Am I Allowed to Ask About Travel Ins.?

[Wannaknow]

I sure hope so as we know very little about it. We haven't cruised in a while & this is our 1st Oceania cruise. The last ins. co. we used was Travelguard under AIG insurance companies. I believe AIG is now in reorganization so I'm hesitant to use them.

Is there such a thing as insurance for "cancelling for any reason?"

We would really appreciate hearing what travel ins. companies you use and have been happy with.

[Fetchpeople]

Go to tripinsurancestore.com, get their phone number and call for help. They are very informed, professional, and helpful.

 

You can also try insuremytrip.com.

 

There are too many options on insurance to even begin a dialogue; that's why I suggest a conversation with a professional to sort out your unique circumstances and then for them to review alternatives with you.

[DOJO466]

I sure hope so as we know very little about it. We haven't cruised in a while & this is our 1st Oceania cruise. The last ins. co. we used was Travelguard under AIG insurance companies. I believe AIG is now in reorganization so I'm hesitant to use them.

 

Is there such a thing as insurance for "cancelling for any reason?"

 

We would really appreciate hearing what travel ins. companies you use and have been happy with.

 

Squaremouth.com compares different policies/coverages/pricing

[wripro]

You can get cancel for any reason insurance but only with certain policies and it's quite expensive. Weigh all your options. Travelguard is a great company, btw.

[susiesan]

Travelguard is a terrible company. I had a claim with them in 2008 when the Bangkok airport was shut down for 8 days due to political protesting. We were stranded in Thailand for 6 days, incurring $1500 in additional expenses in trying to get home. They turned my claim down, I escalated to manger level and they denied it still. I had to get my state attorney general involved and only then did they pay. I'll never buy insurance from travelguard again (they are still part of AIG and don't like to mention it).

 

There are plenty of good companies out there who pay legitimate claims as they should. In Sept. we once again got caught up in political protesting messing up plans in Peru. I put in a claim with Travelex for the extra costs in getting from Puno to Cusco when the roads were blocked, and Travelex paid immediately after they got the receipts and documents.

[Wannaknow]

Thanks very much for your help!

Susieann - what a terrible thing to happen. Thanks so much for telling me your experience.

[gdayhoff]

Now I know why I buy Travel insurance.We just got from a T/A cruise in Nov.DW got sick to the tune of $1700.I mailed the claim to Travel Insured International on a Friday and the next Thursday I had a check for that amount less $ 50 deductable.----Outstanding.I bought the insurance thru USAA but I think Travel Insured International is open to everyone.

[peapod2]

Without disagreeing for a moment with anyone else's experiences or conclusions, I feel impelled to say that over time we've had occasion to make a few claims (for medical reasons) with TravelGuard -- both pre-AIG and now while they are owned by AIG -- and have had very positive experiences with them each time. Based on our own experiences, we feel TravelGuard has well earned our continued business.

[Benita]

Everybody needs to read the fine print. Access America only covers certain airlines in case of bankruptcy. Travel Guard does not cover certain airlines in the event of strike delays. Make sure you buy the insurance within the two weeks time frame of the trip deposit (or from certain insurance agencies within a day of the final payment) to be covered for preexisting conditions. Don't buy travel insurance from a cruise line as you will not be covered in the event of a cruiseline bankruptcy. With travelstore and www. insuremytrip, you can get side by side comparisons of the different policies, including pricing.

[wripro]

I too have had nothing but positive experiences with Travelguard.

[digby]

We recently looked into "Cancel for ANY Reason" travel insurance for a Marina cruise, but found it would cost us more than $5000. and just cover 60% to 80% of the cost of the cruise. We canceled the cruise.

[Paulchili]

We recently had to make a claim for a cancelled flight in Greece to TravelSafe and the claim was paid in full in a timely manner.

[WesW]

Gdayhoff, thanks for posting about Travel Insured International & USAA, I had not heard about them before...will compare closely with CSA and Travelex.

[KatieBelle]

Does anyone have experience with Access America Insurance? Our travel agent recommends it. I know he gets a fee if we purchase through him. Thanking you in advance!

[Benita]

Don't purchase travel insurance through your travel agent - you may not be covered in the event of travel agency bankruptcy.

We have used Access America. They, however, have many restrictions involving which tour companies and airlines they will provide coverage for in case of bankruptcy, so you need to read the list carefully and make sure you are not using a company that is not on the list. My father-in-law had one claim with them after he was medically evacuated (we went with him off a cruise) in Jamaica. We used Travelinsured and he had Access America. As the family of the ill cruiser, we got all our claims paid by Travelinsured in about two weeks. Access America required him to submit all medical bills to Medicare (even though it does not cover you out of the country) and then send the denial to his medicare supplement company. Only after that was denied did they pay the medical part of his bill - this took about 2 months.

If on Medicare, it is probably easier to use a company that covers medical care as the primary insurer, vs Access, which covered it as a secondary insurer - that way you do not have to wait so long for the refund of the bills paid. However, if you are younger and do not have Medicare, it is probably better for the travel insurance to be secondary, because you will obviously be out of any network and have a high deductible and copay to satisfy. Your health insurance company will then probably pay very little or nothing, but credit you for the deductible and coinsurances that you are responsible for. Then, you send the bill to the travel insurance company, who will pay those amounts.

