travel insurance

[candrew]

Also any experiences with World Nomads?

They cost about 60% more for a short trip (2-3 weeks) but they do have higher coverage limits.

Apparently uses Nationwide Insurance.

We used World Nomads several years ago during a 3 month trip to Italy. We bought the upgraded "Explorer" plan and ended up filing a claim after a minor vehicle accident. World Nomads covered the deductible. IIRC, the claim was settled in relatively short order.

 

[user5027]

I just checked Squaremouth for instance and they have a CFAR filter but when you apply it, no policies come up.

I just searched for a 2 week $10,000 trip to China in July and had 19 policies to choose from.

 

[explanade]

I just searched for a 2 week $10,000 trip to China in July and had 19 policies to choose from.

I just played around with it.

I got nothing when I also tried 2 weeks, China, $10,000, until I changed the first date of deposit from Sept 2019 to Feb 2020.

With the latter date, I got a bunch of offerings but they range from $685 to $1560.

I mean if you can recover $10,000 in prepaid costs (of course not all your trip costs would be non-refundable or non cancellable) it could be worth it.

When I reduce the trip costs from $10k to $2000, the premiums are $133 to $273.

 

[sengsational]

I'm not schooled in the topic of travel insurance. I did buy some from World Nomads this time because it's required by the trip organizer.



But with the possibility of various countries refusing entry due to corona virus, I wonder what kind of compensation would be expected if your itinerary included a leg where you would be refused entry. I could try to parse the contract, I suppose, but usually I just get overly confused by the mumbo-jumbo.

 

[explanade]

Seems like cruise ships these days have a chance to be denied entry into port in many cities.

So you'd take your cruise trip but you wouldn't get to visit the ports you planned on. However, technically, you did take that cruise ...

The trickier question is if you travel and then trying to return to the US, your departure point on your return is flagged so that you face a quarantine when you return to the US.

 

[Sunset]

Cruise ships occasionally miss some ports in normal conditions due to rough waters, storms, etc.

 

[brett]

We always travel with out of country medical/evac insurance. We have self insured for travel cancellations/interruption. In our late 60’s and have always travelled often.

In all that time only one small meds claim. Only one cancellation claim. We have travel cancel/interruption coverage as a credit card attribute. Claimed for a cancelled China trip Eighteen months ago. Submitted the forms. Got a cheque for the full amount of the claim within ten business days.

 

[explanade]

What was the reason for the cancellation?

 

[Bryan Barnfellow]

My travel insurance policy from Allianz (their top class) states that it doesn't cover "pandemics." They told me by telephone that my cancelling out of my trip to Vietnam would not be covered by them mainly because no emergency was declared there.

 

[explanade]

Yeah unless it's explicitly spelled out, they're not going to cover it.

You have to have a CFAR policy, which isn't cheap.

 

[Chuckanut]

So, as of today, which credit cards have travel cancellation insurance when used to pay for flights, tours, etc.? And do they have a fee? If so, how much?

I ask because my Costco Citi Visa Card no longer has this wonderful benefit. I have self insured for everything except for emergency evacuation. But, if i can get more insurance from a credit card, why not?

 

[explanade]

It's doubtful a credit card travel insurance policy would cover cancellations because you're concerned about a viral outbreak.

 

[braumeister]

It's doubtful a credit card travel insurance policy would cover cancellations because you're concerned about a viral outbreak.

Yes, in most cases "cancellation" means the travel company cancelled the trip, not you.

 

[brett]

Our cancellation was for medical reasons. Filled out the forms, included the neurosurgeon’s letter. Next time we heard back was the cheque in the mail.

 

[explanade]

Good to hear that worked out.

I wonder if CFAR policies will become more popular in the wake of this virus outbreak.

Especially people who book cruises.

 

[audreyh1]

It’s straightforward if you or a spouse develop a medical condition that doesn’t allow travel, or you have a serious illness or death in close family. A doctor’s letter is usually required for illness.

Past that it gets really complicated.

 

[Sunset]

It’s straightforward if you or a spouse develop a medical condition that doesn’t allow travel, or you have a serious illness or death in close family.........

For us, that is the main reason we feel we needed coverage (until now?).
That's why I use a CC that covers that situation ( or at least claims it does).

It happened before, we went on a long road trip and as soon as we got there, we were notified of a death in the family. So it was a long, drive back.

 

[brett]

No idea. My guess is that carriers and policies are all a little different.

Let’s face it. Insurance companies prefer collecting premiums over paying out on policies. They have first rate lawyers who write contracts in their favor. They can bury the snow man in paper and red tape in order to delay or refuse a claim.

