Has anyone had to USE their trip insurance and what was your experience?

[Aunt Tina]

I won't plan travel without it.  My husband passed away after two weeks in a hospital two weeks before a cruise many years ago, and I got the cruise line's (Azamara) insurance payment back in a couple weeks after ther doctor signed the papers. 

 

I have been stranded twice in Ft. Lauderdale for several days due to weather - unable to fly home.  Once was the day before the Super Bowl in Miami.  I also got stranded in Puerto Rico for 3 days because of weather at home.  Each time hotel and food were covered by the ship line's insurance (Celebrity) with no problems with all the receipts including a statement from the airline.

 

It used to be the ship's insurance did not vary by age - so it was cheaper when I traveled with my 85 year old Mom.

 

I'm now looking for better medical coverage than the cruise line offers.  Looking at Insure My Trip.

[Gray Lady]

We have only tried to go on one cruise. It was a 14-day Alaska land and sea trip. I bought the coverage through the cruise line. Hubby said I was crazy to buy it…too much money. Hubby caught Covid on the land portion (it was during the Omicron surge) and we never made it to the cruise portion. We were quarantined for five days. We booked our flights through the cruise line, so they changed our flight home for us. Our trip insurance made us whole for everything we missed. I made sure to save all paperwork and followed up with them a few times. Honey gets more results than vinegar. I also said that I didn’t want to take my claim to our state insurance commissioner. We had our money back with in two months of filing our claim. It took longer for the cruise line to pay back our excursions and quarantine expenses, but we received it. Very grateful we had the insurance. We are planning to try another cruise next year. I will look into the third party market also for a policy, but have no hesitation about using the insurance provided by the cruise line.

[JDincalif]

We've used Travel Guard primarily. In the  instances where we submitted claims, reimbursement was reasonably prompt and complete. In one case where we'd submitted substantial expenses we actually received more reimbursement than we requested as we'd inadvertently overlooked some covered events in our claims documentation. The representative called to clarify before finalizing and gave us that happy news. 

Edited May 17, 2023 by JDincalif

[SimplyAlbert]

We had Nationwide twice when we had trip delays on two separate trips.   Turned in my receipts and we were reimbursed up to the coverage limit for both cases.  We incurred out of pocket expenses for both, about $700 on the first one and less then $50 on the second.

[Markanddonna]

I just received three checks totaling the full amount requested. My husband came down with COVID and had complications because of preexisting issues. Here is how we had success:

 

1. Not only did I keep all the receipts, but I also submitted a table of the various expenses with a code corresponding to each piece of paperwork. It likely made their job much easier.  They sent us the checks about three weeks after we submitted. 

 

2. I requested a letter from the doctor in Poland stating that she recommended my husband return back to the USA for treatment. 

 

3. Nationwide was very good about payment but was no help while we were in a crisis in a country where we couldn't speak the language. Not everyone (that includes the receptionist at the hospital) speaks English, despite what people might tell you. Their team in Krakow never returned our call. They were supposed to be locating doctors who could speak English.  I did my own research, found our flights to return home, and did the rest.

 

4. If you have to return home while you aren't feeling great, be sure to arrange airport assistance. They were all fantastic- four airports!  We couldn't have made it without their help.

 

5. Yes, I did respond with a positive review on InsureMyTrip.  People who have actually used the insurance should be the only ones giving reviews.

 

 

[RATTER]

I am currently in the process and it seems pretty frustrating.   This is my 10th policy and my first claim for trip interruption.   Have sent the same requested information a couple times.  I only had 3 receipts for the airfare, bus fare & hotel reimbursements that I was claiming.   When I tried to contact the person handling my claim I learned that she had gotten a promotion and no longer had access to my file.  Still waiting for a call back from my new claims adjuster to find out what the problem is and if they need any further information.  

