TRAVEL INSURANCE RECOMMENDATIONS OTHER THAN TRIPMATE

[Insanityx4]

We are not fans of Viking's travel insurance. Especially now that they only gives cash refunds if cancellation is for medical reasons, otherwise a voucher.

I'm sure this has been discussed many times in the past but I am looking for recommendations for an insurance company that people have used, are reasonably priced, and that they are happy with. Thanks!

Edited April 1 by Insanityx4

[Mike07]

Insure My Trip.com is an option some YTers recommend. They allow you to cross shop your needs with multiple providers.

 

I don't know if they take a commission on a policy if you buy it through their site.

 

I personally have an annual travel insurance policy. Though, coverage is capped at $5,000 per year (total) if I need to cancel a trip for a covered reason. Considering most Viking trips are >$5,000 for two people, this may not work for you. But, an annual policy is much cheaper than buying for every individual trip.

[Peregrina651]

InsureMyTrip.com

 

They are a broker but you can compare prices.

 

Personally, we have been using TravelGuard for years. 

[LindaS272]

https://tripinsurancestore.com
Steve at the Trip Insurance Store comes highly recommended by many CC users and Viking cruisers. We have done our own insurance bookings for years but just recently started consulting with Steve for nuances on our insurance needs.

 

He has a Q&A on CC from a couple of years ago. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2558-qa-cruise-insurance-with-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-janfeb-22/

Edited April 1 by LindaS272

[SantaFe1]

And we use Aardvark—“Aardy”.  Recommended by AARP, we have used them for years.  Again, they are a broker, and you can compare insurance policies online. Their agents are just so helpful!

Edited April 1 by SantaFe1

[CCWineLover]

We've used tripinsured.com before but over the past 4 years, we've gone with Steve Dassios at TheTripInsuranceStore.  Linda posted the details a couple posts ahead of me (#4).

 

[miami mama]

If you are a member of Emergency Assistance Plus (emergency medical transportation services) you also can get access to TripInsure Plus. Rates beat anything else we have ever had and the emergency services is something that may be needed as we get up there in years. 

[May B]

4 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

https://tripinsurancestore.com
Steve at the Trip Insurance Store comes highly recommended by many CC users and Viking cruisers. We have done our own insurance bookings for years but just recently started consulting with Steve for nuances on our insurance needs.

 

He has a Q&A on CC from a couple of years ago. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2558-qa-cruise-insurance-with-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-janfeb-22/

Steve also has many useful articles addressing various trip insurance questions, on the web site.

[Cienfuegos]

my wife and I used Allianz Global Travel on our last planned trip.  We had to cancel due to medical issues.  Very pleased with the prompt and full settlement, in cash.

 

After our earlier unpleasant experience with TripMate, we had our ducks (medical statements, etc) nicely lined up for the Allianz claims process.

[Baron Barracuda]

We rely on the folks at Insuremytrip.  Many policies appear identical but the fine print can reveal large differences.  

 

Another problem we ran into with Tripmate was when we attempted to cancel and rebook we had to forfeit our Tripmate policy on the original booking and purchase a new one for the replacement.  Attempted to switch the policy to another reservation but was told we could not.  Other carriers allow you to transfer policy to new sailing.

[Insanityx4]

Thanks for all of your input and information. We found a plan through Travel Insured International that has really good benefits including $500,000 medical evacuation and Repatriation of Remains for much less than Viking's Tripmate and a lot more benefits. It's called FlexiPax. We used Travel Insured International on our last cruise when we got rained out in Ft. Lauderdale (flooded runway) at the end of the cruise for two days and had to fly out of Miami. They covered pretty much all of our added expenses. Our travel agent gave me a quote for them for our upcoming trip that was about the same cost as Tripmate so I started doing my own research and found FlexiPax! We are going to go with that plan and save almost $400!

Edited April 2 by Insanityx4

[OUBaylor1]

3 hours ago, Insanityx4 said:

Thanks for all of your input and information. We found a plan through Travel Insured International that has really good benefits including $500,000 medical evacuation and Repatriation of Remains for much less than Viking's Tripmate and a lot more benefits. It's called FlexiPax. We used Travel Insured International on our last cruise when we got rained out in Ft. Lauderdale (flooded runway) at the end of the cruise for two days and had to fly out of Miami. They covered pretty much all of our added expenses. Our travel agent gave me a quote for them for our upcoming trip that was about the same cost as Tripmate so I started doing my own research and found FlexiPax! We are going to go with that plan and save almost $400!

This is the travel insurance company that we have gone with for years through USAA.  They are the best!

[Insanityx4]

The FlexiPax plan is not offered on the USAA website even though they carry Travel Insured International. I was able to find it through Travel Insurance Center.com. I was looking for quotes and they contacted me. You won't find it on the Travel Insured International website either because of the huge discount. I purchased it today and it immediately showed up in my Travel Insured International account!

