Trip mate Travel Insurance

[Porcupine 52]

New to the board but have been reading the board for several months.  We have been on several river cruises with Viking, but never an ocean cruise.  We have the trip mate Travel protection insurance but have never had a need to use it.  Has any one used the insurance... and what will it cover in todays world?

[Heidi13]

37 minutes ago, Porcupine 52 said:

New to the board but have been reading the board for several months.  We have been on several river cruises with Viking, but never an ocean cruise.  We have the trip mate Travel protection insurance but have never had a need to use it.  Has any one used the insurance... and what will it cover in todays world?

 

The copy I have is a couple of years old, so suggest contacting Tripmate directly and requesting they email you a copy of the latest document.

 

http://www.tripmate.com/main/

[Jim Avery]

Good advice Andy.  I was going to respond and say, though we have not used it, several on the Inaugural WC did and reported good results.  But then that is ancient history compared to whenever we are able to cruise again.  I would bet terms and conditions will be quite different.

[Peregrina651]

See helpful article on the topic from Cruise Critic:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=5242&et_cid=3323708&et_rid=85377508&et_referrer=Boards_Million_Member_Newsub#

 

18 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Has any one used the insurance... and what will it cover in todays world?

 

I don't think we can say what it will cover. Anyone who canceled a Viking cruise because of Covid was covered by Viking cancellation policy and did not have to make a claim under their insurance.

 

Viking self-insures the cruise portion of the insurance (that is why it is cheaper than 3rd party) and gives you vouchers for the amount of the penalty. The other portion of the travel insurance is handled by an insurance company and what the details of the coverage can be found via the link Heidi13 gives above.

 

One thing to note about the insurance Viking offers is that it only covers what you book through Viking. It does not cover anything trip related that you might purchase on your own prior departure such as prepaid hotels, excursions, flights, transfers and the Viking policy only covers the dates of the cruise/cruisetour -- if you arrive early or stay late on your own, it might not be covered.

[Porcupine 52]

Thanks every one.  In todays world I probably will do more checking on the travel Insurance that I bought than I have before.  Back in the day about all I was worried about was lost luggage.... today?????

[DrKoob]

Make sure you get a policy that is NOT affiliated with Viking. If they go out of business (not likely but could happen) and you buy their insurance you could be out of luck if they default. 

[rbslos18]

8 hours ago, DrKoob said:

Make sure you get a policy that is NOT affiliated with Viking. If they go out of business (not likely but could happen) and you buy their insurance you could be out of luck if they default. 

I will not use any product that is covered by or uses TripMate to process claims.  Three years ago, it took them took 5 months to process a very simple claim. They were not responsive and we came close to throwing in the towel and forgetting walking away from $375.00 claim. It got down to my feeling, I not going to let them win this battle of nerves. Read posts on TripMate on the CC Trip Insurance Board. Or easier, see its 1 star rating at the Consumer Affairs website and cringe.

 

After dozens of cruises, I have learned to always buy insurance through a broker. I have found insurance rules more complex than one would expect. It’s not just buying the product, walking away and feeling insured. For example there are rules that impact what is covered if a cruise line goes bankrupt. A cruise purchased directly from Viking is treated differently by many insurance companies than if purchased from a cruise agent. I had no idea.

Our requirements for an insurance policy are:

 

1) Primary insurance (you don’t file with your insurance, only the policy company which eliminates the coordination of benefits between your insurance (if primary) and your travel insurance (if secondary—ie pays after your primary plan pays).

2) We meticulously follow purchase  rules so any pre-existing illnesses are fully covered. Ie we purchase the insurance 14-21 days, (depending on the policy),after making the deposit. There is no cost to follow this

3)  We use Trip Insurance Store and only buy policies from companies they have a relationship with. They have a limited number of companies they have selected

4) We buy policies that allow us to re-use the insurance for a different cruise if we cancel and rebook within a year. EG when Viking cancelled our December cruise, our policy was reissued for the replacement cruise we purchased at no additional cost

5) We buy policies that allow us to pay incrementally as we pay for the cruise.SO with our December 2021 cruise we initially just paid for our deposit. We paid for the rest of the insurance when we made final payment.

