Trip cancellation insurance

[Lenbro1944]

So for anyone who has split the cost of a couple and paid each persons bill with a different credit card to get double the coverage. Is that how it is done or do you pay half the total bill on one card and the balance on a different card?

[pappy1022]

2 hours ago, bitob said:

Exactly what we do.  Gives us 40k total coverage and triple points.  When my husband fell ill suddenly in 2015 we had to cancel 5 cruises. Got every penny back 

For trip cancellation it is certainly a good way to go and I leverage this via my Sapphire credit card. I will caution everyone that most credit cards, including the Sapphire card, provide minimal coverage for evacuation or medical care. Although less likely than having to cancel the cruise, evacuation and medical care, especially overseas, can be very expensive and if you depend solely on the credit card coverage, most of it will come out of your pocket. These costs can far outweigh the cost of the cruise. That’s why I separately insure a portion of the total cost via a private insurance provider. That way, I get very high coverage allowance for medical and evacuation costs and also coverage for trip cancellation. If you manage it well, the extra private insurance will cost a few hundred dollars, not thousands of dollars. At the end of the day it’s all about risk management, like any other insurance.

[forgap]

We do a similar procedure, using our chase sapphire reserve for cancellation, then getting the minimum allowable insurance coverage ($500 pp) so that medical and evacuation kicks in.  
 

fortunately, we haven’t had to test it but my husband contracted Covid during a trip last year requiring both of us to quarantine and I successfully got the insurance company to reimburse us for the retail coat of missed excursions.  This took about 4 appeals and lots of documentation but, after 5 months of being like a “dog with a bone”, they paid up!  They paid the medical expenses almost immediately.  

[PinkMEB]

Preparing to buy travel insurance for a two week cruise in Sept. Since we are 80 and 83 cost is outrageous. Regent insurance is about half of Allianz, but Allianz has substantial higher medical and medical transportation coverage which we are the most concerned with. I’ve used Travel Guard in the past, but my TA no longer recommends it because of a bad experience. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

[forgap]

40 minutes ago, PinkMEB said:

Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Others have recommended tripinsurancestore dot com.  Steve Dessus and staff are terrific and there are many choices.  

[bitob]

9 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

For trip cancellation it is certainly a good way to go and I leverage this via my Sapphire credit card. I will caution everyone that most credit cards, including the Sapphire card, provide minimal coverage for evacuation or medical care. Although less likely than having to cancel the cruise, evacuation and medical care, especially overseas, can be very expensive and if you depend solely on the credit card coverage, most of it will come out of your pocket. These costs can far outweigh the cost of the cruise. That’s why I separately insure a portion of the total cost via a private insurance provider. That way, I get very high coverage allowance for medical and evacuation costs and also coverage for trip cancellation. If you manage it well, the extra private insurance will cost a few hundred dollars, not thousands of dollars. At the end of the day it’s all about risk management, like any other insurance.

Medical insurance is separate. GeoBlue gives us great annual coverage. The card is only for cancellation and interruption 

[papaflamingo]

16 hours ago, PinkMEB said:

Preparing to buy travel insurance for a two week cruise in Sept. Since we are 80 and 83 cost is outrageous. Regent insurance is about half of Allianz, but Allianz has substantial higher medical and medical transportation coverage which we are the most concerned with. I’ve used Travel Guard in the past, but my TA no longer recommends it because of a bad experience. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Compare policies and premiums on a website like Insuremytrip or Squarmouth. Look at the medical and evacuation benefits and find the one that gives you the best coverage for your personal needs.  I have used a variety of companies, most recently General and now have a policy for our Oct. cruise with GoReady.  GoReady has the most medical and evacuation and is cheaper.  

It pays to compare, especially benefits.  Because of age, Regent may be best for cruise cancellation.  If so, you can still purchase an independent medical and evacuation policy.  Remember, the best policy for your needs may not be the cheapest. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by papaflamingo

[PinkMEB]

Thanks for your suggestions and a big thanks to papa flamingo for recommending GoReady. Offers the cancellation and medical coverage we need for much less than Regent and less than half of Allianz quote. No negative reviews except that took awhile to get refund which is expected. 

[FLgemini]

Here in the U.S., you can slice and dice trip insurance to give you peace of mind where you need it most. The prevailing thought though is never take cruise or airline insurance off the bat (usually comprehensive which is combo trip cancel/interruption/medical). You can shop online for more cost-effective options.

 

Most of our travel is international with multiple trips a year. We get an annual multi-trip medical plan for less than $500 with good coverage (though coverage is usually is reduced though for anyone over 70). I'm too risk adverse on the medical because of age, physical condition and klutziness. Most U.S. health plans (including Medicare) don't cover ANY overseas illnessess, accidents or transportation.

 

For trip cancel/interruption, I only price for trips over a certain $ amount that would hurt should I have to back out before or during the trip. I mean, we're talking Regent here. Cruise fares in certian classes for extended voyages run in the tens of thousands per person. That would be a big hit to the wallet. To keep trip cancel/interruption insurance manageable, I price WITHOUT including airfare. If we had to bail, even on a non-refundable ticket, we could bank that cost as a credit to use on the same airline over the next year---which usually isn't a problem. So any claim filed, would only be on the cruise fare only.

 

Insurance coverage: You do not need it until you really need it.

[Coastaljewel]

On 5/20/2023 at 7:52 AM, FLgemini said:

Here in the U.S., you can slice and dice trip insurance to give you peace of mind where you need it most. The prevailing thought though is never take cruise or airline insurance off the bat (usually comprehensive which is combo trip cancel/interruption/medical). You can shop online for more cost-effective options.

 

Most of our travel is international with multiple trips a year. We get an annual multi-trip medical plan for less than $500 with good coverage (though coverage is usually is reduced though for anyone over 70). I'm too risk adverse on the medical because of age, physical condition and klutziness. Most U.S. health plans (including Medicare) don't cover ANY overseas illnessess, accidents or transportation.

 

For trip cancel/interruption, I only price for trips over a certain $ amount that would hurt should I have to back out before or during the trip. I mean, we're talking Regent here. Cruise fares in certian classes for extended voyages run in the tens of thousands per person. That would be a big hit to the wallet. To keep trip cancel/interruption insurance manageable, I price WITHOUT including airfare. If we had to bail, even on a non-refundable ticket, we could bank that cost as a credit to use on the same airline over the next year---which usually isn't a problem. So any claim filed, would only be on the cruise fare only.

 

Insurance coverage: You do not need it until you really need it.

Thanks for providing that information.  I did not even think about taking an air credit and not have that included in the cost of insurance.  

[mj_holiday]

13 hours ago, Coastaljewel said:

I price WITHOUT including airfare. If we had to bail, even on a non-refundable ticket, we could bank that cost as a credit to use on the same airline over the next year---which usually isn't a problem. So any claim filed, would only be on the cruise fare only.

That is if you book your own air. correct.

[FLgemini]

3 hours ago, mj_holiday said:

That is if you book your own air. correct.

Correct. Only works if you buy your own air independently and decline the Regent-included air (which Regent then gives back as a credit/reduction against the cruise fare).