travel insurance

[marko]

We travel quite a bit and never bought insurance. Last year we booked a trip 9 months in advance and with an 87 year old mom, for the first time ever, I decided to spring the $25 each and get insurance.

As it turned out my brother had a serious stroke 9 hours after we left and we had to return asap. A bit of paperwork but the insurance company came through and we were reimbursed for flight and hotel costs.

 

[Scuba]

We travel quite a bit and never bought insurance. Last year we booked a trip 9 months in advance and with an 87 year old mom, for the first time ever, I decided to spring the $25 each and get insurance.

As it turned out my brother had a serious stroke 9 hours after we left and we had to return asap. A bit of paperwork but the insurance company came through and we were reimbursed for flight and hotel costs.

$25 each is very inexpensive for insurance. We paid something like 10x that amount. Please share who sells travel insurance for $25. Thanks!

 

[mystang52]

Even before I had my own medical issue that necessitated buying travel insurance, DW and I had aging parents. Not knowing what could happen in the future (we tend to plan our vacations well in advance) we bought travel insurance out of possibility something might happen to one of our parents.
So, keep in mind travel insurance can cover contingencies beyond one's own health.

 

[marko]

$25 each is very inexpensive for insurance. We paid something like 10x that amount. Please share who sells travel insurance for $25. Thanks!

This was part of an Allianz offer when we ordered our JetBlue tickets. We had originally used miles for RT tickets but had to pay over $1000 to get back asap/on short notice. (long story as to the mechanics of it)

Don't quite remember if it was exactly $25 but it was under $30.

I'm not a big fan of insurance but found the people very helpful and cooperative and once the paper hassle was squared away we were reimbursed promptly.

And yes, we've bought another policy for our next trip now that DB's health remains iffy and mom is now 88.

 

[explanade]

I'm looking for medical and evacuation insurance only. To do that on say, insuremytrip.com would I enter $0 for cost of the trip?

Is there a way to get medical/evacuation only for World Nomads?

TIA!


+++++++++++++++


Edit to add: I found the chat button and the person said to enter $0 if I didn't want cancellation insurance. I can get a John Hancock Gold plan for two months for two people with $200,000 medical and $1,000,000 evacuation plus accidental death for $140.00


I believe I have medical coverage through Kaiser, but I don't feel totally comfortable with that. I think for the $140.00 for primary coverage it is worth it for the added peace of mind.

I played around with the searches on insuremytrip.com and Squaremouth.com.

If you don't want Trip Cancellation Coverage, then Squaremouth doesn't even have you enter a trip cost at all, so you're essentially getting traveler medical insurance.

With those settings, I'm seeing premiums under $40 for a two-week trip, with some policies primary and some secondary. No pre-existing conditions though with either but pre-existing look back period is typically 120 or 180 days it seems.

Trip Cancellation and Interruption is a tricky thing though. Some policies only will cover the unused portion of any prepaid expenses, minus any reimbursements.

So what happens if you book hotels which can be cancelled but then your trip is interrupted just before you arrive? The hotels would still book at least the first night.

I also checked out the Divers Alert Network insurance plans. Not bad, you can get a 1-year policy covering multiple trips for around $300. Minimal benefits on trip cancellation or interruption though, unless you pay over $600 and then you get $5000 coverage.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I saw a tv show crime to remember or something like that. The guy bought travel life insurance. Then he blew up the plane he was on. If i ever see some one thumbing quarters into one of those life insurance machines i see at the airport, I aint gonna on that flight.

 

[ulvazell]

do you buy travel insurance when you are planning a vacation? Going on a cruise this winter and looking at insurance. If you buy insurance, do you buy it from the cruise lines or an independent third party? Any recommendations on third party insurers?

