need travel insurance quickly..

[Stakeout]

I know this has been asked/answered many times.. just wanted to get the latest update from anyone who has gotten Travel Insurance recently ...

 

anything on the BEST and latest from any Travel Insurance companies... I went over to http://www.insuremytrip.com and did some comparisons... usually get what the TA has but since we booked direct with HAL and couldn't get their insurance on this last minute no refunds deal( insurance not available) have to go this way..

 

any help appreciated...

 

was on waitlist for Maasdam 14 day April 24th, 2009 cruise to Caribbean... HAL just called us today and said they had a cabin available. we took it... they upgraded us from HH to C.. so we're happy --actually would have been happy anywhere on the LP deck--even with an outside HH-- as we like it on that deck... been there many times

[ilovhywd]

We like tripinsurancestore.com. It has a very informative website and the people on their phones are great if you have questions.

[jcrandle]

There are so many variables in selecting your coverage that I'm not sure anyone other than yourself can help you. When I purchase insurance, I make sure I select companies that are rated A or better by A M Best. Other considerations are the limits on baggage, trip delay, medivac coverage. You are probably too close to leaving that pre-existing coverage would be important.

 

Good luck, and have a great cruise.

[serendipity1499]

I know this has been asked/answered many times.. just wanted to get the latest update from anyone who has gotten Travel Insurance recently ...

 

anything on the BEST and latest from any Travel Insurance companies... I went over to http://www.insuremytrip.com and did some comparisons... usually get what the TA has but since we booked direct with HAL and couldn't get their insurance on this last minute no refunds deal( insurance not available) have to go this way..

 

any help appreciated...

 

was on waitlist for Maasdam 14 day April 24th, 2009 cruise to Caribbean... HAL just called us today and said they had a cabin available. we took it... they upgraded us from HH to C.. so we're happy --actually would have been happy anywhere on the LP deck--even with an outside HH-- as we like it on that deck... been there many times

 

Sounds exactly what happened on the Maasdam to us..We were confirmed on Nov. 14th for the Nov. 23rd, 2008 cruise thru our TA..We were also able to get a Travelex lite policy right thru our TA at a reasonable price..

If you go on insuremytrip.com you will see the Travelex lite policies..You can also call travelex if you have questions.. Enjoy your cruise..Betty

[jhannah]

If pre-existing condition coverage is important to you, you can go to the CSA site and get insurance directly from them that will cover pre-ex. (As long as you purchase it before or within 24 hours of final payment.)

[NancyIL]

If pre-existing condition coverage is important to you, you can go to the CSA site and get insurance directly from them that will cover pre-ex. (As long as you purchase it before or within 24 hours of final payment.)

 

HTH Worldwide also covers pre-existing conditions when purchased within 24 hours of making the final trip payment.

[sue1898]

I've used this (never had to file a claim) but got the name from other cruise critic folks a few years back:

http://www.statravel.com/

 

It's NOT just for students.

[jhannah]

It's NOT just for students.

But you have to be under 35 years of age. Good pricing, though.

[socialworker]

I turned down the insurance from HAL as well as what my TA was offering because I prefer to purchase insurance on my own. But I forgot to do so. Two weeks later, I'm frantically searching for insurance without a pre-existing condition limitation. Thankfully, TravelEx waives pre-existing if you purchase coverage within 21 days of your initial deposit. Of course, you also have to have be capable of traveling on the day you purchase the coverage; no fair ordering coverage from your hospital bed. Well it works for me.

[vbmom87]

We like tripinsurancestore.com. It has a very informative website and the people on their phones are great if you have questions.

 

I agree that their agents are especially knowledgable, however, I found their pricing to be extremely high for the same plans purchased either direct or through insuremytrip.com

 

 

One thing I have learned after researching trip insurance is that there is SO MUCH TO LEARN. Every company has multiple plans with very different coverages. I have spent HOURS researching trip insurance, and I know I still don't know it all. There is so much fine print for every plan. For some plans you must insure every expense to be covered at all. Others allow you to cover just part of your trip. Some plans cover "cancel for any reason" (up until 2-3 days before your trip), others do not. You must buy these plans within a set number of days of your FIRST trip deposit. As has been mentioned already, some plans cover pre-existing conditions, but often you must buy within a set number of days of putting down your first deposit. Some do not cover you if you made an earlier deposit and then cancelled it. It is simply overwhelming!!!! If you do not know much about trip insurance, simply do not rely on what you read on these boards. Yes, the info you read here is a good starting point. However, read the policies yourself, call the insurance companies yourself. Ask lots of questions. Ask them to tell you the differences between their plans, etc. I am sure there are many people who buy insurance and do not realize how much IS NOT covered. You have to educate yourself and buy the plan that will actually offer you all the coverage you want.

