Re: Travel insurance

[queeniev]

Hi All, This will be our first cruise on the Oceania which is booked next year in May. Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary so I am very excited to be traveling to the Mediterranean I am reaching out to our Oceania Expert Travelers to find out if you can recommend who I can contact for travel insurance. Is it better to go through Oceania? Or Allianz Travel Insurance or any other suggestions would be appreciated.. and also any other suggestions would be great!! thank you, Laurie

[DaKa2002]

A lot depends on what you want to insure.

 

We use Allianz Travel Insurance policies - they have several types, increasing in coverage limits and therefore cost. Back those selected policies up with an annual Medjet membership for Medical Evacuation and supporting services that covers us anywhere beyond 150 miles from home.

 

Have a "Happy Anniversary" trip on Oceania

Edited July 23, 2018 by DaKa2002
add details

[njhorseman]

I would never buy insurance from a cruise line.

 

To see a variety of policies in order to decide what price and coverage suits your needs I recommend you go to http://www.tripinsurancestore.com or http://www.insuremytrip.com . I particularly like tripinsurancestore.com because they have knowledgeable employees you can speak to on the telephone who will answer any questions you may have.

[kreastman]

We've used CSA Travel Protection for our last few O cruises. Had major medical issues on one cruise and received full reimbursement within two weeks of submitting the claim. Very good company.

[GeezerCouple]

Hi All, This will be our first cruise on the Oceania which is booked next year in May. Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary so I am very excited to be traveling to the Mediterranean I am reaching out to our Oceania Expert Travelers to find out if you can recommend who I can contact for travel insurance. Is it better to go through Oceania? Or Allianz Travel Insurance or any other suggestions would be appreciated.. and also any other suggestions would be great!! thank you, Laurie

 

Here is a link to the CC sub-forum for Travel/Cruise Insurance:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

 

You'll find a *lot* of general information there, as well as answers to specific questions.

 

We've posted there frequently, about our excellent experience with the travel insurance broker

 

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

 

and the policies we've purchased through them from Travel Insured.

 

... and the prompt payment of several claims, including two large ones.

 

Make special note of deadlines if you have any pre-existing conditions that might affect medical costs while traveling OR any trip cancellation or interruption that might end up due to medical conditions.

 

GC

[warburg]

Greetings from South Beach, queeniev. In 2016, we had to cancel a cruise three weeks before embarkation because of an unexpected health issue. That issue left behind a pre existing condition, so now we need matching insurance. Many cruisers on the Regent forum, a line we often take, recommended Steve, at Tripinsurancestore.com. It was a pleasure to deal with this company. The plan we bought is perfect for us. We buy insurance for peace of mind, and we have it. Enjoy your upcoming celebration and Happy Anniversary!

Mary

[queeniev]

We've used CSA Travel Protection for our last few O cruises. Had major medical issues on one cruise and received full reimbursement within two weeks of submitting the claim. Very good company.

 

 

Wonderful!!! Thank you so much!! I will check into this! Appreciate it greatly!

[Gsel]

We also highly recommend Steve at tripinsurancestore.com. Great website and wonderful personal service!

[Rob the Cruiser]

We use Allianz annual travel insurance also.

 

They are great to deal with. We had a claim for an excess amount that primary health insurance didn't cover. We were reimbursed for 100% of the claim in about 2 weeks.

[queeniev]

A lot depends on what you want to insure.

 

We use Allianz Travel Insurance policies - they have several types, increasing in coverage limits and therefore cost. Back those selected policies up with an annual Medjet membership for Medical Evacuation and supporting services that covers us anywhere beyond 150 miles from home.

 

Have a "Happy Anniversary" trip on Oceania

 

Thank you!! I am having our Travel agent look into their pricing for I thought they were a little high.. appreciate it greatly!!

[queeniev]

We use Allianz annual travel insurance also.

 

They are great to deal with. We had a claim for an excess amount that primary health insurance didn't cover. We were reimbursed for 100% of the claim in about 2 weeks.

 

Good to know.. thank you for your comment.. appreciate it greatly!

[queeniev]

We also highly recommend Steve at tripinsurancestore.com. Great website and wonderful personal service!

 

Thank you I will have my travel agent look into this.. appreciate it.. shopping prices right now.. :)

[queeniev]

Greetings from South Beach, queeniev. In 2016, we had to cancel a cruise three weeks before embarkation because of an unexpected health issue. That issue left behind a pre existing condition, so now we need matching insurance. Many cruisers on the Regent forum, a line we often take, recommended Steve, at Tripinsurancestore.com. It was a pleasure to deal with this company. The plan we bought is perfect for us. We buy insurance for peace of mind, and we have it. Enjoy your upcoming celebration and Happy Anniversary!

Mary

 

Thank you Mary, This was a nice help.. looking into all these recommendations. This will be our very first on Oceania so I am so looking forward to it.. appreciate it greatly..

[queeniev]

I would never buy insurance from a cruise line.

 

To see a variety of policies in order to decide what price and coverage suits your needs I recommend you go to www.tripinsurancestore.com or www.insuremytrip.com . I particularly like tripinsurancestore.com because they have knowledgeable employees you can speak to on the telephone who will answer any questions you may have.

 

I will check them out as well.. Thank you!!!!

[GeezerCouple]

Thank you I will have my travel agent look into this.. appreciate it.. shopping prices right now.. :)

 

Strongly suggest that you call TripInsuranceStore directly.

Your TA may have special agreements with certain insurers and those policies may not be the best available for your needs.

 

I'm not so much concerned about over-pricing for the same policy sold elsewhere, because insurance is usually regulated, in the USA anyway, and state-specific. (Or so I understand, anyway.)

 

But I would be concerned that there might be "better coverage" for your specific needs. Your TA specializes in the "traveling" aspects, which is the top priority for a travel agent, of course: where you go, how you get there, where you stay, etc.

And insurance broker will specialize in the types of policies, and from different insurers.

Also, an insurance broker may think of certain questions to ask you to help get you a good match.

 

As for TIS, they've occasionally suggested that we did NOT need a certain extra coverage/etc., and explained why. They could have sold us a policy, but therefore didn't.

They've also made sure we didn't "goof", at least one time in a very major way, in terms of buying a policy where our most likely claim would have been denied.

 

The commission is paid by the insurer, not the traveler, so don't worry about that.

 

Good luck!

I can't tell you how relieved we were the very first time we needed to make a claim. It was also the first time we got travel insurance, and we learned about it here on CC, and also the recommendation to use TIS.

 

We had our first expensive trip planned (very expensive for what we were then used to, but it's become more common for us now as we have come to LOVE traveling more and more!), and with about 2 weeks to go, DH had a medical emergency and *everything* was cancelled. And "everything" was pre-paid and non-refundable at that point, including business class travel overseas.

Whew!

 

Good luck.

 

GC

[njhorseman]

Thank you I will have my travel agent look into this.. appreciate it.. shopping prices right now.. :)

 

I spent many years in the insurance industry and I also owned a travel agency for a number of years, so I think I'm in a good position to offer you unbiased advice.

You should not have your travel agent contact Trip Insurance Store or any other trip insurance provider, you should contact them yourself. Many if not most travel agencies sell travel insurance themselves through an insurance company they have a business relationship with and want you to buy their insurance, not insurance offered by other companies because they earn a commission from the insurance their agency sells.

[njhorseman]

Strongly suggest that you call TripInsuranceStore directly.

Your TA may have special agreements with certain insurers and those policies may not be the best available for your needs.

I'm not so much concerned about over-pricing for the same policy sold elsewhere, because insurance is usually regulated, in the USA anyway, and state-specific. (Or so I understand, anyway.)

 

But I would be concerned that there might be "better coverage" for your specific needs. Your TA specializes in the "traveling" aspects, which is the top priority for a travel agent, of course: where you go, how you get there, where you stay, etc.

And insurance broker will specialize in the types of policies, and from different insurers.

Also, an insurance broker may think of certain questions to ask you to help get you a good match.

 

As for TIS, they've occasionally suggested that we did NOT need a certain extra coverage/etc., and explained why. They could have sold us a policy, but therefore didn't.

They've also made sure we didn't "goof", at least one time in a very major way, in terms of buying a policy where our most likely claim would have been denied.

 

The commission is paid by the insurer, not the traveler, so don't worry about that.

 

Good luck!

I can't tell you how relieved we were the very first time we needed to make a claim. It was also the first time we got travel insurance, and we learned about it here on CC, and also the recommendation to use TIS.

 

We had our first expensive trip planned (very expensive for what we were then used to, but it's become more common for us now as we have come to LOVE traveling more and more!), and with about 2 weeks to go, DH had a medical emergency and *everything* was cancelled. And "everything" was pre-paid and non-refundable at that point, including business class travel overseas.

Whew!

 

Good luck.

 

GC

 

I'm a retired actuary as well as a former travel agency owner, so I'd like to comment on the two items above I've colored red.

 

First, while states regulate the policy terms, language and coverage in general they do not regulate price and insurers are usually free to charge what they wish. That's why you'll see virtually identical policies offered by different companies offered at substantially different prices. The price of a policy can also vary from state to state.

 

Second, of course the commission is paid by the traveler. The insurance company writes the commission check to the agent, but the commission cost is built into the price of the policy paid by the insured. All other things being equal the price of a policy that pays a 20% commission to the agent will be lower than the price of the same policy that pays 30% to the agent.

[GeezerCouple]

I'm a retired actuary as well as a former travel agency owner, so I'd like to comment on the two items above I've colored red.

 

First, while states regulate the policy terms, language and coverage in general they do not regulate price and insurers are usually free to charge what they wish. That's why you'll see virtually identical policies offered by different companies offered at substantially different prices. The price of a policy can also vary from state to state.

 

Second, of course the commission is paid by the traveler. The insurance company writes the commission check to the agent, but the commission cost is built into the price of the policy paid by the insured. All other things being equal the price of a policy that pays a 20% commission to the agent will be lower than the price of the same policy that pays 30% to the agent.

 

To clarify:

 

First: I obviously meant comparing identical policies purchased from Vendor A vs. Vendor B, not differing policies regardless of whether they are purchased from the same or different vendors.

 

Second: Of course the price includes all costs. But one doesn't pay *more* purchasing - again - the identical policy directly from the insurer vs. from a broker or some other agent.

 

"Identical policies" means just that: the same array of coverages, with the same amount or conditions, etc. - and from the *same* company.

Without any doubt, the companies compete and try to sell their own policies so customers don't purchase from a different insurer. Whether customers have access to full information about the various offerings from different insurers... that's part of the problem. As is selecting "reputable" insurers who pay in a timely fashion, etc....

 

In both cases, you are suggesting I was arguing that prices of an X and a Y must cost the same, and that's simply nonsensical.

 

What you wrote is correct

So is what I wrote.

But contrary to your attempt to equate them, we each described different scenarios.

 

GC

[RJ2002]

queenive, first, congratulations on your anniversary and your special cruise to celebrate!

 

You've been given good advice to check out the travel insurance broker sites, and of course call them if necessary. We've used insuremytrip.com, squaremouth.com and tripinsurancestore.com in the past. We have had very good experience with insuremytrip.com. They have an extensive website for researching, and a very handy chat function to ask quick questions. We've spoken with them as well, and have been happy with their service.

 

It's best to talk to the experts! ;)

[Rob the Cruiser]

Why all the worry about paying a commission? Somewhere along the line there is a commission, or multiple commissions, paid on almost all products and services in the US. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.

 

Get the best coverage you are willing to afford and forget about the rest.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Rob the Cruiser
typo

[GeorgesGal]

Allianz Travel Insurance or any other suggestions would be appreciated.. and also any other suggestions would be great!! thank you, Laurie

 

Hi, Laurie, here's my experience: Since my sister/travel companion and I reached that 'certain age' where uncertainties can occur, we have always use Allianz. We are very happy with them and had to put in a claim one year when DS's husband had a heart attack prior to our cruise, but after penalty phase (100%). They paid every cent of non-refundable expenses within a short period of time! :D

 

:DDonna

[MisterBill99]

Why all the worry about paying a commission? Somewhere along the line there is a commission, or multiple commissions, paid on almost all products and services in the US. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.

Yes, but with cruises you can often get part of the commission rebated back to you in a variety of ways.

 

The bottom line here is that you will pay the same price whether you buy it directly from the insurance company or an agent.

[Caroldoll]

My company is Insuremyluxurytravel.com - Chuck. Compare. Lots of good advice above.

[Issyalex]

I’d never buy travel insurance from a TA or direct with the cruiseline, far too expensive.

 

Just google CRUISE holiday insurance. There will be loads to choose from eg compare the market, gocompare, money supermarket. Make sure you buy cruise insurance because if you don’t and you take ill onboard you might not be covered.

[bob brown]

I have found in the past, when I cruised with my very elderly mother, the cruise lines did not base the premium on age, while most other insurer's charged a lot more for someone in their '90's...

Not sure if that is always the case, or the same for all cruise lines, but it is something to consider, and check...