What’s your favorite travel insurance?

[ItsADryHumor]

I’ve never used travel insurance before, but my husband and I decided it might be a good investment for our upcoming Edge cruise. Does anyone recommend a specific brand for a one time use? He travels all the time, so we may covert it to a full year afterward. 

[Saturngrl]

Many people will report on various travel insurances.  I learned on my very first cruise how valuable travel insurance is.  I fractured my left foot in the very first port we visited !   My recommendation:  do not purchase insurance via the cruise line.  

 

Personally,  Allianz is always my choice.  Great pricing for the level of coverage you want and great customer service when you need it! 

[bobndee]

There are several on-line travel insurance companies that offer policies from a variety of companies. You can find out a lot at the Cruise Critic Travel Insurance forum:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

[Yvonne]

Another vote for Allianz.  Had a claim once, submitted it, had a check for the full amount less than 2 weeks later.

[kearney]

The first company we used was Allianz. On our way home from a Dec cruise...Atlanta was iced in and our Friday flight was cancelled...then the Saturday was cancelled..and it looked like we would be stuck until Monday. So we decided to rent a car... stay overnight at a friends in Orlando and drive home the next day. Later I wondered if travel insurance would cover this.. and they did..the hotel, meals and some incidentals..since our luggage was still at the airport. 

 

So I speak highly of them. However later I was looking for more customized plan and have used two different websites 1) insuremytrip.com and 2)squaremouth.com. I recently used the later after seeing a story in Forbes about best covid travel insurance. With either company you can customize your needs for a quote and then when totally confused... you can call and an agent will help explain. I can not tell you how many times I have asked about pre-existing conditions waiver.. and still find that confusing. This way if medical issues are your concern..you can ramp up that and downplay cancelation ...that sort of thing... but be careful.. sometime the policy that includes something you didn't need is cheaper than when you exclude it...

 

[jelayne]

When researching travel insurance be sure to check if all the coverage is applicable or available to residents of your state.  In your case ( and ours Texas). We have had a annual policy with Allianz for about 5-6 years and when COVID hit, like many policies pandemics weren’t covered.  They added temporary coverage and have added the changes to the coverage now.  However, there is a asterisk the changes as of 2 months ago did not apply to residents of Texas ( and some other states) as the State Insurance Board hadn’t approved the changes

Similarly, many on these boards recommend a particular insurance that covers medical expenses, that coverage is not available in Texas.  Our credit cards provide some level of travel insurance  including rental car coverage, but the rental car coverage on one is not applicable to to Texas residents.

 

 

 

 

[iancal]

My favorite would be the one that pays the medical claim promptly and fully.

 

We have been travelling internationally for years.  Since retiring ten years ago at least twice a year, often  more.

 

In fifty years of travel we have been fortunate.  Only one out of country medical claim.  A measly $850.   We consider ourselves to be very fortunate in this regard.

 

We always have our of country medical.  We read the policies etc, and are careful  never buy from a travel agent or vendor.  

 

Really, how does one know how good the insurance provider is until one submits a claim?    Can only go by the T's and C's, reputation, and anecdotal.   

 

Our goal and our hope is never to be in a position where we have to find out how good our insurer is.

 

Only had one cancellation claim. Two years ago.  Credit card insurance paid the entire claim, no questions asked,  within 15 business days.

Edited June 11, 2021 by iancal

[TFree]

I have used both https://tripinsurancestore.com/ and https://www.insuremytrip.com/ and recommend both companies.  They both have knowledgeable agents who can help you find a policy that makes the most sense given the concerns and issues you have.  I trust both of them over (1) cruise or tour company insurance; and (2) travel agent recommended insurance.  Cruise companies, tour companies and travel agents all sell this insurance as a commission opportunity, and as a side line to their main businesses.  Plus cruise and tour companies typically don't offer any options and only sell one company's policies.  I am sure there are some travel agents who are really expert in these matters, but I prefer to deal with professionals whose only business is to sell policies issued by different companies.