[NancyIL]

I agree that their agents are especially knowledgable, however, I found their pricing to be extremely high for the same plans purchased either direct or through insuremytrip.com

 

 

 

One policy the Trip Insurance Store sells that Insure My Trip does not is the CSA Freestyle policies. Both cover pre-existing conditions when purchased within 24 hours of final payment, and both cost less than CSA Web Direct Luxe sold by Insure My Trip or CSA directly.

 

Lately I've been booking cruises far in advance - when I'm not sure I'll actually go on the cruise. Because I want pre-existing conditions covered, I've been purchasing either CSA or HTH Worldwide - once I decide to definitely keep the cruise.

[Stakeout]

thanx folks.. going over all of that good info now... appreciate the responses...:D

[vbmom87]

One policy the Trip Insurance Store sells that Insure My Trip does not is the CSA Freestyle policies. Both cover pre-existing conditions when purchased within 24 hours of final payment, and both cost less than CSA Web Direct Luxe sold by Insure My Trip or CSA directly.

 

Lately I've been booking cruises far in advance - when I'm not sure I'll actually go on the cruise. Because I want pre-existing conditions covered, I've been purchasing either CSA or HTH Worldwide - once I decide to definitely keep the cruise.

 

It is important to do a lot of research. You must compare policy prices whenever you can. Even if you are used to getting a good price from one website one year, it may no longer be the same the next year. All the policies I actually compared from insuremytrip.com and direct through the insurance company, ended up being the same price. Tripinsurancestore.com ended up being considerably more. However, I did not check all the policies, just the ones I was interested in. Your information is just more proof that everyone needs to do their research before they buy.

 

I checked on CSA last year, but when I saw how much more costly those last minute policies were, I went with Travelex which was less costly. However, I did know that I was going on that trip. CSA is definitely a good option if you must buy last minute and want pre-existing conditions covered.

 

One thing I found out in my research, at least with Travelex, is that pregnancy is not considered a pre-existing condition. (Go figure!!!) I was told that if you want to cancel a trip do to complications from a pregnancy, you must purchase "cancel for any reason" insurance. Again, although this is what I was told, don't take this for the gospel truth. Call the agent yourself and get the current policy explanation for the company you are buying insurance through. After my research last year, I thought I had it all figured out. However, I keep reading new pieces of information and I found out a lot more by talking with several agents this year for our upcoming summer vacation.

 

With Travelex, some of their policies do not require you to insure all of your expenses, yet other policies do. Some people have mentioned they can afford to eat the costs of hotels, but not medical evacuation. Well, you need to carefully check your policy. In order for some companies to pay out a claim, you have to have insured ALL pre-paid expenses. If you neglected to include everything, they can deny your claim.

 

So, what I am trying to get across, is to educate yourself on inurance and don't buy a policy until you have all of your questions answered. Not all policies are created equal.

 

Here is a good article to read that was posted before. Click on the links for even more information:

 

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/how-to-avoid-travel-insurance-gotchas.html?id=2805699&source=dealalert&value=2009-01-15+00%3A00%3A00&u=371F2D8DD1

[suitedreams]

I have been comparing travel insurance prices today for an upcoming Mediterranean cruise. I looked at two levels of coverage from each of three insurers - HTH, Travel Insured and Travelex. I looked at prices from "insuremytrip", "tripinsurancestore" and directly from the insurer. In each case the prices were identical at all three sites.

 

Len

[Jade13]

We having been using Smartmouth as CSA Luxe Web Direct was less than on InsureMyTrip.

 

Btw, HTH only covers trip interruption at 100% and CSA Luxe at 150%

[rindiar]

I've used this (never had to file a claim) but got the name from other cruise critic folks a few years back:

http://www.statravel.com/

 

It's NOT just for students.

 

Anyone can purchase the insurance thru statravel.com reguardless of age. Have been using them for years and we are over 60. cost is about $100 for a 14 day cruise. Someone on this thread said you have to be under 35, not true!!

[iamtrustworthy]

I agree that their agents are especially knowledgable, however, I found their (www.tripinsurancestore.com) pricing to be extremely high for the same plans purchased either direct or through insuremytrip.com...

