Booking With US Sites & US TA's

[cruiselover53]

Every collapse of a cruise ,or air line, is different.

 

When the R ships went under,

a message was sent out to all Captains,

to head for the nearest port

where they could disembark passengers,

send them down the gangway,

and wave goodbye to them.

 

Everyone was then on their own ,

to make their own arrangements.

 

Could you imagine sitting on Mystery Island and watching Pacific Dawn/Jewel disappear into the distance,with a storm brewing as high tide approached :eek:

[ging466]

Yes, that is what happen with Ansett. At the time I was working with a major US carrier and after 911, and Ansett collapse the all credit cards companies increased the payment period on them from next day settlement to 1 month settlement. This was so that they were not exposed so much should an airline go bankrupt.

Therefore when the charge was made by credit card the airline did not get the money for 1 month and hence they were holding millions of dollars from the airlines. As far as the consumer and airline were concern they had paid for the tickets and were able to travel, as all documentation the airline had was paid for by credit card. Michael

 

Ok, but u pay the cruiseline 2 months before cruising, they would be paid well and truly before u are to travel...say they go broke 2 weeks before u travel...u wud be screwed right? your insurance doesn't cover insolvency because u bought the cruise from a US TA.

 

In the case of R, u cud use the interruption to travel clause in yr insurance but would the insurance company say no, because u bought the cruise from a US TA?

 

I've posed these questions to insurance companies and no one seems to be able to answer them.

 

Cheers

ging466

[woodscruise]

Thinking logically, I would say the insurance company would not cover if you purchased a stand alone policy. However with some of the credit cards these days, they offer travel insurance when you purchase the majority of your fare on there cards. If you use the credit card, the travel agent does not use their merchant number, they use the cruise line / airline merchant number, so when the charge does go through it does not show the agents name or details only the cruise line / airline. So they would not know if you have purchase from a USTA or the cruise line directly through their website.

 

And further to my last post, yes the credit card companies did cover the cost of the Ansett collapse, and also the numerous airlines filing for bankrupcy in the US (chapter 9), as they claimed you did not get the service which you paid for, and apparently they became secured creditors in the liquidation filing.

 

Cheers

Michael

[ging466]

Thinking logically, I would say the insurance company would not cover if you purchased a stand alone policy. However with some of the credit cards these days, they offer travel insurance when you purchase the majority of your fare on there cards. If you use the credit card, the travel agent does not use their merchant number, they use the cruise line / airline merchant number, so when the charge does go through it does not show the agents name or details only the cruise line / airline. So they would not know if you have purchase from a USTA or the cruise line directly through their website. Cheers

Michael

 

Hi Michael

 

Thankx very much for this information. It makes sense to me. I will check the insurance provided by my credit card and read the fine print. Hopefully there won't be too many exclusions!

 

Merry Xmas to u!

 

Cheers

ging466

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

I am sure that you are covered for all travel purchased through your credit card if you have a credit card that offers insurance cover attached to that credit card.

 

Jillybean:)

[fishtaco]

I am pretty sure i read that if you pay by credit card you can claim a refund up to 3 months after payment!

 

This happened in Perth where an air carriers stopped flying and left holidaymakers without flights.

 

Not much cop when you concider most people book a cruise more than 12 weeks ahead!

 

 

Den

[ging466]

Yes, it's all very tricky. Let's face it, insurance companies will do their utmost NOT to pay u if things go bad.

 

I book 18 months in advance and I make part-payments depending on how the Aussie dollar is performing.

 

I'm going to print out the card company's insurance policy and go thru the fine print carefully.

 

Cheers

ging466

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

I am pretty sure i read that if you pay by credit card you can claim a refund up to 3 months after payment!

 

This happened in Perth where an air carriers stopped flying and left holidaymakers without flights.

 

Not much cop when you concider most people book a cruise more than 12 weeks ahead!

 

 

Den

 

Is that 3 months after the final payment is made?

 

Jillybean:)

[NSWP]

Apparently there is no Travel Agent Compo Fund in the USA to cover T/A's going bust and customers doing their dough, unlike the UK and Australia.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Just be aware that if you are paying for your cruise or any related travel on your credit card and using their insurance (usually only available on some gold and most platinum cards) then the principal card holder has to use their card to pay the bill. Not the secondary cardholder.

 

Which means that if the account is say, in the husbands name and the wife has the secondary card, he has to have the purchase on his card no. not hers. There has been cases where the insurance company has refused to pay because of this clause.

