Real Experience With a Good Travel Insurance Policy

[MommaBear55]

9 hours ago, RBKL said:

Thanks for your reply. What is your experience with their claims process?
 

The less expensive is only a great deal and a factor to consider until you file a claim.

The claim process was super easy and the first payment was in my account within 2 weeks. Now we are just finalizing a few minor details.

[karena1]

17 hours ago, RBKL said:

Had a medical emergency on an April sailing of the Wonder of the Seas.

 

Ships medical staff was amazing and exceptionally quick. We were disembarked in Cozumel for follow up. Doing great now but the insurance process is unreal.

 

Still waiting for AON to cover our expenses. Can’t get the status. Every few weeks we get a request for the same info we have submitted multiple times. Seems like a delaying tactic. I asked to speak to management but nobody returns calls. I reach out on line for updates but nobody responds even though the sight says they will within 1 business day.

 

We need to find a better travel insurance provider for future travel.

 

Looking for feedback from people who have made a travel insurance claim and received prompt service. Not looking for the cheapest policy, just one that when we need to make a claim will be responsive, provide the current status and pay on claims.

 

We have several cruises planned across several lines and they all seem to use AON. We need to find a new provider with better service.

 

 

 

I use Travel Insured International and they are pretty quick.  

[CruiseMomTX]

Has anyone had any luck with a Yearly Primary Insurance Plan?  We take multiple cruises a year now that we are back to cruising and it would be nice to just have to buy one plan.

[Luckynana]

I have been using Steve's Trip Insurance Store for several years now.  I have talked to Steve, Kim, and Diana at different times.  They are so very helpful and patient.  I also have had to make claims twice, the first time in 2019 when I got ill a week before my DH and I were supposed to fly to London for a weeks stay before boarding a ship for our cruise to Iceland.  We got every penny back since we had a Cancel for any Reason Policy.  

 

This past October while cruising on RCI to NE and Canada, my DH became ill on the ship and we had to disembark in Halifax, Canada for emergency surgery.  We paid everything up-front for the hospital, doctors, surgeons, prescriptions, hotel, airfare, etc., and sent all receipts to IMG, along with all required information.  We received confirmation yesterday that the majority of our expenses will be returned to us shortly.  Things not covered, were our air insurance and seat preferences on the plane.  Win-win for us!  BTW, my husband is fully recovered!

[twinmommy08]

We use C&F Travel Insured International. Filed a claim last June. We got stuck in Dallas 2 days on our way home. Airport lost luggage, hotel & food expenses for family of four. 
 

I made sure to get a letter from American about weather canceling our flights and kept every receipt. I filed a claim online and uploaded the receipts. I had our payment within 30 days. 
 

I have 4 upcoming cruises and purchased the same insurance for all of them. Best money spent. 

[ronandcarla]

21 hours ago, RBKL said:

Had a medical emergency on an April sailing of the Wonder of the Seas.

 

Ships medical staff was amazing and exceptionally quick. We were disembarked in Cozumel for follow up. Doing great now but the insurance process is unreal.

 

Still waiting for AON to cover our expenses. Can’t get the status. Every few weeks we get a request for the same info we have submitted multiple times. Seems like a delaying tactic. I asked to speak to management but nobody returns calls. I reach out on line for updates but nobody responds even though the sight says they will within 1 business day.

 

We need to find a better travel insurance provider for future travel.

 

Looking for feedback from people who have made a travel insurance claim and received prompt service. Not looking for the cheapest policy, just one that when we need to make a claim will be responsive, provide the current status and pay on claims.

 

We have several cruises planned across several lines and they all seem to use AON. We need to find a new provider with better service.

 

 

 

For years we have used Travel Safe Insurance Company and on two separate occasions, (1) weather conditions and (2) terrible medical story, and on both of the above mentioned  cases we were fully reimbursed.

[RBKL]

5 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I have been using Steve's Trip Insurance Store for several years now.  I have talked to Steve, Kim, and Diana at different times.  They are so very helpful and patient.  I also have had to make claims twice, the first time in 2019 when I got ill a week before my DH and I were supposed to fly to London for a weeks stay before boarding a ship for our cruise to Iceland.  We got every penny back since we had a Cancel for any Reason Policy.  

