Travel insurance, who do you use for trip interruptions etc

[gold1953]

6 hours ago, REDSTRIPETYPE said:

Definitely Costco Manulife.....way cheaper than AMA....Credit cards don't cover you at all if you are 65

My MBNA car covers us and we are over 65 . I have heard this from others so checked

[REDSTRIPETYPE]

Your card may cover some things for a certain amount of days if you are 65, however it doesn't cover it all. Maybe ask what changes for over 65 because there is difference better safe than sorry.

 

 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, REDSTRIPETYPE said:

Your card may cover some things for a certain amount of days if you are 65, however it doesn't cover it all. Maybe ask what changes for over 65 because there is difference better safe than sorry.

 

 

You can pay extra to add more days , the coverage is with is Allianz Global Assistance

[lx200gps]

3 hours ago, REDSTRIPETYPE said:

Your card may cover some things for a certain amount of days if you are 65, however it doesn't cover it all. Maybe ask what changes for over 65 because there is difference better safe than sorry.

 

 

Credit Card travel insurance probably varies with the card issuer, the "level" of card and doubtless other factors as well. I am actually waiting right now for a call back from the folks who run the TD travel insurance, to answer my questions re the coverage on my TD Visa Infinite Privilege card. According to the Product Summary, it appears that the only difference in coverage for this card once one hits 65 is the number of days it covers for each trip. Once over 65 you are limited to only the first four days coverage per trip, but all their documentation happily states that extra coverage is available at additional cost.  Once they call me back I'll find out just how expensive the added coverage will be.

[Human Tripod]

All this info is great, but the original poster specifically mentioned they have medical already, what they want to know about is the different trip interruption and maybe the trip cancellation policies out there……. 
 

[lots-of-km2]

5 hours ago, Human Tripod said:

what they want to know about is the different trip interruption and maybe the trip cancellation policies out there……. 

 

In case I wasn't specific enough, my recommendation for Manulife is for its trip interruption and cancellation insurance, and also for Manulife  out-of-Canada medical policies.  

 

The OP should also check whether there is trip interruption/cancellation and out of Canada medical coverage included on the credit card they used to pay for their trip, and if so, what the terms are.  

[d9704011]

12 hours ago, Human Tripod said:

All this info is great, but the original poster specifically mentioned they have medical already, what they want to know about is the different trip interruption and maybe the trip cancellation policies out there……. 
 

And here I thought the posts were remarkably close to being on-target compared to digressions I've seen elsewhere.

[lots-of-km2]

6 hours ago, d9704011 said:

And here I thought the posts were remarkably close to being on-target compared to digressions I've seen elsewhere.

It's no accident that this website is called CruiseCritic. 

[lots-of-km2]

On 9/10/2023 at 3:54 PM, Fouremco said:

Plus the 2% cash back I assume.

I can now confirm that there is no 2% cash back to Costco Executive Members for Manulife/Costco affiliated insurance.   The only Costco benefit conferred is preferential pricing.

[Fouremco]

44 minutes ago, lots-of-km2 said:

I can now confirm that there is no 2% cash back to Costco Executive Members for Manulife/Costco affiliated insurance.   The only Costco benefit conferred is preferential pricing.

OK, many thanks for the follow-up. 

[HMSDingy]

I got an online quote from RBC for interruption and cancellation for a reasonable price compared to the cost of other companies. Beware as some quotes will only cover interruptions and not cancellation as well. As a matter of fact, full coverage including medical & baggage allowance is still a pretty good price compared to others.

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by HMSDingy

[lots-of-km2]

Are there any Canadian insurance comparison websites that Cruise Critic posters would recommend  -- to get multiple quotes based on specific inputs (age, conditions, length of trip etc)?   

 

In the past, I've used ratesdotca  and  insuremytripdotca but neither seem to provide quotes from a lot of different companies. 

[JoyMBee]

1 hour ago, HMSDingy said:

I got an online quote from RBC for interruption and cancellation for a reasonable price compared to the cost of other companies. Beware as some quotes will only cover interruptions and not cancellation as well. As a matter of fact, full coverage including medical & baggage allowance is still a pretty good price compared to others.

 

That's who we bought from, I was happy with the price too.  We didn't need the medical.

[HMSDingy]

Just now, JoyMBee said:

That's who we bought from, I was happy with the price too.  We didn't need the medical.

My son works for RBC, I wonder if he can get us a discounted price.

[JoyMBee]

1 minute ago, HMSDingy said:

My son works for RBC, I wonder if he can get us a discounted price.

You can always try! 🙂

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, lots-of-km2 said:

Are there any Canadian insurance comparison websites that Cruise Critic posters would recommend  -- to get multiple quotes based on specific inputs (age, conditions, length of trip etc)?   

 

In the past, I've used ratesdotca  and  insuremytripdotca but neither seem to provide quotes from a lot of different companies. 