[as.rogers]

Yes, and my "cancel for any reason" insurance was a nightmare.  I was on a cruise on the Aegean Odyssey, which Road Scholar had leased for a time.  Around 5 days into the cruise, I got sick from the excessive heat, and had to be taken off the ship by ambulance once we got to Dublin, Ireland.  I spent 6 days in Intensive Care and 2 in a 6-bed ward while recovering.  Medical care was great, and I was completely reimbursed for that by Medicare and Kaiser.  Compensation for losing the vacation took from August to the following June for me to get a third of what I lost back from Aon Affinity.  They issued me 3 different claim numbers, deleted one without telling me, and I had to go to the California Insurance Commissioner to get them to even try to help.  I will never use Aon Affinity insurance again.

[klfrodo]

34 minutes ago, as.rogers said:

Yes, and my "cancel for any reason" insurance was a nightmare.  

Well, I sure hope you're doing better now.

I would like to say that unless the policy you purchased had a specific different definition, 99.9% of all policies that I'm aware of the "Cancel For Any Reason" is only applicable up until anywhere from 48 hours prior to departure and/or up to scheduled departure time.

There is no CFAR coverage 5 days after departure.

[Jersey42]

2 hours ago, as.rogers said:

Yes, and my "cancel for any reason" insurance was a nightmare.  I was on a cruise on the Aegean Odyssey, which Road Scholar had leased for a time.  Around 5 days into the cruise, I got sick from the excessive heat, and had to be taken off the ship by ambulance once we got to Dublin, Ireland.  I spent 6 days in Intensive Care and 2 in a 6-bed ward while recovering.  Medical care was great, and I was completely reimbursed for that by Medicare and Kaiser.  Compensation for losing the vacation took from August to the following June for me to get a third of what I lost back from Aon Affinity.  They issued me 3 different claim numbers, deleted one without telling me, and I had to go to the California Insurance Commissioner to get them to even try to help.  I will never use Aon Affinity insurance again.

I also hope you fully recovered and you eventually ended up getting the reimbursements you deserved.

 

You have said a number of things in your post which are probably not completely accurate.  Some of those may have at least partially contributed to the claim issues, although Aon Affinity very well could have been the entire problem.  None of it will make a difference now, but some of it may help you or other the next time they purchase insurance or a "trip protection plan".

 

Based on some of what you said, I am going to guess you purchased the Road Scholar Trip Protection Plan.  But my comments are applicable to most cruise line vacation protection plans as well.

 

Cancel For Any Reason - As @klfrodo mentioned, it is Cancel for any reason, not Interrupt for any reason. It is valid (as a credit for a future trip) up until the day your program begins.  There is no coverage after that (i.e. if you get sick during the trip).  In addition CFAR is not insurance, it is a benefit offered by Road Scholar (or a cruise line), so state insurance commissioners will rarely get involved with issues related to CFAR.  My guess is you never received a CRAR benefit.

 

Trip Interruption - Your illness should have qualified as a covered reason for trip interruption benefits.  The downside is this coverage excludes pre-existing conditions, just like almost all cruise line policies.  The good news is Road Scholar waives the pre-existing exclusion if you purchased the Trip Protection Plan within 14 days of your initial trip deposit. Cruise line plans usually do not offer any pre-existing condition waivers.  The other good news is this is true insurance, so a state insurance commission will typical intervene when necessary.  I will guess that your claim was (mostly) settled under this provision.

 

Medical Coverage - Good thing you had excellent medical coverage.  I bet the final bill was significant. I don't believe Road Scholar offers any medical coverage.  Cruise line policies offer some coverage, but most offer $10-$20K and I am aware of only one that goes beyond $25K. Others, without good foreign coverage may have had a large out of pocket expense.

 

You also say Medicare and Kaiser reimbursed you everything, but I would bet it all came from Kaiser.  Medicare rarely reimburses anything outside of the USA, and once you sign up with a Medicare Advantage plan like Kaiser, all of your coverage is from Kaiser.  For others, it is important to know exactly what your home insurance plan covers when traveling internationally.