They could not be described as benevolent or even filled with the milk of human kindness.

 

[atmsmshr]

For our month long European trip last fall, I searched the Squaremouth website. Entered the custom insurance needs and searched prospective carriers. Read the reviews for Tinley travel insurance and selected them for less than $150. Policy and cards were emailed. Peace of mind.

 

[athena53]

Good to hear that worked out.

I wonder if CFAR policies will become more popular in the wake of this virus outbreak.

Especially people who book cruises.

Probably not- they're expensive, not only because the coverage is more thorough but the people who buy them do so because they have more potential reasons to cancel- a demanding job, a pet with health issues, a special-needs kid- that many people don't have.

I had a conversation with my 89-year old Dad about whether he'd want me to cancel a trip if his health were to take a turn for the worse. (This was after a friend from my previous church was reaching the end of a long battle with throat cancer and his daughter and son-in-law left their 50th- anniversary cruise in Alaska to be with the family.) Even with the assumption that I'd have insurance to cover it, he said no. I don't check my policies for that cancellation reason but I'm sure not all would pay for it.

 

[sengsational]

I tried to read the policy I bought for April. Hehe, tried. There's no mention of "pandemic". The best I could figure was it fell under "hazard", and looked covered if I had to cancel due to an outbreak somewhere on my flight path. I paid $88 for it, and it's limit is $2,500.

This is a link which opens a PDF to the details of the policy, if anyone wants to help me parse it, or you're simply masochistic https://www.worldnomads.com/pds?RegulatoryWordingTranslationId=1668

 

[mystang52]

I tried to read the policy I bought for April. Hehe, tried. There's no mention of "pandemic". The best I could figure was it fell under "hazard", and looked covered if I had to cancel due to an outbreak somewhere on my flight path. I paid $88 for it, and it's limit is $2,500.

This is a link which opens a PDF to the details of the policy, if anyone wants to help me parse it, or you're simply masochistic https://www.worldnomads.com/pds?RegulatoryWordingTranslationId=1668

Page 5, "Coverages" lists the circumstances where they will reimburse you for cancellation or having to stop your vacation, early. Since this is a contract, if your claim is based on something other than these listed circumstances (such as fear of going on a trip because of Coronavirus concern), you're out of luck. Note you cannot even claim Natural Disaster because the Policy specifically defines what a Natural Disaster is for purposes of coverage.
I spent a good portion of my career dealing with insurance policy coverages and disputes, but full disclosure I am not a lawyer.

 

[Bestwifeever]

So I may eat some money because I didn't have trip cancellation insurance for a trip to Hong Kong and Thailand.

But generally I don't think travel insurance covers cancellation for "any reason" do they?

Typically some govt. has to declare things like natural disaster or maybe civil unrest or something like that, in addition to some medically valid reason.

Can't imagine for instance that they'd cover you saying I don't want to risk traveling to a region where the corona virus may be spreading.

State Dept. issued travel advisory for China, so maybe trip cancellation might cover cancelling trips to China. But it wouldn't cover trip cancellation to neighboring countries which wouldn't have travel advisories?

It sounds like you did not get any travel insurance? Did you prepay for the whole trip? Even then, the land part might be refundable. If you got a good price on the airfare, you might not be out too much if you have to eat that.

 

[sengsational]

From the PDF:

Hazard means: (snip) c) Any delay due to lost or stolen passports, travel documents or money, Quarantine, hijacking, unannounced Strike, Natural Disaster, civil commotion or riot;

Then, under "Coverage > Trip Cancellation":

10. Natural Disaster at the site of Your destination that renders Your destination accommodations Uninhabitable. This benefit will not apply if the Natural Disaster has been forecasted or a storm has been named prior to purchase of this Policy.

13. You or Your Traveling Companion being hijacked, Quarantined, required to serve on a jury, or subpoenaed within ten (10) days of departure; having Your Home made Uninhabitable by Natural Disaster; or burglary of Your Home within ten (10) days of departure.

So if there's an outbreak in a city on my itinerary, that would make my "accommodations Uninhabitable"? I'm thinking the quarantine language wouldn't be applicable unless we (heaven forbid), have an outbreak in my home town. Or I supposed I could get snagged in my travels and stuck in a quarantine facility, but if that happened in some foreign land, getting back $2,500 would be the least of my worries.

 

[braumeister]

From the PDF:
Then, under "Coverage > Trip Cancellation":

So if there's an outbreak in a city on my itinerary, that would make my "accommodations Uninhabitable"?

No, it specifically says due to natural disaster, which is defined elsewhere in the policy, and doesn't pertain to an outbreak.