Travel insurance

[The_Big_M]

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...

 

Yes it does.

 

The issue was the post I replied to said that credit card insurance was fine and good for everyone... Nothing to do with the "headline coverage"... the issue was the poor advice given in that post.

 

Well done on increasing your post count needlessly.

[Royalty X]

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.

I don't know if you realise how expensive it could potentially be to be medivac'd out (for example) if something went wrong. It's all well and good to be talking about pre-existing conditions but unless you have a crystal ball, you have no idea when something could go wrong and may end up costing thousands and thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) of dollars. It's all well and good to say you have a credit card to fly you home but what about if you're hospitalised in a foreign country and unable to be moved? What about if constant medical attention is required and you need to be monitored during your travels home? What if you were completely incapacitated? You never know what is going to happen and I can guarantee, if something unexpected happens, you would wish you'd spent an extra couple of hundred dollars to have everything covered just in case.

[Sutho]

I am covered for what I need to be covered for.

 

The stupid and ridiculous scenarios about pre-existing conditions are nonsense. It may cover you for your 1st holiday booked, but if you were to have an accident you would be paying higher premiums for all holidays for many years after.

 

The odds are more in my favour and it a is a better financial gamble to NOT pay for travel insurance UNTIL you pay the FULL fare. Doing it this way if something does go wrong you simply do not have to pay the holiday fare and you save money.

[joejoe 59]

Yes it does.

 

The issue was the post I replied to said that credit card insurance was fine and good for everyone... Nothing to do with the "headline coverage"... the issue was the poor advice given in that post.

 

Well done on increasing your post count needlessly.

 

Is there a post comp. on somewhere, i just dont get the agro over the amount of someones post. Am i missing something.:confused::confused::confused:

[Aussieflyer]

I am covered for what I need to be covered for.

 

The stupid and ridiculous scenarios about pre-existing conditions are nonsense. It may cover you for your 1st holiday booked, but if you were to have an accident you would be paying higher premiums for all holidays for many years after.

An accident does not necessarily create a pre-existing or lead to higher premiums in the future.

Have a look at what is included in pre-existing - in most cases it is for conditions that are under investigation or have had treatment in the past 90 days or are ongoing.

Your choice not to take out insurance before full payment would not be the way I would go but as you say - it is your choice and you are prepared to wear any costs. You also say you do not book holidays well in advance so probably have a short time between depositing and full payment, if at all.

[Pushka]

Usually once I start to think about a holiday I make all the bookings together. A cruise would just be a part of it as nothing much happens out of Adelaide. So flights etc would be booked at the same time. Hotels I tend to use booking.com with easy cancellation so they aren't a problem. But cancellation fees for flights are pretty awful. Virgin take forever to refund. Emirates is excellent.

[NSWP]

I am covered for what I need to be covered for.

 

The stupid and ridiculous scenarios about pre-existing conditions are nonsense. It may cover you for your 1st holiday booked, but if you were to have an accident you would be paying higher premiums for all holidays for many years after.

 

The odds are more in my favour and it a is a better financial gamble to NOT pay for travel insurance UNTIL you pay the FULL fare. Doing it this way if something does go wrong you simply do not have to pay the holiday fare and you save money.

But paying travel insurance when you pay your balance would not cover you for deposits made, from my enquiries. So that is why I want insurance to be activated when I pay my deposits.

 

3 years ago I got real sick and had to cancel a $17,000, air/land/sea trip to South America/Canada/USA. I took out insurance with Budget Direct when I paid my deposits, they paid out every cent for the claim, even down to Brazilian Visa Fees and lost Qantas FF points, expended on flights.

[Sutho]

Where the issue here is I do things differently. I hold off paying things until the last day due. Any flights booked would be paid for on the credit card and that has complimentary travel insurance, which in itself would be sufficient but is not enough to cover all my personal effects.

 

When I book a holiday it is paid out on a timetable and I try and pay all full balance as close together as possible. I would sometimes book a fully flexible airfare that allows cancellation.

 

As I said I gamble on this subject that I do not need to pay until as late as possible. I am wise with insurance I choose. For some trips I just rely on the complimentary credit card policy, but most of the time I never pay insurance until the balance is due. That includes flights. If I have to pay for a flight before the cruise balance the flight is paid for at the same time as insurance. Normally my flights are booked well after I have laid a deposit on a cruise if the cruise is some way off.

[The_Big_M]

Is there a post comp. on somewhere, i just dont get the agro over the amount of someones post. Am i missing something.:confused::confused::confused:

 

Perhaps you should re-read the post I replied to? It was the one that brought it up.

[Guest012]

And then we have my scenario where a pre-existing condition will only be covered no more than 30 days prior to travel.... I have had no problems with this condition since last two surgeries in 2007 and i am not on meds... costs me $95 extra per premium for peace of mind ... which i gladly pay.

 

ROFL to if something serious happens thats not covered, hmm undeclared pre existing perhaps, your credit card will fly you home .....

[MMDown Under]

And then we have my scenario where a pre-existing condition will only be covered no more than 30 days prior to travel.... I have had no problems with this condition since last two surgeries in 2007 and i am not on meds... costs me $95 extra per premium for peace of mind ... which i gladly pay.

 

 

That is a new one, Shiona.

 

Does it mean if your pre-existing condition returns, say 40 days prior to travel, you are not covered for that condition for your cruise?

[Pushka]

I was about the say the same thing.

[joejoe 59]

Perhaps you should re-read the post I replied to? It was the one that brought it up.

 

I did, i dont understand why it matters how many posts anyone has, thats why i didnt get it. :confused: Obviously it matters to some :rolleyes:

[Guest012]

That is a new one, Shiona.