 

Aon Affinity - Aon Affinity is not the insurance company.  They are actually the administrator for Road Scholar and most of the cruise line plans.  These vacation protection plans typically have two or more components - actual insurance offered through an insurance company, and non-insurance benefits such as CFAR offered by Road Scholar or the cruise line.  The insurance company is typically Nationwide or Arch.  You deal with Aon and they coordinate with the insurance company or the travel company (or cruise line). Aon is the administrator for Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Princess, Oceania, NCL, Royal Caribbean and probably others. If you purchase true travel insurance from Nationwide or Arch, you do not deal with Aon.  I have never had to deal with Aon Affinity, but I have seen more than a few negative comments on these boards.

 

Bottom Line - The devil is in the nitty gritty details.  Always read the policy and always keep very detailed receipts.  Also keep records on any claim submissions and follow-ups. Sometime claims take months, but if you are not getting satisfaction, you should not hesitate to contact your state insurance commission.

[as.rogers]

Thank you to Jersy42 who responded to my post and enlightened me a great deal.  The good thing about being sick in Ireland is if you are from an EU country, I think the medical care is free.  Being from a non-EU country, my entire bill was probably less than one day at UCSF or any other American hospital.  And thank you for the good wishes ... I have mostly recovered and have decided that I have been as many places as I need to go in this lifetime.  All the best to all of you.

[Ichiban Nekko]

@as.rogers  Thanks for following up to let us know you have recovered.

 

@Jersey42 Your post contained a lot of excellent information in a concise and readable format. I suggest to anyone reading/following this forum, that they read post #34. It can potentially clear up so many misunderstandings. Thank you so much!

 

[GeezerCouple]

32 minutes ago, Ichiban Nekko said:

@as.rogers  Thanks for following up to let us know you have recovered.

 

@Jersey42 Your post contained a lot of excellent information in a concise and readable format. I suggest to anyone reading/following this forum, that they read post #34. It can potentially clear up so many misunderstandings. Thank you so much!

 

For anyone reading this thread, please ALWAYS double check anything you read here (or anywhere!).

 

For example, in post #34, the following is written:

 

"Cancel For Any Reason - ... it is Cancel for any reason, not Interrupt for any reason. It is valid (as a credit for a future trip) up until the day your program begins."

 

For at least some (many?) policies, CFAR coverage is valid >> until 48 hours before your planned trip start, NOT "until the day your program begins".

Road Scholar's CFAR coverage may work that way ('til day program begins), but many other policies do not.  So IF you wait until the "day of" travel, or even the "day before", it might be too late to invoke that CFAR coverage.  That's a rough time to find out, when perhaps you could have canceled a day or two earlier...

 

And many 3rd party CFAR policies give cash back (often 75%) that can be used whenever and for whatever one wishes... it's not a credit, one that may have a time limit.

 

As always, one should make sure one reads - and understands - the terms of the specific policy that *you* purchase.  There can be considerable variability among the policies' coverages.

 

GC

[Ichiban Nekko]

@GeezerCouple Excellent points! Thank you for your clarification AND the reminder to read it ALL. I personally have found when I am not certain that I completely understand the text, answers are usually immediately available using a chat button/email/phone call with the insurance company.

[GeezerCouple]

3 minutes ago, Ichiban Nekko said:

@GeezerCouple Excellent points! Thank you for your clarification AND the reminder to read it ALL. I personally have found when I am not certain that I completely understand the text, answers are usually immediately available using a chat button/email/phone call with the insurance company.

 

In the case of travel insurance (or *any* insurance!), if there is any "clarification" necessary, we always ask the rep to point us to the EXACT wording in the policy that demonstrates what the rep is "claiming"...  They may be confused (or even just making something up 😡 ) or it may not actually be relevant to the situation you are facing, etc.

Point is, we want it in writing!  We'd then make a pdf and save it.