 

Tom & Judy

[BBsails]

Very satisfied with tripinsurancestore.com

[iancal]

2 hours ago, TFree said:

I have used both https://tripinsurancestore.com/ and https://www.insuremytrip.com/ and recommend both companies.  They both have knowledgeable agents who can help you find a policy that makes the most sense given the concerns and issues you have.  I trust both of them over (1) cruise or tour company insurance; and (2) travel agent recommended insurance.  Cruise companies, tour companies and travel agents all sell this insurance as a commission opportunity, and as a side line to their main businesses.  Plus cruise and tour companies typically don't offer any options and only sell one company's policies.  I am sure there are some travel agents who are really expert in these matters, but I prefer to deal with professionals whose only business is to sell policies issued by different companies.

 

Tom & Judy

Absolutely agree. Our experience when comparing travel vendor insurance, including cruise line, is that the value is quite a bit less.  Usually less coverage for our premium dollar.  That is even before we get to the question of dealing with someone who knows what they are selling.

[Orator]

Geo Blue is an annual policy that covers medical needs and evacuation. Does not cover trip cancellations , lost luggage or missed flights. Covers unlimited travel doling as is not in the US. Very quick claim service for my DW. It is operated by Blue Cross.

[Moonarino]

I've used ("broker sites") insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com.  Pricing is usually identical. Sites like these show numerous company options AND you can compare 3-4 polices side by side. Very easy click-to-expand each line item. Buy a policy online or call them if any questions or whatever.

 

Since the question is here:  MUST be sure to get a policy with Covid coverage (not all have it!), good Medical, medical Evacuation (monstrously expensive if ever needed), and I always go with "Trip Interruption" which insures from the day we leave home until we return. This is in addition to Cancel (before leaving home) For Work Reasons etc.

 

EDIT to add or clarify:

 

The "broker" sites also show star ratings for each company/policy. I always look for one with a 4.5 rating or higher. Not many have that.

 

"Covid coverage" -- should only be needed if you or cruise companion contract covid or get quarantined before leaving home or boarding the ship. Just to clarify why I mentioned that. Of course the cruise lines will cover if the cruise is cancelled.

 

Edited June 13, 2021 by Moonarino

[travelwide]

Steve at tripinsurancestore.com is not only very knowlegeable but also very friendly.  Each state has it's own policy rules and he is knowledgeable on all of them. We highly recommend him.

[pooh/tigger]

On 6/11/2021 at 5:43 AM, Saturngrl said:

Many people will report on various travel insurances.  I learned on my very first cruise how valuable travel insurance is.  I fractured my left foot in the very first port we visited !   My recommendation:  do not purchase insurance via the cruise line.  

 

Personally,  Allianz is always my choice.  Great pricing for the level of coverage you want and great customer service when you need it! 

Why do you say not to buy from the cruise line? Please explain. Thank you

[Gracie115]

On 6/11/2021 at 5:44 PM, Orator said:

Geo Blue is an annual policy that covers medical needs and evacuation. Does not cover trip cancellations , lost luggage or missed flights. Covers unlimited travel doling as is not in the US. Very quick claim service for my DW. It is operated by Blue Cross.

We have used Geo Blue also for medical coverage.  We also have Med Jet for evacuation.  Our credit card covers most everything else.

[NMTraveller]

We have used AIG TravelGuard and it has worked well for us.

[KEN31VA]

Something that a lot of people overlook is the amount of insurance to purchase.  While they avoid explaining it, most insurance policies do not require 100% coverage.  If you are concerned most with the medical benefit this is a good way to reduce the cost.

