trip insurance feedback

Looking for feedback (good & bad) of using trip insurance. I always buy it for general reasons, but now my mother isn't in the best of health and I need to be able to cancel if she goes in the hospital, needs my help or you know the other reason. I'm not sure if theses are covered reasons to cancel or if I should get the cancel for any reason. I have a few companies in mind but would like to get advice before buying.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Same situation. I usually don't purchase but because of my mom's situation going to have to this cruise.

Only bought it once, for a flight, not a cruise. When my plans changed, it proved to be a huge pain in the rear to document that I had legit reasons for canceling my trip.

My advice: if you feel the need to buy it, buy it. BUT, before you leave, research exactly what you need to document to cash it in. You will probably need some validation from the physician, airline, travel agent, and who knows what else. Print whatever forms you need in advance, check in with all the parties involved, and have a plan ready-to-go if your trip goes south.

If that sounds like a giant hassle, it is. That's exactly why I opted to just lose the money on my flight and insurance rather than jump through the hoops. When you're dealing with a family crisis, sometimes you'd rather let the little things slide. That's why my advice is to line up your documentation NOW, while your head is clear.

Our parents are now deceased, but we always took insurance with either Travel Safe or Allianz as they aged. Good thing too. We had to file a claim with Travel Safe when my Mom ended up in ICU for 13 days, for a procedure that was supposed to have her go home the same afternoon. We never dreamed we'd have to miss a cruise over surgery on a toe!

We filed a claim with Allianz when my Dad had a stroke 2 days before we were to depart. Both of the claims were paid promptly after we filed the paperwork.

Just understand that you will have to get their doctors to fill out the forms and/or get copies of the hospital records. Luckily, I had taken them to the doctor many times and knew the office staff, so I was able to get the information and get the forms completed pretty quickly.

Thanks for the feedback. Did you have to have "Cancel for any reason" or just regular coverage? Also, would you recommend one over the other?

Because DH is a veteran, we use USAA for our trip insurance. It has the best prices for vets & their families and, because of our age (both in our 60's), we find it necessary. You just never know.

To answer your question about "Cancel for Any Reason," no that isn't necessary unless you think a reason to cancel that isn't covered by the travel insurance might come up. If you are concerned about preexisting conditions being a problem, make sure you purchase the insurance within the window that your preferred provider offers for waiver of preexisting conditions. I'm not going to recommend a provider, but as someone who has had to cancel 3 of our 4 last booked cruises, I can tell you that Travel Safe requires less documentation than Travel Guard, should you have to file a claim. I switched to them for that very reason. I felt the amount of medical records Travel Guard was asking for was above and beyond what is necessary, and getting doctors to sign papers in a timely manner and doctor's offices to provide records in a timely manner can be a headache. Both companies paid up for us though. We just had to jump through more hoops with Travel Guard. Travel Guard, in my experience, is a bit cheaper though, so they have that going for them. At least that was the case a couple of years ago. I didn't check prices at Travel Guard this time, so I can't say with certainty if that is still the case.

Looking for feedback (good & bad) of using trip insurance. I always buy it for general reasons, but now my mother isn't in the best of health and I need to be able to cancel if she goes in the hospital, needs my help or you know the other reason. I'm not sure if theses are covered reasons to cancel or if I should get the cancel for any reason. I have a few companies in mind but would like to get advice before buying.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

Most insurance companies cover medical problems of immediate family for trip cancellation. Medical certifications though are required which may take time to secure. This may be better that cancellation for any reason where my insurance, Travel Insured, reimburses only 75% of your prepaid and non-refundable trip cost, and your policy is purchased with 21 days of initial deposit

If this is a situation of a pre-existing condition, your travel insurance may or may not cover if you have to cancel. It depends on the lookback period and if you purchased early enough to obtain a waiver of pre-existing conditions.

I suggest you check out various policies on InsureMyTrip. com. If you have a question regarding coverage, they will answer your questions by phone, email or live chat.

Thanks everyone for your help! I contacted an agent that was mentioned in another thread and got a policy with Travel Safe.

Nice to know.

I suggest you check out various policies on InsureMyTrip. com. If you have a question regarding coverage, they will answer your questions by phone, email or live chat.

I agree. More choices are better.