Googling "travel insurance quotes canada" turns up a few additional sites that will provide multiple quotes, but I've not checked them out to see if they provide any more than ratesdotca and insuremytripdotca. While more labour intensive, perhaps getting quotes through several of these websites will generate quotes from a broader range of insurance companies.

[latebuyer]

How does it work when you turn 80? My dad turns 80 next year on top of a preexisting medical condition. Is it harder to get insurance?

[JoyMBee]

1 hour ago, latebuyer said:

How does it work when you turn 80? My dad turns 80 next year on top of a preexisting medical condition. Is it harder to get insurance?

It could be more difficult, depending what the condition is.  I've found as we get older of course it is more expensive.

[yayoye]

Best Quote is a good broker for all kinds of travel insurance.  They have a website, but you can also phone them for a good walkthrough of the options and for any questions.  They offer insurance from a lot of different companies.  They are in Vancouver, but I live in Ontario and they have good knowledge of the Ontario situation so I assume they are good for any Canadian  resident.

[CDNPolar]

5 hours ago, yayoye said:

Best Quote is a good broker for all kinds of travel insurance.  They have a website, but you can also phone them for a good walkthrough of the options and for any questions.  They offer insurance from a lot of different companies.  They are in Vancouver, but I live in Ontario and they have good knowledge of the Ontario situation so I assume they are good for any Canadian  resident.

 

Would you share who they are?

 

We can talk about insurance companies, just not travel agents.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

33 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Would you share who they are?

 

We can talk about insurance companies, just not travel agents.

I think the company is called Best Quote 😁

it took me  awhile to figure it out 🤣
https://bestquotetravelinsurance.ca

Edited April 13 by Ex-Airbalancer

[yayoye]

Yes - sorry about not being clear enough and not posting a link.  You have the right company.  They are insurance brokers and can offer insurance from many different companies.  I like the fact that I can call them and talk to a knowledgeable human.

[Fairgarth]

Folks, don't get hung up on price.  My wife and I have been buying an annual medical travel insurance from the same company for thirty years and never had a claim.  Now I do.  I had to go to the medical centre on a cruise ship.  It has been more than five months since the claim was submitted.  I phone every month but I still don't know if they will pay out, when they will pay out or how much they will pay out.  I am not renewing with them.  Trying to find out which insurer will honour claims in a timely and decent manner is next to impossible.  All the discussions on the boards, including this one, are about price and coverage.   Can anybody shed light on satisfactory claims experience?

[CDNPolar]

7 hours ago, Fairgarth said:

Folks, don't get hung up on price.  My wife and I have been buying an annual medical travel insurance from the same company for thirty years and never had a claim.  Now I do.  I had to go to the medical centre on a cruise ship.  It has been more than five months since the claim was submitted.  I phone every month but I still don't know if they will pay out, when they will pay out or how much they will pay out.  I am not renewing with them.  Trying to find out which insurer will honour claims in a timely and decent manner is next to impossible.  All the discussions on the boards, including this one, are about price and coverage.   Can anybody shed light on satisfactory claims experience?

 

We had to cancel a trip that was to take place this last January because of a medical situation that popped up.

 

This was a land based tour but regardless the entire trip was in 16-17K range.

 

We had an annual plan with Blue Cross, but the insurance from the land tour company was so cheap we added that.  This was Arch insurance in the USA.

 

Submitted the required forms to Arch and the case was settled and paid out in a matter of weeks.  Never actually had a phone conversation with anyone - all done online.

 

Needed to deal with Blue Cross because the flights we purchased were not part of the land tour.  Same thing - submitted the same information we sent to Arch and in about 3 weeks without any human interaction we received a cheque in the mail.  I was amazed.  I was about to start to call because I could not find any decision or update online.  Then, the cheque arrived.

[CDNPolar]

Here is my new dilemma which is just for Interruption and Cancellation insurance on the annual plan from Blue Cross.

 

This annual plan has a max payout of $5K per person, BUT you can buy an additional add on plan for the amount above $5K if you wish.  This add on is done trip by trip.

 

Here are the challenges that I am still trying to get clarification on because I have a pre-existing condition:

 

The annual plan states, but is not clean in the policy language, but will be clarified if you speak to anyone the following:

 

For each trip, you must be able to demonstrate 3 months of stability against that pre-existing condition before any payment is made towards a non-refundable cost of the trip.

 

It is not about being "stable" when you buy the annual plan, but reestablishing that stability 90 days before each trip.  So if you are buying this plan to support several trips over the year, it may or may not be valuable.

 

I will be calling back to get a better clarification on this because this is the part that I don't understand.

 

We pay in full at 180 days.  Is my 3 months stability 3 months before paying, or is it 3 months before the first non-refundable cost of the trip that starts at 120 days out and is a sliding scale.

 

This could be a game changer and not cover you for the pre-existing condition when they keep imposing the condition again and again.

 

Now, they have clarified that I can still be covered for other unexpected events, but not for a pre-existing condition.