My Travel Insurance is Useless!

[Tom O.]

I purchased insurance from my travel agent when I booked my August Cruise last December. The insurance was from Allianz, the largest insurance company in the world.

We bought it mostly in case we needed a medical evacuation or something during the trip. I never thought that my cruise would be cancelled, I have never cancelled a vacation myself.

So now the cruise is cancelled, and Allianz refuses to refund the $575 we paid for it. Also, they refuse to cover any loses we have suffered from this cancellation. HAL should refund our deposit, but we also added the cost of our flight and an expensive hotel in Copenhagen to the coverage. Delta allowed us to cancel our flight for a future credit, but we are going to lose the money we paid for that hotel. Allianz says that since this is caused by a pandemic, they are not responsible.

So Allianz won't refund our money or pay for our loses. What a completely useless insurance policy. I will think twice before ever buying travel insurance again. And I will never do business with Allianz again.

[RJ2002]

Will they let you apply the premium to another trip?

[Tom O.]

4 minutes ago, RJ2002 said:

Will they let you apply the premium to another trip?

No, they won't even do that.

They must be rolling in cash, since they collected all those people's money, and have no claims, because nobody is traveling.

Their refund policy is that the policy can only be cancelled within 10 days after purchase. It can be longer for residents of certain states, due to state laws. But unfortunately my state, Utah, is not one of those states.

[Coral]

I purchased Allianz for my cruise in April. Since I had not filed a claim, and because the cruise was cancelled, they refunded my money. They would have also transferred it to another trip 2 years in the future. I actually found them easy to work with. I also bought this through my travel agent. She offered to assist but I just went direct. The money was refunded in 2 weeks after I sent them the info they requested.

 

This is on their website: 

PLAN REFUND INFORMATION

Customers may change their plan’s effective dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip.  Alternatively, for a temporary period, we are offering refunds for the cost of your travel protection plan to customers who wish to cancel their travel protection plan if the customer’s travel supplier canceled the customer’s trip due to COVID-19, so long as no payable claim has been filed under the plan.  Please call us at the number listed on your plan and we will be happy to assist you.

 

 

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/coverage-alerts/2019-novel-coronavirus.htm

Edited May 15, 2020 by Coral

[Tom O.]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

I purchased Allianz for my cruise in April. Since I had not filed a claim, and because the cruise was cancelled, they refunded my money. They would have also transferred it to another trip 2 years in the future. I actually found them easy to work with.

 

Yes, I saw that. But because my cruise was farther in the future (August), that didn't apply. I was hoping they would extend that policy to cover my dates. But not so far.

 

 

[Coral]

2 minutes ago, Tom O. said:

Yes, I saw that. But because my cruise was farther in the future (August), that didn't apply. I was hoping they would extend that policy to cover my dates. But not so far.

 

Was your cruise cancelled? If not, wait until it is. Maybe next month they will allow for you to get your money back.

 

They have in the past transferred money to a future cruise. Have your TA be an advocate for you.

[Tom O.]

After reading replies to my rant, I decided to call Allianz, and see what they could do for me.

All of the information on their website said I would not be entitled to any refund. But when I called and told them my situation, they said they would make a one time exception to their rules and will refund my money.

They just sounded so negative on their website, that is sounded hopeless.

So, I am a happy camper once again, and will consider Allianz in the future.

 

[DaveOKC]

Somewhat related.....  If your airline cancels or changes your times (very likely nowadays) for over an hour or two, normally the airlines will give you a cash refund instead of a travel voucher.  I just did this a week ago and it took a few days but received credit on my charge card.

 

You need to wait until the airline makes the change/cancellation.  If you initiate it, you at best will just get a voucher.

[puppycanducruise]

14 minutes ago, Tom O. said:

After reading replies to my rant, I decided to call Allianz, and see what they could do for me.

All of the information on their website said I would not be entitled to any refund. But when I called and told them my situation, they said they would make a one time exception to their rules and will refund my money.

They just sounded so negative on their website, that is sounded hopeless.

So, I am a happy camper once again, and will consider Allianz in the future.

 

Thanks for the update.

Glad it worked out for you.

[JT1962]

Good to know. I have a policy with a different company that lists similar restrictions. I am waiting to try canceling it since I am trying to get refunds from 2 independent shore excursions that were booked that total more than the insurance policy.

[Coral]

38 minutes ago, Tom O. said:

After reading replies to my rant, I decided to call Allianz, and see what they could do for me.

All of the information on their website said I would not be entitled to any refund. But when I called and told them my situation, they said they would make a one time exception to their rules and will refund my money.

They just sounded so negative on their website, that is sounded hopeless.

So, I am a happy camper once again, and will consider Allianz in the future.

 

So you never called in the first place? I have dealt with Allianz for a long time with a variety of claims (and non-claims) and have always found them easy to work with.

 

Glad it worked out for you.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Coral

[Mud_Shark]

I once had a trip to a conference planned within the continental US that simply involved flights.  I used an online travel website that does not deal in cruises.  They offered trip cancellation insurance, so I added that.

