Does anyone have Annual Travel Insurance?

[gooch47]

Someone mentioned buying travel insurance for the whole year vs. for each trip.

 

I did a Google search and found some but wondered if anyone had good words about a certain plan.

[eandj]

I would use..... insuremytrip.com or tripinsurancestore.com and compare all your choices, as well as watching for answers here.

Good luck.

[Melissa401]

Depending on your needs:

 

If you do not need trip cancellation coverage then I would suggest an Annual Travel Insurance Plan (Mulit-Trip Medical Plan).

This type of plan does not include trip cancellation insurance and is mainly for travel medical and emergency medical evacuation coverage.

 

If you need or want trip cancellation coverage, then you would have to purchase the insurance for each individual trip.

These individual travel insurance policies (Package Plans) also include medical and evacuation coverage.

There is no way to remove the medical and evacuation coverage if it is not needed.

[gooch47]

Knock wood, we are fairly healthy, so trip cancellation is actually just as important to us as health care.

 

It sounds like buying for the individual trips makes more sense.

[cruzincurt]

"Knock wood, we are fairly healthy, so trip cancellation is actually just as important to us as health care."

 

We buy insurance strictly for the medical evacuation. I can deal with a $300 doctor's visit, a $25,000 air evacuation not.

[KAYEF]

I just got online to begin a new thread but perhaps my question can be covered here.

I've read that people use their GOOD SAM EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE for medical and evacuation when outside the U.S. so they only need to purchase trip cancellation insurance (which I've always purchased from insuremytrip.com)

Advice from those who've used GOOD SAM?

It's available to those of us who are GOOD SAM members (R.Vers ).

It's only $79 per year or $99. for the entire family.

Regarding "trip cancellation" YOU NEVER KNOW. Just because you're healthy doesn't mean you won't be thrown a curve. We were six weeks from a cruise and on a routine x-ray a tiny tumor was found on my husband. He ended up having lung cancer (quit smoking 16 years ago) and we had to cancel the trip.

I also have a 96 year old mother.

What I'm saying is, we'd never travel withough trip cancellation................something can happen to anyone at any time.

Thanks to any who have advice regarding the GOOD SAM travel evacuation, etc.:)

[Mydnite]

It ma be different over here in the UK, but I have an annual policy and it covers trip cancellation.

[fenreed]

Well here's a salutory tale! We booked our forthcoming Christmas cruise more than 18 months ago. We have an annual insurance that we renew every year. When we renew, the insurance company insist that we reveal any new problems that have surfaced. In our case, my wife had developed a severe gall bladder problem necessitating its removal. She was on the hospital waiting list, but of course we are talking UK here!

 

I informed the insurance company, result, not now insured! (and by the way, in the UK, if you don't divvy up any info like that, they will not pay up anyway if you get a problem)

 

So, we had the choice of cancelling and loosing several thousand pounds or taking the risk and just cruising regardless.

 

This last week I had a low-flying illegal drive to the Accident and Emergency unit and my wife is now without her gall bladder after emergency surgery.

 

Now, that would not have been a very good idea if we'd have been half way aroung the Bay of Biscay when it flared up.

 

The moral to this story (in the UK) for long awaited or very costly trips, pay for your holiday up front, buy insurance to cover that actual trip at the same time and forget about the cost of it!!

 

Even a couple of hundred pounds on a single trip insurance is worth a hell of a lot more that half of that amount on an annual policy with that many holes it that it leaks like a sieve!

 

Insurance companies, to use an American expression, SUCK big time! They eagerly take your money, but find every excuse to wriggle out of the deal when you are in trouble. Unfortunately, there's no way out. but don't take the risk. In the past, our son had an emergency appendicectomy in Cyprus many years ago, and we've were robbed of all of our holiday money at the start of a 14 day break in Turkey!

 

Insurance? Who needs it? Well...........you make your mind up!

 

Fenreed

[moosetracks17]

Hi all,

 

Double check with your home owners insurance. I have Allstate and when I travel, my cabin is my 'temporary dwelling' which means I am covered while on ship. This includes theft, fire, injury, etc. TRUST ME I did the research with my agent and went over every scenario..... I'm covered AND I dont have to pay any extra for 'travel insurance'.!!!!

