Question on tripmate

[deec]

I am too lazy to read the policy right now so will ask here knowing I will verify for myself.   Does the Trip Mate insurance offered by Viking include  "bankruptcy" coverage?  I have been following the Vantage Travel debacle and many are learning they have no coverage for the bankruptcy.  I checked with a USAA policy we purchased and it does NOT cover bankruptcy ( it did before Covid) so I will have to purchase an upgraded policy the next trip we insure.

 

For those who use Viking's Trip Mate coverage how do you cover pre/post days that are NOT part of the included cruise/or Viking's pre/post?  Will Trip Mate sell extra days?

[Paul73]

Deec: The Tripmate summary mentions you're not covered for a loss due to "financial insolvency."  When you read the detailed policy on-line you find:  "FINANCIAL INSOLVENCY means the total cessation or complete suspension of operations due to insolvency, with or without the filing of a bankruptcy petition, whether voluntary or involuntary, by a tour operator, cruise line, airline, rental car company, hotel, condominium, railroad, motor coach company, or other supplier of travel services which is duly licensed in the jurisdiction of operation."

So Tripmate does not cover bankrupcy.

To simplify travel insurance I buy an annual policy from Allianz.  It covers travel before, during and after a cruise.  Max reimbursement is selectable up to $15k per person (covers spouse, too).  More than adequate for a river cruise.  I purchase a supplement for a higher cost cruise if I'm not willing to risk the difference between cost of the cruise and insurance coverage.

[deec]

Paul73...thanks for doing my "reading" for me.  I will look into a "yearly" policy.

[formernuke]

Deec- I noted that you have USAA travel insurance. I have all my insurance through them but didn't even realize they do that! I don't see an easy way to look at their policy without going through the whole "get a quote" hassle. What is your general impression: is the coverage good and cost comparable to others you've looked at?

[deec]

16 hours ago, formernuke said:

Deec- I noted that you have USAA travel insurance. I have all my insurance through them but didn't even realize they do that! I don't see an easy way to look at their policy without going through the whole "get a quote" hassle. What is your general impression: is the coverage good and cost comparable to others you've looked at?

There are different levels of coverage with UsAA.  Some options have changed recently that I was not aware of ( not covering bankruptcy on the lower cost package) that is my own fault for assuming it was the same. Even the agent was surprised when she went searching for bankruptcy coverage.  I find the on-line booking process very counter- intuitive so I always call to get get quotes or purchase.  I had a small medical claim $125 from a land trip to Mexico and it was covered quickly.  We had a very large cancellation claim because of a health issue with TRIPMATE through Viking that took at least  90 days to process.  Both required detailed information.  TRIPMATE did eventually cover the costs except for the large voucher that paid for part of the trip.  Viking thankfully did re-instate the voucher that we are using for an upcoming cruise.

 

USAA has consistently been less expensive for better coverage until this year, we turned 73 and the premiums seem to be a bit more than Viking.  USAA"s lower cost packages do not have "cancel for any reason" and do not cover vouchers.  USAA lets you insure just your deposit to get the "pre-existing condition" coverage and then increase it when making full payment.  They were great when we had to cancel  3 trips during covid and refunded our money.  The agents have all been helpful.

 

 

[formernuke]

Thanks for the info!

[JM0115]

I see and have been told that Tripmate will now cover the monetary value of vouchers used to purchase a cruise.  

 

"Coverage We will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule, for Trip Cancellation Covered Expenses, i..... the monetary value of your travel voucher that you redeemed for your Trip."

 

This is for trip cancelation and for trip interruption. However, will Tripmate cover the vouchers used if you cancel for any reason? I do not see this in the T&C's. 

[flare3192]

I personally like the trip insurance store. You always get the same people when you call and they know their stuff.

 

I am most concerned about medical issues when I am away. So, for me, having primary medical coverage with high limits is important. Once I have paid for my trip, the money is gone. Sure if I can't go it would be nice to get my money back but what matters more to me is not to have a huge unexpected expense. So I always insure the minimum -- which is $500 a person--as soon as I make a payment. It gives me peace of mind. Then I can increase it as I want to -- If I pay $10,000 for the trip I decide to insure all of it or perhaps half of it or somewhere in between. I know that my medical is covered no matter what. And since my husband is 10 years younger his cost is less so I may cover his 100% and mine 50% and be willing to leave something on the table if I can't go. Sometimes I increase it over time -- Add $3,000 one month and then $3,000 another month to help even out the cash flow.

 

There are a lot of companies that require you to have covered everything in order to waive the preexisting conditions coverage but they have some that do not require you cover everything.

 

It is a personal decision -- how much are you willing to lose if you can't go for what would be a covered reason. 

