Trip insurance (medical, evacuation)

[aida2003]

I posted on Bogleheads, but aparantely those folks are in the full swing of saving and nobody travels or nobody buys such insurance. So, now I'll try my luck here in addition to googling.

We've bought flight tickets to Germany in June, but will also fly to Ireland. Maybe take a train to Vienna or Budapest (not sure yet). In the past, we never considered buying travel insurance, but now we think we should.

Have you bought such an insurance? What was your experience when you need to use it?

What are good places/websites to buy from? What insurance co. to consider? A.M.Best rating will not tell us which insurance companies device intricate/complex fine print and then find a loophole why the victim shouldn't be covered.

In order to get quotes, I need to provide my trip cost/value. What's that? Is it price of tickets or also lost wages if I'm stuck abroad for whatever reason?

E.g. We bought two separate tickets (to Germany on the US Air and then from there to Dublin on AerLingus). Let's we make it to Germany, and then oops one of us gets sick and cannot fly to DUB, will this insurance refund us the money we paid for the tickets to DUB?

Someone wrote that she got this insurance from AerLingus because it was cheap. I think the author was an American, but I'm not positive. It got me thinking: Is it risky to buy such insurance from a foreign co.? We reside in the US, though we a citizens of the countries in the EU (not sure it's an important piece or not).

Medical evacuation clause would be important for us? My question is who and when decides and how decides when the person should be flown home instead of staying in a foreign hospital? Would I have a say in this situation?

Of course, I hope we'll never need this insurance to use, but if there is an emergency what's the process? Do we pay first and insurance reimburses us or will we be able to contact the insurance company 24/7 from anywhere?

What else to consider?

Thanks

 

[Alan]

We've never bought travel insurance for overseas trips we've taken, except that I ensure that we have health insurance. Before our last overseas trip I got a quote from American Express and it was very reasonable. Turned out we didn't need it as my retiree coverage includes the foreign countries we travel to.

 

[travelover]

I like Squaremouth. I bought evacuation insurance from them when I was in Peru. I generally don't buy insurance for losses incurred due to cancellations, just huge expenditures like medical evacuation.

Compare Travel Insurance From Every Major Company

 

[farmerEd]

I looked into this a lot for a trip I took a while ago, but I never needed to use it, so I can't vouch from personal experience, but in my research, several people I do communicate with recommended MASA Assist - Emergency Air Ambulance Service to World Travelers

The price seems a little too good to be true, so it would be nice to hear some real, first-hand stores from folks that had a policy in place, and everything worked as planned.

They charge $720 for a family policy, that supposedly covers you anywhere in the world, and is good for a whole year. Cheaper plans are also available. Its worth checking them out.

 

[MBAustin]

We don't generally buy travel insurance, but the China tour I took last November required it. I used http://www.insuremytrip.com which had good comparisons and also reviews from people who did and did not have claims. I picked one from M.H.Ross based on the coverage, cost, and reviews. Did not have a claim so I can't comment on that.

 

[FIREd]

DW travels internationally for work and her company provides this coverage for medical repatriation:

Air Ambulance Card

I get the same coverage for an additional $100 per year. We never had to make a claim, so I don't know if they are any good.

 

[Packman]

We don't generally buy travel insurance, but the China tour I took last November required it. I used http://www.insuremytrip.com which had good comparisons and also reviews from people who did and did not have claims. I picked one from M.H.Ross based on the coverage, cost, and reviews. Did not have a claim so I can't comment on that.

+1 on the insuremytrip web site. We sometimes buy insurance, but most of the time we don't. However, this web site is invaluable in comparing the differing policies - and they do differ significantly in what they cover, and the limits.

 

[Moemg]

I buy travel insurance for longer trips . I do use "Insure my trip .com". I have had three claims over the years and I was reimbursed in full .Two trips had to be cancelled last minute due to illness or death and an expensive ring was lost on a cruise . I've never had to use the medical part but the trip cancellation comes in handy especially when you are older and have elderly parents .

 

[Chuckanut]

I figure I can cover losses that might occur due to cancellations and other problems. That would be unfortunate but would not break the bank, just cost me a vacation for one year. My medical insurance covers overseas costs, but I do have to be able to 'front' the initial payments and then collect from the insurance company.

What scares me is having to be medically evacuated from a foreign location back to the states. The costs can be enormous! So, I have a policy that I buy every year. It will evacuate me from anywhere in the world to a hospital of my choice in the USA. The cost is about $250 a year if I remember correclty.

 

[kaneohe]

I figure I can cover losses that might occur due to cancellations and other problems. That would be unfortunate but would not break the bank, just cost me a vacation for one year. My medical insurance covers overseas costs, but I do have to be able to 'front' the initial payments and then collect from the insurance company.

What scares me is having to be medically evacuated from a foreign location back to the states. The costs can be enormous! So, I have a policy that I buy every year. It will evacuate me from anywhere in the world to a hospital of my choice in the USA. The cost is about $250 a year if I remember correclty.

do you have any links to that company? thanks.....

 

[Rich]

American Express has a travel insurance policy that I use. I believe it costs me $18 dollars a month. As an aside, I also use their car rental insurance. Don't feel like looking it up, but for a modest one time cost ($28 dollars, not sure) they cover your rental car insurance needs. Much cheaper then from the rental car companies. Needs to be renewed every 45 days if memory serves.

I use American Express because I trust them. I once purchased some trip insurance and when things went south they had a bunch of reasons why I wasn't covered.

Rich

 

[aida2003]

I'm so glad I posted on this forum. Thanks so much to ALL of you.
We have an AmEx Blue Cash CC. We'll call them to find out about their travel policy first and compare to others.

Chuckanut, please share the name of the company you have a policy from.

Moemg, you're the lucky one, because a few questions for you:
- Do you remember what companies you chose on the InsureMyTrip . com?
-I'm also curious how your cruise trip was insured that the insurance paid for the lost ring? Did you itemize your valuables for the insurance co. (ring, expensive evening dresses, tux, etc.) that you took to the cruise + ticket prices as the value of your trip in order to get the quote?
- What kind of proof was required to get refunded the value of the lost ring? I didn't even think that insurance would cover a person's engagement or wedding ring if by accident I lost or left in a foreign country.

Thanks again.

 

[Moemg]

Moemg, you're the lucky one, because a few questions for you:
- Do you remember what companies you chose on the InsureMyTrip . com?
-I'm also curious how your cruise trip was insured that the insurance paid for the lost ring? Did you itemize your valuables for the insurance co. (ring, expensive evening dresses, tux, etc.) that you took to the cruise + ticket prices as the value of your trip in order to get the quote?
- What kind of proof was required to get refunded the value of the lost ring? I didn't even think that insurance would cover a person's engagement or wedding ring if by accident I lost or left in a foreign country.

Thanks again.

I have used both Travel Guard & Access America . As soon as I noticed the ring was missing I reported it at The Pursers office . I was on a cruise and the ring was lost during a snorkel trip . When we returned we submitted the claim with the receipt for the ring ( Luckily my husband had saved it ) . We received a check for the total amount of the ring .The other two claims were for the death of my FIL and for my husbands illness . The trip was reimbursed in full and a check arrived . I could easily self insure but I am more concerned about a medical evacuation or flying back from Europe or further due to a sudden death in the family . The small cost is worth it for complicated trips .

 

[Lsbcal]

I'm not sure this was mentioned above, when renting a car overseas your US insurance is not generally useful. However, if you use an Amex card to rent then they provide insurance. If you rent from a company based here but you need to present that Amex card again at the overseas rent agency to make sure the insurance kicks in.