Anyone use the travel insurance provided by their CC company?

[Frwinkley]

We are sailing on the Dream (3 days) in July. We will already be in Orlando, so I'm not concerned about flight cancellation, etc. I was wondering if anyone has solely relied on the insurance provided by their credit card company, rather than purchase a separate policy?

We are in good health, so I'm not concerned about medical conditions impeding our ability to travel.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are sailing on the Dream (3 days) in July. We will already be in Orlando, so I'm not concerned about flight cancellation, etc. I was wondering if anyone has solely relied on the insurance provided by their credit card company, rather than purchase a separate policy?

We are in good health, so I'm not concerned about medical conditions impeding our ability to travel.

I'll just point out that I'm sure the parents of the young child taken to the hospital in Mexico to have his appendix removed also felt that they were "in good health and not concerned about medical conditions" either. But they were certainly glad they had the coverage as it covered mom staying in Mexico with the child while dad continued the trip. Then it covered the flight home for both mom and child.

 

[MunFam]

I'll just point out that I'm sure the parents of the young child taken to the hospital in Mexico to have his appendix removed also felt that they were "in good health and not concerned about medical conditions" either. But they were certainly glad they had the coverage as it covered mom staying in Mexico with the child while dad continued the trip. Then it covered the flight home for both mom and child.

I agree with this. As a travel agent I "double up" on coverage and buy the real travel insurance. Credit Card insurance is great if you need to fight a charge or need to cancel or change a hotel room reservation...BUT your average, included as a perk of your card, credit card insurance will not cover emergency medical care and other matters like that. They may help if you lose your luggage (like AMEX Gold, Black etc)...but not the serious emergency type situations like missing the ship or evacuation.

Also, people in great health trip and fall and brake bones, hit heads, etc. that require immediate medical care or even surgery. They can get food poisoning and be denied boarding...those are the things that "healthy people" need to take in to account when deciding if insurance is right for them. I always tell my clients, buy insurance and murphys law says you will be fine...travel without it and you will probably need it.

 

[Frwinkley]

I was referring to pre-existing medical conditions. It is just my husband and myself.

Thank you.

 

[MunFam]

I was referring to pre-existing medical conditions. It is just my husband and myself.

Thank you.

And I was referring to the fact that pre-existing medical conditions aside, things can still happen, so no. I do not rely solely on credit card insurance.

 

[Frwinkley]

Wouldn't medical emergencies be covered by a health insurance policy?

 

[c todd]

Wouldn't medical emergencies be covered by a health insurance policy?

The majority of health insurance policies do not offer coverage outside of the US. And if you want to take your chances with your CC company for the trip insurance, you can purchase medical only for much cheaper than trip insurance.

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

My sis and I purchased through the travel agency. You just can't risk it. Worth every penny we paid for it. We liked the insurance the agency policy better than Disneys

 

[MunFam]

Wouldn't medical emergencies be covered by a health insurance policy?

We have Kaiser and we do have a small amount of international coverage, however, it does not cover things like emergency evacuation. They also make you pay 100% of the cost upfront and they "review" your claim for reimbursement. I have a child with food allergies and a single medivac to the US from Columbia (our furthest port) was over $100,000 USD. There is no way I could come up with that kind of money upfront. That is where travel insurance comes in.

There are stories of people dying in Mexican ports because they had a heart attack and could not get the money wired from the US fast enough to treat them. Its not like here in the US where you walk in to an ER hospital and they treat first, collect later. Our full insurance policy, for 3, for 19 nights including cruise, flights, excursions, hotel and rental car was less than $300 total. When I am dropping thousands and thousands on a vacation, a few hundred for insurance is well worth it in my opinion.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There is no way I could come up with that kind of money upfront. That is where travel insurance comes in.

Generally, you still have to pay upfront. And submit for reimbursement once home.

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

Generally, you still have to pay upfront. And submit for reimbursement once home.

Do you mean to say that even with our travel insurance we have to pay upfront (for what?).

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you mean to say that even with our travel insurance we have to pay upfront (for what?).

At the hospital (onshore), typically, they require some sort of payment before they will treat you. Onboard the ship, your medical charges will be applied to your onboard account. Your onboard account has to be settled before you debark the ship.

Once you get home, you submit your paperwork showing what you paid, either to your regular health coverage plan (if the travel insurance for medical is secondary), or directly to the travel insurance company (if your medical coverage is primary). Then they reimburse you.

It's not like health coverage plans in the US, where you just go to the hospital and they look up your coverage and charge you whatever your plan says. Foreign hospitals just view you as "someone off the street" as far as they are concerned, and they want their money before they will treat.

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

Oh geez they can refuse us care if we can't pay...gulp

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Oh geez they can refuse us care if we can't pay...gulp

Do you have a credit card? Sometimes people have contacted their CC company to get coverage for emergencies.

I will point out that, odds are you won't have anything to worry about.

 

[su_A_ve]

Oh geez they can refuse us care if we can't pay...gulp

We need to remember that we are traveling outside the US. Laws are completely different.

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

Yes, hopefully nothing to worry about but golly gee whiz wow I dont even know how the insurance works.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Yes, hopefully nothing to worry about but golly gee whiz wow I dont even know how the insurance works.

The insurance just means you won't be out any money - in the long run. But it's not a health plan.

 

[nordkin]

Not all credit card insurance is created equal. The United Explorer card by Chase has one of the best coverages for a credit card. The Disney Visa by Chase does not even come close to the United card. We have had to make a claim on the United card and it was efficiently handled and paid quickly.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

We have medical coverage internationally, so that is not our concern.

We have used our Chase Sapphire Preferred as coverage for a trip to Orlando and cruise on the Dream. We were covered for a cancellation for a last minute stomach bug before we left home. We were unable to use it when the grandmother of a teen to whom we were not related but with who. We were traveling passed away during a trip.

Some credit cards include emergency evacuation/repatriation, such as Amex Platinum and Citi Prestige.

Like any insurance, there is a whole lot of fine print, so make sure you understand what is -- and is not -- covered. -- Suzanne

 

[cargo13]

Travel insurance, direct from the insurance provider, is such a small % of your trip costs that its a must have. What could occur--accidents, medical, etc could costs $10000s. The risk is not worth it.

This forum goes into a lot of detail re: credit card travel insurance coverages v. direct travel insurance and how to balance the 2: http://forum.elliott.org/forums/insurance.72/

If you are not concerned about trip cancellation coverages, this website explains IN TRIP /post departure coverages: www.blog.csatravelprotection.com