Travel insurance

[cruisine21]

The annual fee for my Amex gold card more than covers the cost of just one travel insurance cover so if you regularly cruise, fly or travel using motel or hotel accommodation you would be well advised to consider one of these premium credit cards

 

John

The only problem using CC Travel Insurance is many Travel Agents charge a CC fee.

[Sutho]

As I said it is dead money when you have not forked out any money to pay the full balance. When you are in that position you have nothing to lose.

 

As I said you cannot get a refund on travel insurance and I only pay mine when the full cruise balance is due. The only thing that matters to me with insurance is that it covers luggage and $10,000 worth of camera equipment and electronics as well as emergency medical cover. I do not travel with any pre-existing condition that may ever need treatment overseas.

 

Not paying travel insurance up front gives you the luxury of pulling out of a holiday in an emergency and then simply not paying the holiday fare and you have not lost anything. If you were silly enough to pay for insurance then you have no chance of getting it back.

[NSWP]

These days we travel with insurance per our ANZ Platinum Credit Card. It is activated as soon as you pay $250 on your trip, per the card. I have read the insurance booklet, covers unlimited for cancellation/medical. Underwriter is QBE.

 

I thought it was a risk too and paid out heaps to the likes of Covermore, 1 Cover etc, before I read case histories of those claiming through their CC Insurance.

[Sutho]

Besides anything serious enough to warrent medical attention on a cruise that you would need insurance for you will be put off the ship into a local hospital. The small incidental medical expenses on a ship are trivial and insignificant like picking up their cough or flu symptoms.

 

If you are talking cover for pre-existing conditions or a recurrence then chances are if it is that serious your holiday is over and you are off the ship and probably were not in best condition to go in the first place, which if it were me I would not travel unless I was 100% fit and ready to go.

[wotaripper]

We have been using Travel Insurance Direct lately http://www.tid.com.au Their pricing is very reasonable and significantly cheaper than that offered by the travel agent or our health insurance company.

 

We have used Travel Insurance Direct the last 2 times because they where cheaper however this time we went through Allianze Direct as they gave us the better price.

[Aussieflyer]

We travel a bit so have a yearly policy - it covers worldwide so we don't need to worry at all. Costs are not much more than for a US or European trip and it covers all our travel.

It's a good idea to check the excess etc and decide what level you want, as well as any differences in cover between different companies or policy types. Unlike Sutho we do not care so much about luggage and cameras (he has expensive gear) as we do for medical and evacuation etc. We work on the principle that we can always buy new clothes and cases (come to think of it we could do with new luggage :))

[The_Big_M]

There is no need to worry at all about travel insurance if you pay with your selected credit card (Amex Anz etc) because as soon as you pay for ANY travel be it an air fare from Sydney to Perth, a Cruise, an overseas flight or even a couple of nights in a motel, just as long as your travel or accommodation expense is paid on your card you are automatically covered.

 

That's not true either.

 

Only certain cards include travel insurance as a benefit, and when they do they have different requirements on what it takes to be covered, and then what the coverage will be.

 

Credit card insurance CAN be fine - but don't rely on the assumptions above otherwise you will very likely be caught out. Read the PDS if you have an eligible credit card, and wish to use it.

[Tara Jane]

I have travelled using credit card insurance in the past, but now that I have pre existing conditions the credit card insurance companies are not prepared to cover me even with an extra premium.

If you are healthy with no pre existings then go for it but otherwise you need to get extra insurance. The only company that will cover my pre existing condition is covermore, fortunately I have never had to make a claim.

[need_a_holiday]

Find and read your credit card insurance policy very carefully, they will not for example cover a motorbike accident in Thailand. They do not cover risky activities like bikes or even sports injuries. We used our platinum card for insurance but we are not into sporty activities other than swimming and snorkelling.

[Pushka]

Please refrain from calling others silly Sutho just because you haven't understood why we might do things differently to you. :rolleyes:

[Aussieflyer]

Please refrain from calling others silly Sutho just because you haven't understood why we might do things differently to you. :rolleyes:

Like

[Pushka]

Annual travel insurance works out to be excellent value for us too when we travel together. Very cheap even if you only travel just once or twice.

[kate59]

Besides anything serious enough to warrent medical attention on a cruise that you would need insurance for you will be put off the ship into a local hospital. The small incidental medical expenses on a ship are trivial and insignificant like picking up their cough or flu symptoms.