And we always try to get the name/extension number of the person we are speaking with, and write that down with the date.

Pro Hint:  Instead of saying (or, um, implying), "we want your name because if you screw it up we'll report you!" (always a terrific strategy - not!), we say something like, "Oh, could please I have your name or rep number and phone extension so if we get disconnected, I won't have to start all over again explaining my question to someone else...!?"  (It often works. 😉 )

 

When we read insurance complaints, here or elsewhere, it's often (but not always) a situation where the policy never covered this particular situation in the first place.  That could be because the traveler didn't fully understand the terms, or just never thought about "this" particular problem occurring.  The second situation is harder to plan for/protect against.  However, we've found that *calling* a broker like TripInsuranceStore can help, because they'll sometimes ask, "do you need coverage for X?" or "does your situation at home include Y?" - and those may indeed be relevant, but we wouldn't have thought about it in advance.

 

And even with them, if I'm concerned about a specific type of coverage, I'll ask, "Please show me where in the policy terms this specific situation is covered..."

 

GC

[Jersey42]

2 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

For anyone reading this thread, please ALWAYS double check anything you read here (or anywhere!).

 

For example, in post #34, the following is written:

 

"Cancel For Any Reason - ... it is Cancel for any reason, not Interrupt for any reason. It is valid (as a credit for a future trip) up until the day your program begins."

 

For at least some (many?) policies, CFAR coverage is valid >> until 48 hours before your planned trip start, NOT "until the day your program begins".

Road Scholar's CFAR coverage may work that way ('til day program begins), but many other policies do not.  So IF you wait until the "day of" travel, or even the "day before", it might be too late to invoke that CFAR coverage.  That's a rough time to find out, when perhaps you could have canceled a day or two earlier...

 

And many 3rd party CFAR policies give cash back (often 75%) that can be used whenever and for whatever one wishes... it's not a credit, one that may have a time limit.

 

As always, one should make sure one reads - and understands - the terms of the specific policy that *you* purchase.  There can be considerable variability among the policies' coverages.

 

GC

In the portion of my post you quoted, I was quoting from Road Scholar's Trip Protection Plan. Even though the wording is a little different ("cruise vacation" instead of "program" and "credit for a future cruise" instead of "credit for a future trip" I still stand by my statement that "my comments are applicable to most cruise line vacation protection plans as well."  I am not aware of any of these plans that require a 48 hour notice. Most let you cancel up until the scheduled ship departure and all state their requirements in the policy document.

 

Third party CFAR insurance is different.  Most require advance notice (such as 48 hours), and all will give you a cash refund instead of a credit. The cash refund is typically only 75%, and I have never seen 100%.The CFAR benefits with these plans are usually actual insurance, so a state insurance commission will get involved if necessary.  Third party CFAR plans also let you insure the entire trip including pre-post cruise stays and transportation.

 

I totally agree that you should always read any policy you are considering. I use the words "most" and "typical" to set expectations.  But the specific plan someone is considering may deviate from most or typical plans. Many plans also have state specific language, so that is another good reason to read the policy.

 

I still believe trip insurance is way more complicated than it should be.  There are too many nuances, that may make one policy great for one person and poor for someone else. The websites that let you compare policy summaries can be helpful, but some critical items are often "hidden" in the policy language, and those items often don't appear in the summary charts.  A good broker that you can talk to is better.  But most of the brokers will never discuss a cruise line policy, even when it may be a better choice in a particular situation.   

Edited June 6, 2023 by Jersey42

[toolworker]

I've had excellent experiences with Travel Guard. They generally pay promptly and I've always gotten what I thought was due.

 

And sometimes more. For several medical claims, despite telling them to hold off, they sent me a check for 100% of my medical expenses. Then when my primary insurance paid 80% I had to figure out how to pay Travel Guard back. That's the sort of problem I like.

 

I was quarantined in the cabin one day for flu, and on another cruise five days for covid. In both cases they reimbursed the cruise fare for those days.