[ging466]

Just be aware that if you are paying for your cruise or any related travel on your credit card and using their insurance (usually only available on some gold and most platinum cards) then the principal card holder has to use their card to pay the bill. Not the secondary cardholder. Which means that if the account is say' date=' in the husbands name and the wife has the secondary card, he has to have the purchase on his card no. not hers. There has been cases where the insurance company has refused to pay because of this clause.[/quote']

 

Very interesting comment. This is exactly the kind of stuff that I wud expect an insurance company to do. It really is ridiculous because it's on the one account...I think I'll be spending tomorrow at work reading the terms & conditions fine print:eek:

 

Cheers

ging466

[The_Big_M]

Just be aware that if you are paying for your cruise or any related travel on your credit card and using their insurance (usually only available on some gold and most platinum cards) then the principal card holder has to use their card to pay the bill. Not the secondary cardholder.

 

Conditions vary by insurance company, and that does not apply to all credit cards - I'd actually be curious to know which it does apply to.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Conditions vary by insurance company, and that does not apply to all credit cards - I'd actually be curious to know which it does apply to.

 

The insurance company that is dealing with ANZ bank.

[ging466]

Well, I read all the fine print and I won't be covered if the cruiseline goes down the tubes.

 

First of all, for the insurance to be valid, you need to prove that all your frequent flyer points to buy your airline ticket came from your credit card company (in my case Citibank Platinum). I have 2 credit cards feeding my frequent flyer account - so that negates me straightaway:( from using the insurance.

 

Second, if you can prove the above, the insurance will only cover A$5,000 for financial insolvency/collapse of a licensed service provider. So if your cruise is way over this amount, that's all you get back.

 

So I'm just going to have to risk that the cruiseline doesn't go down the tubes and I will purchase separate insurance to cover medical emergency.

 

So, be aware that if you purchase your cruise from a US agent, you do have a bit of a problem with insurance!! And don't assume that your insurance will cover you, read the fine print!!

 

Cheers

ging466

[The_Big_M]

First of all, for the insurance to be valid, you need to prove that all your frequent flyer points to buy your airline ticket came from your credit card company (in my case Citibank Platinum). I have 2 credit cards feeding my frequent flyer account - so that negates me straightaway:( from using the insurance.

 

Second, if you can prove the above, the insurance will only cover A$5,000 for financial insolvency/collapse of a licensed service provider. So if your cruise is way over this amount, that's all you get back.

 

So I'm just going to have to risk that the cruiseline doesn't go down the tubes and I will purchase separate insurance to cover medical emergency.

 

So, be aware that if you purchase your cruise from a US agent, you do have a bit of a problem with insurance!! And don't assume that your insurance will cover you, read the fine print!!

 

I agree that you should read the fine print - however, that doesn't exclude card travel insurance as you point out.

 

For one thing, with the card you quote there is no requirement to prove " all your frequent flyer points to buy your airline ticket came from your credit card company ." The 'fine print' actually says that you had to transfer a minimum of 15,000 points to the FF program just beforehand - which is a far easier and readily provable requirement.

 

For your second point, the 'fine print' actually says that the coverage is A$5,000 per person. Again, for a cruise this is a frequently achievable threshold, although of course won't cover every possibility.

 

As such, the premise of your post is correct, but the actual example you gave opposes your conclusion! In the example you gave, it is actually quite likely that there would be no problem with that insurance.

 

As per the earlier post, there are generalisations being made that are inaccurate. No insurance (bought or inclusive) will cover you in every single situation for every single amount, so you should do your research.

[ging466]

For one thing, with the card you quote there is no requirement to prove " all your frequent flyer points to buy your airline ticket came from your credit card company ." The 'fine print' actually says that you had to transfer a minimum of 15,000 points to the FF program just beforehand - which is a far easier and readily provable requirement.

 

Sorry you are incorrect. The 15,000 points relates to Citibank Rewards Points, not Qantas Frequent Flyers. It clearly states that you have to prove that the points were transferred from Citibank to Qantas.

 

For your second point, the 'fine print' actually says that the coverage is A$5,000 per person. Again, for a cruise this is a frequently achievable threshold, although of course won't cover every possibility.

 

This might work for you but it doesn't for me. I'm outlaying close to $20k.

 

As I said in my earlier post, it doesn't work for me.

 

Card insurance might work for you but in my case it won't. There's been a lot of advice given on this thread and what I'm saying is that each person needs to read the fine print to see if they are covered or not.

 

Cheers

ging466

[The_Big_M]

Sorry you are incorrect. The 15,000 points relates to Citibank Rewards Points, not Qantas Frequent Flyers. It clearly states that you have to prove that the points were transferred from Citibank to Qantas.

 

I'm not here to convince you either way. You're free to believe what you want.

 

However, I wrote "The 'fine print' actually says that you had to transfer a minimum of 15,000 points to the FF program just beforehand."

 

This applies to a transfer of points from Citibank to Qantas, and I did write that the transfer had to be shown.

 

As I said in my earlier post, it doesn't work for me.

