Cruise Insurance - AVOID NATIONWIDE

[LOVEMYMO]

So like many others here, our cruise was cancelled due to COVID-19.  We had purchased cruise insurance like we always do and when NCL cancelled the cruise, we filed a claim to obtain the amount paid back for the insurance to NATIONWIDE.  We were denied (see note below).  My issue is this. COVID-19 did not exist at the time we purchased the insurance so how in the world could/would it be listed as a covered reason?  I am posting this for awareness purposes to beware of NATIONWIDE.  I know we will NEVER purchase insurance from them again.  Oh and by the way, the amount paid for the insurance was about $100.  Not much - but it is now the principle.

 

The Nationwide Travel Insurance Plan was purchased for a May 2020 trip. The trip was cancelled by Norwegian Cruise Line due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.  The policy purchased contains a number of specified reasons for a cancellation which would make one eligible for reimbursement under the policy.  In your correspondence, you advise that COVID-19 did not exist at the time the plan was purchased.  However, regardless of whether or not COVID-19 existed at the time the plan was purchased, the reason your trip was cancelled, the COVID-19 travel restrictions, is not one of the listed reasons covered under the policy.

[Lou33]

I don't know of any travel insurance that will give you a refund after you buy it.  We have used Nationwide several times and we were very happy.  The last time our cruise was also cancelled by NCL due to Coronavirus and we didn't get a refund, but they let us move that insurance to a new cruise which was booked as a replacement at no additional charge.  That cruise was also cancelled by NCL so we just wrote off the insurance cost as a loss.  One thing to remember is that you did have use of the insurance for a while.  You could have used it up until the day that your cruise was cancelled.  So you did receive some value for that. 

[LOVEMYMO]

28 minutes ago, Lou33 said:

I don't know of any travel insurance that will give you a refund after you buy it.  We have used Nationwide several times and we were very happy.  The last time our cruise was also cancelled by NCL due to Coronavirus and we didn't get a refund, but they let us move that insurance to a new cruise which was booked as a replacement at no additional charge.  That cruise was also cancelled by NCL so we just wrote off the insurance cost as a loss.  One thing to remember is that you did have use of the insurance for a while.  You could have used it up until the day that your cruise was cancelled.  So you did receive some value for that. 

We were never given that option as we too booked another cruise for 2021.  Not sure how we would have use of the insurance for a while when it was for a specific travel date.  Thanks for chiming in tho.

[ggTexasGal]

6 minutes ago, LOVEMYMO said:

We were never given that option as we too booked another cruise for 2021.  Not sure how we would have use of the insurance for a while when it was for a specific travel date.  Thanks for chiming in tho.

I have no experience with Nationwide.  However, the company we use issued a certificate (with an expiration date) for a cruise in May that was cancelled by NCL.  The trip shows as "pending," and we can change the coverage to apply toward future travel as we need it (up to the certificate cancellation date).

[Budget Queen]

Did you try to make a claim?   Or you are just thinking you should get the insurance premium back?      It significantly depends on WHAT kind of insurance it was?   Was it a cancel for any reason?    

 

Way too many variables,  and policies,  to completely write off a well established company,  in my opinion.  

[LOVEMYMO]

Well that is your opinion and you are entitled to it.  COVID-19 did not exist prior to March of this year and obviously it would not be in the policy as a covered reason.  I am pretty sure it will be added now at a premium increased rate. 

 

We were not offered a transfer to the 2021 cruise booking.  Again the dollar amount is menial - it is the principal.  Even auto insurers have been issuing checks to all their customers as we all needed to shelter in place during this pandemic.  Nationwide is not an option for us any more.  That's all.

 

[mjkacmom]

Unless you have CFAR insurance, no one is going to reimburse you for the cruise, pandemics are not covered. I’ve heard most will allow you to switch the coverage to another trip so you aren’t out the cost of the policy. I didn’t bother with insurance for our beach rental in two weeks, it’s an hour away and I know if someone gets sick with Covid, insurance wouldn’t cover. Even if short term rentals were banned, insurance wouldn’t have kicked in because of Covid.