 

As people have said, the devil is in the details. One devil is that all of these policies pay only for a list of events, and some insurers cover more events than others. And sometimes the devil is in the definition.

 

For example, they all cover trip delay or cancelation because something happens to a Family Member or Traveling Companion. The definitions of "something," Family Member and Traveling Companion differ. Here's Travel Guard Preferred Policy (CA)'s definitions:

 

• Family Member means the Insured’s, or Traveling Companion’s spouse, child, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, daughter/son-in-law, brother/sister-in-law, step-child/sister/brother/parent, parent-in-law, civil union partner, Domestic Partner, step-grandparent/grandchild, aunt, uncle, step-aunt/uncle, niece, nephew, legal guardian, Caregiver, foster child, ward, or legal ward; and the spouse, civil union partner, or Domestic Partner of any of the above. Family Member also includes these relations to the Insured’s or Traveling Companion’s spouse, civil union partner, or Domestic Partner. If the Name Your Family upgrade is elected and any required cost is paid, Family Member also includes the person listed on the application.
• Traveling Companion means a person or persons with whom the Insured has coordinated travel arrangements and intends to travel with during the Trip. A group or tour leader is not considered a traveling companion unless the Insured is sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.

 

I've never seen another policy with such an extensive definition of Family Member. I've seen some where a Traveling Companion has to be on the same booking or ticket, or travel on the same dates; Travel Guard doesn't require that.

 

I used to compare coverages and Travel Guard has always had the same or better coverage, definitely compared to the cruise line's insurance and also to other providers. I no longer bother comparing; I just buy Travel Guard.

Edited June 12, 2023 by toolworker

[LuvCruising8]

Buyer beware with Allianz travel insurance...you don't get what you paid for. I took out travel insurance for myself and my family for a 7 day cruise. Unfortunately on the cruise I broke my wrist which required surgery. Since the cruise medical staff deemed the surgery non-emergency, it was scheduled for when I returned from the cruise. Due to the injury and subsequent surgery I incurred significant out of pocket medical costs. I submitted a claim with Allianz travel insurance since the injury occurred during my covered period. However they denied my claim since the medical expenses I incurred were not incurred during the cruise or "covered period." Allianz will ONLY cover your out of pocket expenses incurred during the covered period, which is the time period of the cruise. This is despite the fact that the injury clearly occurred during the covered period. I had no way of having my surgery during the cruise. Logically, the surgery took place shortly after returning from my cruise. Allianz denied the claim. Most travel agents are not aware of this policy exclusion from Allianz Travel Insurance. We will never take out another insurance policy from Allianz. Allianz was happy to take our insurance premium and deny our legitimate claim that occurred during the covered period.

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, LuvCruising8 said:

Buyer beware with Allianz travel insurance...you don't get what you paid for. I took out travel insurance for myself and my family for a 7 day cruise. Unfortunately on the cruise I broke my wrist which required surgery. Since the cruise medical staff deemed the surgery non-emergency, it was scheduled for when I returned from the cruise. Due to the injury and subsequent surgery I incurred significant out of pocket medical costs. I submitted a claim with Allianz travel insurance since the injury occurred during my covered period. However they denied my claim since the medical expenses I incurred were not incurred during the cruise or "covered period." Allianz will ONLY cover your out of pocket expenses incurred during the covered period, which is the time period of the cruise. This is despite the fact that the injury clearly occurred during the covered period. I had no way of having my surgery during the cruise. Logically, the surgery took place shortly after returning from my cruise. Allianz denied the claim. Most travel agents are not aware of this policy exclusion from Allianz Travel Insurance. We will never take out another insurance policy from Allianz. Allianz was happy to take our insurance premium and deny our legitimate claim that occurred during the covered period.

 

Here is my answer, from the previous page of this thread, where there are other discussions of travel insurance claims that were paid:

 

On 12/19/2022 at 10:02 PM, GeezerCouple said:

 

Ah yes, we have used our travel insurance, although we certainly wish there had been no need to do so.