When traveling internationally yes. I use www.insuremytrip.com . Mainly its for the medical aspect as I'm sure Europe is out of network for my plan. LOL

 

[nwsteve]

We have found with our Chase Sapphire Reserve coverages, all we really need to cover is travelers medical. Chase even includes some medical evac. The medical is a much smaller bite than if you are trying to cover a full cancelation event.
Nwsteve

 

[explanade]

We have found with our Chase Sapphire Reserve coverages, all we really need to cover is travelers medical. Chase even includes some medical evac. The medical is a much smaller bite than if you are trying to cover a full cancelation event.
Nwsteve

I have that card too and I looked into their insurance because I did get sick on a recent trip.

First, you have to have charged a "common carrier" ticket on their card, which would mean airline, train, boat.

That ticket must show your itinerary.

Then you could be eligible for Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption coverage but they only cover the unused portion of anything you prepay.

So if you have hotel reservations which are affected, you must have prepaid them, not just book them and pay at the end of your stay.

I missed a flight and had to purchase another flight. They might have reimbursed me for the missed flight, though I used the first part of the ticket.

They also have medical expenses coverage up to $2500 but again, that's only after any other coverage you may have had doesn't pay out. So you need a notarized letter to that effect.

I think the medical evacuation benefit is good but something you have to get preauthorized for or something. I posted a link to an earlier article about Amex paying out hundreds of thousands for a medical evacuation of one of their Platinum card holders.

 

[nwsteve]

I have that card too and I looked into their insurance because I did get sick on a recent trip.

First, you have to have charged a "common carrier" ticket on their card, which would mean airline, train, boat.

That ticket must show your itinerary.

Then you could be eligible for Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption coverage but they only cover the unused portion of anything you prepay.

So if you have hotel reservations which are affected, you must have prepaid them, not just book them and pay at the end of your stay.

I missed a flight and had to purchase another flight. They might have reimbursed me for the missed flight, though I used the first part of the ticket.

They also have medical expenses coverage up to $2500 but again, that's only after any other coverage you may have had doesn't pay out. So you need a notarized letter to that effect.

I think the medical evacuation benefit is good but something you have to get preauthorized for or something. I posted a link to an earlier article about Amex paying out hundreds of thousands for a medical evacuation of one of their Platinum card holders.

No real issues with any of your observations. Chase's limitations are pretty much what I have found on most insurers products. None of them are going to pay for anything you can get your money back or avoid by cancelling.
I have been quite impressed with their handling of a claim when my wife broke her kneecap mid-trip of a prepaid tour. Chase refunded the portion of the tour we could not complete (for both of us), as well as the airfares return home since we had no refund tickets and had to leave out of a different city to return home.
Nwsteve

 

[explanade]

Hmm, it's interesting that they reimbursed you for the new flight tickets you had to buy rather than come up with some value for the portion of your original airline tickets.

My understanding is it could only be the latter.

 

[nwsteve]

Hmm, it's interesting that they reimbursed you for the new flight tickets you had to buy rather than come up with some value for the portion of your original airline tickets.

My understanding is it could only be the latter.

Sorry for any confusion. Chase only reimbursed us for the return leg of our non-refundable ticket. They certainly did NOT cover the replacement ticket--if only. Last minute, day of travel use was not cheap.

 

[explanade]

So I've never bought any kind of travel insurance before.

And this past April, it bit me, not having insurance. I was in Spain when I was hospitalized due to internal bleeding. I didn't recognize it for a few days but it came out as dark, tarry stools. I attributed it to something I ate but it was in fact an ulcer.

A doctor checked me at the hotel and advised me to go to a hospital. It turned out to be a private urgent care clinic. They took a blood sample and had me transported by ambulance to a hospital where I was hospitalized for a day. The next morning, they did an endoscopy.

Ulcer wasn't bleeding but they put me on IVs and it delayed my return trip by a day. The bill was almost €6000 Euros.

I later learned that a lot of UK expats would run into high bills in Spain, for which they didn't accept whatever reciprocal arrangements the NHS is suppose to have with the Spanish system.

But I was in a private hospital, which made things worse. I had a billing dispute, especially the way they use a higher exchange rate and send in dollars. I tried to dispute with Chase and they said I had no recourse.