 

Double check with your company!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

:D :) :D

[cruzincurt]

Can't wait until we have "Hillary care" where we will also get to wait in line for medical care. Better buy insurance.

[amaw]

We have annual insurance and had to use it for our cruise booked for September 2007 to the Carribean; this was due to an accident which I had on an impromptue holiday in June, our full deposit was refunded immediately. e have now booked Southern Carribean trip on Sea Princess in March 2008.

Well here's a salutory tale! We booked our forthcoming Christmas cruise more than 18 months ago. We have an annual insurance that we renew every year. When we renew, the insurance company insist that we reveal any new problems that have surfaced. In our case, my wife had developed a severe gall bladder problem necessitating its removal. She was on the hospital waiting list, but of course we are talking UK here!

 

I informed the insurance company, result, not now insured! (and by the way, in the UK, if you don't divvy up any info like that, they will not pay up anyway if you get a problem)

 

So, we had the choice of cancelling and loosing several thousand pounds or taking the risk and just cruising regardless.

 

This last week I had a low-flying illegal drive to the Accident and Emergency unit and my wife is now without her gall bladder after emergency surgery.

 

Now, that would not have been a very good idea if we'd have been half way aroung the Bay of Biscay when it flared up.

 

The moral to this story (in the UK) for long awaited or very costly trips, pay for your holiday up front, buy insurance to cover that actual trip at the same time and forget about the cost of it!!

 

Even a couple of hundred pounds on a single trip insurance is worth a hell of a lot more that half of that amount on an annual policy with that many holes it that it leaks like a sieve!

 

Insurance companies, to use an American expression, SUCK big time! They eagerly take your money, but find every excuse to wriggle out of the deal when you are in trouble. Unfortunately, there's no way out. but don't take the risk. In the past, our son had an emergency appendicectomy in Cyprus many years ago, and we've were robbed of all of our holiday money at the start of a 14 day break in Turkey!

 

Insurance? Who needs it? Well...........you make your mind up!

 

Fenreed

[milkymel007]

We have bought the Amex annual Travel insurance amd I think is around $400 for whole family and it's only cover medical. However, if you use you Amex Aeroplan to charge you trip, then they cover for all expenses due to flight delay or other transportation delay. Such as accomdation, meal that within the period of your next flight or other transport.

[Last Mango]

We have annual insurance that we purchased through the company that insures our home as well as our autos. They only offer the medical & cancellation trip insurance to people who have other insurance with them. We were able to pick an amount to be insured for if we have to cancel before leaving home. It wouldn't pay for a whole cruise but it would soften the blow. It's really more the out of country medical that we're interested in.

[camNaud]

It ma be different over here in the UK, but I have an annual policy and it covers trip cancellation.

 

Annual insurance in the UK makes sense. We have a 1 year policy for worldwide travel for both of us. This cost £59 / $125, which includes cancellation, medical, liability and cover for loss of baggage (limited). Tour companies in the UK provide their own insurance and the cost for 2 weeks usually works out more than the cost of the private policy.

[iamtrustworthy]

Someone mentioned buying travel insurance for the whole year vs. for each trip.

 

I did a Google search and found some but wondered if anyone had good words about a certain plan.

 

Hi gooch47,

 

As far as I know, the only Annual travel insurance plans you can buy if you are a US resident are either Flight Life Insurance (die in a plane crash) or Medical Insurance.

 

Neither of these choices includes trip cancellation, interruption or other common coverages.

 

Why is that?

 

Though I can't speak for the insurance companies, here's what I think is the reason why:

 

I don't think they have come up with a way to anticipate their claims experience for trip cancellation & interruption.

 

It's easier with the Annual Flight Life Insurance because as I tell people, "it only takes one event to make the policy pay".

 

Also, as I mentioned, you can get annual medical / health travel insurance plans. However, these plans won't cover any pre-exiting conditions. And in most cases their Lookback Period is more restrictive.

 

I hope this help you.

[PennyAgain]

I have annual travel insurance through my work, but it does NOT cover cruises or medical evacuation due to an accident or illness when I'm not working. Our home owners insurance gives us no coverage for travel at all.

 

When we traveled with my extremely elderly MIL she believed that Medicare covered her for everything everywhere. She ended up with a huge bill on her last cruise as she had heart related problems while on the ship.

 

I really wanted to say 'I told you so', but didn't.