 

Hi vbmom87,

 

Any trip insurance policy will be the exact same price no matter if you buy through an agent (like www.tripinsurancestore.com or insuremytrip.com) or from the company itself. That's because trip insurance plans are regulated and the prices are fixed.

 

The only way you would find a different price is if you are not comparing the exact same trip insurance plans (CSA in particular has similar sounding plans that differ in price & coverages from each other).

 

Another way you could get a different price is if you're not using the exact same age(s), travel dates & per person trip cost since trip insurance plans' pricing can be affected by these factors.

 

I hope this makes sense.

[The Mentalist]

From TravelGuard (available on their web site):

 

Pack 'N Go

 

Ideal for spur-of-the-moment, last-minute travelers who don't need trip cancellation coverage. Includes all of our post-departure coverages and our exclusive 24-hour emergency travel services.

 

Very reasonable, if it meets your needs... worth checking-out.

[Jade13]

Hi vbmom87,

 

Any trip insurance policy will be the exact same price no matter if you buy through an agent (like www.tripinsurancestore.com or insuremytrip.com) or from the company itself. That's because trip insurance plans are regulated and the prices are fixed.

 

The only way you would find a different price is if you are not comparing the exact same trip insurance plans (CSA in particular has similar sounding plans that differ in price & coverages from each other).

 

Another way you could get a different price is if you're not using the exact same age(s), travel dates & per person trip cost since trip insurance plans' pricing can be affected by these factors.

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

Not true. When we went to Antarctica we purchased from Smattmouth and CSA Luxe web Direct was less than at InsuremyTrip and I had used Insurmy Trip previously for another trip. I no longer use InsuremyTrip.com

[bellebaby]

Not true. When we went to Antarctica we purchased from Smattmouth and CSA Luxe web Direct was less than at InsuremyTrip and I had used Insurmy Trip previously for another trip. I no longer use InsuremyTrip.com

 

I am not familiar with Smartmouth. Is there a website?

 

B

[cle1]

Friends who are retired, doctors and insurance agents, advised us to check out Access America (a division of American Express), we got it, and on one cruise I had to leave the ship for medical reasons. They really came through for us...never had a problem with reimbursement. Carol

[iamtrustworthy]

Not true. When we went to Antarctica we purchased from Smattmouth and CSA Luxe web Direct was less than at InsuremyTrip and I had used Insurmy Trip previously for another trip. I no longer use InsuremyTrip.com

 

Hi Jade13,

 

That's a surprise. I don't know how InsuremyTrip could be charging more.

 

However, one thing that's odd about the CSA Luxe series is that the price can change each time you do a quote even if you use the same trip details. The CSA Luxe series doesn't have published price tables so it's impossible to know ahead of time what the price will be on any given day or time the quote is generated.

[suitedreams]

I'm confused! I'm still checking insurers for my Mediterranean cruise. About 15 minutes ago I checked CSA Web Direct Luxe. Both insuremytrip and Squaremouth (not smartmouth) had the same price $1579.94. Tripinsurancestore has a product called CSA Freestyle Luxe that appears to have identical coverage for $1095.

 

Steve?

 

Len

[iamtrustworthy]

I'm confused! I'm still checking insurers for my Mediterranean cruise. About 15 minutes ago I checked CSA Web Direct Luxe. Both insuremytrip and Squaremouth (not smartmouth) had the same price $1579.94. Tripinsurancestore has a product called CSA Freestyle Luxe that appears to have identical coverage for $1095.

 

Steve?

 

Len

 

Hi Len,

 

Both of these plans are from CSA. The CSA Web Direct Luxe while similar to the CSA Freestyle Luxe has a different cost calculation.

 

The CSA Web Direct Luxe prices vary depending on at least 8 different factors.

 

The CSA Freestyle Luxe has a set pricing schedule: its cost varies by trip length (same cost for up to 31 days), traveler's age & per person insured trip cost.

 

The only way a person can get a CSA Web Direct plan is either to go directly to the CSA website or to go to one of their partners like insuremytrip or squaremouth who offer these plans. However, anyone that sells the Web direct plan is unable to sell the CSA Freestyle plans. And vice versa.

 

I hope this makes sense.

[jhannah]

I noticed that the webdirect plan does not cover pre-ex ... while the Freestyle plan on the CSA site does. Of course, it's more.