Can you Insure a FCC value$$$$

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

If you are paying for a cruise using a FCC can it be insured ??? 

[iamtrustworthy]

5 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

If you are paying for a cruise using a FCC can it be insured ??? 

Hi Gail & Marty,

 

It depends on what the circumstance is that created the Future Cruise Credit or Future Travel Credit.

 

Prior to this Coronavirus mess, Future Cruise or Travel Credits along with Frequent Flyer Miles and Credit Card Travel Awards were not insurable.

 

Generally, Future Cruise or Travel Credits are insurable if the Cruise / Travel Credit was issued because your travel supplier canceled your trip due to the Coronavirus. Credits issued for other reasons are not insurable. In addition, any additional bonus value (i.e. – the 100% not the 125% or 150% of the credit) is not insurable.

 

I said "Generally" because it's possible not all companies will allow this. All our companies will. It's a good idea to check with the company you are considering to see if they do this. And, don't rely on the Certificate of Coverage because it will not be explained in that document.

 

There's something else that you need to find out if you are insuring a trip with a Future Cruise or Travel Credit. You need to find out what date will be counted as your Initial Trip Deposit Date.

 

If you are making any of your first payment with a travel credit from a previously cancelled trip, some companies will not consider that date your Initial Trip Deposit Date. They define your Initial Trip Deposit Date as the date you first paid money on the trip that created the travel credit.

 

Other companies will consider your Initial Trip Deposit Date as the date as the date you first pay money including if you pay with a Future Cruise or Travel Credit.

 

i hope this makes sense.

 

Steve

 

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks  Steve ,

I have a FCC from the Holland America World Cruise 2020  that I want to use for the 2021 World Cruise . Travel Insured said FCC can not be covered .. I have insured our deposit  $ 2000 for the cruise last year when I booked it , the balance is do in 30 days so I thought of using the FCC .

Edited June 2, 2020 by Gail & Marty sailing away

[Mackdogmolly]

I still am not sure I understand. When my cruise was cancelled, I received a voucher from my travel insurance company to use on a future cruise. I assumed I would then be able to use it on a cruise booked with FCC, which I have just done. I haven’t yet verified this though.

[bcorre2]

Steve,

Could you help us understand this issue about Viking River not allowing our future credit to go toward insurance when we rebook?

Is this a VRC Tax issue, insurer issue or something else?  We’re led to believe other cruise lines allow the paid insurance cost to be move forward to the new rebooked cruise.

Our June 2020 Portugal cruise was cancelled by Viking and we chose to rebook all the same for 2021.

This cruise originally had insurance but Viking dropped the insurance and did not allow future credits to go toward insurance.

Our TA discussed with VRC and they said the credits cannot be applied toward the insurance cost.

They base the insurance premium on the cost of the trip, and since the whole trip was covered by credits, the new re-booked cruise insurance goes down to their lowest base cost of $319 per person.

The rebooked trip overage is only allowed to be used for: pre-paid gratuities, optional premium shore excursions, silver beverage package, or other on-board services.

Non-refundable amounts comeback to you as a travel credit, with details described in the policy.

http://www.tripmate.com/plan/print_certificate/486A21F9-7DC4-466A-9AAC-65FEE9A60A4E

So, we end-up getting insurance for an additional $640 over the $1,800+ we already paid for the original trip coverage and only received a credit overage that can’t be re-used for purchase of Insurance on the new re-booked trip.

 

Viking agent response: "Insurance cannot be given away for free – it’s against insurance law.  

Technically by giving the FCV and applying the funds to a second booking, the insurance was viewed as ‘being given/free’ – so, we apply the funds and ask that the guests buy the insurance.

VRC said the amount would sit on the reservation and we could use it for optional shore excursions ect.

TA had no success with asking for the overage to be a refund or used on a second voyage...it’s all on one booking and anything unused is lost  – we are trying to not make accounting any more difficult than it has been these past 4-5 weeks. "

 

Thanks for your time on this one,

bcorre2

Edited June 2, 2020 by bcorre2

[iamtrustworthy]

2 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Thanks  Steve ,

I have a FCC from the Holland America World Cruise 2020  that I want to use for the 2021 World Cruise . Travel Insured said FCC can not be covered .. I have insured our deposit  $ 2000 for the cruise last year when I booked it , the balance is do in 30 days so I thought of using the FCC .

