Travel Insurance

[siren]

I am looking for travel ins and know there is one that is used quite frequently by cc members.  I believe it is Steve from Allianz.  But I googled it and got two companies.  FIrst is tripinsurance.com and under it has Steves blog.  Allianz is a different site and looks like a huge company.  Does anyone know what the website is??

[Luckynana]

It is Trip Insurance Store.

steve@tripinsurancestore.com

 

1-888-407-3854

 

I insure all of our cruises through him😊

[siren]

1 minute ago, Luckynana said:

It is Trip Insurance Store.

steve@tripinsurancestore.com

 

1-888-407-3854

 

I insure all of our cruises through him😊

Thank you!

[moposh]

I just buy the one offered when I purchase the cruise.  Is there a better way to go?

[Fa-Li]

Steve is great - we've insured with him for years

 

@moposhIt's my understanding that if you buy the insurance from the cruise line, it only covers the cruise. So if you had an issue that prevented you from getting to the ship to take the cruise, you are not covered at all.  For example, the weather this spring that prevented some folks from getting to PC from up north, when the flights were all cancelled.  The airlines refunded the ticket but I know of at least one person who had only RC insurance and lost the cost of the cruise he could not get to.

 

Steve always describes his coverage as "from the minute you leave the driveway"

[moposh]

Okay, thanks.  Hopefully nothing happens.  Next time I'll look elsewhere maybe, depending which port I leave from.

[hancock]

37 minutes ago, moposh said:

I just buy the one offered when I purchase the cruise.  Is there a better way to go?

Insurance through the cruise line is minimal as far as medical coverage goes.  I use www.insuremytrip.com or www.squaremouth.com for my travel insurance.  Lately, I just get medical insurance as I am willing to swallow the cost of the cruise if a medical incident happens.  The cost of insurance goes up as we grow older.  I choose primary coverage over secondary to avoid unnecessary paperwork.  (You never know when you unexpectedly will need major medical help).

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, hancock said:

  (You never know when you unexpectedly will need major medical help).

EXACTLY!!!  Our NE/Canada cruise came to an abrupt halt for us, when my husband needed Emergency Gallbladder surgery while cruising at the beginning of this month.  We had to disembark in Halifax, Canada, where DH underwent surgery.  Thank goodness we always buy Medical Insurance for our cruises.   😉

[Baron Barracuda]

Many companies sell travel insurance.  At a casual glance most look similar but the devil is in the details of the fine print.  That's why we rely on a pro like Steve.

 

For a real education visit CC's travel insurance forum.

[ARandomTraveler]

3 hours ago, moposh said:

I just buy the one offered when I purchase the cruise.  Is there a better way to go?

Royal Caribbean's insurance also only refunds your money in the form of a future cruise credit (FCC), I think. 
 

With independent insurance you can get actual cash. Like others have mentioned, independent insurance also covers things that happen outside of missing the actual cruise. It can cover medical expenses, evacuation expenses, private excursion reimbursement if you miss a port, rental cars or other rental sports equipment if you book a tour like Aruba Trikes where you're driving a vehicle that you may damage, or renting a jet ski or things like that.

 

I have a recent non-cruise example of using my independently purchased travel insurance. I was in Europe and there was an air traffic control strike that caused me to have to rearrange one of my travel days. It cost me extra money in hotel fees, and I missed a tour that was non-refundable. My insurance not only paid me for the hotel night, they also paid me for the travel to and from the airport, the food we ate at the airport, and covered my non-refundable tour tickets. The cost of that insurance was  under $100, and it saved me almost $600 in expenses. 

[reallyitsmema]

3 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Royal Caribbean's insurance also only refunds your money in the form of a future cruise credit (FCC), I think. 
 

With independent insurance you can get actual cash. Like others have mentioned, independent insurance also covers things that happen outside of missing the actual cruise. It can cover medical expenses, evacuation expenses, private excursion reimbursement if you miss a port, rental cars or other rental sports equipment if you book a tour like Aruba Trikes where you're driving a vehicle that you may damage, or renting a jet ski or things like that.

 

I have a recent non-cruise example of using my independently purchased travel insurance. I was in Europe and there was an air traffic control strike that caused me to have to rearrange one of my travel days. It cost me extra money in hotel fees, and I missed a tour that was non-refundable. My insurance not only paid me for the hotel night, they also paid me for the travel to and from the airport, the food we ate at the airport, and covered my non-refundable tour tickets. The cost of that insurance was  under $100, and it saved me almost $600 in expenses. 

 

You get a FCC if you use the cancel for any reason feature of the cruise line travel insurance.  If you cancel for a covered reason, you get a refund.  You also get a refund if you file for medical expenses, not a FCC.

[shiner6]

I booked my insurance through the Trip Insurance store (Globiali) for our trip to Alaska. I am now having a world of problems trying to file a claim for a lost carryon bag.  It is so tedious and no assistance.  They want proof that I filed with my homeowners and was denied first. They want receipts for every item. (who keeps all of their receipts?).  They also want proof of the trip and all expenses. There is more-you cannot submit before everything is uploaded and the site keeps sending me error messages and won't allow me to enter any more.   I spent hundreds of dollars for this insurance to provide peace of mind. Now I feel betrayed.  I have been trying for months to locate my lost piece of luggage with AA and nobody ever returns my calls.  I guess I am trying to tell all of you to really investigate your options before paying for a policy.

[klfrodo]

29 minutes ago, shiner6 said:

  They want proof that I filed with my homeowners and was denied first. They want receipts for every item. (who keeps all of their receipts?).  

I can feel your pain, but they are within their right to require receipts.