ALL of the assorted claims were paid very promptly, and without nonsense.  A few of them were large claims.

We purchased policies from Travel Insured, through TripInsuranceStore.com, an insurance broker who offer a variety of policies from several vetted insurers.

Our claims have dealt with everything from our very first insured trip, when at the last minute (well, last 2 weeks before planned departure), DH had a medical emergency, and the only travel we did for several weeks was among various medical facilities.  ALL of our non-refundable costs (which were 100% of everything at that late date) were paid in about 2 weeks after we sent in the claim form and our receipts plus a form from the physician.

 

We also had to cancel a trip because very elderly MIL landed in hospital about a week before a planned trip.

We had a flight home from Barbados where the incoming flight never arrived, so we went back to our 5* resort where fortunately they still had a room for us (week before Christmas); the flight arrived and then departed the following morning.

I landed in hospital overseas, and instead of one night at a 5* hotel before heading to visit dear friends, DH spent several nights alone there, until I was able to join him.  But I was judged too sick to travel for a few more days, so we stayed about a week.  We then needed special transportation in order to recover the final week of our trip.

There were a few other claims.

 

We have no quarrel whatsoever. Quite the opposite; we've been very pleased (except for the need actually use the insurance in the first place, of course).

However, note that it is VERY important that one gets the *right* type of policy for your situation (pre-existing conditions? family members not traveling with you? Etc....) AND that you submit *receipts* along with any other requested documentation.

 

We get travel insurance for *all* of our overseas trips!

 

GC

 

As we mentioned above, travel insurance is for "travel" expenses.

 

In fact, even WHILE traveling, unless one has *primary* medical coverage with the travel insurance, the travel insurance will only cover any medical costs incurred AFTER one's regular health insurance has denied the coverage, or for any portion that was denied.

 

GC

[Bastet]

Now that we are getting older, we always buy trip insurance.  I've learned to be sure to have trip Interruption and well as trip Delay.  We didn't have the Interruption, not sure why, when we were delayed in Charlotte for 2 days due to weather.  

 

We used the insurance twice for trips to the Caribbean when one of our suitcases was delayed a couple of days. No problems being reimbursed.  I believe it was Allianz.

 

We had Allianz insurance for our trip to Aruba last year.  Hubby tested positive for COVID prior to our return, so we had to stay 4 extra days in Aruba. (Ah shucks).  He felt fine, so we were very surprised.  Anyway, we did get all of our extra costs (room, meals, airline change fees) covered, but it took months and constant phone calls.  I had tried using their site to file the claim, but I guess I used the wrong reasons.  I also kept getting letters about needing documents, but not saying what was missing.  I must have uploaded 20 documents, some twice. Whenever I talked with someone, they were always polite and helpful, but every phone call seemed to reset the clock as to when the claim would be worked on.  Lesson learned, just call and talk to a person to start the claim.  Use the website to upload documents.

 

This year for our Viking River cruise we are going with Trawick.  I think that it is a Nationwide policy.  I hope we don't need to use it.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Years ago, (early 2000's) we had to cancel two major trips because of serious illness of elderly parents.  At this time, I don't remember the companies concerned, although I could probably figure it out.  In both cases I believe they were well-known companies.  At this time, we were below Medicare age.

 

The first, a trip to 3 week trip to China, we cancelled about two days before we were scheduled to leave as my mother had a major heart attack.

 

The second time, my husband's mother had major surgery and complications that cause a second surgery and over a month in the hospital.  That trip was a river cruise in Europe plus extended time in Austria, Switzerland and Venice, again about 3 weeks.

 

In both cases we received full refunds of our trip, according to what our plans provided.  Yes, we did have to provide extensive proof that it was not wise for us to leave our ill family members, which did take some quite a bit of leg work and a paper trail for proof.  Probably 4-6 weeks after filing, in each case, we received full credit.