 

I have learned especially from the tales of woe on the CC Insurance Board, that purchasing insurance really requires guidance, even for a do-it-yourselves like me. 

 

I would read the Insurance Board (It has eye popping stories of woe) and use a knowledgeable broker. Three or four companies that are mentioned on the Insurance Board are great.

RB

 

[Porcupine 52]

Good advice

[Porcupine 52]

wow in looking through the consumer affairs board Trip mate does not look good.  Many of the post I looked at had to do with the Corona virus, and folks not getting refunds.  

[-Lew-]

The points @DrKoob and @rbslos18 have made well taken.  I would also suggest not buying insurance from the entity whose performance you want to insure or an affiliated company...buy from a third-party insurer for a number of reasons...especially if you're planning time in a foreign country before or after a cruise.

 

I had a very enlightening phone conversation with Steve Dasseos of TripInsuranceStore.com a week ago.  He has conducted a number of question and answer sessions on the Cruise Critic Cruise/Travel Insurance Board that have been quite informative.

 

In the past we have purchased our travel insurance online through InsureMyTrip.com and Squaremouth.com.  Steve sells some of the same insurance at exactly the same price.  He has excluded some companies due to their history of being difficult for his customers to work with when filing a claim.

 

We have the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card so some of my concerns were how a third-party policy night interface with Chase travel insurance if there were a claim.

 

We have purchased the iTravelInsured policy twice in the past and were very happy with how they handled our claim for our fall 2019 trip to the west coast, Hawaii, and the South Pacific.  On the TripInsuranceStore.com website the policy is referred to as IMG iTI SE.  Click here for a description of that policy.

 

Here's what I learned from Steve who also has the Chase credit card and is well aware of its benefits:

 

The IMG iTI SE policy works well with Chase Sapphire travel insurance.  You'll need to inquire if you have a different credit card that offers insurance.

 

iTI does not require you purchase insurance for the entire pre-paid amount of the trip.  This allows it to work with other insurance such as Chase which provides $10,000 per person up to a total of $20,000.

 

There can be a substantial savings for trips costing over $20,000 for a couple...$10,000 for a single.  As an example, for a $25,000 trip, we would need to purchase a $5,000 policy instead of a policy for the full amount.  A reduction in policy amount does not decrease other benefits such as medical, lost luggage, etc. 

 

The medical limits of a policy in addition to the one provided by Chase is important because it surprisingly provides only $2,500 in coverage...the IMG iTI SE policy provides $150,000 per person.  This is from the Chase Benefits brochure:

 

The Emergency Medical/Dental Coverage provides reimbursement for Emergency Treatment if You become sick or accidentally injured while traveling on a Covered Trip up to two thousand five hundred ($2,500.00) dollars and is subject to a fifty ($50.00) dollar Deductible. If You are hospitalized as a result of a covered accident or sickness during Your Covered Trip, and Your attending Physician determines that You should recover in a hotel immediately after Your release from the Hospital before returning home, You may be eligible for an additional benefit of seventy–five ($75.00) dollars per day for up to a maximum of five (5) days towards the cost of a hotel room.

 

With iTI, insurance can be shifted to a different trip if the original trip is cancelled by the provider.  Some travel insurance companies do not allow this.

 

With regard to Canadian availability, Steve states, "unfortunately, I don't have any plans for Canadians. I used to, but the Canadian government stopped US companies from selling plans there in 2018."  

 

Incidentally, our Medicare Supplement plan F provides for the following...your benefit will vary depending on your plan:

 

We will consider 80% of Medicare eligible expenses for emergency care in a foreign country after insured has met a $250 calendar year deductible.  Lifetime maximum for this benefit is $50,000.

 

 

[rbslos18]

Is there a special insurance policy for a World cruise? The cost seems to be $12,000+  per person! 

