Travel Insurance recommendation
 

Hi. I am wondering if somebody can recommend a travel insurance they have used and how much you paid for it? Is this something i can get through the internet? Do they email the confirmation immediately as soon as you buy it? Thank. Baljit.

www.insuremytrip.com is a good place to start. Yes, you can purchase online.

A confirmation is provided (instantly onscreen followed up with e-mail usually), along with a Certificate.

It is essential to read and understand the Certificate (without presumptions or guessing), especially all definitions (according to the insurer), conditions, and exclusions. Most offer a full refund within a number of days if you are not satisfied with the policy once you've studied it.

You really have to understand the terms and definitions, though. "Trip Interruption", for example, may not include/cover what you think.

You also need to know what is required when circumstances occur for which you would file a claim regarding contacting vendors, documentation, etc.

Thank you for your response. We have BCBS insurance but I am not sure if it will cover medical emergencies outside of the US.

Hi B,

You might not need trip insurance.

What is it that you wish to insure?

((I))

Somebody also recommended hthtravelinsurance.com. Has anybody used this before?

Hi Ira,
I was told by a friend that to be safe, in case of medical emergencies - accident, hospital care - to get a travel insurance. She said it's only about $40.00 and will give us peace of mind.

If what you are concerned about is health insurance coverage, you need to check with BCBS about your specific policy. You should know, however, that while U.S. insurance might reimburse you for the costs of health care abroad you might have to pay first there and then after seek reimbursement. You also likely do not have through U.S. medical insurance coverage for medical evacuation or extra expenses not directly related to your health care (for example staying a in a hotel when you have been treated but discharged from the hospital but aren't quite healthy enough to travel home or hotel or other expenses of your traveling companions if they stay with you to make sure you get treated and home ok). insuremytrip.com has a handy "comparison" feature which lets you look at the different policies and what they cover and what the limitations are.

Thanks Laurie_ann. I will look into that insuremytrip site.

You need to check with your own insurer as no one on here can tell you what your plan covers. Many BCBS plans do cover costs abroad, in fact, BCBS is one of the companies that has even set up some networks in Europe, and I don't think any other insurer does.

It is true you might need to pay the bill yourself and be reimbursed later (but not necessarily if you do go to a BCBS network provider in Europe, you can get a list), but that is also true of many travel insurance plans, so that doesn't give you any advantage to pay for something you already have. I don't know of any travel insurance plan that doesn't make you pay the bill first and be reimbursed later, but perhaps some exist. I've bought a couple but have never needed to use them.

Travel insurance can be pretty cheap if you don't try to cover a large dollar amount, that is what costs you a lot, not the medical portion. So when the website asks you what dollar amount of insurance you want (reimbursable costs), that is what will be the main determiner of your price, not the medical plan part (which isn't what that question is about).

You definitely need to know your BC/BS coverage for wherever you're going. Also, find out the worldwide coverage phone number for your plan (typically, you can call them collect), so you can phone if you need to.

Often the "peace of mind" with travel insurance policies is imaginary. Your own health insurance policy is primary with most, and the travel insurance plan is secondary. So, you need to understand what that means.

Our BC/BS health insurance does cover us worldwide. But policies do differ, so check with BC/BS about your coverage.

The BC/BS website lists doctors and hospitals around the world by country.

Travel insurance doesn't just cover medical emergencies but also recouping costs due to unforeseen cancellation, lost baggage, etc. I wouldn't be without it. I often see reports here from travellers who've lost baggage & aren't getting anywhere with their airline, and think 'but you did have travel insurance, didn't you ?'...

The only time I've ever claimed so far was when I had my handbag stolen, but it's nice to know I'm covered if necessary.

I have used both travelex and csa and they have both been fine. I have had claims with both. The last time we needed to come back early due to an illness. A previous time my son ended up in a hospital for an overnight and another time for a deep cut. We had to leave a tour early due to 3 of us having foodpoisioning and that was also covered. I always get it when traveling to Europe.The cost depends on the cost of your trip. You get the confirmation immediately.

STA Travel has really cheap, good insurance (it was cheaper than any of the insuremytrip options last time I bought it).

You don't have to be a student, and though I've never had to make a claim, I assume it's trustworthy since they are one of the largest travel organizations in the world.

Don't you have to be under 26 or therabouts to use STA ?

We've never found travel insurance to be worth the price, but it's a highly personal decision. Probably a great investment for a chronic worrier. Also, if you have a lot of money tied up in reservations that cannot be cancelled or have high penalties for cancellation, then it might be worthwhile as well.

Of course, if your health insurance doesn't cover you overseas, then that coverage could also be a good idea depending on your general health, age, the activities you'll be taking part in while on vacation, etc.

I wouldn't say I'm a chronic worrier but I think it's worth the (relatively small) price. Until last year I was paying about £50 pa for Europe-wide annual travel insurance for self and DH, which I thought was OK. Then I switched to a bank accountn that includes it (and fee-free cash withdrawals abroad).

" I don't know of any travel insurance plan that doesn't make you pay the bill first and be reimbursed later."

My recollection is that when I was hospitalized in Japan, my trip insurance -- Access America -- paid the hospital costs directly.

This thread comes up over and over again, and I'm puzzled as to why Ira keeps raising doubts in people's minds about purchasing it for $40 or so. It can save people thousands of dollars if something goes wrong.

I never worry, and I twice ended up in hospitals abroad for stays for more than a week. (Both times with pneumonia.) Travel insurance not only paid for all my medical care, it paid for unexpected transportation and hotel costs for me and my husband, including returning pre-paid money for one extremely expensive "splurge" accommodation we never reached.

I now primarily carry travel insurance in case it is necessary for me to respond to family medical emergencies involving aged parents.

Maybe next time this question comes up, posters can simply link to the dozens of threads where Ira's question is answered in triplicate.

I've used Travel Guard for years and had to file a claim once and it was paid. You can get it over the internet although I call them. I usually buy the policy that only covers medical which I pay $36.00 for. I don't cover airfare and accomodations. 99% of the time, I don't prepay accomodations.
I don't pay a lot for the coverage because if I cancel my trip, then I don't get the money back that I paid for the coverage.
Just week before last I had to cancel my August trip due to a sick elderly parent and I didn't get the $36.00 back. As for the airfare, since it was on an Asian carrier, I'll be refunded the total amount minus $100. So, not a big loss. Happy Travels!

I also wanted to address this issues of whether it is "chronic worriers" who buy travel insurance.

No. It's people whose financial and personal circumstances are different from yours. I have aged relatives who would need my extended help in some medical emergencies, even if I happen to be traveling, and I travel a lot. Travel insurance protects me against having to shell out for hotel bills, extra plane tickets and car rental costs I otherwise would have to dig into personal savings to pay for.

Likewise, when I budget for a pleasure trip, I don't have thousands of dollars to spare to cover emergency expenses if something goes seriously wrong.

I well believe others who look into their own circumstances and decided they don't need insurance don't need it. But they can't look in mine, or anybody else's. Apparently they're the ones who need the mental reassurance that other people must not be normal to act differently than "me." Sigh. Wrong. Next.