[IrieBajan54]

I have used Nationwide Essential several times but have never made a claim. Don't understand what you are trying to say. Did you expect Nationwide to refund the $100 premium you paid? If yes, was it outside the 10 day grace period?

[Lou33]

 

7 hours ago, LOVEMYMO said:

We were never given that option as we too booked another cruise for 2021.  Not sure how we would have use of the insurance for a while when it was for a specific travel date.  Thanks for chiming in tho.

 

The moment that you bought the insurance, Nationwide was liable if you ever needed to cancel the cruise early, for health reasons, etc.   So you were covered in the months leading up before the cruise was cancelled.  It's like if you buy car insurance, and you sell your car at the end of the year, you can't expect them to refund your premium for the months earlier that year because you were covered, and you could have possibly needed it.  

 

You mentioned that COVID didn't exist at the time that you bought your insurance.  But the point is that NCL cancelled the cruise not you.  And they could have cancelled it for "any" reason.  So NCL owes you the refund for the cruise, not Nationwide.  And the insurance companies don't like to refund the premium because you did get some value, you were covered in the months before it was cancelled.  

 

Nationwide never offered to switch our policy to a new cruise, we had to call them and ask.  If you have another cruise scheduled, maybe they can still do that for you.  Good luck.  

[TinCan782]

Not all insurance companies are created equal...

 

[13cheermom]

On 7/9/2020 at 12:31 PM, LOVEMYMO said:

So like many others here, our cruise was cancelled due to COVID-19.  We had purchased cruise insurance like we always do and when NCL cancelled the cruise, we filed a claim to obtain the amount paid back for the insurance to NATIONWIDE.  We were denied (see note below).  My issue is this. COVID-19 did not exist at the time we purchased the insurance so how in the world could/would it be listed as a covered reason?  I am posting this for awareness purposes to beware of NATIONWIDE.  I know we will NEVER purchase insurance from them again.  Oh and by the way, the amount paid for the insurance was about $100.  Not much - but it is now the principle.

 

The Nationwide Travel Insurance Plan was purchased for a May 2020 trip. The trip was cancelled by Norwegian Cruise Line due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.  The policy purchased contains a number of specified reasons for a cancellation which would make one eligible for reimbursement under the policy.  In your correspondence, you advise that COVID-19 did not exist at the time the plan was purchased.  However, regardless of whether or not COVID-19 existed at the time the plan was purchased, the reason your trip was cancelled, the COVID-19 travel restrictions, is not one of the listed reasons covered under the policy.

So not sure where you purchased your insurance for Nationwide, but we also use the Nationwide plans through insuremytrip over many years now.  When our cruise got cancelled due to Covid-19, I contacted them and asked if it could be transferred to another cruise we had booked for next year.  I was told as long as it was within 18-months of original sailing then they would do it.  I did have to wait several months for the response from Nationwide, but I was fine with the end result.  Might want to reach out  to them and see if this is an option for you.  We have also been very pleased with their coverage and have received payments for port of call changes in the past, so would like to continue doing business with them.  Good Luck!

[sparks1093]

On 7/9/2020 at 12:31 PM, LOVEMYMO said:

we filed a claim to obtain the amount paid back for the insurance to NATIONWIDE.  

I know of no provision where a customer is entitled to a refund of a purchased travel insurance regardless of the reason for cancellation. As some have stated some carriers will allow you to transfer a purchased plan from one cruise to another (we did that with flights), but an actual refund of the policy is not something that I've heard of, regardless of who the carrier was. You can certainly be miffed at Nationwide but just realize that you would be miffed at any carrier that you used.

[thinfool]

23 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I know of no provision where a customer is entitled to a refund of a purchased travel insurance regardless of the reason for cancellation.