 

If you are talking cover for pre-existing conditions or a recurrence then chances are if it is that serious your holiday is over and you are off the ship and probably were not in best condition to go in the first place, which if it were me I would not travel unless I was 100% fit and ready to go.

 

This can be misunderstood to mean you believe if a person has a disability they shouldn't cruise - I have had a disease since I was 22 but had a professional career, was a single parent and now love cruising. Because of my pre-existing disease and the drugs I take to keep it under control - I have to have travel insurance and several of the card insurances will not cover for it so I have to use the ONE that does. So I have no hope of cheaper insurance but in my last 3 cruises which now total over 60 nights I haven't made a claim but you want to tell me I shouldn't go cruising??????

 

Everyone has different needs - I do my travel insurance straight after booking. 2 years ago I got refused travel insurance thankfully we hadn't booked the 46 nights - but the TA came to our rescue and I got it through the company who I will always use now (CM). The company (and I was a shareholder) who refused me said they would cover for everything else - however being in health they could tie almost anything they wanted back to the pre-existing disease.

 

Yet another discrimination of a disability - but people do not realise unless it affects them.;)

[kate59]

The only company that will cover my pre existing condition is covermore, fortunately I have never had to make a claim.

 

Yes Tara thankfully there is still one company who doesn't discriminate against us. Look forward to meeting you.:)

[GHDPeter]

For many years now we have purchased annual policies as we tend to do a few overseas trips or cruises and a few domestic trips every year.

 

First off the reason that everyone in my family gets travel insurance always is because of my Grandmother. A while back now she was on a 5 week trip to the USA to visit her sister. On the 2nd last day of the trip while shopping in Honolulu another shopper ran into the back of her legs with a shopping trolley.

 

This required an Ambulance, a hospital visit, extended accommodation for her travelling companions, changes to flights etc. All of which was covered by her travel insurance.

 

Secondly, a couple of years back I suffered a heart attack and now have a pre-existing medical condition. I have found that the best deal I can get is with Covermore through a travel agent as they give me unlimited medical cover and by getting it through the TA we get a better range of cover.

 

I usually purchase the policy when I know when I am traveling and an it only starts from the start date of the trip and then runs for 12 months.

 

Last year I managed to fit in 4 cruises and 3 domestic trips, so that made it very cheap at about $70 per trip or about $61 per week that I was away.

[6andy6]

That's not true either.

 

Only certain cards include travel insurance as a benefit, and when they do they have different requirements on what it takes to be covered, and then what the coverage will be.

 

Credit card insurance CAN be fine - but don't rely on the assumptions above otherwise you will very likely be caught out. Read the PDS if you have an eligible credit card, and wish to use it.

 

To be frank.....wouldn't that go with ANY travel insurance..credit card or otherwise....that you read the PDF to see what is and what isn't covered and don't just take the headline coverage at face value. Opps I've just added to my post count...

[Sutho]

This can be misunderstood to mean you believe if a person has a disability they shouldn't cruise - I have had a disease since I was 22 but had a professional career, was a single parent and now love cruising. Because of my pre-existing disease and the drugs I take to keep it under control - I have to have travel insurance and several of the card insurances will not cover for it so I have to use the ONE that does. So I have no hope of cheaper insurance but in my last 3 cruises which now total over 60 nights I haven't made a claim but you want to tell me I shouldn't go cruising??????

 

Everyone has different needs - I do my travel insurance straight after booking. 2 years ago I got refused travel insurance thankfully we hadn't booked the 46 nights - but the TA came to our rescue and I got it through the company who I will always use now (CM). The company (and I was a shareholder) who refused me said they would cover for everything else - however being in health they could tie almost anything they wanted back to the pre-existing disease.

 

Yet another discrimination of a disability - but people do not realise unless it affects them.;)

 

It is nothing to do with discrimination against anyone. I am a young and physically fit person in my 30's. There is no condition that would stop me from travel. If worst case scenario I was to have an accident before a holiday that required ongoing medical attention then I would have to pull out of the holiday until I was stable enough to travel. Simple as that.

 

In my opinion it is unwise to travel whilst you are undergoing medical treatment. Cancer is one illness which is a prime example. I have had cancer and when I had it and had it removed and follow up treatment I would not have considered travel at all. Once it was fully resolved and I was clear to work then I am free to travel.