Hi Gail & Marty,

 

I'm surprised Travel Insured told you that because that's not what they have told me. May I followup with them on your behalf? If so, email me at steve@tripinsurancestore.com . I'll need your first & last name, policy number and State of residence.

 

If you prefer not to have me get involved, I suggest you email Travel Insured and get it from them in writing that they will not let you insure the FCC.

 

Steve

 

Steve

[iamtrustworthy]

2 hours ago, bcorre2 said:

Steve,

Could you help us understand this issue about Viking River not allowing our future credit to go toward insurance when we rebook?

Is this a VRC Tax issue, insurer issue or something else?  We’re led to believe other cruise lines allow the paid insurance cost to be move forward to the new rebooked cruise.

Our June 2020 Portugal cruise was cancelled by Viking and we chose to rebook all the same for 2021.

This cruise originally had insurance but Viking dropped the insurance and did not allow future credits to go toward insurance.

Our TA discussed with VRC and they said the credits cannot be applied toward the insurance cost.

They base the insurance premium on the cost of the trip, and since the whole trip was covered by credits, the new re-booked cruise insurance goes down to their lowest base cost of $319 per person.

The rebooked trip overage is only allowed to be used for: pre-paid gratuities, optional premium shore excursions, silver beverage package, or other on-board services.

Non-refundable amounts comeback to you as a travel credit, with details described in the policy.

http://www.tripmate.com/plan/print_certificate/486A21F9-7DC4-466A-9AAC-65FEE9A60A4E

 

So, we end-up getting insurance for an additional $640 over the $1,800+ we already paid for the original trip coverage and only received a credit overage that can’t be re-used for purchase of Insurance on the new re-booked trip.

 

Viking agent response: "Insurance cannot be given away for free – it’s against insurance law.  

Technically by giving the FCV and applying the funds to a second booking, the insurance was viewed as ‘being given/free’ – so, we apply the funds and ask that the guests buy the insurance.

VRC said the amount would sit on the reservation and we could use it for optional shore excursions ect.

TA had no success with asking for the overage to be a refund or used on a second voyage...it’s all on one booking and anything unused is lost  – we are trying to not make accounting any more difficult than it has been these past 4-5 weeks. "

 

Thanks for your time on this one,

bcorre2

Hi bcorre2,

 

I'm not a big fan of the "Pre-departure Waiver plans" that many travel suppliers offer for the reasons I explain in detail on this page: https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-vs-travel-supplier-waiver-plans/

 

The main reason is because What is commonly know as a “pre-departure waiver / protection” plan is mostly a promise to pay on the part of the cruise line, tour operator or travel supplier for the trip cancellation and trip interruption benefits. These plans can include elements of insurance to pay claims for trip delays, accident and sickness medical benefits, evacuation and/or baggage protection.

 

Because the pre-departure benefit is a promise to pay, and not an insurance contract, you are not protected by insurance laws.

 

Specific to you, in the TripMate Plan Document I downloaded from that hyperlink, Part A, Page 2 says "The “Cancel For Any Reason” Waiver described in this “Part A” is provided by Viking Cruises, Inc., and is not an insurance benefit underwritten by Arch Insurance Company. When
purchased, this Waiver is incorporated into and constitutes part of the “Viking River Cruises, Inc. Ticket Sale Contract” that You entered into with Viking Cruises with respect to Your Trip."

 

As for Viking agent's response: "Insurance cannot be given away for free – it’s against insurance law.", I don't know if that is technically true or not. Especially because the Pre-departure Waiver plan is not an insurance contract. The wording states "and is not an insurance benefit".

 

My guess is the reason Viking won't let you use the credits to buy insurance is that they specifically did not include their plan as one of the items you can buy with the credit.

