Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

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Sandi_k
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Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by Sandi_k »

Hi all:

We are planning an anniversary trip for November 2021. It's a "significant" anniversary, so we're looking to go somewhere nice - i.e., more expensive than we might otherwise plan to do.

We have not had great luck with trip insurance in recent years; one only allowed "credit" towards re-booking at the beginning of Covid; another has revised its wording to say that any "WHO pandemic" is not a covered reason for claiming on the coverage.

We have typically gotten insurance because we have elderly parents, and the need to cut a trip short was previously predicated on that. But now, if we have a Fall spike on CV-19, and we cannot travel, we'd like to not be out ~ $8k in airfare, lodging, and car rental reservations.

Any recommendations for reputable companies with good coverage would be most appreciated.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by ResearchMed »

Sandi_k wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:01 pm Hi all:

We are planning an anniversary trip for November 2021. It's a "significant" anniversary, so we're looking to go somewhere nice - i.e., more expensive than we might otherwise plan to do.

We have not had great luck with trip insurance in recent years; one only allowed "credit" towards re-booking at the beginning of Covid; another has revised its wording to say that any "WHO pandemic" is not a covered reason for claiming on the coverage.

We have typically gotten insurance because we have elderly parents, and the need to cut a trip short was previously predicated on that. But now, if we have a Fall spike on CV-19, and we cannot travel, we'd like to not be out ~ $8k in airfare, lodging, and car rental reservations.

Any recommendations for reputable companies with good coverage would be most appreciated.
We strongly recommend

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

But CALL them; don't rely upon the online policy summaries... it's often quite specific for each person (or even trip).

We've insured quite a few trips now, since reading about TIS on CruiseCritic.
And we've had several claims, including two large ones.
We purchased, through TIS, polcies from Travel Insured. (And the one time we needed help with a claim, Steve, owner of TIS, stepped in and got everything expedited. Other times, Ti was excellend without any "help".)

But do call soon. Some of the specific coverages are only available if one starts the policy within 10-20 days of making the very first payment (refundable or not). You only need to insure that amount, not the full trip, and then add coverage as other payments are made.

RM
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GerryL
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Re: Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by GerryL »

I've been using Trip Insurance Store since finding the recommendation here on the BH Forum. (I think it was a recommendation by ResearchMed, as a matter of fact.)

I go on the site and input my info to get a comparison chart to review and get an idea about which policy I might want. Then I call to discuss my options and pay for the policy. Very friendly, helpful service.
gtd98765
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Re: Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by gtd98765 »

There are several threads on this in the last year or two. Just put "travel insurance" in the search box at top right and you will find them.
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Sandi_k
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Re: Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by Sandi_k »

gtd98765 wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:47 am There are several threads on this in the last year or two. Just put "travel insurance" in the search box at top right and you will find them.
I have, and many are now not relevant due to Covid.
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ResearchMed
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Re: Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by ResearchMed »

sandi_k,

I forgot to mention a few things specifically relevant to these "possible COVID" days.

TIS works with several travel insurance companies (the actual insurers) that they have "vetted" (one of the criteria being payment history... do they pay or do they drag it out forever, etc.; there are other companies that have one horror story after another on CruiseCritic about not getting paid).

However, each company has their own coverage criteria and what they actually cover, and that's why it is so helpful to speak with a broker, such as TIS, to find the best combination for your trip needs.

When COVID "hit" early in 2020, it wreaked havoc with the travel industry - and with travelers, no surprise.
But there were some sudden changes made in terms of whether "COVID" was covered or not. Most insurers suddenly stopped covering any COVID-related claims for any *new* policies written after a certain date.
But there were still "Cancel For Any Reason" (CFAR) policies, although those cost extra and provide 75% cash back rather than 100% of losses. So IF someone wanted to cancel because of those early concerns, they could at least get most of their money back. (Most travel vendors, cruises, airlines, hotels, were not necessarily giving any refunds unless THEY cancelled things, and even then, sometimes they tried to give only credits... with deadlines, etc. :annoyed )

With CFAR, it is what it states, claims for ANY reason. Or, perhaps more accurately, claims for NO reason at all; no "reason" needs to be given. "Changing one's mind" is quite fine; no "excuse" need be provided.