[KTRaveller]

Just want to say thanks to all who took time to report on their good experiences.  Like someone said, it's easy to find lots of bad reviews on line because that's when people are inclined to review at all.  I also particularly appreciated the clearly well-informed input from Jersey42.  

 

We learned the hard way recently that our Viking (Tripmate--Allianz) insurance wouldn't cover the part of our upcoming trip we paid for with their vouchers and stood to kiss $16K goodbye.  We were able cancel everything BUT the cruise that we had planned so are still going, even though DH will have to do his PT routines on board twice a day!  It was my fault for not understanding or reading the fine print well enough, but we'd had this insurance several times before and I though I knew it.  Viking sent a message out in April warning about just this thing but we were traveling on another Viking cruise at the time and the message was just one of many that slipped by.  I was annoyed that Viking hadn't done more to let us know about the policy and the opportunity to purchase upgraded insurance -- more than one little email -- so decided to look for 3rd party insurance for the new trip we're planning.  

 

Thanks for the education.

Kathleen

[coopco]

I have a 98 year old father so I always purchase travel insurance. After cruising restart, we had a 3 day San Francisco to Vancouver cruise, then a week in the Pacific Northwest in a timeshare and flight home from Seattle. The cruise was cancelled one day before it was set to sail so I called Travel Insured to find out if I had coverage to buy airline tickets and change my car rental and was told yes. So that’s what I did and everything was expensive because it was last minute. When I get home I file my claim and it was denied because a common carrier (the first part of our trip to get to the Pacific Northwest) has to be an airline, not a cruise line. I’m like what? Why was I told it would be covered? They did go back and listen to my phone conversation with their representative and verified I discussed what new expenses there would be and was told it was all covered. We eventually got our money except the $100 bus tickets Vancouver to Bellingham, which I didn’t mention in the conversation but I can live with that. But now I’m very weary that when I need it, the insurance I paid for will be worthless because of a technicality. I’d like to restore my confidence in travel insurance. I still have a couple trips covered with Travel Insured that I used from cancelled cruises during COVID but my next 3 cruises I paid for insurance through the cruise line (it would be hard for them to say the cruise isn’t covered) and airline but I’d like to find a better alternative.

[Lois R]

Hi, I always forget about this forum. To the OP, yes, I have purchased insurance and needed to file a claim and was reimbursed for everything I was requesting. I was hurt last summer on a cruise and needed to go to a local hospital in Valencia, Spain. After I got home I filed my claim and was VERY pleased with the service and getting all that I asked for. 

 

Now, I just came back from a cruise and due to my flight home being cancelled multiple times, I needed to stay in a hotel for an extra night (I was NOT going to sleep inside the confines of JFK). So, I have filed a claim for the 1 night hotel stay and have submitted my paperwork and waiting for a response. I just entered the claim last week so hopefully sometime in mid to late October I will find out some positive information.

[KforKitty]

I have both good and bad experiences of travel insurance claims.  The first was in 2010 when we were stuck in LA for 9 additional days due to not being able to fly due to an Icelandic volcano erupting.  Between BA and my Visa insurance I recovered nearly all of our losses in about 6 weeks.

 

The other good experience was a simple claim for emergency dental treatment and a prescription which was paid quickly, minus an excess.

 

The worst insurance experience occurred last summer when I got Covid 3 days before I was due to sail with NCL on a Baltic cruise.  We had a policy that included cancellation due to Covid and I had certified test of infection as it was a requirement to sail at the time.  What should have been a straightforward claim took 4 months to settle as they kept ‘losing’ documents uploaded to their portal and denied receiving hard copies which I’d sent signed for.  Communication was horrendous with emails going unanswered and long queues to get phone calls answered.

 

Despite this experience I would still not travel without being insured.

 

Catherine 

[Lois R]

I have great news🙂my claim has been approved and processed! Talk about a quick turn around time!!!😀

I am happy!!!