[dd57]

4 hours ago, JM0115 said:

I see and have been told that Tripmate will now cover the monetary value of vouchers used to purchase a cruise.  

 

"Coverage We will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule, for Trip Cancellation Covered Expenses, i..... the monetary value of your travel voucher that you redeemed for your Trip."

 

This is for trip cancelation and for trip interruption. However, will Tripmate cover the vouchers used if you cancel for any reason? I do not see this in the T&C's. 

The CFAR coverage is provided by Viking, not Tripmate, which is why the Tripmate T&Cs don't address it.   You need to ask Viking this question.

[Babr]

5 hours ago, JM0115 said:

I see and have been told that Tripmate will now cover the monetary value of vouchers used to purchase a cruise.  

 

"Coverage We will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule, for Trip Cancellation Covered Expenses, i..... the monetary value of your travel voucher that you redeemed for your Trip."

 

This is for trip cancelation and for trip interruption. However, will Tripmate cover the vouchers used if you cancel for any reason? I do not see this in the T&C's. 

The key words “covered reasons” suggest it does not cover CFAR situations; nevertheless, I’d ask to be sure.

 

I’d also ask if “monetary value” means the amount you actually paid as cruise fare or does it also include the value of any bonus, incentive, or goodwill vouchers granted by the cruise line. Third-party policies do not insure excess value. Does TripMate?

[JM0115]

13 hours ago, dd57 said:

The CFAR coverage is provided by Viking, not Tripmate, which is why the Tripmate T&Cs don't address it.   You need to ask Viking this question.

The person I spoke to at Viking did not know the answer. Will call again next week to see if someone else knows the answer. Unfortunately, the person I spoke to gave me incorrect information about the policy in general. She was very nice but was not fully informed about Tripmate.

[LindaS272]

What do the Tripmate documents (or website) say? You’re not going to be able to rely on anything a Viking rep tells you.

[dd57]

12 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

What do the Tripmate documents (or website) say? You’re not going to be able to rely on anything a Viking rep tells you.

The Insurance docs you get from Viking clearly state that the coverage is in two parts:  CFAR provided by Viking (and you get the money back in the form of a Viking voucher); and trip interruption, delay, medical, provided by Tripmate.  

[JM0115]

38 minutes ago, dd57 said:

The Insurance docs you get from Viking clearly state that the coverage is in two parts:  CFAR provided by Viking (and you get the money back in the form of a Viking voucher); and trip interruption, delay, medical, provided by Tripmate.  

I have read the terms and conditions of Tripmate. It is absolutely true the it is in two parts but for CFAR it does not clearly state whether or not the monetary value of the vouchers used to purchase the cruise is covered. For a covered reason, for cancelation or trip interruption, it DOES clearly state that the monetary value of the voucher is covered. How do I obtain written confirmation for the CFAR to cover the monetary value of the voucher?

[JM0115]

8 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

I have read the terms and conditions of Tripmate. It is absolutely true the it is in two parts but for CFAR it does not clearly state whether or not the monetary value of the vouchers used to purchase the cruise is covered. For a covered reason, for cancelation or trip interruption, it DOES clearly state that the monetary value of the voucher is covered. How do I obtain written confirmation for the CFAR to cover the monetary value of the voucher?

Upon further review of the T&C for Tripmate:

 

1) For CFAR, it clearly states that "The maximum amount covered under this “Cancel For Any Reason” Waiver is Your Trip Cost. Trip Cost is defined as “Trip Cost” means the amount you paid for your Trip.

 

2) For Trip Cancelation (for a covered reason such as illness) it states: 

 

Coverage We will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule, for Trip Cancellation Covered Expenses, if you are prevented from taking your Trip due to any of the Unforeseen Covered Events listed below. ... 1. forfeited, prepaid, non-refundable, and non-refunded published Payments that you paid for your unused Trip. Should you elect to reschedule your Trip instead of cancelling, in lieu of covering these expenses we will pay for Change Fees charged by your Travel Supplier; 2. the monetary value of your travel voucher that you redeemed for your Trip

 

So, if you go by what is clearly states it would not cover the monetary value of your travel voucher for CFAR but would for Trip Cancelation. And as others have stated, you need to go by what it states in writing and not what anyone at Viking tells me.

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, dd57 said:

The Insurance docs you get from Viking clearly state that the coverage is in two parts:  CFAR provided by Viking (and you get the money back in the form of a Viking voucher); and trip interruption, delay, medical, provided by Tripmate.  

 

In all the Viking cruises we booked and had to use Tripmate, Viking only provided a summary document of the insurance coverage. To get the full T&C, I had to visit the Tripmate website and enter Viking's Policy Plan Number to download the policy document.