 

You actually wrote "So, be aware that if you purchase your cruise from a US agent, you do have a bit of a problem with insurance!! " Thus referring to others, not yourself.

[ging466]

I'm not here to convince you either way. You're free to believe what you want. However, I wrote "The 'fine print' actually says that you had to transfer a minimum of 15,000 points to the FF program just beforehand." This applies to a transfer of points from Citibank to Qantas, and I did write that the transfer had to be shown.

You actually wrote "So, be aware that if you purchase your cruise from a US agent, you do have a bit of a problem with insurance!! " Thus referring to others, not yourself.

 

Perhaps you aren't aware that with Citibank there are 2 programs relating to their Platinum card, one is Citibank Rewards the other is Qantas Frequent Flyers (there is also an Emirates Platinum but I'm not referring to that). The two programs operate differently hence in the insurance fine print there is reference to both programs. I participate in the Qantas program not the Citibank Rewards program and not the Emirates prgram.

 

Ok, so none of this works for me, if it works for u...great. My advice all along has been for everyone to read the fine print on their insurance and base their decisions on that.

 

Everyone will agree that research is essential.

 

Let's move on:)

 

Cheers

ging466

[The_Big_M]

Perhaps you aren't aware that with Citibank there are 2 programs relating to their Platinum card, one is Citibank Rewards the other is Qantas Frequent Flyers (there is also an Emirates Platinum but I'm not referring to that). The two programs operate differently hence in the insurance fine print there is reference to both programs.

 

I'm well aware. If you read the fine print, you'll see that both have the minimum wording of 15,000 points (although the process is different). I stand by my original statement that ""The 'fine print' actually says that you had to transfer a minimum of 15,000 points to the FF program just beforehand." as in before your redemption.

 

As said before, you can make your own interpretations and decisions, but the wording does not match your claim that all frequent flier points had to be from your Citibank credit card. Of course, if you didn't transfer 15,000 points across from citibank or did so more than 6 months before then you wouldn't be covered... but if that is the case why would you expect their travel insurance to cover you when you haven't used the card to purchase the ticket.

[ging466]

I'm well aware. If you read the fine print, you'll see that both have the minimum wording of 15,000 points (although the process is different). I stand by my original statement that ""The 'fine print' actually says that you had to transfer a minimum of 15,000 points to the FF program just beforehand." as in before your redemption.

 

We are obviously not reading the same "fine print" because I don't agree with u at all.

 

U can do whatever u like but I really can't be bothered debating this with u any longer.

 

I've moved on, suggest u do too.

 

Cheers

ging466

[windsor26]

The insurance company that is dealing with ANZ bank.

 

 

Luckily for me Eileen HSBC is ok;)

[The_Big_M]

We are obviously not reading the same "fine print" because I don't agree with u at all.

 

I've been thinking the same of your interpretation. At least I've put forward the basis for my position; all you've said is that you don't agree but who knows why.

 

The terms are available online so anyone else can impartially review as they wish and make their own interpretations, as has been the suggestion from earlier.

 

Thanks also for another positive example, windsor26.

[acmjjm]

I too was told by email by a large USA t/a that they couldnt book Australians.

I book a cruise and any other travel online if possible because I am suspicious Australian t/a's have put pressure on cruise lines to adopt this policy.

Also having dealt with four of the largest t/as in Australia, I have found their service drops dramatically once they take your deposits. I found they are all on commission, thus if your consultant is away from the office, knowone else wants to help you and assist in any way - they will not answer (ignore) emails and phone calls.

 

I have complete control by booking online.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

I too was told by email by a large USA t/a that they couldnt book Australians.

I book a cruise and any other travel online if possible because I am suspicious Australian t/a's have put pressure on cruise lines to adopt this policy.

Also having dealt with four of the largest t/as in Australia, I have found their service drops dramatically once they take your deposits. I found they are all on commission, thus if your consultant is away from the office, knowone else wants to help you and assist in any way - they will not answer (ignore) emails and phone calls.

 

I have complete control by booking online.

 

 

I agree with you 100%. T/A's here fall over you to get your booking, then once the deposit is paid the story changes.....dramatically in some cases.

 

I've just had some issues with a T/A here over the past week.

Do you think a final payment for a cruise on P & O Australia should be paid 110 days prior to the cruise? I don't. There is always conflict between the conditions of travel with the cruise company itself and the T/A who over and above those conditions make their own.

 

Book directly with the cruise company or an overseas T/A and all is well, well that's my experience anyway.

 

Jillybean:(

[floatie]

Book directly with the cruise company or an overseas T/A and all is well, well that's my experience anyway.

Jillybean:(

 

Only had 2 online booking experiences here and was fortunate to get the best possible price and exceptional service with both companies.:)

 

There are good ones out there, the bad ones just kill the trust needed.:mad: