Travel Insurance

[doktor]

We have Medicare advantage, but I can just image all the paper work required to get them to cover. Remember most travel polices are not primary, thus you have to get your US policy to pay first. I have have dealt with insurance claims in the USA with my deceased husband. I would hate to have to deal with our insurance (addition to Medicare) when your out of the country. Most insurance companies will question large claims.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[krillsister]

One thing to check regarding medical evacuation is the When.

Many companies will only evacuate when the hospital can not meet the need of the emergency. Medjet assist will evacuate to hospital of choice for any reason when stable to travel.

We also have Geoblue for multiple trips for our medical coverage outside of US. It is secondary, but since our primary will not cover outside the U.S. it works for us.

[Hydrokitty]

CPT Trips and Purduemom: LOL...I just LOVE you guys....::D:D

[TravelerThom]

I worry that my ashes would be scattered at an Airport Security Screening checkpoint and then dispersed around the world on people's sox.

Being dispersed around the world sounds pretty good to me, especially compared at the "Shipping News" version.

 

Thom

[TravelerThom]

I'd be interested in more info about your medical coverage. We already have evacuation through MedJet Assist, and I would be prepared to "self-insure" the cost of the trip -- but since Medicare doesn't work outside the US we need medical coverage until Medjet gets us out of Dodge.

I have AMEX Assurance Travel Medical Protection, which is currently not available to new enrollees. It provides $100k towards most hospitalization, evacuation, etc IF you are 150 miles from home and have been gone less than 45 days. I can not report how well it works, since fortunately I have not used it:cool: MedExAssist.com has a similar policy, but costs more, is good for only 30 days of travel and is not available in NY.

 

Thom

[Hydrokitty]

Being dispersed around the world sounds pretty good to me, especially compared at the "Shipping News" version.

 

Thom

 

Yeah but not stuck to the bottom of somebody's feet!! :D

[garycarla]

For what it is worth, we only do insurance for a few of our trips,and then only for major medical/evacuation. No baggage, delayed flights, cancel, etc.

 

We have done at least 16 cruises. Done maybe 15 overseas trips. Three - four domestic trips a year.

 

Never, ever, ever had anything that might get close to a claim. As a result, we have saved thousands in "insurance". Insurance after all is a bet with the insurance company. Guess who wins?

Edited July 9, 2016 by garycarla

[Hydrokitty]

Being dispersed around the world sounds pretty good to me, especially compared at the "Shipping News" version.

 

Thom

 

Yeah but not stuck to the bottom of somebody's feet!! :D

[caviargal]

My AMEX Platinum Card includes the following coverage with no additional premium:

 

• Emergency medical evacuation up to USD $100,000

• Emergency medical services up to USD $20,000

• Emergency dental treatment up to USD $1,000

• Prescription expenses up to USD $1,000

• Hospitalization arrangements, coordination of arrangements for surgery when necessary, medical monitoring, Intensive Therapy or Coronary Care arrangements, emergency message relay.

BAGGAGE PROTECTION

In the event that your checked baggage is lost by a commercial carrier, Platinum Assistance will make every effort to track down your missing luggage and keep you posted on their progress. Should Platinum Assistance not be able to recover your luggage, you will be reimbursed up to a maximum of USD $1,200 per trip.

We do purchase trip cancellation separately with Travel Guard. My mom has health issues and we have had several claims of significant amounts. Peace of mind for me is very important.

Edited July 9, 2016 by caviargal

[doktor]

My AMEX Platinum Card includes the following coverage with no additional premium:

 

• Emergency medical evacuation up to USD $100,000

• Emergency medical services up to USD $20,000

• Emergency dental treatment up to USD $1,000

• Prescription expenses up to USD $1,000

• Hospitalization arrangements, coordination of arrangements for surgery when necessary, medical monitoring, Intensive Therapy or Coronary Care arrangements, emergency message relay.

BAGGAGE PROTECTION

In the event that your checked baggage is lost by a commercial carrier, Platinum Assistance will make every effort to track down your missing luggage and keep you posted on their progress. Should Platinum Assistance not be able to recover your luggage, you will be reimbursed up to a maximum of USD $1,200 per trip.

We do purchase trip cancellation separately with Travel Guard. My mom has health issues and we have had several claims of significant amounts. Peace of mind for me is very important.

First of all is AMEX primary or secondary insurance

IMO Medical seems low

I would also question $ for evacuation

Baggage is still low. The cost of a bag, a good man's suit, and a good pair of shoes could be $1,200 or more.

Most airlines now can locate a bag via the baggage bar code, when we arrive in Oahu in April after an over night in LA, United told us our bags had arrive in Oahu.

 

Either AA or United also told us the location of our bags and that they were on the plane.

[caviargal]

First of all is AMEX primary or secondary insurance

IMO Medical seems low

I would also question $ for evacuation

Baggage is still low. The cost of a bag, a good man's suit, and a good pair of shoes could be $1,200 or more.

Most airlines now can locate a bag via the baggage bar code, when we arrive in Oahu in April after an over night in LA, United told us our bags had arrive in Oahu.

 

We have primary BCBS and ours covers out of country. Just had to use it last month for a medical emergency in Jamaica. We also have AMEX and Travel Guard. Both are secondary.

 

Baggage is adequate for us. We don't travel with a suit, shoes and bag that would cost $1200 to replace. Many of our shorter trips we carry on.

[H2Otstr]

My AMEX Platinum Card includes the following coverage with no additional premium:

 

• Emergency medical evacuation up to USD $100,000

• Emergency medical services up to USD $20,000

• Emergency dental treatment up to USD $1,000

• Prescription expenses up to USD $1,000

• Hospitalization arrangements, coordination of arrangements for surgery when necessary, medical monitoring, Intensive Therapy or Coronary Care arrangements, emergency message relay.

BAGGAGE PROTECTION

In the event that your checked baggage is lost by a commercial carrier, Platinum Assistance will make every effort to track down your missing luggage and keep you posted on their progress. Should Platinum Assistance not be able to recover your luggage, you will be reimbursed up to a maximum of USD $1,200 per trip.

We do purchase trip cancellation separately with Travel Guard. My mom has health issues and we have had several claims of significant amounts. Peace of mind for me is very important.

 

Does one have to pay for the specific trip with this card in order to be insured ? I often pay for my trips through e-check to get additional savings.

[caviargal]

Does one have to pay for the specific trip with this card in order to be insured ?

 

That is correct. We do use our AMEX for almost everything but sometimes will use points and not sure how that coverage would work. We always have additional insurance.

[ptrpanpens]

That is correct. We do use our AMEX for almost everything but sometimes will use points and not sure how that coverage would work. We always have additional insurance.

 

I assume you have other cards to use overseas that do not charge 3% foreign transaction fee like AMEX.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I assume you have other cards to use overseas that do not charge 3% foreign transaction fee like AMEX.

 

AMEX Platinum does not charge forex fees.

[garycarla]

Does one have to pay for the specific trip with this card in order to be insured ? I often pay for my trips through e-check to get additional savings.

 

All the policies I have specifically say you have to use THAT card to get the benefit. They offer it for a few reasons. Mainly, they hope you will not pay the bill right away and they earn interest. They also want to keep you as a customer.

 

If you used another card, cash or check - then you are not using their product, and therefore, no insurance.

[Hydrokitty]

CPT Trips and Purduemom: LOL...I just LOVE you guys....::D:D

 

Being dispersed around the world sounds pretty good to me, especially compared at the "Shipping News" version.

 

Thom

 

You too, Thom....I needed a chuckle this morning. :D

Edited July 10, 2016 by Hydrokitty

[garycarla]

...

Baggage is still low. The cost of a bag, a good man's suit, and a good pair of shoes could be $1,200 or more. ....