 

So too bad...we had cfar coverage thru 'Travel Insured' for flights, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, etc..when Princess stopped sailing (March 2020) I had correspondence with TI.....they actually suggested that I apply for a refund as the policy had not yet gone into effect...that is, we had not begun the trip according to the dates that we had designated when we bought the policy.  They never had any risk or liability.  We had the refund long before the Princess refund arrived.

[TinCan782]

2 hours ago, thinfool said:

 

So too bad...we had cfar coverage thru 'Travel Insured' for flights, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, etc..when Princess stopped sailing (March 2020) I had correspondence with TI.....they actually suggested that I apply for a refund as the policy had not yet gone into effect...that is, we had not begun the trip according to the dates that we had designated when we bought the policy.  They never had any risk or liability.  We had the refund long before the Princess refund arrived.

That was my experience with Allianz. I was outside (prior) the dates of the trip. I originally called regarding moving the insurance to a future cruise (which I had not yet booked) and he suggested I request a refund and provided me with the info to do that. I emailed a couple of supporting documents and in about three weeks the premium had been credited back to my credit card.

[sparks1093]

15 hours ago, thinfool said:

 

So too bad...we had cfar coverage thru 'Travel Insured' for flights, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, etc..when Princess stopped sailing (March 2020) I had correspondence with TI.....they actually suggested that I apply for a refund as the policy had not yet gone into effect...that is, we had not begun the trip according to the dates that we had designated when we bought the policy.  They never had any risk or liability.  We had the refund long before the Princess refund arrived.

Yes, companies can voluntarily refund the premium and obviously some do, but that doesn't mean that the consumer is entitled to the refund (as in there is no way to force the company to refund the money).

[donaldsc]

On 7/9/2020 at 11:06 AM, Lou33 said:

I don't know of any travel insurance that will give you a refund after you buy it.  We have used Nationwide several times and we were very happy.  The last time our cruise was also cancelled by NCL due to Coronavirus and we didn't get a refund, but they let us move that insurance to a new cruise which was booked as a replacement at no additional charge.  That cruise was also cancelled by NCL so we just wrote off the insurance cost as a loss.  One thing to remember is that you did have use of the insurance for a while.  You could have used it up until the day that your cruise was cancelled.  So you did receive some value for that. 

 

See the message I just posted on a refund from my annual travel policy.

 

DON

[Lou33]

3 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

See the message I just posted on a refund from my annual travel policy.

 

DON

 

And you should have received a refund for the unused portion of your annual policy.  It's like buying annual car insurance, and you get a partial refund when you sell the car. Those annual policies would typically cost much more than the single use trip insurance.  For the plan that the OP purchased, the TOC probably stated that once you buy it, there are no refunds.  

[Balliett]

On 7/14/2020 at 7:11 AM, 13cheermom said:

So not sure where you purchased your insurance for Nationwide, but we also use the Nationwide plans through insuremytrip over many years now.  When our cruise got cancelled due to Covid-19, I contacted them and asked if it could be transferred to another cruise we had booked for next year.  I was told as long as it was within 18-months of original sailing then they would do it.  I did have to wait several months for the response from Nationwide, but I was fine with the end result.  Might want to reach out  to them and see if this is an option for you.  We have also been very pleased with their coverage and have received payments for port of call changes in the past, so would like to continue doing business with them.  Good Luck!

       Thank you 13cheermom,  I have been trying to get a refund or credit from insuremytrip/Nationwide and today I have hope.  What I learned is that Nationwide is dealing with refund/credit situations with a four month backlog.  Today, they are dealing with early May requests.  That means I should hear something in a few weeks.  Glad to apply the credit to a HAL cruise next July.  Keep trying OP.   

[cruiselvr04]

I was able ( took 3 months)  to have Nationwide move my insurance from April 20 to October 20.  Now that October 20 is off I have little hope for moving it again.   I figure I’m out the $289. I actually have another trip I’ve booked for that exact time but it doesn’t include a cruise so I do not think cruise insurance will cover it. It’s just kind of the way things are right now.  Accept a small hit and move on.