Edited April 2 by Insanityx4

[CCWineLover]

On 4/2/2024 at 11:56 AM, Insanityx4 said:

Thanks for all of your input and information. We found a plan through Travel Insured International that has really good benefits including $500,000 medical evacuation and Repatriation of Remains for much less than Viking's Tripmate and a lot more benefits. It's called FlexiPax. We used Travel Insured International on our last cruise when we got rained out in Ft. Lauderdale (flooded runway) at the end of the cruise for two days and had to fly out of Miami. They covered pretty much all of our added expenses. Our travel agent gave me a quote for them for our upcoming trip that was about the same cost as Tripmate so I started doing my own research and found FlexiPax! We are going to go with that plan and save almost $400!

This is who Steve Dassios put us onto in 2024.  They are offering some good plans now as you discovered (Travel Insured International FlexiPax).   One big benefit is they are good up to 3 years out and you can transfer from the original cruise to a new one at no charge as long as the new one is 3 years or less from the date you put the insurance deposit down.  Flexible is right!

[Insanityx4]

58 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

This is who Steve Dassios put us onto in 2024.  They are offering some good plans now as you discovered (Travel Insured International FlexiPax).   One big benefit is they are good up to 3 years out and you can transfer from the original cruise to a new one at no charge as long as the new one is 3 years or less from the date you put the insurance deposit down.  Flexible is right!

Didn't know the 3 year part. I did find the information from Steve however.

[FetaCheese]

Purchased Travel Insured Intl, Flexipax from Steve.  Only available thru brokers.  Plan covers up to 30 days only.  

 

Also have purchased IMG, from Steve.  Also a nice plan.

 

(There is a CC page for Travel Insurance -- that's where I found many recommendations for TIS, Steve.)

Edited April 4 by FetaCheese

[rbslos18]

The two best resources for insurance are the Cruise Critic Insurance board and Trip Insurance Store’s website. It’s not the most modern but it has great info.

Getting a solid policy is the easy part. I have found the most challenging part is getting help with claims. Smaller companies spend most of their time selling policies and may not be willing or available to service claims. I would suggest finding a company that has staffing to assist with claims which can be an unnerving process. Some of the favorites mentioned are great in selling good policies but unavailable to assist in the claims process. 

Edited April 4 by rbslos18

[longterm]

On 4/1/2024 at 4:28 PM, Peregrina651 said:

Personally, we have been using TravelGuard for years. 

Us too. Easy to book; fortunately, we haven't had to actually file a claim, so I don't know how their resolutions go--probably no better than most insurance companies.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

52 minutes ago, longterm said:

Us too. Easy to book; fortunately, we haven't had to actually file a claim, so I don't know how their resolutions go--probably no better than most insurance companies.

 

 

 

We claimed against the insurance in 2007 for a cellphone dropped and subsequently stolen.  No problems.  Filed claim; received our check.  But that was a long time ago and it was a small claim.  The insurance company is still way ahead in the relationship -- we've paid them way more than they have paid us. 

[mort&fran]

We, too, have used TravelGuard for many years. Have had numerous claims with them (including a heart attack at sea requiring treatment on-board the ship, a hospital stay and surgery in Argentina, a hotel stay for my wife, and one-way business class airfare back home for the two of us). We always had acceptable service and never had a problem. HOWEVER, I read EVERYTHING before embarking and make sure to keep every receipt and follow policy requirements. (Remember, insurance companies are in business to make money. Like all industries, some businesses treat customers better than others.)

 

Used TripMate once, because they were so much cheaper; will never again. Two of the aggravations: (1) They require copies of the original receipts (electronic receipts were not accepted). (2) The charges were in euros. I gave them the original receipts and the credit card statement which showed, for each item, the conversion and the dollar amount I incurred. TripMate, I found out when I appealed that their reimbursement was $300 less than what we had incurred, used a different euro/dollar conversion rate and have stuck with it.

[rjp50]

We rely on our Chase Sapphire Reserve  credit card for our basic cancellation/interruption coverage.  They cover up to $10,000 per person.  The price of the card seems expensive at $550 per year.  However, they rebate $300 each year for travel-related expenses so the net cost is only $250.  This saves us thousands each year in travel insurance costs.  On top of that it comes with Priority Pass lounge access which makes airport waits much more comfortable and with free food and drinks saves even more money.  Add that to the free air travel that comes with the points that accumulate quite fast, it makes the $250 charge a no-brainer.

 

Their medical and evacuation coverage is not overly generous, but we buy a supplemental policy usually from Insuremytrip.com that has zero trip cancellation/interruption coverage but offers plenty of medical and evacuation coverage.  This supplemental policy is dirt cheap since most of the cost of a full coverage policy is in the cancellation and interruption component.

[FetaCheese]

On 4/4/2024 at 9:00 AM, FetaCheese said:

Purchased Travel Insured Intl, Flexipax from Steve.  Only available thru brokers.  Plan covers up to 30 days only.  

 

Also have purchased IMG, from Steve.  Also a nice plan.

 

(There is a CC page for Travel Insurance -- that's where I found many recommendations for TIS, Steve.)

Correction to above:

 

Flexipax plan from Travel Insured covers trip up to 180 days (in Pennsylvania).

 

Sorry for prior misinformation.