So I looked at the benefits that my credit cards offered for travel insurance and such. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers medical evacuation and even up to $2500 in medical costs. I downloaded the claim forms and was looking at the documentation I'd have to submit. One of the first things was a notarized statement saying I did not receive any claims payments from any other kind of insurance.

It didn't occur to me that my health insurance would have some kind of coverage. So on checking, it turns out in "urgent care" or emergency situations, my insurer waives the in-network requirement and covers it at the same 60% after I meet the deductible on my Bronze ACA policy.

So I submitted a claim to my insurer and waited. Meanwhile I found out that to be eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve coverage of up to $2500 in medical expenses, I must have paid for the "common carrier" with my card. That means I had to have paid for the flight or a cruise or a train or a bus. Hotels and restaurants don't count, even if those bills come up higher than the airline ticket. If you call general customer service, they tell you if you paid ANY part of the trip, the coverage applies. But when you talk to the claims people, it's definitely common carrier.

Anyways, my health insurer finally ruled on the claim. Most of my bill will apply towards the deductible and they will pay 60% of the remainder, which comes out to about $1000. So my deductible for health insurance is met this year.

If I had used the right credit card when I purchased the airline tickets, I would have gotten the $2500 payment since my health insurer applied like $4400 to my deductible.

Oh well, better than nothing I guess.

But I have another trip and this time, I did take out a $500 travel insurance policy which includes $25k in primary medical coverage. It provides $500 in trip cancellation and $750 in trip interruption coverage. That would cover any flight change fees.

The policy cost $38 for a 2-week trip.

 

[Sunset]

So I've never bought any kind of travel insurance before.

And this past April, it bit me, not having insurance. I was in Spain when I was hospitalized due to internal bleeding. ..................

If I had used the right credit card when I purchased the airline tickets, I would have gotten the $2500 payment since my health insurer applied like $4400 to my deductible.

Oh well, better than nothing I guess.

But I have another trip and this time, I did take out a $500 travel insurance policy which includes $25k in primary medical coverage. It provides $500 in trip cancellation and $750 in trip interruption coverage. That would cover any flight change fees.

The policy cost $38 for a 2-week trip.

What a great story of just how awkward this type of incident is when in a foreign country.
I expect of course that they wanted payment before you left the hospital, or did your insurance company pay it and bill you ?

It's stories like this that have encouraged us to buy a year long policy (covers any trips up to 70 days) and that policy cost just $200 and we have done 2 trips so far this year.

Thanks for the valuable tip of using the CC for common carrier coverage.

 

[braumeister]

to be eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve coverage of up to $2500 in medical expenses, I must have paid for the "common carrier" with my card.

Standard practice for this type benefit from any credit card, AFAIK.

 

[explanade]

What a great story of just how awkward this type of incident is when in a foreign country.
I expect of course that they wanted payment before you left the hospital, or did your insurance company pay it and bill you ?

It's stories like this that have encouraged us to buy a year long policy (covers any trips up to 70 days) and that policy cost just $200 and we have done 2 trips so far this year.

Thanks for the valuable tip of using the CC for common carrier coverage.

No I paid out of pocket.

I could have given them my insurance card but they probably would have tried to make me pay and get reimbursed later.

I think that's how travel medical insurance works in another country, pay and get reimbursed later?

The policy that I just took out for my upcoming trip has numbers to call including from outside the US. It would cost the same either way since the regular and the outside the US numbers are both US numbers.

So I guess I could call before I sign on for any kind of services.

 

[Sunset]

It's probably best to read these insurance policies before the trip, for example I think on mine, the medical evacuation has to be ordered by a doctor otherwise the insurance company is not paying for it.

 

[nwsteve]

It's probably best to read these insurance policies before the trip, for example I think on mine, the medical evacuation has to be ordered by a doctor otherwise the insurance company is not paying for it.