Thanks

RB

Edited October 11, 2020 by rbslos18

[rbslos18]

Oops. The price was $8000 - $12000 for 2. I was wondering if insurance companies have a special policy for a world cruise or if it is the same policy. Sorry for the confusion.

RB

[ptcflyer]

3 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

Oops. The price was $8000 - $12000 for 2. I was wondering if insurance companies have a special policy for a world cruise or if it is the same policy. Sorry for the confusion.

RB

 

I purchased a policy with Berkshire Hathaway for  $5400 for two covering 2022 $90,000  Viking world cruise.   Says in policy that it would pay back if provider defaulted.   Had all the other bell and whistles for medical, evacuation, etc.   Tripmate from Viking was $6000 but did not cover provider default.     We were looking for medical, trip interruption, and coverage for my wife who has somewhat precarious mobility that could change and prevent us from doing the trip.  Viking does not allow wheel chairs.       We bought 14 days of booking cruise... so all preexisting conditions were waived.       My understanding is that their are no special world cruise insurance... .but you buy a policy covering the dates you are traveling... and you specify the destination.... and amount of travel invoice.   I asked Berkshire Hathaway if they moved the insurance if the trip was cancelled or we elected to postpone and we took a "credit".   The agent explained that is their policy...  especially around COVID, but it is not documented in the policy.    I looked at a few policies and none seemed to have a stated policy around changing dates due to COVID using provider flexible rules for rescheduling.  

Edited October 12, 2020 by ptcflyer

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

Oops. The price was $8000 - $12000 for 2. I was wondering if insurance companies have a special policy for a world cruise or if it is the same policy. Sorry for the confusion.

RB

 

The Viking insurance was a percentage of the cruise fare, which for us in 2020 was CAN $4,200 pp in a DV4.

 

Not aware of cruise lines or brokers that provide special WC insurance. Generally cruise lines base it on a percentage of cruise fare and broker by the risks and number of days.

 

We booked about 22 months before departure and could not find any local brokers or online stores that would accept the risk, so our only option was the Viking insurance. Our biggest concern was that medical is limited to $100K, so just before departure we took out additional medical insurance.

[SempreMare]

On 10/11/2020 at 9:17 AM, -Lew- said:

We have the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card so some of my concerns were how a third-party policy night interface with Chase travel insurance if there were a claim.

 

We have purchased the iTravelInsured policy twice in the past and were very happy with how they handled our claim for our fall 2019 trip to the west coast, Hawaii, and the South Pacific.  On the TripInsuranceStore.com website the policy is referred to as IMG iTI SE.  Click here for a description of that policy.

 

Here's what I learned from Steve who also has the Chase credit card and is well aware of its benefits:

 

The IMG iTI SE policy works well with Chase Sapphire travel insurance.  You'll need to inquire if you have a different credit card that offers insurance.

 

iTI does not require you purchase insurance for the entire pre-paid amount of the trip.  This allows it to work with other insurance such as Chase which provides $10,000 per person up to a total of $20,000.

 

 

There can be a substantial savings for trips costing over $20,000 for a couple...$10,000 for a single.  As an example, for a $25,000 trip, we would need to purchase a $5,000 policy instead of a policy for the full amount.  A reduction in policy amount does not decrease other benefits such as medical, lost luggage, etc. 

 

 

The medical limits of a policy in addition to the one provided by Chase is important because it surprisingly provides only $2,500 in coverage...the IMG iTI SE policy provides $150,000 per person.  This is from the Chase Benefits brochure:

 

 

The Emergency Medical/Dental Coverage provides reimbursement for Emergency Treatment if You become sick or accidentally injured while traveling on a Covered Trip up to two thousand five hundred ($2,500.00) dollars and is subject to a fifty ($50.00) dollar Deductible. If You are hospitalized as a result of a covered accident or sickness during Your Covered Trip, and Your attending Physician determines that You should recover in a hotel immediately after Your release from the Hospital before returning home, You may be eligible for an additional benefit of seventy–five ($75.00) dollars per day for up to a maximum of five (5) days towards the cost of a hotel room.