[vermonter16]

I've always used Travel Insured International and have only had to file a claim once for an entire trip after my husband had a heart attack right before - no problem at all getting reimbursed for EVERYTHING.  But - that was 10 years ago and a lot has changed.  With the annual plans - they generally only cover medical right?  I've got to do some research because I know that we have a few trips next year and it would be cheaper for an annual plan but don't know if that is the best route to go.  Everyone has to find the one that best fits but I feel they don't make it very easy.

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

6 hours ago, pooh/tigger said:

Why do you say not to buy from the cruise line? Please explain. Thank you

 

If you buy your travel insurance from the vendor of the trip and the vendor goes belly up, guess what happens to your travel insurance.  Always purchase from another reputable vendor.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I've had excellent results with SquareMouth.  I generally self insure the cost of the trip but do require medevac insurance.  It's easy to pick which benefits you require.

[Moonarino]

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I've had excellent results with SquareMouth.  I generally self insure the cost of the trip but do require medevac insurance.  It's easy to pick which benefits you require.

I'll second that, having bought through them several times.

[westcoastcruiser]

15 hours ago, travelwide said:

Steve at tripinsurancestore.com is not only very knowlegeable but also very friendly.  Each state has it's own policy rules and he is knowledgeable on all of them. We highly recommend him.

We, too, have used Trip Insurance Store and spoke to Steve many times.  We always bought trip insurance never thinking we would need it.  However, we have filed two big claims.  One when I had emergency surgery two weeks before we were to leave on a lengthy cruise.  And the second one was when my husband took ill during a cruise and the ship's physician recommended we disembark and get medical treatment not available on board.  With our first claim it was with a policy purchased through Insure My Trip and they were less than helpful in their follow up and claims administration.  Lesson learned!!  It took almost 4 months before I saw a dime despite completing all paperwork as requested.   

 

For our second claim I had purchased our insurance through Steve at The Trip Insurance Store and the process was much smoother.  It confirmed that price is not the only factor when purchasing.  It also depends upon who administers the claim and are they accessible.  With our first claim, we could never speak to the person processing the claim yet they kept asking for things I had already submitted.  Very frustrating.  Of course, now we will never travel without trip insurance and without the backing of the agency selling it.

[wrk2cruise]

Just to be clear the trip insurance brokers which are recommended here and which I have used and also recommend don't charge for their services.  Like a TA they make their money from commission they are paid by the insurance companies to represent their products.  I have purchased many policies through insuremytrip.com and for the last couple of years have been using credit card & self insurance for cancellation/interruption but have used GeoBlue for annual medical.

 

A recent review with Steve from the trip insurance store he gave me a few other things to consider with adding a small annual cancellation policy.   I decided to stay the course but I really appreciated his helping me look at it a different way.   These policies are complicated and people like Steve can be very helpful in pairing your circumstances with the right product.

[motherchic]

the second time I cruised I ended up very thankful for the insurance. I was traveling with my aunt who was a senior. I felt it was necessary that we have insurance because of her age. Well....it turns out it was for me. I ended up having to have surgery the day of my cruise. 

Now, to answer your question... you have had allot of good responses here. I just also wanted to say if you are traveling several times out of the country then GeoBlue is excellent.

We will be on 3 trips next year that are out of the US. The cost for my husband and I for this insurance is less then $300 for the year. Includes pre-existing issues, COVID, and offers excellent coverage the BIG issues

 

[vermonter16]

10 hours ago, motherchic said:

the second time I cruised I ended up very thankful for the insurance. I was traveling with my aunt who was a senior. I felt it was necessary that we have insurance because of her age. Well....it turns out it was for me. I ended up having to have surgery the day of my cruise. 

Now, to answer your question... you have had allot of good responses here. I just also wanted to say if you are traveling several times out of the country then GeoBlue is excellent.

We will be on 3 trips next year that are out of the US. The cost for my husband and I for this insurance is less then $300 for the year. Includes pre-existing issues, COVID, and offers excellent coverage the BIG issues

 

When you get something like GeoBlue that includes medical, do you also get something for the actual cost of the trip itself?