 

This past October while cruising on RCI to NE and Canada, my DH became ill on the ship and we had to disembark in Halifax, Canada for emergency surgery.  We paid everything up-front for the hospital, doctors, surgeons, prescriptions, hotel, airfare, etc., and sent all receipts to IMG, along with all required information.  We received confirmation yesterday that the majority of our expenses will be returned to us shortly.  Things not covered, were our air insurance and seat preferences on the plane.  Win-win for us!  BTW, my husband is fully recovered!

So glad your husband is doing well. 

[not-enough-cruising]

13 hours ago, CruiseMomTX said:

Has anyone had any luck with a Yearly Primary Insurance Plan?  We take multiple cruises a year now that we are back to cruising and it would be nice to just have to buy one plan.

I have had an annual travel policy for several years now.  I use Trawick International.  I have had a couple minor claims (none cruise related ironically, but the policy is in effect anytime you are 50 miles from your home address).  The claims were handled promptly and to my satisfaction, but I have had no major claims, knock on wood.

[RRTcruiser]

We have several cruises booked with Royal Caribbean now and all have RC insurance coverage. If I purchase an “outside”  yearly travel insurance policy can I ask and receive a refund from Royal Caribbean on several upcoming cruise insurance coverages?  Thanks 

[RBKL]

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

I have had an annual travel policy for several years now.  I use Trawick International.  I have had a couple minor claims (none cruise related ironically, but the policy is in effect anytime you are 50 miles from your home address).  The claims were handled promptly and to my satisfaction, but I have had no major claims, knock on wood.

I believe up until final payment you can however defer to those with actual experience doing so. That is my plan.

[WeatherFx]

We have filed a number of claims over the past decade. Our earlier claims were through Nationwide Cruise Insurance. These were settled within a month each time from documentation submission. For the last several years we use iTravelInsured [IMG iTI SE and IMG iTI LX] through the already mentioned TripInsuranceStore.com. Our most recent claim was this past fall for a B2B. Claim was settled in about 7-8 weeks.

[BirdTravels]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:42 PM, RBKL said:

Still waiting for AON to cover our expenses. Can’t get the status. Every few weeks we get a request for the same info we have submitted multiple times. Seems like a delaying tactic. I asked to speak to management but nobody returns calls. I reach out on line for updates but nobody responds even though the sight says they will within 1 business day.

We have filed multiple claims with Aon and have no complaints. 
 

No insurance agency is going to gave an adjuster dedicated to just your claim. 

 

Be patient and your claim will be paid. 

[MoWanchuk]

So we had to use the RCCL medical evac coverage for my MIL about 6 years ago, although I cant recall the company.  They were extremely responsive in facilitating the Air ambulance back to FLL for her and travel nurse and flights back home (in 1st class) after she was well enough to travel and discharged from the FLL hospital.  We never saw a bill for those. As for the on ship and 3rd world hospital costs, we got most of it back. It took about 4 months between her primary insurance reimbursements and then them picking up the odds and ends.

 

19 hours ago, CruiseMomTX said:

Has anyone had any luck with a Yearly Primary Insurance Plan?  We take multiple cruises a year now that we are back to cruising and it would be nice to just have to buy one plan.

 

As a result of the above, as a family, we have Medjet Horizon and buy the annual plan.  It gives great peace of mind for both vacations and my wife's and my business travels.   

[Luckynana]

15 hours ago, RBKL said:

So glad your husband is doing well. 

Thank you so much!😊

[SherriZ366]

Lots of good advice and insight

[LadyZolt]

On 2/10/2023 at 2:40 AM, Jasukkie said:

I don't know if other travel insurance companies do the same thing but Aon delayed my relative's return to the US because it deemed the foreign hospital adequate. 

 

 

We always get a Medjet Assist policy.  As soon as you are stable enough to travel, they will take you to whatever hospital you want, from anywhere in the world that you are.  Most travel policies will do what you said -- take you to the closest "adequate" place for treatment.  If you want to go to your own hospital, get a Medjet Assist policy. 

[RBKL]

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

We have filed multiple claims with Aon and have no complaints. 
 

No insurance agency is going to gave an adjuster dedicated to just your claim. 

 

Be patient and your claim will be paid. 

Thanks for your response.

 

I’m not sure I expected a dedicated adjuster.