 

 

We have had bags delayed, but never lost.

 

Even so, the most expensive suite and shoes I own are well under $300 - which of course we do not travel with.

 

If our bag was lost, it would be no big deal. Inconvenience for sure, but financially maybe a few hundred bucks. That's when we overpack - which is the norm.

 

Our last Round The World trip was carryon only. LOL!

[SOShrink]

I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell other passengers about my experience with Tripinsurancestore.com. I have been on close to ten river cruises and have always given them a call (or email). You give them the cost of the trip (airfare, cruise, prepaid hotel, etc.) and other information like whether you need good trip cancelation insurance if you work or may need to cancel due to elderly parents getting ill, if pre-existing coverage is important to you, etc. It has been my experience that Steve, Becky, Deanna or Kim strive to give you the best product and will not have you spend money needlessly. And I will support this by saying that we have had to cancel our cruises twice through the years ( once due to my wife's hip surgery and more recently due to the Brussels Airport closure). They facilitated our claims and in both cases we had excellent insurance that they recommended. I was impressed with the fact that even though the cruise had proceeded, they provided a full refund since it was a "terrorism" event and the State Dept. had issued a travel warning. It was a difficult decision to cancel and it was only through the reassurance they gave me that I felt comfortable with that decision. They are very personable, and always available (even on Sunday). When they recommend a particular coverage for you, you don't have to spend hours researching it. You will know that it is the best product for you at the most reasonable price they can come up with. I thought I would pass that along to future travelers since I experienced firsthand the benefit of their coverage and this is the best way I can think of to thank them.

[purduemom1]

I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell other passengers about my experience with Tripinsurancestore.com. I have been on close to ten river cruises and have always given them a call (or email). You give them the cost of the trip (airfare, cruise, prepaid hotel, etc.) and other information like whether you need good trip cancelation insurance if you work or may need to cancel due to elderly parents getting ill, if pre-existing coverage is important to you, etc. It has been my experience that Steve, Becky, Deanna or Kim strive to give you the best product and will not have you spend money needlessly. And I will support this by saying that we have had to cancel our cruises twice through the years ( once due to my wife's hip surgery and more recently due to the Brussels Airport closure). They facilitated our claims and in both cases we had excellent insurance that they recommended. I was impressed with the fact that even though the cruise had proceeded, they provided a full refund since it was a "terrorism" event and the State Dept. had issued a travel warning. It was a difficult decision to cancel and it was only through the reassurance they gave me that I felt comfortable with that decision. They are very personable, and always available (even on Sunday). When they recommend a particular coverage for you, you don't have to spend hours researching it. You will know that it is the best product for you at the most reasonable price they can come up with. I thought I would pass that along to future travelers since I experienced firsthand the benefit of their coverage and this is the best way I can think of to thank them.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I too have been pleased with their service but fortunately I have not had to file a claim. Glad to know that yours were handled to your satisfaction.

[purduemom1]

CPT Trips and Purduemom: LOL...I just LOVE you guys....::D:D

 

I just saw your post. Love you too, Hydrokitty:)

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Our recent Grand European River Cruise was our most expensive yet. We paid dearly for trip insurance but didn't feel we could self-insure for cancellation on the cost of this one.

 

We have an Annual Policy with good evacuation/medical but felt we needed something to cover cancellation.......and, thankfully, didn't need it.

 

Concur with those who praise Steve and his crew at Trip Insurance Store.

https://tripinsurancestore.com/

 

I read so many posts from people who don't realize that they need to read their policies and get the trip insurance that is "best for them". Especially when it comes to pre-existing conditions.

Edited August 5, 2016 by suzyluvs2cruise

[westerngardener]

I always check on insuremytrip.com to shop around. I find that prices can vary quite widely. For small trips I don't bother with insurance, but with pricier trips I find it's worth the investment. I have had to use it a couple of times when a family member became very ill.

 

Any advice for Canadians on which travel insurance/trip cancellation company to research?:confused: