last 18% I’d be contacting the insurance company and asking the question.  Nothing ventured.....

 

Regards

Have you read your insurance T&Cs? Unless you purchased CFAR option (if available), Covid-19 "related" claims may be denied based on the insurer's interpretation of WHO/WHY the trip was cancelled/delayed/interrupted.

No one can answer your "why only 82% first refund" question without far more details, which no one is going to scroll back in the thread to find.

[Petoonya]

30 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

Have you read your insurance T&Cs? Unless you purchased CFAR option (if available), Covid-19 "related" claims may be denied based on the insurer's interpretation of WHO/WHY the trip was cancelled/delayed/interrupted.

No one can answer your "why only 82% first refund" question without far more details, which no one is going to scroll back in the thread to find.

No I've read my T& C's and the cancellation would be covered in order to recover the balance owed by O. Travel Insured was going to cover my initial air claim when it appeared the ticket was non-refundable ( but later I got a waiver). I'm just wondering about other's rationale for cancelling their policies for a refund or transferring their policies if they'd not yet been issued a refund. Have heard of others doing exactly that.

But maybe I am misreading posts and their refunds are in hand.

I'm giving O till midweek next to dig into their pockets and give me the rest and then going to insurance. But I just wondered if I was missing something about other's transferring their policies to another cruise if they'd yet to be issued a refund.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Petoonya

[Petoonya]

6 hours ago, royallondon said:

Petoonya, I see your thinking!

just as soon as you receive the last 18% I’d be contacting the insurance company and asking the question.  Nothing ventured.....

 

Regards

 

6 hours ago, royallondon said:

Petoonya, I see your thinking!

just as soon as you receive the last 18% I’d be contacting the insurance company and asking the question.  Nothing ventured.....

 

Regards

Thanks you two. I'm on the phone with Travel Insured at the present. The balance owed is covered. I'm tired of O's blank wall stance on it.

But again unless you have refund in hand why would anyone want to transfer or cancel their policy to another vacation for a refund?

[StanandJim]

9 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

No I've read my T& C's and the cancellation would be covered in order to recover the balance owed by O. Travel Insured was going to cover my initial air claim when it appeared the ticket was non-refundable ( but later I got a waiver). I'm just wondering about other's rationale for cancelling their policies for a refund or transferring their policies if they'd not yet been issued a refund. Have heard of others doing exactly that.

But maybe I am misreading posts and their refunds are in hand.

I'm giving O till midweek next to dig into their pockets and give me the rest and then going to insurance. But I just wondered if I was missing something about other's transferring their policies to another cruise if they'd yet to be issued a refund.

A Quick FYI on our experience with Covid related refunds is that time is definitely your friend on these type issues.

The rules are being amended if not upended as the crisis deepens.

If you force a decision early (based on pre or early covid policies) you may regret it later.  

Take a breath

[Petoonya]

1 minute ago, StanandJim said:

A Quick FYI on our experience with Covid related refunds is that time is definitely your friend on these type issues.

The rules are being amended if not upended as the crisis deepens.

If you force a decision early (based on pre or early covid policies) you may regret it later.  

Take a breath

Thanks Stan and Jim. Appreciate your input. As soon as my cruise was cancelled I put a deposit on another O cruise as few cabins left in the category I wanted. But rather not lose more $.

I see the wisdom of your point however and will move cautiously.

[Flatbush Flyer]

47 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

 

Thanks you two. I'm on the phone with Travel Insured at the present. The balance owed is covered. I'm tired of O's blank wall stance on it.

But again unless you have refund in hand why would anyone want to transfer or cancel their policy to another vacation for a refund?

Regardless of what someone on the phone says, you will not know if it's covered until an adjuster handles it and you have a check in hand. 

As to why one would request transfer of the policy to another cruise before your current cruise refund by Oceania has been completed, note that, once a covered portion of the original trip would've commenced (e.g., your flight date to embarkation port), your insurance coverage is "active." So, yes, you could still file an insurance claim for any unpaid refund by O. But, if O then does pay 100% and/or you have nothing else to claim, you've still essentially "used" your policy.

 

So, while an insurer may be willing to refund or transfer a policy BEFORE covered travel would've begun, doing so AFTER is a whole other question dependent on your company's policies/procedures.

 

We just moved a policy for an O cruise that was supposed to start this coming week to our November cruise. The company we're using does not do refunds - rather only transfers. In this case, it works for us. We're still waiting for a DIY air refund which the insurer would probably not cover because we cancelled it and not the airline. In any case, our credit card company has issued a temporary credit since we provided the airline's email saying refund was approved. I fully expect that credit to be finalized.

So, why would I throw away the insurance premium for the cruise on which I'll have no claims by waiting until after the trip would've begun???