So, in answer to your question, he did have Access America and they did pay the bills. Luckily, he bought the insurance at the time of his trip deposit, so there was no question of preexisting condition coverage. Insurance companies often try to claim an illness is preexisting and can look back for up to 6 month, depending on your policy, so it is important to buy the insurance within the time frame specified by the company, so not to have to hassle about it when a claim is necessary.

On a sadder note, I had an Access America policy for a cruise that I wound up canceling on the day of departure because my father died that day. I sent a copy of the death certificate and got a condolence card from the company by return mail and a check a couple of days later.

[StanandJim]

Don't purchase travel insurance through your travel agent - you may not be covered in the event of travel agency bankruptcy.

 

I think that a better statement would be "Dont buy travel insurance through an agency that you don't trust".

 

If an agent purchases the insurance for a client as a middleman, then the coverage would remain in force regardless of the financial status of that agency.

[wripro]

If a TA sells you insurance for a reputable company like Travelguard it is Travelguard which is insuring you and not the TA. If you have a claim you can deal with them directly.

[patseacruiser]

When the travel agent sells you insurance it is purchased through CSA, Travel Guard, Travelex, etc. Whoever sells the policy is who is the insurance company you are using. The travel agent is merely the middleman to purchase, help you if you have a claim or need assistance while you are on your trip, etc. If your cruise line goes belly up you will be covered if that is a eligible option on the policy. Read the fine print no matter what policy you buy or from whom because the same policy your travel agent sells is the same policy you will buy from someone else.

[A Knitter]

:)I just purchased travel insurance with Travelex who I have dealt with for the last 10 trips. I looked at the others but when it came right down to it, I chose to remain with them. I have had one claim during that time which was paid promptly. Bankruptcy or default of a travel supplier is covered 14 days from the effective date of the policy. I am not concerned with Oceania going belly up but the first half of my trip is through an indenpendent travey agency. Travelex did cover those travelers caught in the volcanic ash fiasco in 2010 and each incident is reviewed at the time of the claim. As mentioned in other posts, none of the insurance companies cover "civil unrest" as the case in Egypt. Although I am in excellent health I did not purchase insurance when I initially made my deposit in May, 2010 for the new Marina. You can always get a refund and/or have it applied to the next trip but at least you have the pre-existing health coverge. I won't hesitate to do this in the future.

[LittleRedJohn]

I hate insurance. But I've insured every cruise we've been on. We have bought Travelex through our travel agent. This is a profit center for the agent. However, if we should have a problem with the company, the agent probably could help a little since she steers so much business their way. I have made only one claim--last year my chronic back condition acted up on a ship and I went to the ship doctor for some prescription drugs. I got relief from him, and I happily paid the bill of roughly $100. I turned in a claim upon my return. I expected the company would be cranky and slow. In fact, I filled out several forms and they paid in full within several weeks. My travel agent says the time cruise passengers really need this insurance company is when we have a serious accident or illness abroad, or die. That does happen, and my agent unfortunately has a little experience with it. She says the company provides major assistance in such cases. John.

[joyous]

We have always used www.tripinsurance.com and been very happy with them. I have friends who have used them as well and had no problems collecting their monies. The guys who answer the phone are very helpful and can steer you in the right direction. M.H. Ross is the insurance agency. joyous

[Senior Citizen]

We currently have two uninsured trips that are outside the 14 day period so pre-existing condition will not be waived. I've been on squaremouth.com most of the afternoon and on the phone with one of their agents.

 

I'm debating between buying two separate insurances for the two trips OR buying an annual travel insurance that will cover us all year on all of our trips. Besides cruises, we do land travel, go to our timeshare in Mexico, etc.

 

Of all of our travels, we only insure the cruises. Is this crazy? Accidents can happen anywhere. Does anyone have annual travel insurance or has anyone had any experience with it in the past?

[orchestrapal]

We currently have two uninsured trips that are outside the 14 day period so pre-existing condition will not be waived. I've been on squaremouth.com most of the afternoon and on the phone with one of their agents.

 

I'm debating between buying two separate insurances for the two trips OR buying an annual travel insurance that will cover us all year on all of our trips. Besides cruises, we do land travel, go to our timeshare in Mexico, etc.

 

Of all of our travels, we only insure the cruises. Is this crazy? Accidents can happen anywhere. Does anyone have annual travel insurance or has anyone had any experience with it in the past?

 

We have had annual medical insurance coverage for years. The policies are very inexpensive and have been very easy to collect on, so far only for small amounts. Of course they won't cover cancellation but it's great to have that blanket medical coverage.:)

[patseacruiser]

We currently have two uninsured trips that are outside the 14 day period so pre-existing condition will not be waived. I've been on squaremouth.com most of the afternoon and on the phone with one of their agents.

 

CSA has a policy and I'm not sure but last I heard only Travel Agents sold it but it may have changed. Anyway the CSA Freelux policy will waive pre-existing conditions if purchased by final payment. Probably more expensive but you can do it.

 

Also, some insurers depending on policy coverage go to 30 days past deposit to waive pre-existing although you did not say how far out of the 14 day period you are.

[patseacruiser]

I hate insurance too. I feel like I am forced to buy insurance. While I'm not technically 'forced' I have a pre-existing condition so I have to purchase the insurance and I have yet to be on a cruise that at least one person has not been airlifted off of. Last cruise - 3 people taken off at different ports (1 in Labadee and 2 in Panama).