Travel Insurance

[gr8aunt]

Can anyone recommend a good travel insurance company. Much as I've traveled, I just learned that the "Pre Existing" feature applies not only to the travelers, but to their families as well. As my age there is always someone in the family with a pre existing condition :)

[elsje]

Can anyone recommend a good travel insurance company. Much as I've traveled, I just learned that the "Pre Existing" feature applies not only to the travelers, but to their families as well. As my age there is always someone in the family with a pre existing condition :)

 

I always use Travelguard ~ but not all their policies cover "pre-existing" I always buy their Cruise-tour-travel. You will need to buy some of their policies within 15 days of your first deposit to qualify for "pre-existing" coverage. Also...check their "alert-list" and "strike-list" some tour companies and/or cruise companies and airlines are no longer insured under "default" and/or "strike" As always READ the policy description before buying ~ Els

[Leonid]

I use insuremytrip.com. The site will provide a list of companies based on what you input. I usually use Travelex, since they pay primary on any medical needs. Most other companies pay secondary.

Also, if you want to cover "pre-existing conditions" you have to insure the entire amount. If you don't know the full amount (e.g., airfare), then things get tricky. I suggest you call the 800 number on their web site and talk to an agent. They are very helpful.

Hope this helps.

[Jancruz]

Most people on this board know that when my husband had a massive heart attack 2 years ago..I had Access America (owned by American Express) and I loved all they did for me and how easy they made it...

Jan

*****

[llarsen]

We just returned home from our Oceania cruise and used TripInsuranceStore. Steve, president of TripInsuranceStore was wonderful! Steve recommended the right plan for us and answered every question I asked. (There were many). They also called before our trip to make sure we had received our policy and to answer any questions.

On our way home our flight was canceled and the next flight wasn't until the next morning. I called the toll free number and they told me what was covered (hotel room, etc.) They said they would get the claim forms out to us right away so they would be there soon after we arrived home.

We ended up catching another flight home on standby, and did not need to file a claim, but we were impressed with the service we received. We will be using their services again for our cruise this summer.

[baffles]

jancrus1. We also use the Access America insurance for ALL our cruises. Had to use it once for a minor thing, but no hassels. Great. Leaving Feb. 24th on the Regatta......................baffles:D

[Jancruz]

Hi Baffles..have a great trip on Regatta..I just love the staff on that ship..Captain Flokas is a friend so if you see him send our regards,

Jan and Stu

*****

[drwong]

I'll second llarsen's comments on www.tripinsurancestore.com. You can compare different policies offered by various companies to see what is and isn't covered. All of the products available are from solid insurance companies, so there's no risk of a company going belly-up leaving you holding the proverbial bag.

 

Steve and his staff are more than happy to answer any questions you might have. I called them with a question and was surprised to get a live voice the first time I called. (How many times has that happened when calling an on-line business?!?)

[baffles]

Thanks Jan. This will be the second time on the Regatta. Meeting past cruisers for kind of a reunion. Have you checked out Celebrity's "Quest" cruise for 08? Last of the "R" ships...............We're booking.....Baffles:D

[llarsen]

Another point I forgot to mention, Steve also recommended the HTH Trip Protector plan that covers pre-existing conditions if you puchase the insuance prior to final payment. He also went into great detail explaining pre-existing conditions and how insurance companies look at them.

I had called other companies prior to Steve, and never got the answers to my questions or service that I received from him. Here is his contact info.

 

Steve Dasseos, President

http://www.TripInsuranceStore.com

P.O. Box 466

Owatonna, MN 55060

1-888-407-3854 (toll free US & Canada)

507-214-3854 (local)

 

Good luck,

llarsen

[gr8aunt]

Thanks to everyone for your help. I ended up with Steve at TripInsuranceStore and went with Travel Insured. He and his staff are, indeed, everything you all have said. I was debating between TravelGuard and TravelInsured and had a question on Trip Interruption. You really do have to be careful. I was given incorrect info by a rep at TravelGuard which Steve was good enough to clarify for me. I will definitely use Steve again for future trips.

[spindrift]

Since rates vary by state, cost of cruise, age, etc. I would suggest that you try insuremytrip.com. We have had very good experience with them. Wish we hadn't needed them, but sometimes it does, in fact, occur.

[Jancruz]

Thanks Jan. This will be the second time on the Regatta. Meeting past cruisers for kind of a reunion. Have you checked out Celebrity's "Quest" cruise for 08? Last of the "R" ships...............We're booking.....Baffles:D

 

Yes I have been checking them out..I have been getting lots of info....very interesting as they are copying Oceania almost exactly..one big exception is they will charge for alternate dining..I have been getting lots of info..

Jan

*****

[Benita]

When we book a trip, we go to insuremytrip.com and compare prices and coverage. If you buy the insurance within 10-14 days of the trip deposit, pre-existing conditions are covered by most policies. There are a couple of companies that will insure you for preexisting conditions if you purchase it within 24 hours of the final payment. Try to buy from a company that makes evacuation primary coverage. I have not found one that makes medical coverage primary.

Check about bankruptcy protection. Access America covers the mainstream tour companies, but no airlines that are not based in the US (Ex. Luftansa or Air France). Travelguard will not protect you against strikes by Alitalia, which is a regular occurance.

We recently had to make claims when my father in law suffered a major GI bleed while on the Star Princess with us. He needed to be evacuated to a hospital in Jamaica where he spent three days (he did not need air evacuation, just transfusions). We stayed in a hotel near the hospital. His policy was with Access America and ours was with Travelsafe. Access had him send the medical bills to AARP, because he had a rider that provided some coverage outside the US, and then they sent him the difference. They paid for the non-medical portion immediately - hotels, airfare, loss of cruise). Travelsafe paid all our bills in full within 2 weeks. (of course, we submitted doctors reports, invoices, etc.). I would recommend both companies, just read the small print, as to primary and secondary coverage.

[Fetchpeople]

Last year I used insuremytrip.com to buy a Travelex policy. I looked at all the variables and found the policy that seemed to best suit my needs. The good news is I didn't need to use the policy, had no claim, and cannot comment about the issuer. What I did find in my research was that the insuremytrip web site was very easy to navigate and it allowed me to review numerous alternatives before selecting. I was very satisfied: the policy was exceptionally reasonable, the application process was remarkably simple, and the policy was issued on e-mail within minutes.

 

This year, prompted by this thread, I decided to look at both insuremytrip and travelinsurancestore. Again, I did a lot of looking and reading. I found insuremytrip to offer the easier web site to navigate, but travelinsurancestore easier to do comparisons. But then I used travelinsurancestore's chat system for some one on one. I followed that by a call to them and walked them through my needs. And I bought the exact same policy from travelinsurancestore that I had purchaed last year on insuremytrip.

 

This time, however, the opportunity to chat and then talk to someone has given me some confidence that my selection is, in fact, appropriate.

 

A tip: you can find it all on insuremytrip, but if you want to "unbundle" (read this as leaving out some coverages), then you'll find it easier to talk to travelinsurancestore.

[spindrift]

Yes, Fetchpeople, it is good to be able to talk to the folks providing the coverage. I did just that with insuremytrip.com as my husband was on his second pacemaker. They were so very, very helpful. It does, in fact, help to have a "voice" at the other end of the line. Glad to hear that the insurancestore does the same thing.