 

 

With iTI, insurance can be shifted to a different trip if the original trip is cancelled by the provider.  Some travel insurance companies do not allow this.

 

 

 

All of this is new news to me!  (and I used to follow the insurance board closely.) Thanks for posting.

 

 @rbslos18 's post above should have 1000 likes.

 

Steve Dasseos from the Trip Insurance Store is a national treasure.   I've never talked with an agent who was so knowledgeable, helpful, and succinct.    He really listened, thought about what I was asking, and replied with options.  Not only that, it was 7:30 at night and he clearly had a bad cold at the time last year I spoke with him.    I had planned on simply leaving a message.

 

Before calling Steve I always try to read as much as possible on his extremely informative website.  I'm sure he gets asked the same questions over and over.

Edited October 18, 2020 by SempreMare

[rbslos18]

9 hours ago, SempreMare said:

 

All of this is new news to me!  (and I used to follow the insurance board closely.) Thanks for posting.

 

 @rbslos18 's post above should have 1000 likes.

 

Steve Dasseos from the Trip Insurance Store is a national treasure.   I've never talked with an agent who was so knowledgeable, helpful, and succinct.    He really listened, thought about what I was asking, and replied with options.  Not only that, it was 7:30 at night and he clearly had a bad cold at the time last year I spoke with him.    I had planned on simply leaving a message.

 

Before calling Steve I always try to read as much as possible on his extremely informative website.  I'm sure he gets asked the same questions over and over.

 

Thanks! You made my day!

 

I was not overly impressed with the one small claim we had with Chase Sapphire Reserve. I prefer to have a one-stop primary policy and not deal with coordination of benefits. I use Steve Dasseos and agree he is very knowledgeable. In the past I have used the other insurance agents mentioned above. I just find Steve to be exceptional. 

 

I decided to leave Chase Sapphire Reserve last week and switch to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card which has very similar travel benefits. Our two cards were going to be over $500.00. If it were not for the pandemic it would be over $600.00.

 

The main take-away on insurance is the importance of getting advice on a good policy. Some that are mentioned earlier have way too little medical and provide secondary coverage. (They pay after you file with your primary insurance.) Anyone who has filed a claim with a secondary policy knows it can be a huge hassle. In conclusion, we only purchase policies that have a minimum of $100,000 primary medical coverage and coverage for pre-existing illnesses.

 

Be safe and wear your masks!

RB

 

 

Edited October 18, 2020 by rbslos18

[deec]

and a way to get home!!!

 

[SempreMare]

10 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

I decided to leave Chase Sapphire Reserve last week and switch to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card which has very similar travel benefits. Our two cards were going to be over $500.00. If it were not for the pandemic it would be over $600.00.

 

Agreed.   I did that the second week in March.    My morose thought was, "This is going to be around for 5 years."  - thinking about how long it takes to develop a vaccine and how contagious it seemed.

[iamtrustworthy]

On 10/18/2020 at 6:27 AM, SempreMare said:

 

All of this is new news to me!  (and I used to follow the insurance board closely.) Thanks for posting.

 

 @rbslos18 's post above should have 1000 likes.

 

Steve Dasseos from the Trip Insurance Store is a national treasure.   I've never talked with an agent who was so knowledgeable, helpful, and succinct.    He really listened, thought about what I was asking, and replied with options.  Not only that, it was 7:30 at night and he clearly had a bad cold at the time last year I spoke with him.    I had planned on simply leaving a message.

 

Before calling Steve I always try to read as much as possible on his extremely informative website.  I'm sure he gets asked the same questions over and over.

Hi SempreMare,

 

Thank you for the kind words. I'm happy I helped you when you call and read my website.

 

> I'm sure he gets asked the same questions over and over.

 

Yes and I assume if someone calls or emails that they don't understand how travel insurance works. Some do, but many have gaps in their understanding. I'm happy to explain the details.

 

Steve Dasseos