But when checking, make sure that you ask about coverage for any medical costs that might be COVID related.
Again, Steve at TIS is great to speak with. He really tries to 'listen' to what the traveler is saying, and to suggest what they might - or might NOT - need in terms of coverage types/amounts.

Don't forget to consider if you might want/need to cancel a trip (or return early) if a family member gets sick. The different insurers handle this situation differently.

The main reason to start coverage within that 10-21 days of *first* payment (deadlines vary by state) is to have coverage for "pre-existing conditions". That also makes claims for "non-pre-existing conditions" easier, as the insurer does not need to sort back through one's medical records to see IF this condition was already known, etc.
But unless it's a CFAR claim, the insurer still has the obvious right to see documentation that the "condition" really does/did exist. (One can't just call up an insurer and say, "this problem happened, give me money it cost me" and not provide any documentation that the problem truly existed, ahem, and it's the same for travel insurance, no surprise...)

Finally, will you want extra coverage for medevac to *your* home hospital or some other specialty hospital of choice? Otherwise, most insurers will pay for you to be taken to the nearest satisfactory facility, and "satisfactory" can definitely be in the eyes of the beholder, etc.
We get extra coverage from MedJetAssist (we get an annual policy, but "per-trip" is also available for those who have only a single trip needing coverage.
MJA covers any trip more than 150 miles from home, and requires that you be admitted as an inpatient (not ER, etc.). At that point, you can call them to "take you home", etc., for treatment at your facility of choice. This also allows a companion to spend the treatment duration at home, rather than away from home for the entire time.
But note: MJA limits the locations where they will cover COVID medevacs. There is now another company that has no such restriction, but it costs more (quite a bit more, alas).

We've learned a lot about travel insurance, partly from Steve (and his associates) and also from our own travel/claims experience (unfortunately). And we have zero complaints about an insurer "not paying when they should", etc. Note that we made sure that our policy type would cover any medical problem experienced by a *very* elderly relative (MIL) in assisted living.
We also got the CFAR coverage so that just in case she "didn't feel quite right", we'd have most of our costs refunded if we decided to stay home. Given that she never complained, IF she did, we'd want to stay here, even if no physician would state that we shouldn't travel now, etc.

That CFAR also lets one cancel and get the 75% cash back if one is just "uneasy" about medical or political situations anywhere, without needing your specific travel destination to be "the" known place of concern.

Don't hesitate to send me a PM if you have any specific questions.
And www.CruiseCritic.com is also another source for info.

RM
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Sandi_k
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Re: Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by Sandi_k »

@ResearchMed - thanks for the thorough post. Yes, we are looking at the CFAR policies, because:

1) Covid. We had a bucket list trip planned for December 2020, and we got hosed on a cruiseline refund that refused to give us back our deposit money - instead, they applied it to a future booking, only good if you re-book within a year :annoyed

2) We have elderly parents, and we would not feel great staying gone for 2 weeks if my FIL passed and MIL needed assistance.

If we did have to cancel due to either, our figuring is that the airfare would still be usable. Probably about 20% of the overall trip cost, so with CFAR, we'd get close to 100% coverage.

The trip isn't until November, so I'm thinking book all the legs first, and then get the insurance, because I will know then approximate costs for the pre-bookings: airfare, several stops, rental car in three locations, and VRBO + hotel stays.
LifeIsGood
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Re: Any Recommendations for Travel Insurance?

Post by LifeIsGood »

Another vote for Trip Insurance Store. They really know their business and have suggested several ideas I hadn't considered to save me money. If you leave a message for a callback and get Steve, he can be very entertaining as well !
GerryL wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:23 pm I've been using Trip Insurance Store since finding the recommendation here on the BH Forum. (I think it was a recommendation by ResearchMed, as a matter of fact.)

I go on the site and input my info to get a comparison chart to review and get an idea about which policy I might want. Then I call to discuss my options and pay for the policy. Very friendly, helpful service.
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