 

[CruisingHogFan]

I had three cruises canceled and used nationwide for each. We have received full premium refunds for 2 and waiting for the last one (August Cruise). They are a great insurance company and one of the few that waive pre existing up to final payment.  I have used them for years. 
 

I would recommend them to anyone... 

[Babr]

On 7/9/2020 at 11:31 AM, LOVEMYMO said:

So like many others here, our cruise was cancelled due to COVID-19.  We had purchased cruise insurance like we always do and when NCL cancelled the cruise, we filed a claim to obtain the amount paid back for the insurance to NATIONWIDE.  We were denied (see note below).  My issue is this. COVID-19 did not exist at the time we purchased the insurance so how in the world could/would it be listed as a covered reason?  I am posting this for awareness purposes to beware of NATIONWIDE.  I know we will NEVER purchase insurance from them again.  Oh and by the way, the amount paid for the insurance was about $100.  Not much - but it is now the principle.

 

The Nationwide Travel Insurance Plan was purchased for a May 2020 trip. The trip was cancelled by Norwegian Cruise Line due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.  The policy purchased contains a number of specified reasons for a cancellation which would make one eligible for reimbursement under the policy.  In your correspondence, you advise that COVID-19 did not exist at the time the plan was purchased.  However, regardless of whether or not COVID-19 existed at the time the plan was purchased, the reason your trip was cancelled, the COVID-19 travel restrictions, is not one of the listed reasons covered under the policy.

You say you filed a claim rather than just asking for a refund. I wonder if that makes a difference.

 

The claim was denied because it was not a covered reason. Once you have filed against a policy, you actually did use it. I think there might have been room for some other resolution such as a refund or voucher otherwise. Perhaps those who report a difference experience just asked what accommodation could be made under the circumstances rather than filing a formal claim for reimbursement.

Edited August 13, 2020 by Babr

[Balliett]

Today I received an email from insuremytrip.com telling me that Nationwide has processed my request for a refund and will apply the refund to my credit card.  I had posted above, and like others have indicated, Nationwide has a four-month lag in processing these things.   Thank you insuremytrip. 

[RoperDK]

On 8/14/2020 at 10:45 PM, Balliett said:

Today I received an email from insuremytrip.com telling me that Nationwide has processed my request for a refund and will apply the refund to my credit card.  I had posted above, and like others have indicated, Nationwide has a four-month lag in processing these things.   Thank you insuremytrip. 

I also received a refund of my insurance premium from Nationwide working through Insuremytrip.  We had an April Princess cruise cancelled and we chose the full refund option from Princess.  I had to prove 1 - my cruise was cancelled by the cruise line and not by me, 2 - that I chose the full refund option and 3 - that I hadn't filed any claims against the policy.  It took about 4 months to get the refund.  We have used Nationwide before and on one occasion filed a claim because I became ill and couldn't travel.  I had no problems getting my claim paid.  I do think that Insuremytrip helps as a go between.  I am not pushing a company,  just writing about my experience. BTW.....now that Covid is a named pandemic, I doubt any future policies will pay out for claims having anything remotely to do with the virus.       

[Babr]

I still think the key word here is “claim.“  The OP has not offered clarification, but here is what I understand the situation to be.

 

The OP had a cruise which was cancelled by the cruise line. The cruise line was responsible for compensation for the lost cruise, not the insurance company. However, the OP said he/she filed a claim for the amount of the insurance premium. It was denied.

As indicated in the previous post (see #3 of conditions for refund), one can’t get a refund if you’ve filed a claim against the policy.

So did the OP misspeak? With whom was the claim filed? Was it a claim against the policy or a request for a refund? Since others got their money back, I’m wondering if it was a difference in the procedure used in getting it?