 

It ended up that the destination got flooded out and our conference was cancelled, along with lodgings but flights into and out of the area for that week were unaffected.   I then began to read the fine print of the cancellation insurance.  Doh - should have understood all the limitations before I bought, but sometimes you learn the hard way.  Basically, I needed to lose three limbs simultaneously while on my way to the airport or be abducted by terrorists in order to activate my policy (well, almost that restrictive).  If I was drafted into the army I would have been covered, but if the destination floods, I am not.

 

Don 

[Cruising-along]

2 hours ago, Tom O. said:

I purchased insurance from my travel agent when I booked my August Cruise last December. The insurance was from Allianz, the largest insurance company in the world.

We bought it mostly in case we needed a medical evacuation or something during the trip. I never thought that my cruise would be cancelled, I have never cancelled a vacation myself.

So now the cruise is cancelled, and Allianz refuses to refund the $575 we paid for it. Also, they refuse to cover any loses we have suffered from this cancellation. HAL should refund our deposit, but we also added the cost of our flight and an expensive hotel in Copenhagen to the coverage. Delta allowed us to cancel our flight for a future credit, but we are going to lose the money we paid for that hotel. Allianz says that since this is caused by a pandemic, they are not responsible.

So Allianz won't refund our money or pay for our loses. What a completely useless insurance policy. I will think twice before ever buying travel insurance again. And I will never do business with Allianz again.

We bought a policy from Allianz for our April 2 cruise.  We bought it earlier in March before the pandemic and Allianz told us because of that our premium ($3,100) would be refunded. We never made any claims against the policy.  

 

Well, that was over 2 months ago, and we've had numerous phone calls, incorrect information, and absolutely no emails from them.  Finally after countless phone calls and promises, and getting nothing from them, we've gone to our credit card company to resolve this.  We have used Allianz for years and even had some small claims with no problems, but this is maddening and infuriating.  We'll be looking for a different insurance company in the future.  Seriously, we've had better communication from HAL than this company.

[SilvertoGold]

35 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

We bought a policy from Allianz for our April 2 cruise.  We bought it earlier in March before the pandemic and Allianz told us because of that our premium ($3,100) would be refunded. We never made any claims against the policy.  

 

Well, that was over 2 months ago, and we've had numerous phone calls, incorrect information, and absolutely no emails from them.  Finally after countless phone calls and promises, and getting nothing from them, we've gone to our credit card company to resolve this.  We have used Allianz for years and even had some small claims with no problems, but this is maddening and infuriating.  We'll be looking for a different insurance company in the future.  Seriously, we've had better communication from HAL than this company.

 

$3100?  Yikes!  Long cruise with everything but the kitchen sink? :)  Hope this works out for you!!!

[KirkNC]

So you do a rant post BEFORE you even contacted them.  I don’t understand.....

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

$3100?  Yikes!  Long cruise with everything but the kitchen sink? 🙂 Hope this works out for you!!!

Yes 😞  

[Gigi1977]

I have been burned by Allianz twice.   Never again.   I know some people think that HAL Platinum is ‘not enough’ but I’ve never been burned by them AND they have refunded my premium paid when they didn’t sail.  1. Cuba 2. Japan 3. Alaska.   Will continue to use HAL Platinum.  Just my two cents worth.   Have a great day!   
 

Ready to sail again!  

[Hlitner]

We have never been burned by any travel insurance company/policy because we never buy the policies.  On the other hand, we have more than $100,000 in the bank from all the premiums we have saved by NOT buying travel insurance.    As to HAL Platinum, our issue with this policy is the very sad $10,000 of medical coverage which we view as wholly inadequate.  These days a major medical problem can easily cost over $20,000 for just the first day!    Just my 3 cents worth :).

 

And yes, we do buy an annual travel medical plan that gives us up to $250,000 or medical and $500,000 of evacuation.  While we are willing to gamble (self insure) on cancellation we will not take chances on medical where our potential liability is unlimited. 

 

Hank

[lazey1]

27 minutes ago, Gigi1977 said:

I have been burned by Allianz twice.   Never again.   I know some people think that HAL Platinum is ‘not enough’ but I’ve never been burned by them AND they have refunded my premium paid when they didn’t sail.  1. Cuba 2. Japan 3. Alaska.   Will continue to use HAL Platinum.  Just my two cents worth.   Have a great day!   
 

Ready to sail again!  

I always use Hal Platinum Ins. because they cover pre-existing conditions if you get sick while you are on the cruise. My late husband and I both have made claims which were promptly paid.  (within 5 days after the proper documentation was submitted). I only wish that the Hal Platinum Ins. offered different higher medical limits for an additional premium.

 

[Coral]

2 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

We bought a policy from Allianz for our April 2 cruise.  We bought it earlier in March before the pandemic and Allianz told us because of that our premium ($3,100) would be refunded. We never made any claims against the policy.  

 

Well, that was over 2 months ago, and we've had numerous phone calls, incorrect information, and absolutely no emails from them.  Finally after countless phone calls and promises, and getting nothing from them, we've gone to our credit card company to resolve this.  We have used Allianz for years and even had some small claims with no problems, but this is maddening and infuriating.  We'll be looking for a different insurance company in the future.  Seriously, we've had better communication from HAL than this company.

They gave me specific information that had to be emailed to them. After I did that, my money was refunded. I know others who have had to email them the same info and they were also refunded.

[Reagan0712]

4 hours ago, Coral said:

I purchased Allianz for my cruise in April. Since I had not filed a claim, and because the cruise was cancelled, they refunded my money. They would have also transferred it to another trip 2 years in the future. I actually found them easy to work with. I also bought this through my travel agent. She offered to assist but I just went direct. The money was refunded in 2 weeks after I sent them the info they requested.

 

This is on their website: 

PLAN REFUND INFORMATION

Customers may change their plan’s effective dates to cover a new or rescheduled trip.  Alternatively, for a temporary period, we are offering refunds for the cost of your travel protection plan to customers who wish to cancel their travel protection plan if the customer’s travel supplier canceled the customer’s trip due to COVID-19, so long as no payable claim has been filed under the plan.  Please call us at the number listed on your plan and we will be happy to assist you.

 

 

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/coverage-alerts/2019-novel-coronavirus.htm

I got same information.  I elected the 770 day extension.  My travel companion elected refund and had it in two days.  I’ve found Allianz easy to deal with...if you get the right person on the phone.  They also revised the dates on the policy for my Iceland trip from March to September without any problem.  Although it took about a month for the email to get processed.   The policies had been purchased through AAA and I had also gotten a call from that rep asking if we needed any assistance.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Reagan0712
Added info

[WAVEJourney]

4 hours ago, Tom O. said:

I purchased insurance from my travel agent when I booked my August Cruise last December. The insurance was from Allianz, the largest insurance company in the world.

We bought it mostly in case we needed a medical evacuation or something during the trip. I never thought that my cruise would be cancelled, I have never cancelled a vacation myself.

So now the cruise is cancelled, and Allianz refuses to refund the $575 we paid for it. Also, they refuse to cover any loses we have suffered from this cancellation. HAL should refund our deposit, but we also added the cost of our flight and an expensive hotel in Copenhagen to the coverage. Delta allowed us to cancel our flight for a future credit, but we are going to lose the money we paid for that hotel. Allianz says that since this is caused by a pandemic, they are not responsible.

So Allianz won't refund our money or pay for our loses. What a completely useless insurance policy. I will think twice before ever buying travel insurance again. And I will never do business with Allianz again.

Allianz has an exclusion for pandemics in their list of exclusions. Many have learned the hard way that this blanket exclusion means all claims at this time that are in any way affected by COVID-19 are not covered. Many thought the pandemic exclusion would only be instituted if they knowingly travelled to an area with a pandemic, and not just one breaking out after the fact. Now we do know and this is an issue booking any further travel. What companies will cover pandemics? Just because it's a cancel for any reason policy doesn't mean it covers a pandemic. 

[Cruising-along]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

They gave me specific information that had to be emailed to them. After I did that, my money was refunded. I know others who have had to email them the same info and they were also refunded.

We did that. The first person gave us the wrong address to send it to (!)  Others have been almost as bad, but they have been consistent on one thing, we should get our premium $$ back.  According to them, we should have gotten it weeks ago, nobody seems to know why we haven't, and nobody seems able to get into the system to see where we are. Their answer is always "resubmit the form" (which we've done 6 times now).  Pretty much disgusted with them. Let them explain to our credit card company.  After 2+ months of dealing with them we're done.  Small claims in the past were handled ok, or we wouldn't have stayed with them.

[Reagan0712]

3 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Somewhat related.....  If your airline cancels or changes your times (very likely nowadays) for over an hour or two, normally the airlines will give you a cash refund instead of a travel voucher.  I just did this a week ago and it took a few days but received credit on my charge card.

 

You need to wait until the airline makes the change/cancellation.  If you initiate it, you at best will just get a voucher.

Yes, we thought we were going to get stuck with a credit from Alaska Airlines but as it turned out the flight had been changed by over an hour so I got a refund, in less than a week.  What surprised me was I’d never gotten anything notifying me of the change and only discovered it when I logged in to get the confirmation number.

[Coral]

11 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

We did that. The first person gave us the wrong address to send it to (!)  Others have been almost as bad, but they have been consistent on one thing, we should get our premium $$ back.  According to them, we should have gotten it weeks ago, nobody seems to know why we haven't, and nobody seems able to get into the system to see where we are. Their answer is always "resubmit the form" (which we've done 6 times now).  Pretty much disgusted with them. Let them explain to our credit card company.  After 2+ months of dealing with them we're done.  Small claims in the past were handled ok, or we wouldn't have stayed with them.

Wow. Through all this, for me, they were the easiest company to deal with. If you have a TA and purchased through them, I would have them advocate for you.