Always buy the insurance!

[Dakota731]

One thing I’ve learned from this crisis is next time I’ll buy trip insurance! We have an early summer trip planned (not to WDW) and I didn’t purchase the insurance so now I’m afraid I’ll lose my money. Hopefully someone else can benefit from my mistake!

 

[Brett Wyman]

Maybe. You have to be very careful and read the fine print. A lot of trip insurance policies are very limited on what they offer a refund for.

 

[amcnj]

Like any insurance, it only seems worth it when you actually need it!

But the other side is, would all the premiums you would have paid on every trip to date have cost you as much or more than the possible loss on this trip? If so, you can look at it that you are starting over at even or ahead for all future trips; you didn’t lose on this trip, you are just paying all the past trip premiums at one time!

Hope you are able to get your money back should the trip not happen. Good luck!

 

[piccolopat]

The only trip insurance I usually buy is for medical/repatriation expenses when I am overseas. It can cost a small fortune if you have to be medically transported back to the states. If I were to sign up for an organized tour, I would buy the insurance because there is a lot of money at stake. So far, we've traveled independently and can usually either cancel last minute for a refund or get a credit for future travel. Make sure you understand what the insurance covers and what it doesn't cover. Pre-existing medical conditions are often excluded and I would guess we'll see policies start to explicitly exclude pandemics if they don't already.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

My trip insurance I bought for a Mediterranean cruise and Rome trip specifically excludes pandemic/epidemic. I read Elliott consumer forums and from reading it appears most trip insurance excludes epidemic and pandemic. So it wouldn’t have worked in this case.

Thankfully our airline (Lufthansa) allowed changes free of charge as did MSC (cruises)also allowed. With MSC cruise price went down and voucher was 125% value of cruise so we came ahead.

 

[starry_solo]

Check with your credit card company too. You might be able to use their "insurance" for something.

 

[Heather07438]

120 kids (+30 chaperones & parents) from DS's school each paid $4,400 for a Scotland/UK trip mid April. Almost 95% bought trip insurance.

The trip insurance is only giving us the money back for the trip insurance. Beside British Airways deciding to give us our airfare back, looks like we are out the rest of the money.

 

[tvguy]

Maybe. You have to be very careful and read the fine print. A lot of trip insurance policies are very limited on what they offer a refund for.

Or very specifically exclude things like pandemics. But IMHO no legitimate company is NOT going to refund your money.
My mom had a cruise booked on HAL in 2012 and had a stroke 2 months before. No travel insurance. We booked through a travel agent. She said it shouldn't be an issue to get a refund. HAL and Alaska airlines had no problem issuing a full refund under the circumstances. As the travel agent put it, it would be a horrible business practice not to do than given how many HAL cruises my mom had taken, and how many my travel agent had booked with HAL.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Check with your credit card company too. You might be able to use their "insurance" for something.

I have a Chase Preferred Sapphire card I used. I also checked with them same story pandemic and epidemic not covered.

Thankfully most places are doing right by refund or travel credit for future use, but if you read online most insurances don’t cover situations like we are in now. People need to be aware is exactly what the insurance they purchase covers prior to buying. Sadly this situation shows what most insurance doesn’t cover.

 

[pryncess527]

I think the real lesson is book directly with the vendor. The people who booked directly with hotels and airlines seem to be having a lot less trouble getting their money back than the people who book through websites and tour companies.

FWIW that is NOT knocking anyone who made the decision to go with the tour company — For large groups I’ve done it several times without a second thought in the past. I will be more judicious with that choice now, I’m afraid some of these tour companies are just going to declare bankruptcy. and there have been stories of people early in the crisis where the tour company didn’t pay the hotel so when the people went to check out they had to pay their own hotel bill before they were allowed to leave.

 

[gottalovepluto]

One thing I’ve learned from this crisis is next time I’ll buy trip insurance! We have an early summer trip planned (not to WDW) and I didn’t purchase the insurance so now I’m afraid I’ll lose my money. Hopefully someone else can benefit from my mistake!

Insurance is quite complicated. I know a few people right now who bought insurance and are finding out it doesn’t do what they need. Honestly the biggest lesson with regards to insurance is probably know EXACTLY what you are buying so you don’t throw money down the drain on a trip + insurance.

 

[gottalovepluto]

120 kids (+30 chaperones & parents) from DS's school each paid $4,400 for a Scotland/UK trip mid April. Almost 95% bought trip insurance.

The trip insurance is only giving us the money back for the trip insurance. Beside British Airways deciding to give us our airfare back, looks like we are out the rest of the money.

Exactly. Not covering what you need.

Pretty much the only people for whom trip insurance will pay out in these current circumstances are those who bought the expensive Cancel Anytime for 75% back insurance.

 

[gottalovepluto]

120 kids (+30 chaperones & parents) from DS's school each paid $4,400 for a Scotland/UK trip mid April. Almost 95% bought trip insurance.

The trip insurance is only giving us the money back for the trip insurance. Beside British Airways deciding to give us our airfare back, looks like we are out the rest of the money.

Also- ouch! I feel so bad for the students losing these trips and their parents. I keep hearing story after story there is very little money being refunded to them.

 

[Heather07438]

Thanks!

Yeah it was a blow to the Highlander Marching Band. Many of these kids saved up for 4 years to go.

They worked their butts off putting in many thousands of hours and were invited to many prestigious places to play in the UK, even with the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

So many students and families in a similar situation, it stinks. Better days will come

 

[LuvOrlando]

Yikes! I think illness is often covered and ear infections happen a lot & are grounds for not flying as long as there is a Dr note advising against travel. We had to get a note last year for a domestic flight, my daughter had pneumonia and had a note & we were covered. So even though there is this mess it could also be true a person has an ear infection or something else.

 

[Heather07438]

Yikes! I think illness is often covered and ear infections happen a lot & are grounds for not flying as long as there is a Dr note advising against travel. We had to get a note last year for a domestic flight, my daughter had pneumonia and had a note & we were covered. So even though there is this mess it could also be true a person has an ear infection or something else.

Ahhh, interesting. Thank you.

But I wonder if Pandemic supersedes any other cause not to fly or travel.

 

[eMoneyBug]

Life is a risk to buy or not to buy

 

[pigletliz]

Not always true. I was going to book a trip to the UK for this fall. That was before this all blew up in the U.S. Coronavirus was specifically excluded from coverage.

 

[kandb]

120 kids (+30 chaperones & parents) from DS's school each paid $4,400 for a Scotland/UK trip mid April. Almost 95% bought trip insurance.

The trip insurance is only giving us the money back for the trip insurance. Beside British Airways deciding to give us our airfare back, looks like we are out the rest of the money.

That's a disgrace! Can you guys try to fight this? How can this be?

 

[zoo2tycoon]

That's a disgrace! Can you guys try to fight this? How can this be?

Sadly as explained most trip insurance does not cover pandemic and epidemic. Clearly spelled out in all policies.