[Petoonya]

13 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Regardless of what someone on the phone says, you will not know if it's covered until an adjuster handles it and you have a check in hand. 

 

It's a chance I'm willing to take. The policy was no where near as expensive as the money owed by O. I'll give the policy a shot. It's disturbing that the cruise line was communicating with my TA until they issued the partial refund- now nothing.

 

Again I'm taking a chance on insurance covering than O paying up.

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Petoonya

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Petoonya said:

No I've read my T& C's and the cancellation would be covered in order to recover the balance owed by O. Travel Insured was going to cover my initial air claim when it appeared the ticket was non-refundable ( but later I got a waiver). I'm just wondering about other's rationale for cancelling their policies for a refund or transferring their policies if they'd not yet been issued a refund. Have heard of others doing exactly that.

But maybe I am misreading posts and their refunds are in hand.

I'm giving O till midweek next to dig into their pockets and give me the rest and then going to insurance. But I just wondered if I was missing something about other's transferring their policies to another cruise if they'd yet to be issued a refund.

I am guessing here  but I think those  getting or have gotten the full refund   are  asking  the insurance  for the premium to be  refunded or  a FCC  for other trips

 If you are not getting a full refund  then maybe insurance  is the way to go

 First make sure  you are not going to be getting the difference  from O before making  a claim

As posted by others the refunds  for different  payments  come from  different depts  so maybe yours is still in the queue

But you have to do what works best for you

[Petoonya]

8 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I am guessing here  but I think those  getting or have gotten the full refund   are  asking  the insurance  for the premium to be  refunded or  a FCC  for other trips

 If you are not getting a full refund  then maybe insurance  is the way to go

 First make sure  you are not going to be getting the difference  from O before making  a claim

As posted by other the refunds  for different  payments  come from  different depts  so maybe your is still in the queue

Lyn,

I'm not sure I'll get the difference. It's been close to 3 weeks. O was talking to my TA about it until the initial refund- now nothing. I'm getting a little antsy. Filing for the difference. Find it bizarre that O is doing this partial refund stuff. My gut says that I'm going to lose the balance. So that's why I'm acting. More money to be refunded by O than money to be gained cancelling or transferring the policy. I might get nothing but  'possible' bird in hand.....worth better than two in the bush.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Petoonya

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

It's a chance I'm willing to take. The policy was no where near as expensive as the money owed by O. I'll give the policy a shot. It's disturbing that the cruise line was communicating with my TA until they issued the partial refund- now nothing.

 

Again I'm taking a chance on insurance covering than O paying up.

 

Out of curiosity, what exactly do you think is missing such that it's only 82%?

 

What was originally charged to your credit card(s) by Oceania? (Hopefully, TA didn't charge your card and is keeping your deposit).

 

Were there multiple charges (e.g., deposit, excursions, final pay)? And one or more cards?

 

Just to be sure: was it a Oceania or you that cancelled?

 

Did you book onboard where bonus SBC value would've been recouped if you cancel?

 

There are so many variables here that "too much information" is justified in asking for answers. 

[LHT28]

7 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

Lyn,

I'm not sure I'll get the difference. It's been close to 3 weeks. O was talking to my TA about it until the initial refund- now nothing. I'm getting a little antsy. Filing for the difference. Find it bizarre that O is doing this partial refund stuff. My gut says that I'm going to lose the balance. So that's why I'm acting. More money to be refunded by O than money to be gained cancelling or transferring the policy. I might get nothing but  'possible' bird in hand.....worth better than two in the bush.

I know you were in panic mode before O cancelled the cruise  but  3 wks in the grand scheme of things is  not a long time these days

Some are told up to 90 days for refunds

Your cruise  was cancelled when there were many more sailings being cancelled  I would give  them a few more weeks  before filing a claim with Insurance

What happens  if you file  a claim then the refund comes in from O?

 

JMO

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

Lyn,

I'm not sure I'll get the difference. It's been close to 3 weeks. O was talking to my TA about it until the initial refund- now nothing. I'm getting a little antsy. Filing for the difference. Find it bizarre that O is doing this partial refund stuff. My gut says that I'm going to lose the balance. So that's why I'm acting. More money to be refunded by O than money to be gained cancelling or transferring the policy. I might get nothing but  'possible' bird in hand.....worth better than two in the bush.

So, why aren't you disputing the original charges with your CC issuer? 

I still think you should give up complete details of what may be represented in the 18% (BTW, how much $ is it? I ask because, if it's some number that would suggest a math error (e.g., $1k instead of $2k), you may have your answer.

And, if your TA is a significant booker of Oceania cruises, there's no way O wouldn't respond to him/her.