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When to purchase trip insurance, and how much?


rpmljm
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When should I purchase trip insurance...right after I make the initial deposit, or when final payment is due? Would the look-back period for PEC be counted back from whenever I purchase?

 

Also, the price for the cruise for the 2 of us is $2,200. Can I round that total down to $2,000 if I am fine with only getting back $2,000 if we need to cancel? The extra $200 hikes up the premium quite a bit.

 

Thanks!

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Many policies make it advantageous to book trip insurance within a certain number of days (approximately 10) of the date you place the initial deposit for the cruise. This is especially important if you need coverage for pre-existing conditions though there are some policies, including the one that we've purchased, that provides coverage for pre-existing conditions as long as you are able to travel on the date of your final payment.

 

Again with regard to coverage for pre-existing conditions, and for other aspects as well I'm sure, you are supposed to round up rather than round down. Some coverage explicitly requires that you obtain insurance coverage for the "total cost" of the trip not some lesser amount. I generally play with the calculator a bit find the top of the range that my total cost is in and actually declare that amount just in case I have a few extra expenses that could fit into that. It saves me a call to the insurance broker to raise the limit a bit more.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

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When should I purchase trip insurance...right after I make the initial deposit, or when final payment is due? Depends on your health, what may or may not happen between now and when you do purchase, whether you will see the doctor before final payment or have Pre - Existing conditions. Would the look-back period for PEC be counted back from whenever I purchase? Yes

 

Also, the price for the cruise for the 2 of us is $2,200. Can I round that total down to $2,000 if I am fine with only getting back $2,000 if we need to cancel? The extra $200 hikes up the premium quite a bit. You can, sure. Just be aware you won't cover PEC if you do. (But you won't cover those if you wait until final payment, either).

Thanks!

See responses in red; it all depends on what coverage you want.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Yes, include all of your trip expenses.
Well, no. Include all of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses. I think the question was whether prepaid tips counts as nonrefundable. I do know that you should include your prepaid excursions, since if your personal circumstances (perhaps a medical issue) prompt you to miss the excursion, those expenses are nonrefundable at that point. However, prepaid tips are different, and I don't know the answer for whether they should be considered prepaid, nonrefundable expenses. And couldn't find the answer when I looked. Obviously, for trip cancellation they wouldn't be considered nonrefundable; if you cancel the trip, then the cruise line will refund your prepaid tips. I'm not sure about other circumstances, though, i.e., if you embark, how are prepaid tips handled in case of a medical emergency mid-trip, for example. I don't know.
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  • 1 month later...

You call from whom you purchased the insurance and have them increase the total cost of your policy, for each nonrefundable payment you make. Some will result in an increase in the premium and you'll need to pay the difference.

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

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When you place your deposit you ideally want to book the insurance as most policies require paying for it within two to three weeks if you have a pre-existing condition.

 

Do call the company as some companies allow you to pay just a little based on the deposit and then pay the rest at final payment time. But do check with them.

 

Often we do not insure the entire trip and that has been fine. Again check with them but that is what we do. We view it like a deductible on your home and/or automobile. We understand if something goes wrong we would only get the amount back that we insured but we also understood it keeps the premium lower.

 

Keith

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In addition to coverage for pre-existing conditions, many of the policies offering Cancel For Any Reason also have to be purchased sooner.

 

If these are not benefits covered by the policy or they are not needed, many policies can be purchased as late as the day before departure.

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Some of the airline mileage cards that you pay extra for, carry basic travel insurance (not medical insurance). We have a chase united airlines explorer card and when our granddaughter had an emergency appendectomy a week before our cruise, the insurance on the card paid us her and her parent’s fares.

We pay $100 a year for the card and we received about $2700 back - a darn good benefit.

Just be sure you know what the credit card insurance will and will not cover.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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