Pretty common requirement for medical evac and it is usually decided by the insurance co doc. Moreover, many policies only provide evac to nearest hospital that can provide the necessary care--as determined by insurer's doc
READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU BUY!

 

[Helen]

Has anyone tried to insure a trip that is longer than a 60 day duration? I used insuremytrip.com and found many companies won't insure trips that last longer than 60 days and the ones that do are very expensive. Then I checked my Chase Preferred VISA and found this:


What’s Not Covered

This is not an exhaustive list. Examples include:

• Trips that exceed 60 days in duration are not covered

We will be on Federal BCBS by the time the trip rolls around so we will have emergency medical coverage which is my biggest concern. I guess if we have to cancel we will swallow the loss. I'm estimating the trip (fly to Australia, spend two months on the east coast and take a 40 day cruise back to Vancover, B.C) will cost about $20k.

 

[nwsteve]

Helen
Try squaremouth.com for a quote. I entered a trip over six month and got one quote--1150. But it was for our ages and state of residence so you will, of course, need to try your specific

 

[Dr Dave]

I lived overseas for 28 years, and I am comfortable with the health care that I received while I was outside CONUS. It was always affordable and the medications are much less expensive. The problem for retired people is that medicare does not work out of the USA.

As far as I am concerned, an airplane ticket is a small price to pay if I have to return to the USA for health care. The longest airplane ride I have taken is 14 hours, and most of my transatlantic flights are about eight hours. I reckon if push comes to shove, I can get on an airplane and make it home in less than one day.

In all of my years as a physician, I have seen Doctor ordered medical evacuations a only few times. I did my internship in the Panama Canal Zone with the Federal Government more than thirty years ago, and we occasionally got sick merchant seaman off ships that were transiting the Panama Canal. A couple times a year, we would medically evacuate those sailors off their ship to their home country, but it was very uncommon. That was the last time I was involved in a medical evacuation in a civilian situation.

When I worked on Indian Reservations in the USA, they often did helicopter evacuations as a convenience rather than put people in ambulances which was a longer ride to a major medical center.

As a hard core expatriate, the thought of a medical evacuation to the USA has never entered my mind.

 

[explanade]

There are annual insurance policies, at Squaremouth or Divers Alert Network. Not sure if these are primary or secondary.

 

[Sunset]

Has anyone tried to insure a trip that is longer than a 60 day duration? I used insuremytrip.com and found many companies won't insure trips that last longer than 60 days and the ones that do are very expensive. Then I checked my Chase Preferred VISA and found this:

What’s Not Covered
This is not an exhaustive list. Examples include:

• Trips that exceed 60 days in duration are not covered

We will be on Federal BCBS by the time the trip rolls around so we will have emergency medical coverage which is my biggest concern. I guess if we have to cancel we will swallow the loss. I'm estimating the trip (fly to Australia, spend two months on the east coast and take a 40 day cruise back to Vancover, B.C) will cost about $20k.

We got year long insurance to cover all trips we take outside the USA, as long as each trip is less than 70 days. It was from insuremytrip.com (we did not get cancellation insurance).

Is your trip really booked as one trip ?
Or is your trip 60 days in Australia , and then you are taking a 40 day cruise trip. ??

 

[Helen]

We got year long insurance to cover all trips we take outside the USA, as long as each trip is less than 70 days. It was from insuremytrip.com (we did not get cancellation insurance).

Is your trip really booked as one trip ?
Or is your trip 60 days in Australia , and then you are taking a 40 day cruise trip. ??

Interesting point. I will have to look into what constitutes a trip. I would think I would have to return home then leave again for a second trip to begin, but I hadn't really thought about it.

 

[Helen]

Helen
Try squaremouth.com for a quote. I entered a trip over six month and got one quote--1150. But it was for our ages and state of residence so you will, of course, need to try your specific

Thank you, I will poke around there. I did see a Berkshire Hathaway listing that wasn't too outrageous, I will dig deeper.