'Cancel for any reason' trip insurance

[Ceegeefl]

Has anyone purchased a 'cancel for any reason' add on to their trip insurance policy?  Our cruise payment is due the end of this month and I am concerned  that covid vaccine boosters may be required next year. It appears that regular trip insurance will not reimburse if you cancel for that reason. Any recommendations would be very welcome. Thanks!

[Selion]

Assuming you are talking about the CFAR offered by TripMate and sold by Viking.  If you are cancelling under CFAR, you'll get a Viking VOUCHER for the money paid instead of a refund.  There are pit falls with Viking vouchers.  Buyers beware.

[Ceegeefl]

I did notice that with Tripmate so I've been researching other companies. Thank you Selion. Viking vouchers do not seem like the best solution for us

[Baron Barracuda]

When we have insurance questions we always contact Insuremytrip.  Very knowledgeable folks who can translate insurance-speak into English.

[CDNPolar]

The best cancel for any reason generally is associated with the cruise company or tour company - generally - because they just give you a voucher for future and are not losing any money.

 

I am in Canada and there are some insurance companies that offer this but you must be aware of the limitations.

 

Generally you have to purchase the policy at the same time or within a limited number of days from booking the travel, and pay the deposit, and there cannot be any penalties at the time you book... so in other words, you have to book outside of traditional penalty periods or before penalties kick in.

 

In Canada what I have seen is that these companies only give you 50% of any non-refundable money paid.

 

What we always weigh into the decision, is that we don't want to pay the $1,000.00 or more for the two of us in a travel policy, because we book so far out, and until penalties (which with our favoured cruise line are not until 120 days from sailing) kick in, we can cancel for any reason, and only lose $100 per person.  We don't want that money tied up for so many months where if we did cancel, we would just be losing the premium for the insurance.

 

Once we get to the 120 days, we know then that we fully intend to travel, and that likely if we did decide not to travel that it would be for a covered reason in the policy.

 

 

[DrKoob]

Have you priced CFAR insurance? The cost is almost 50% of the cost of your trip. You are basically self-insuring. Keep in mind that even though you make a final payment to Viking, it is still fully refundable (other than a $100 PP booking fee) up until 120 days before the cruise. So even though you are making the payment now, you can get your money back for a while if you cancel within a certain timeframe.

 

Here's the wording from Viking:

Guest Cancellation Schedule

Edited September 16, 2023 by DrKoob

[TayanaLorna]

Viking is dropping its Covid vaccination requirement soon - October? November?  All they ever required was the original 2 shots.  Boosters were never required.  They were recommended.  If that is the reason you want CFAR coverage, I wouldn't worry about boosters required next year.

 

TripMate through Viking includes CFAR.  It is underwritten by Viking not TripMate.  Thats why Viking gives vouchers.  A cash refund is only given by TripMate IF you qualify under a listed reason to cancel and provide all the required paperwork.

 

I found CFAR from any other insurance carrier to be an add on and cost half or more of the original premium and only reinbursed 50-70% of the cost of the cruise.

 

I usually like CFAR as we have several reasons that we might cancel that are never covered in a regular insurance policy.

[Ceegeefl]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm actually more concerned about the individual countries requiring a covid booster. This happened on our May 2022 Mediterranean Odyssey cruise. 

[CDNPolar]

20 hours ago, Ceegeefl said:

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm actually more concerned about the individual countries requiring a covid booster. This happened on our May 2022 Mediterranean Odyssey cruise. 

 

Viking have always produced a document that shows your requirements for entering any country and I think that this started with Covid.

 

Go to your SPECIFIC cruise on the main Viking site:

 

Click on Resources on the right:

 

 

Then click on Pre-Cruise Requirements.  This will give you current requirements for Covid vaccine, visas etc.

 

I believe that these are still updated and reliable.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

On 9/16/2023 at 7:09 AM, DrKoob said:

Keep in mind that even though you make a final payment to Viking, it is still fully refundable (other than a $100 PP booking fee) up until 120 days before the cruise.

 

There are actually two cancellation grids based on the length of the cruise.

 

For cruises, 35 days or less, it is as stated above.

 

For Voyages of more than 35 days, the penalty phase kicks in at 180 days; up to that point the penalty is $1000 pp. Thereafter, it is as follows:

179 to 150 -- 20% of Full Fare
149 to 120 -- 40% of Full Fare
119 to 90 -- 60% of Full Fare
89 to 60 -- 80% of Full Fare
59 or fewer -- 100% of Full Fare

[rbslos18]

On 9/16/2023 at 9:40 AM, Ceegeefl said:

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm actually more concerned about the individual countries requiring a covid booster. This happened on our May 2022 Mediterranean Odyssey cruise. 

This is a tough one with several risks. What would happen if a country changes its policy mid-cruise? Personally, I would consult with a travel insurance broker. Several are named on the cruise insurance board. Steve at Trip Insurance Store has a depth of knowledge.

[CDNPolar]

7 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

This is a tough one with several risks. What would happen if a country changes its policy mid-cruise? Personally, I would consult with a travel insurance broker. Several are named on the cruise insurance board. Steve at Trip Insurance Store has a depth of knowledge.

 

Covid coverage was not there in the beginning, and then as time went on the insurance industry was including coverage for before and after.  

 

I guess the question is, because we are largely accepting of Covid now, are we checking what is covered for Covid?  There is still the risk of serious illness.

 

That would be interesting to see if something like a requirement mid-trip changing that you don't meet, would allow you to interrupt or cancel.

[Babr]

In the US, there are policies that offer trip interruption for any reason. It is an optional feature for an additional premium. It is a time sensitive purchase with a range of reimbursement available. 
 

I found a good explanation with a list of providers at Squaremouth, if anyone is interested in more information.

 

As far as medical coverage, most policies today cover COVID as any other illness.

[rbslos18]

14 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Covid coverage was not there in the beginning, and then as time went on the insurance industry was including coverage for before and after.  

 

I guess the question is, because we are largely accepting of Covid now, are we checking what is covered for Covid?  There is still the risk of serious illness.

 

That would be interesting to see if something like a requirement mid-trip changing that you don't meet, would allow you to interrupt or cancel.

I think the OP is concerned a country may require a booster s/he, they have not received and not be allowed in a country.

[_alan_]

OP could always just get the jab.

[LindaS272]

Might be a reason they can’t.

[longterm]

On 9/16/2023 at 6:09 AM, DrKoob said:

Have you priced CFAR insurance? The cost is almost 50% of the cost of your trip. 

That may be true with TripMate (I don't know for sure), but definitely not true with other travel insurance. We use a different company and always book within 2 weeks so that we can get CFAR, and the cost ends up being about 10% of the trip cost for both of us. 

[BigBee51]

Not sure where the 50% is coming from. For us,CFAR through Viking with Tripmate is roughly 6% of the cost of the cruise per person.

Edited September 29, 2023 by BigBee51

[lackcreativity]

3 hours ago, BigBee51 said:

Not sure where the 50% is coming from. For us,CFAR through Viking with Tripmate is roughly 6% of the cost of the cruise per person.

We have used Tripmate several times, and I have not tracked the percentage, but I do know that the cost increases as you age. I assume that the percent is not consistent across the board.