 

I am smart with my money and my main concern with insurance is cover for my camera and emergency evacuation in emergency. I have a decent credit card limit to fly straight home if need be. If I was to book and deposit a trip I would not pay for insurance until the final balance is due. I am gambling on the fact that any illness that occurs since booking would either be minor or so extreme it would prevent my travel.

[wotaripper]

We travel a bit so have a yearly policy - it covers worldwide so we don't need to worry at all. Costs are not much more than for a US or European trip and it covers all our travel.

It's a good idea to check the excess etc and decide what level you want, as well as any differences in cover between different companies or policy types. Unlike Sutho we do not care so much about luggage and cameras (he has expensive gear) as we do for medical and evacuation etc. We work on the principle that we can always buy new clothes and cases (come to think of it we could do with new luggage :))

We took out an annual cover this coming trip as we are away for 9 weeks and are travelling to U.S.A the U.K ,Europe and the Middle East including 3 cruises so it worked out a lot cheaper to get the annual cover than cover for 9 weeks.

[Pushka]

I was 32 when I ruptured a disc and required spinal surgery. My husband was 24 when he was diagnosed with cancer. Hey, we were younger than you and look what happened. And he was very fit as he was a professional sportsman at the time.

 

In my case we had booked for a trip a few months later but had already taken out Insurance. And because when I took it out, my back injury was actually not a pre existing condition. In 6 months I had recovered and we were able to take our trip. I was completely covered if I'd suffered a relapse while away.

 

You say you'd simply cancel your trip. But if you rebooked a trip once you'd recovered you wouldn't be covered for that condition anymore.

[antipodean99]

Surely it would depend on how much was the deposit i.e. how much will they lose if the have to cancel.

[Pushka]

Surely it would depend on how much was the deposit i.e. how much will they lose if the have to cancel.

 

That's just a part of the consideration as mentioned before.

[kate59]

Sutho may you remain healthy

[Sutho]

I was 32 when I ruptured a disc and required spinal surgery. My husband was 24 when he was diagnosed with cancer. Hey, we were younger than you and look what happened. And he was very fit as he was a professional sportsman at the time.

 

In my case we had booked for a trip a few months later but had already taken out Insurance. And because when I took it out, my back injury was actually not a pre existing condition. In 6 months I had recovered and we were able to take our trip. I was completely covered if I'd suffered a relapse while away.

 

You say you'd simply cancel your trip. But if you rebooked a trip once you'd recovered you wouldn't be covered for that condition anymore.

 

It is still not a financial advantage to me to book early. I travel every year and a overseas holiday is not a once off treat. If people have reccuring injuries they will be hard pressed to find any insurer who will cover it if they require ongoing treatment outside Australia.

 

Besides if I had any injury that required ongoing treatment it would be my personal choice to remain here until it was resolved.

 

If anything seriously went wrong that was not covered by insurance, I have a credit card that will fly me home.

[joejoe 59]

It is nothing to do with discrimination against anyone. I am a young and physically fit person in my 30's. There is no condition that would stop me from travel. If worst case scenario I was to have an accident before a holiday that required ongoing medical attention then I would have to pull out of the holiday until I was stable enough to travel. Simple as that.

 

In my opinion it is unwise to travel whilst you are undergoing medical treatment. Cancer is one illness which is a prime example. I have had cancer and when I had it and had it removed and follow up treatment I would not have considered travel at all. Once it was fully resolved and I was clear to work then I am free to travel.

 

I am smart with my money and my main concern with insurance is cover for my camera and emergency evacuation in emergency. I have a decent credit card limit to fly straight home if need be. If I was to book and deposit a trip I would not pay for insurance until the final balance is due. I am gambling on the fact that any illness that occurs since booking would either be minor or so extreme it would prevent my travel.

Considering some deposit amounts are quite high, plus if you book flights & a hotel all before final balance is due, wouldn't it be worth getting that money back if you got diagnosed with something before finale balance. I know to me it would. We alaways buy travel insurence as soon as we book a trip, its a good safe guard in my books.

[Aussieflyer]

Considering some deposit amounts are quite high, plus if you book flights & a hotel all before final balance is due, wouldn't it be worth getting that money back if you got diagnosed with something before finale balance. I know to me it would. We alaways buy travel insurence as soon as we book a trip, its a good safe guard in my books.

 

My view precisely but each to their own - some people appear to be happy to take the risk and not take out insurance until final payment. Their folly IMO but they seem happy enough to do that - as long as they do not complain about how they had to cancel and lost "all that money":)