Warning re Global Excel Insurance, Aventura Visa

[rob902]

I thought I would share my bad experience encountered with the travel insurance included with the Aventura VISA card.  They use a company called Global Excel to handle the insurance.  My wife and I had a trip booked with Aventura that had to be cancelled a week before because of an accident.  We filled out the appropriate paperwork with Global Excel, including the doctors sign off etc.  A month later I received a letter in the mail indicating my claim was DECLINED.  After many emails back and forth, it turns out since the Airlines (Air Canada / WestJet in Canada) offer a one year flight credit for the ticket, they won't pay the insurance until that credit is gone - Thus you need to wait a year before you can receive the payment.  So if you want to try an book a new trip that uses a different airline, then you are OUT OF LUCK.  I tried to work with the travel agent and WestJet to cancel the credit, but Global Excel want to see very specific evidence of cancellation before they would pay out.  WestJet was not able to cancel the credit for reasons I don't understand.  Global Excel seems to want specific wording and WestJet doesn't use that wording in their standard form.  I'm stuck between two big corporations, financing this trip for an extra year.  BUYER BEWARE - Canada

(Cross posted from wrong section)

Edited January 17, 2019 by rob902

[klfrodo]

Sorry you’re having this experience.  However, you would have experienced the same outcome with most other travel insurance companies.

Some may be easier to work with, but all of them are going to ensure there is no double dipping on paying out a claim while there is a credit to be used in the future.

[rob902]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

However, you would have experienced the same outcome with most other travel insurance companies.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.  Thankfully in my past 60 years of travel, I have NOT had to claim for travel insurance, so maybe my expectations are high here.  I assumed I should be able to re-book another trip asap to replace the original one.  It seems that if I had simply not showed up at the airport my ticket would have been "forfeited" (as opposed to cancelled), which means that Westjet would NOT have given me a credit.  However Global Excel seems to want "proof" that there is no credit available.  As near as I can tell its impossible to prove that.  I am happy to sign a letter agreeing not to use the credit, but they don't seem to like that idea.  So I am stuck waiting a year and hoping that they will approve it at that time...

==>  Would be interesting to hear if anyone else has cancelled an airline ticket for medical reasons and NOT had to wait to get a refund to buy another ticket?

Best regards, Rob

 

 

[cherylandtk]

I have heard of folks filing a partial claim, to recoup the rest of the trip costs, before waiting the year to recoup the flight costs.  WIll they let you do that?

[rob902]

1 hour ago, cherylandtk said:

I have heard of folks filing a partial claim, to recoup the rest of the trip costs, before waiting the year to recoup the flight costs.  WIll they let you do that?

 The closest is that if a book another flight with the same airline (Westjet) the insurance will cover the difference.  Problem is my next destination is not served by that airline.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Nahash]

On 1/17/2019 at 4:02 PM, rob902 said:

I thought I would share my bad experience encountered with the travel insurance included with the Aventura VISA card.  They use a company called Global Excel to handle the insurance.  My wife and I had a trip booked with Aventura that had to be cancelled a week before because of an accident.  We filled out the appropriate paperwork with Global Excel, including the doctors sign off etc.  A month later I received a letter in the mail indicating my claim was DECLINED.  After many emails back and forth, it turns out since the Airlines (Air Canada / WestJet in Canada) offer a one year flight credit for the ticket, they won't pay the insurance until that credit is gone - Thus you need to wait a year before you can receive the payment.  So if you want to try an book a new trip that uses a different airline, then you are OUT OF LUCK.  I tried to work with the travel agent and WestJet to cancel the credit, but Global Excel want to see very specific evidence of cancellation before they would pay out.  WestJet was not able to cancel the credit for reasons I don't understand.  Global Excel seems to want specific wording and WestJet doesn't use that wording in their standard form.  I'm stuck between two big corporations, financing this trip for an extra year.  BUYER BEWARE - Canada

(Cross posted from wrong section)

Global Excel Management Inc.

[Nahash]

On November-07-2019 I booked a flight for 2(for myself and my wife) with CheapOairtravel agent to Ireland by Westjet using a CIBC Visa. Total cost of the flight was 1588.20Can$. Booking # 64499320.

As per the COVID-19 pandemic all flights were canceled.

We booked the flights using our CIBC Visa card that has flight cancelation insurance. 

GlobalExcel Company covers CIBC Visa flight cancelation insurance.

            When I contacted GlobalExcel and asked them to cover the insurance they opened a claim #1768388 

            And at that point I submittedall required documents to GlobalExcel. They notified me that WestJet issued 

            A credit for this flight till Nov-06-2020.

GlobalExcel confirmed with me that if I will not use that credit till Nov-06-2020 they would refund us the cost of the flight immediately.

On November-09-2020 I contacted GlobalExcel and explained that the credit date for the refund passed and I want them to refund us the cost of the flight. The answer I got is that our claim#1768388 with them was

Deleted automatically after 3 month. So now after waiting 9 month for the Visa insurance claim this is the  answer I got.

So I understand the complain listed above and I share his bad experience as Global Excel is not a BBB listed and it is not to be trusted.