Are you using ABD insurance or OYO?

[giantwiant]

We just booked Egypt for June 2021. Do you recommend getting the ABD insurance or OYO? Travel insurance is such a quagmire now. I was reading in the NY Times about how it will have to change for the future (mostly more of an a la carte of offerings), but we aren't seeing those changes yet.

I know that an outside insurance company will be cheaper, but it is easier to keep things"in house" so to speak if the trip is cancelled. Normally, we would book our own plane tickets, but we are considering using ABD for that as well since who knows what travel will look like in June 2021.

Just curious what people who are booking new trips are planning to do.

 

[lovetotravel]

FWIW these are my own opinions and experience, I'm not an insurance expert.

ABD:
Pros - full refund if ABD cancels (best benefit), can be cheaper for older guests because it is a %cost of the trip esp if you book last minute, covers cancel for any reason (CFAR) with a 75% credit, can pay it with PIF and not upfront, transferrable to other trips if cancelled by ABD
Cons - expensive in general, if you pay before PIF you are subject to penalties if you need to change your trip, you still need to pay it 14 days after first payment to have pre-existing covered

OYO:
Pros - cost effective, customizable coverage, cheaper CFAR add on than ABD, offers much higher coverage than ABD, can transfer to a new trip (check your policy), if you PIF before the PIF date and you need to move your trip to a new trip you are not subject to ABD insurance 75% penalty
Cons - not always cheaper for older guests esp if you buy it for last minute trip, you need to purchase within 14-21 days, might not transfer to new trip if cancelled (check your policy), if ABD cancels you are out the cost of insurance or you can take a credit to use for a future trip

Perhaps others can add to this??

Before COVID I would have said OYO every time, post COVID I would buy ABD because it's 100% refundable esp if the difference is a few hundred dollars or whatever your loss tolerance is.

 

[giantwiant]

Before COVID I would have said OYO every time, post COVID I would buy ABD because it's 100% refundable esp if the difference is a few hundred dollars or whatever your loss tolerance is.

Thanks. This is what I was thinking as well. We always used OYO every time, but things have changed. It's hard enough to keep up with our airline credits for our cancelled flights this year. I would like to avoid have a trip insurance credit to keep track of as well.

 

[leannak]

We’re doing 3rd party at the recommendation of our travel agent. She priced out and compared both for us.