 

Actually, my request  was for recommendations for other travel insurance providers that others had better claims experiences with for my future travel.

 

How patient should we be. 4 weeks? 8 weeks?A year? Our cruise when we had the medical event was in April 2022. It’s now February 2023.  
 

We’ve paid AON for about 20 cruises. We paid for all of them in full and on time. It’s reasonable to expect the same.

 

I’m glad you’ve had a positive experience with them. We have not and it’s thousands of dollars in medical and trip costs we had to pay at the time.

[RBKL]

3 hours ago, SherriZ366 said:

Lots of good advice and insight

Agree. I appreciate all the great recommendations. I believe we’ve found better alternative options.

[bmblob]

On 2/10/2023 at 2:32 PM, CruiseMomTX said:

Has anyone had any luck with a Yearly Primary Insurance Plan?  We take multiple cruises a year now that we are back to cruising and it would be nice to just have to buy one plan.

We used individual trip insurance in past years but in the last two years have gotten the annual AllTripsPremier Plan from Allianz Travel Insurance.  This is very much worth it if you travel at least 2-3 times or more a year over individual trip coverage.  Most important is actually the evacuation costs should you need medical/emergency transportation back home when aboard.  Most health insurance will not cover that cost.

 

We did have a trip interruption claim last year and were compensated within two months of filing the claim.  More than made up for several years of annual plan fees.  So very much worked out for us.  But I hope we don't have to make any/many more claims at all.

 

Have not used the RCI cruise line coverage which would be more like the individual trip policies, the coverage of which is based upon the costs of cruise/travel.

 

Lots of websites are available to explain the wisdoms of travel insurance.  

[Jasukkie]

5 hours ago, LadyZolt said:

We always get a Medjet Assist policy.  As soon as you are stable enough to travel, they will take you to whatever hospital you want, from anywhere in the world that you are.  Most travel policies will do what you said -- take you to the closest "adequate" place for treatment.  If you want to go to your own hospital, get a Medjet Assist policy. 

The purchased insurance seemed to include that, something like $100,000 to cover medical evacuation home, which they did eventually provide. They just preferred to wait longer hoping they would just be able to have him fly commercial. I can't imagine not having that insurance, it would have been a financial disaster.

[LadyZolt]

On 2/11/2023 at 8:13 PM, Jasukkie said:

The purchased insurance seemed to include that, something like $100,000 to cover medical evacuation home, which they did eventually provide. They just preferred to wait longer hoping they would just be able to have him fly commercial. I can't imagine not having that insurance, it would have been a financial disaster.

Medjet would have flown the patient home as soon as the patient was capable of it whether they had to use a commercial flight or if they had to use a special medical flight just for that person and a companion.  That's the service Medjet provides.  

 

Everyone needs to look carefully at their policies.  Many of them do say that they will take the patient to the nearest hospital that can meet the patient's needs.  That isn't the same as taking the patient back to their hometown hospital.  This is not something you want to be arguing with someone about when you're in Yokohama and they want to take your companion to Tokyo and your companion would rather go to their home in the US because they don't speak fluent Japanese.  Medjet gets you home.

[shellunderwater]

On 2/9/2023 at 11:42 PM, RBKL said:

Had a medical emergency on an April sailing of the Wonder of the Seas.

 

Ships medical staff was amazing and exceptionally quick. We were disembarked in Cozumel for follow up. Doing great now but the insurance process is unreal.

 

Still waiting for AON to cover our expenses. Can’t get the status. Every few weeks we get a request for the same info we have submitted multiple times. Seems like a delaying tactic. I asked to speak to management but nobody returns calls. I reach out on line for updates but nobody responds even though the sight says they will within 1 business day.

 

We need to find a better travel insurance provider for future travel.

 

Looking for feedback from people who have made a travel insurance claim and received prompt service. Not looking for the cheapest policy, just one that when we need to make a claim will be responsive, provide the current status and pay on claims.

 

We have several cruises planned across several lines and they all seem to use AON. We need to find a new provider with better service.

 

 

 

First, contact agent,website, whomever you bought thru.    Next, contact your state's insurance department Complaint department.  Insurance companies are required to act in good faith when adjudication claims.  Your dept of insurance can help move things along and get calla returned.