 

There's another good reason you might not want to get another pre-departure waiver plan from Viking to cover this new trip. Before you decide, you need to find out if the pre-departure waiver plan they will sell you will reimburse you in cash for the cost of the trip should you have to cancel for a covered reason.

 

I do not think it will reimburse you in cash for the cost of the trip for one of two reasons:

 

1) The plan might tell you, like the TripMate plan, that it will "reimburse You in travel vouchers for the nonrefundable portion of the Trip Cost."

 

or

 

2) Viking will tell you the future travel credit is not insurable.

 

If the pre-departure waiver plan they will sell you will not reimburse you in cash for the cost of the trip should you have to cancel for a covered reason, I suggest you get a real trip cancellation travel insurance plan. You are free to get it wherever you want. If you want us to recommend a plan, we are happy to do that, too.

 

I hope this made sense,

 

Steve

 

 

Edited June 2, 2020 by iamtrustworthy
typo

[CruisinTexans]

Steve, we're in the same situation as Gail and Marty, just with a different insurance co. (Diver's Alert Network underwritten by Travel Guard). We insured our initial $2000 on the world cruise in June of 2019 in time to get the pre-existing waiver. At that time we don't think we had any pre-existing (can be interpreted differently by different companies). That said, we are interested in keeping the same insurance so we have the pre-existing. DAN is not writing insurance now, but said it might be possible to add the the existing policy. We are using the FCC from the 2020 World Cruise to pay for the 2020 and I think our agent has already had Holland apply it. DAN has not been able to give me a definitive answer on whether they will insure a FCC and the clock is ticking. Do most insurance companies insure FCC? I'm doubtful the 2021 world will even sail, but on the off chance it does I'm nervous to go without medical insurance.

leslie & handler

[iamtrustworthy]

3 hours ago, CruisinTexans said:

Steve, we're in the same situation as Gail and Marty, just with a different insurance co. (Diver's Alert Network underwritten by Travel Guard). We insured our initial $2000 on the world cruise in June of 2019 in time to get the pre-existing waiver. At that time we don't think we had any pre-existing (can be interpreted differently by different companies). That said, we are interested in keeping the same insurance so we have the pre-existing. DAN is not writing insurance now, but said it might be possible to add the the existing policy. We are using the FCC from the 2020 World Cruise to pay for the 2020 and I think our agent has already had Holland apply it. DAN has not been able to give me a definitive answer on whether they will insure a FCC and the clock is ticking. Do most insurance companies insure FCC? I'm doubtful the 2021 world will even sail, but on the off chance it does I'm nervous to go without medical insurance.

leslie & handler

Hi Leslie & Handler,

 

Ask Travel Guard directly about your DAN plan. The DAN plan is a private label plan and I don't know if they allow date changes on this one.

 

When you have a retail Travel Guard plan that has its trip cancelled, Travel Guard issues a premium voucher good for two years.

 

There are other companies who will allow you to insure the FCC, too.

 

Steve Dasseos

Edited June 3, 2020 by iamtrustworthy
typo

[CruisinTexans]

Steve, thanks so much for your response. I will contact Travel Guard directly to see what they say.

 

leslie & handler

[smaheu11]

Good day Steve,

We purchased cruise insurance through Celebrity Cruise Line For a March cruise which was then canceled. We received credit FFC back for that cruise we have now transferred that FCC to a September cruise. We received our docs and the insurance has dropped to the cruise rate reduction after the FCC was applied. How is this going to affect the medical part of the insurance? If at all? I am not to worried about the value of the cruise credit due to the fact we can cancel anytime 48 hours prior to our cruise and receive full credit back from Cruise with confidence program. Just wondering that if the price of the insurance went down drastically because the FCC was applied to the cruise fare, how would that affect the Medical portion of the policy?
Thanks for any information you can give me!