I filed a claim for my Lost/Misplaced/Stolen wedding band. I had to file multiple claims and provided original receipt. Was able to provide all documentation and finally received max benefit of $500.

 

I mean can you imagine the number of fake claims they could be liable for if they didn’t require all this documentation?

[shiner6]

I understand, but I cannot find receipt for my suitcase. I paid cash. I have a picture of it on this trip. 

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, shiner6 said:

I understand, but I cannot find receipt for my suitcase. I paid cash. I have a picture of it on this trip. 

 

I don't know how the reimbursement works for lost/stolen items.... whether it is "full replacement value" or the depreciated current value.  If the latter, that is likely to be much, much less, so it may not have provided much $$ anyway.

 

Homeowner's insurance usually has an option to pay a higher premium and have "full replacement value".  That means it doesn't matter what it cost in the past or what condition it is in; you'd be reimbursed for a brand new widget, or the insurance company might buy one for you.

 

GC

[NJRonbo]

16 hours ago, shiner6 said:

I booked my insurance through the Trip Insurance store (Globiali) for our trip to Alaska. I am now having a world of problems trying to file a claim for a lost carryon bag.  It is so tedious and no assistance.  They want proof that I filed with my homeowners and was denied first. They want receipts for every item. (who keeps all of their receipts?).  They also want proof of the trip and all expenses. There is more-you cannot submit before everything is uploaded and the site keeps sending me error messages and won't allow me to enter any more.   I spent hundreds of dollars for this insurance to provide peace of mind. Now I feel betrayed.  I have been trying for months to locate my lost piece of luggage with AA and nobody ever returns my calls.  I guess I am trying to tell all of you to really investigate your options before paying for a policy.

I am sorry to hear this as I just purchased insurance from Trip Insurance Store.

Is the store itself helping you?  I was told by Steve that he would become a middleman should we have issues with our claim.

[moposh]

13 hours ago, shiner6 said:

I understand, but I cannot find receipt for my suitcase. I paid cash. I have a picture of it on this trip. 

I wouldn't have a receipt for my suitcase.  I bought it years ago.  I hope you can work things out.

[moposh]

@ARandomTraveler thanks for the info.  Next cruise I'll get travel insurance from a different venue.

[shiner6]

From what I can figure out (and they don't tell you this upfront), they do this to insure themselves against fraud.  I understand their concerns, however, their requirements for lost or stolen baggage is unfair to some honest folks.  I have no receipt for my bag, because I paid cash and I do not keep all of my receipts. I do however, have a picture of my bag with my family on This trip, but that will not meet their criteria. Also, why should I have to show proof of my homeowner's insurance refusing to pay this claim?  Very tedious, but I am going to try anyways. Their system will not permit me to continue filling in my claim until I fulfill it all. I guess I will try to call them again today. I might add that this is the first time in all of my 40 years of purchasing travel insurance that I have needed to file a claim. 

[Babr]

Just now, shiner6 said:

From what I can figure out (and they don't tell you this upfront), they do this to insure themselves against fraud.  I understand their concerns, however, their requirements for lost or stolen baggage is unfair to some honest folks.  I have no receipt for my bag, because I paid cash and I do not keep all of my receipts. I do however, have a picture of my bag with my family on This trip, but that will not meet their criteria. Also, why should I have to show proof of my homeowner's insurance refusing to pay this claim?  Very tedious, but I am going to try anyways. Their system will not permit me to continue filling in my claim until I fulfill it all. I guess I will try to call them again today. I might add that this is the first time in all of my 40 years of purchasing travel insurance that I have needed to file a claim. 

You have to show proof of a homeowner’s claim because your travel insurance is secondary. It is one of the details in a policy that is easy to overlook. Secondary means that you first have to file with other applicable insurance then present the explanation of benefits. Secondary pays what primary does not.

 

The picture of the bag is not sufficient because it does not establish a value for the item. It is not a question of if you indeed owned it rather how much it cost.

 

It is tedious and time consuming. I can understand your frustration, but it is part of the process. I don’t know what assistance Trip Insurance Store can offer if you don’t have the required documentation.

 

This is a cautionary tale that reminds everyone to read and understand the terms of  their policy so they know what to expect if it becomes necessary to file a claim.

 

 

[moposh]

53 minutes ago, shiner6 said:

Also, why should I have to show proof of my homeowner's insurance refusing to pay this claim?

I don't understand that.

 

When my daughter's suitcase was damaged by an airline, I had to show that I tried to get it fixed before I could get any money from airline.  I thought that was ridiculous.

[Babr]

10 minutes ago, moposh said:

I don't understand that.

 

When my daughter's suitcase was damaged by an airline, I had to show that I tried to get it fixed before I could get any money from airline.  I thought that was ridiculous.

 

See Post # 20, Paragraph 1.

 

What an airline requires for reimbursement is an entirely separate issue.

[moposh]

3 minutes ago, Babr said:

 

See Post # 20, Paragraph 1.

 

What an airline requires for reimbursement is an entirely separate issue.

I know it's separate.  I was just comparing ridiculous requirements.

[shiner6]

UPDATE:

Despite all the hoops to jump through, I am going to be persistent and at least not be disuaded and give up without trying. I just spent several hours completing the claim process. Now, I will see what happens. I am going to the store where I purchased the suitcase and see if they can help me.

[klfrodo]

3 hours ago, shiner6 said:

  I understand their concerns, however, their requirements for lost or stolen baggage is unfair to some honest folks.

. Also, why should I have to show proof of my homeowner's insurance refusing to pay this claim? 

 

First of all, "Unfair" stops being an excuse for things not going your way when you graduate from kindergarten.

2nd, if your policy is secondary then you have to show proof that you have exhausted all other methods to recover any perceived losses.