 

Does it mean if your pre-existing condition returns, say 40 days prior to travel, you are not covered for that condition for your cruise?

 

Correct and none of them will grant me a yearly policy ....so i don't bother buying the insurance for myself until 30 days out, if anything goes wrong before that time I lose which is a gamble i am happy to take ... so far never had a problem ... once upon a time the only insurance i could get had an excess of around $5000 with a maximum payable for any claim on the condition $35000 ,so generous, and an increased policy charge so you could say things have improved over the years .... off to London in the morning insurance paid up ... lolol

[The_Big_M]

I did, i dont understand why it matters how many posts anyone has, thats why i didnt get it. :confused: Obviously it matters to some :rolleyes:

 

Clearly it does. I just replied to it since it was brought up.

[MMDown Under]

Correct and none of them will grant me a yearly policy ....so i don't bother buying the insurance for myself until 30 days out, if anything goes wrong before that time I lose which is a gamble i am happy to take ... so far never had a problem ... once upon a time the only insurance i could get had an excess of around $5000 with a maximum payable for any claim on the condition $35000 ,so generous, and an increased policy charge so you could say things have improved over the years .... off to London in the morning insurance paid up ... lolol

 

Thanks for that interesting insurance information, Shiona.

 

Bon Voyage for your insured trip to London. I'm looking forward to going myself next month.

[Bizziecruzer]

We booked a trip to the US inclusive of 2 cruises for October 2011 and paid our insurance as soon as we had paid money (approx Jan 2011) that was not refundable. In June 2011 my husband underwent a triple bipass (had absolutely no symptoms and was otherwise a fit and healthy 50 year old). Read up on the insurance and fine print had that we must notify them when / if we had any medical issues occurred prior to travel. To cut a long story short - Insurance then decided that the heart issue would become a "pre-existing condition" and we were not covered for this for our upcoming trip! So make sure you read the fine print.

[MMDown Under]

We booked a trip to the US inclusive of 2 cruises for October 2011 and paid our insurance as soon as we had paid money (approx Jan 2011) that was not refundable. In June 2011 my husband underwent a triple bipass (had absolutely no symptoms and was otherwise a fit and healthy 50 year old). Read up on the insurance and fine print had that we must notify them when / if we had any medical issues occurred prior to travel. To cut a long story short - Insurance then decided that the heart issue would become a "pre-existing condition" and we were not covered for this for our upcoming trip! So make sure you read the fine print.

 

Another interesting scenario. Did you still go on your cruises?

 

And here I was thinking you'd be covered, as long as you bought insurance prior to paying your deposit.

 

So what risk did the insurance company carry?

[Pushka]

I am thinking the Insurance company thought there were symptoms before taking out Insurance. Unless it was in Black and White that such events would not be covered if they arose during pre travel, I would have challenged it.

[Bizziecruzer]

Another interesting scenario. Did you still go on your cruises?

 

And here I was thinking you'd be covered, as long as you bought insurance prior to paying your deposit.

 

So what risk did the insurance company carry?

 

We still went on the trip as Doctors / specialists advised that he was fit for travel and as he was "healthy' before the procedure there was very little chance of a medical event.

Insurance covered us for everything else - except medical concerning his heart.

[Bizziecruzer]

I am thinking the Insurance company thought there were symptoms before taking out Insurance. Unless it was in Black and White that such events would not be covered if they arose during pre travel, I would have challenged it.

"Fine print" stated something similar to "should declaration regarding health change in any way prior to travel insured person MUST contact insurer and advise of change." We explained that my husband was "symptomless" at time we took out insurance this still not get us cover. Also FYI - even if an illness has not been diagnosed, person has no symptoms and it was present at the time insurance was taken out - most times you will not be covered.

IMO - Insurance is a necessary evil.

[MMDown Under]

"Fine print" stated something similar to "should declaration regarding health change in any way prior to travel insured person MUST contact insurer and advise of change." We explained that my husband was "symptomless" at time we took out insurance this still not get us cover. Also FYI - even if an illness has not been diagnosed, person has no symptoms and it was present at the time insurance was taken out - most times you will not be covered.

IMO - Insurance is a necessary evil.

 

Like Pushka said, I would challenge that with the insurance company, supported by my Medical Specialists.

 

A reasonable person can't know what they don't know at the time, which is why we take out expensive insurance in the first place.

[The 7 Dwarfs]

Travel insurance is usually the thing I pay for last, usually a couple of weeks prior as it only covers to, from and while on the trip. We use BUPA, but that's only because we use them for our other insurances.

 

We've thankfully never had to make a claim with them for travel, but with all our other types of claims they have been pretty good.

[joejoe 59]

Travel insurance is usually the thing I pay for last, usually a couple of weeks prior as it only covers to, from and while on the trip. We use BUPA, but that's only because we use them for our other insurances.

 

We've thankfully never had to make a claim with them for travel, but with all our other types of claims they have been pretty good.

 

Im not sure if thats true. As my brother had a brain aneurysm 3 weeks before we were all meant to go on my dads birthday cruise. If we had waited until the last week or so to get travel insurance we wouldn't have been covered for he's medical event, which we definitely were. We use 1Cover.

[Pushka]

Im not sure if thats true. As my brother had a brain aneurysm 3 weeks before we were all meant to go on my dads birthday cruise. If we had waited until the last week or so to get travel insurance we wouldn't have been covered for he's medical event, which we definitely were. We use 1Cover.

 

Yes, we've tried to explain that such things happen between booking and leaving. I can perhaps understand waiting until final payment, but waiting until just before departure means you aren't covered for many situations. And that could even include things like weather interruptions and volcanoes which are known when taking out the cover.