[iamtrustworthy]

3 hours ago, smaheu11 said:

Good day Steve,

We purchased cruise insurance through Celebrity Cruise Line For a March cruise which was then canceled. We received credit FFC back for that cruise we have now transferred that FCC to a September cruise. We received our docs and the insurance has dropped to the cruise rate reduction after the FCC was applied. How is this going to affect the medical part of the insurance? If at all? I am not to worried about the value of the cruise credit due to the fact we can cancel anytime 48 hours prior to our cruise and receive full credit back from Cruise with confidence program. Just wondering that if the price of the insurance went down drastically because the FCC was applied to the cruise fare, how would that affect the Medical portion of the policy?
Thanks for any information you can give me!

Hi smaheu11,

 

The medical limits should not be affected at all. Look in the Celebrity plan's coverage documents and you should be able to see what the medical limits are.

 

I hope this helps you.

 

Steve Dasseos

[PKB]

Hi Steve,

We were supposed to sail back in March, 2020 and our sailing was canceled because of Covid the day before.  Travel insurance was purchased through Travelsafe to cover the entire cost.  We received cruise credit with Celebrity cruises for the sailing.  We have booked a future cruise in 2021 and purchased another policy for the entire cost.  Paid $500 deposit. Then we start asking questions with Travelsafe and discover their policy only covers cash outlay and does not cover any cruise credit held by a cruise line for a canceled cruise.  How can coverage for our previous cruise dollars just disappear?  Seems a fine print loophole.

[iamtrustworthy]

1 hour ago, PKB said:

Hi Steve,

We were supposed to sail back in March, 2020 and our sailing was canceled because of Covid the day before.  Travel insurance was purchased through Travelsafe to cover the entire cost.  We received cruise credit with Celebrity cruises for the sailing.  We have booked a future cruise in 2021 and purchased another policy for the entire cost.  Paid $500 deposit. Then we start asking questions with Travelsafe and discover their policy only covers cash outlay and does not cover any cruise credit held by a cruise line for a canceled cruise.  How can coverage for our previous cruise dollars just disappear?  Seems a fine print loophole.

Hi PKB,

 

TravelSafe will cover the FCC if it was issued due to the Coronavirus.

 

It's possible that you got the answer you did because, through no fault of your own, you may have not asked the right question.

 

How exactly did you word your question? If you have the conversation in an email, send it to me at steve@tripinsurancestore.com . If not, tell me exactly what you asked here.

 

There's something else you need to know if you need the pre-existing conditions coverage and / or the Cancel For Any Reason coverage. I tell about it on this page: https://tripinsurancestore.com/initial-trip-deposit-date/

 

"This is new: If you are making any of your first payment with a travel credit from a previously cancelled trip, TravelSafe will not consider that date your Initial Trip Deposit Date. They define your Initial Trip Deposit Date as the date you first paid money on the trip that created the travel credit."

 

I hope this made sense.

 

Steve Dasseos

[SusieQft]

6 hours ago, iamtrustworthy said:

"This is new: If you are making any of your first payment with a travel credit from a previously cancelled trip, TravelSafe will not consider that date your Initial Trip Deposit Date. They define your Initial Trip Deposit Date as the date you first paid money on the trip that created the travel credit."

 

Does this apply to policies already purchased, or only new policies?  What if the original trip that was cancelled and the new trip using the FCC or deposit transfer were both insured by the same company, and both policies were purchased in time to waive the pre-existing conditions exclusion?

 

Is TravelSafe the only company doing this?  What about Travelex Select?  Are they doing this also?

[iamtrustworthy]

On 6/27/2020 at 4:53 PM, SusieQft said:

 

Does this apply to policies already purchased, or only new policies?  What if the original trip that was cancelled and the new trip using the FCC or deposit transfer were both insured by the same company, and both policies were purchased in time to waive the pre-existing conditions exclusion?

 

Is TravelSafe the only company doing this?  What about Travelex Select?  Are they doing this also?

Hi SusieQft,

 

Thanks for asking.

 

The only companies I know that define the initial trip deposit date this way are TravelSafe and Travel Insured. They only do this for a new policy. I changed the wording on that page to this:  If you are buying a new policy (ie – not changing the dates on a current policy) and making any of your first payment with a travel credit from a previously cancelled trip ..."

 

Steve