Name of good travel insurance company

[carmel]

Can anyone rec. a reliable, reasonably prices travel insurance company?

 

Thanks!

[NboroGirl]

CSA was recommended to me: http://www.csatravelprotection.com/

You can get free quotes on-line.

 

They were quite reasonable.

[CathyG]

We recently used CSA and are very pleased with their service. It is only taking 4-5 weeks to get our money back. The strange thing is the port charges. RCCL has to credit our visa but it will be done in 3 installments. One for $81, then $44 and finally $109.80. I find that very strange. We were very pleased with CSA and would highly recommend them. Cathy

[<M&M>]

ok here is the real question. Is there a company that should be avoided? For example I tried the "InsureMyTrip.com" route and recieved quotes ranging from $94 to $356. And if you use strictly the compare policy feature the cheapest one has the most coverage.:eek:(by alot too) That seems fishy to me. So are there any I should avoid? High coverage is no good if they always find a reason to not pay out...

 

Also I really don't know if we should get insurance or how much we would need. We are both 35 and in generally good health. I checked and my BC/BS will cover out of country expenses, (as a reimbursement). I also know that the vacation week is set in stone. Opinions?

[emdia43]

I have always used TravelexInsurance.com and their rates are reasonable and cover every eventuality. You can buy Travel 'Lite' or Comprehensive. Enter in what you need and they will display the rates and coverage without having to sign up. Hope this helps.

I always buy the 'Deluxe' - I figure if I ever need it I will be in distress and wouldn't want to find out that what I needed wasn't covered ....:)

[Roz]

M&M,

 

Will your med insurance pay for medical evacution? This can run $20,000-$25,000. You said you're in good health, but even healthy people break legs, suffer concussions, etc.

 

What about the health of family members? If your mother or father became critically ill, would you have the financial resources to interrupt your cruise and get back home? Just a few things to think about.

 

Roz

[dougp26364]

The best advice I can give is to READ THE ENTIRE POLICY before you purchase. I didn't when I purchased Travelsafe insurance and it cost me $1,400 when they refused my trip interuption claim because it wasn't caused by a). the airline or b). a strike that interupted public transportation.

 

Read the policy and make sure it really provides the coverage you want when you need it without having to jump through a bunch or rings of fire without getting burned. Since that time I've read several and for us CSA seems to be the best fit.

[Sue L]

I have used STA Travel, very reasonable prices and extremely comprehensive coverage including medical evacuation . If was 50pp for 7 day trip, it is based on number of days

[ga-shel]

I always use Travelguard Cruise Tour and Travel, it is a primary insurance which is great since my insurance Does NOT cover me outside of the states.

 

It is a little more, but after having to cancel our trip last year just 8 days prior to sailing, which we also had pre and post hotels already paid for thru Priceline. I called got the forms, filled them out, and had my refund in less than 3 weeks.

 

It was a very scary time, my dad had been diagnosed with a rapid moving cancer and had to have surgery. We luckily caught it in time. We now are planning this years cruise using this years money and last years money we are in an Owners Suite and of course have our Travelguard insurance already bought.

 

Make sure any insurance you have that you buy it in the time frame to include Pre-existing conditions. If we have another issue this year, we will be covered, if you wait and pre-existing isn't covered and we cancel due to a Cancer related issue you will not get a refund.

 

Read the fine print. Good Luck.

[Lou33]

I always use Travelguard Cruise Tour and Travel, it is a primary insurance which is great since my insurance Does NOT cover me outside of the states.

 

I'm happy that things worked out well with your surgery. Have a great time on your next cruise.

 

I'm curious why you want a travel insurance that is *primary* insurance. You mentioned that your personal insurance doesn't cover you outside the states. In that case, it wouldn't hurt to have travel insurance that is *secondary*. The reason is that if you are not covered by your personal insurance anyway, then your secondary insurance *is* your primary insurance.

[Lou33]

ok here is the real question. Is there a company that should be avoided? For example I tried the "InsureMyTrip.com" route and recieved quotes ranging from $94 to $356. And if you use strictly the compare policy feature the cheapest one has the most coverage.:eek:(by alot too) That seems fishy to me. So are there any I should avoid? High coverage is no good if they always find a reason to not pay out...

 

Also I really don't know if we should get insurance or how much we would need. We are both 35 and in generally good health. I checked and my BC/BS will cover out of country expenses' date=' (as a reimbursement). I also know that the vacation week is set in stone. Opinions?[/quote']

 

You were smart to verify that you have health insurance coverage outside the country. We are also covered outside the country (yes, including medical evacuation), and usually we choose to not buy cruise insurance. If anything should come up, we should be able to cover the expenses on our own. There was one time when my mother's health was questionable, we chose to buy insurance, in case we needed to cancel the cruise at the last minute, or fly home early.

 

In your case it might be OK to not get the extra insurance. You need to consider the probability that you might have to cancel at the last minute, and if you are comfortable losing the cruise fare if that should happen.

[BJAMINGIRL]

I have always used travelex travel lite insurance. Have had to use it twice and both experiences were great. They are primary medical insurance and they waive any pre existing condition clauses if you purchase it within 21 of buying your cruise.

 

Hope this helps

[Lou33]

The best advice I can give is to READ THE ENTIRE POLICY before you purchase. I didn't when I purchased Travelsafe insurance and it cost me $1,400 when they refused my trip interuption claim because it wasn't caused by a). the airline or b). a strike that interupted public transportation.

 

Read the policy and make sure it really provides the coverage you want when you need it without having to jump through a bunch or rings of fire without getting burned. Since that time I've read several and for us CSA seems to be the best fit.

 

Doug,

 

Did you ever try to dispute this with them? I would be really upset.

 

Wasn't there a fishermans strike that prevented the cruiseship from docking? Then it seems that you should have been covered. OK, we know there was a strike, and isn't a cruiseship a form of "public transportation"? It is "transportation", and it is "public".

 

You mentioned that other passengers that bought their insurance through different companies were covered. I would think all insurance policies have similar wording. None of them would have included a clause about angry fishermen. I think the difference is that most of the other insurance companies chose to be reasonable, and your's did not. I'm sorry that things didn't work out. Maybe it is more trouble than it is worth fighting it.

 

Thanks for the information though. At least we know not to buy Travelsafe.

[Riley13]

We also use Travelex "Lite". They usually price out for us on the lower side on insuremytrip.com; however, the policies seem to offer the same coverage as many higher priced policies. You can go directly to their website to print out a copy of the provisions if you want all the "nitty-gritty" before making your actual purchase.

[spbflseas]

Travel Safe offer some affordable prices and you can choose 75% "any reason" cancellation coinsurance.

[Pumbaamd]

No one mentions RCCL's CruiseCare . . . ? ? ?

[Jason's Storm]

I purchased TravelGuards Protect Assist. It was a bump up from the economy service. I might of purchased the upper one on Travel Guard, had I not waited. :\ . It is never a good idea to purchase insurance from the company you are traveling with. Plus RCCL gives you "credit" where others with give you cash.

 

~JS

[dougp26364]

Doug,

 

Did you ever try to dispute this with them? I would be really upset.

 

Wasn't there a fishermans strike that prevented the cruiseship from docking? Then it seems that you should have been covered. OK, we know there was a strike, and isn't a cruiseship a form of "public transportation"? It is "transportation", and it is "public".

 

You mentioned that other passengers that bought their insurance through different companies were covered. I would think all insurance policies have similar wording. None of them would have included a clause about angry fishermen. I think the difference is that most of the other insurance companies chose to be reasonable, and your's did not. I'm sorry that things didn't work out. Maybe it is more trouble than it is worth fighting it.

 

Thanks for the information though. At least we know not to buy Travelsafe.

 

Yes we did.

 

Cruise ships are NOT listed as public transportation in the definitions page. They are very specific in what is and what is not covered. In our case there is no claim.

 

This is why it is VERY IMPORTANT to read completely and understand under what circumstances a policy will pay. Trip insurance, for the most part, is a defined peril policy, much like the old fire policies and unlike todays homeowners policies. Trip insurance policies will often pay out online what is defined in their policy. To know that, you really have to read the policy all the way through.

 

CSA and Travelex have pretty liberal definintions. Travel Guard and Travelsafe have very limited definitions. In this case, Travel Guard refused a claim for another cruiser based on the fact that the fisherman's strike did not meet their definition of a "legal" strike. The definitions of what they will pay and what they won't pay can make a HUGE difference in the value and quality of your coverage.

 

The funny thing is, Travelsafe and CSA are underwritten by the same insurance company, Stonebridge. However, both are VERY different in the definitions of what they will and won't pay.

 

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I'm going to be very diligent at not making the same mistake twice.