Do DVC owners buy trip insurance?

[PEANUT1]

Just curious on your thoughts. If you do buy it, who do you buy it from and how much is it? Thanks for your feedback. I worry about losing my points if we had to cancel last minute do to medical problems or family issues.

 

[JimMIA]

I don't think many DVC owners buy trip insurance through DVC -- although some must, or they wouldn't keep sending the offer with our confirmation letters.

I often recommend that renters purchase trip insurance as a way of protecting themselves, and we almost always buy it for non-DVC trips. I have used Travel Guard many times, and they are a great company. That's the same company DVC uses.

If you have an issue and have to cancel in a situation which makes your points unusable, you would still lose the points. With travel insurance through DVC, the insurance would pay you $5 per point lost, I believe.

With travel insurance, you have to really understand the fine print so that you are perfectly clear about what is covered and what is not, as well as under what circumstances the insurance will pay. It is critical to understand what you are buying.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our DGC visited doctors the day before our Cape May vacation earlier this month, and DS mentioned that if the kids would have had to fly, they probably would have cancelled the trip. So, I'm definitely buying the trip insurance for our late October trip....that is, if I'm correct in thinking that it has to be bought before the penalty period sets in. If it had to be bought when we booked, well, then we're out of luck.

Bobbi

 

[starbox]

I don't because it only reimburses 5$ per point, and my trips tend to be between 65-100 points each - so it just does not make sense to insure them.

I always insured CRO trips.

 

[OKW Lover]

I don't because it only reimburses 5$ per point, and my trips tend to be between 65-100 points each - so it just does not make sense to insure them.

I always insured CRO trips.

Good point. For the OP, be sure you understand that trip insurance does not restore the points to your account. It only pays you a specified amount for the value of your points.

 

[PEANUT1]

i know that it doesn't restore your points and of course we would rather reschedule than cancel our trip, but if you have an actual "emergency" beyond the cancelling/rescheduling window, then you lose your points and can't reschedule. 2 years ago when we went to disney my mother's brother died 5 days before we left. We didn't end of having to cancel our trip, but if we had, we weren't on points and I could have just rescheduled my trip. I was just wondering if people thougth it was worth it to get $5 a point back rather than nothing. Our upcoming trip is like 250 points.

 

[castleri]

i know that it doesn't restore your points and of course we would rather reschedule than cancel our trip, but if you have an actual "emergency" beyond the cancelling/rescheduling window, then you lose your points and can't reschedule. 2 years ago when we went to disney my mother's brother died 5 days before we left. We didn't end of having to cancel our trip, but if we had, we weren't on points and I could have just rescheduled my trip. I was just wondering if people thougth it was worth it to get $5 a point back rather than nothing. Our upcoming trip is like 250 points.

How close is your trip to the end of your use year - if you know you have to cancel 31 or more days out your points are restored and depending on where you are in the banking schedule you may be able to rebook or bank. If you cancel 30 to 1 day before the trip you will have the points back but must use them for a reservation that is booked no more than 60 days from when it is booked. As someone else said make certain you understand what is covered by the insurance before you buy it. As I understand it your situation 2 years ago would not have been covered. If someone in the traveling party had died it probably would have been covered. It does not cover pre-existing conditions either in some cases so you need to be very certain what is covered.

 

[dduffin]

Yes but we used our points for a cruise and the information we received is that from 74 days out you start loosing points and/or paying penalties, it is not the same as going to one of the resorts. I have elderly in-laws and was wondering if it was worth it to get trip insurance. We used almost 3 years of points for this trip.

Does anyone have any expreience dealing with DVC on this type of emergency issue. Say there was an emergency a week prior to departure for the cruise, do they really forfeit all of your points or has anyone had the experience that they will work with you?

 

[bobbiwoz]

I must say that when we did buy trip insurance for a cruise, no one in our traveling party died/got sick, but my DS's mother in law needed a heart procedure, and we were reimbursed for that because DS, DDiL didn't come. I don't think the actual travelers have to be ill, just affected so as not to be able to travel. Our trip insurance was from the same company that DVC advertises.

We are buying it for our super trip in June...over 700 points.

Bobbi

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Starbox in right on spot in pointing out that your reimbursement is only $5 per point. Otherwise, like Bobbi, we will get insurance for a cruise... Much more to lose.

We have never even considered insurance for one of our point stays on land.

In nine years we have (fortunately) never had to miss a trip. Came close once with a death in the family, but we still made the trip ultimately.

Hey Starbox haven't talked in a while... hope all is well.

 

[granmanh603]

We bought the trip insurance for our March trip for 16 days because our use year is Apr. So if we have to cancel we will at least get something back.(we are older) Figured the $65 was worth it for us.

 

[eva]

We don't for stays at DVC resorts. I think we could handle it, if we had to cancel less than 31 days out. If worse came to worse we could still utilize the resort points for a CC stay at Big Cedar Lodge or maybe even go on a cruise. But we did take out the insurance for our ABD trip to Italy for 2008. You start losing points from the get go for those trips. For DCL trips we take out separate insurance for medical, lost luggage, etc. But we still don't insure the points. Now if I would have taken a Med cruise for 500 points a person, I probably would have considered it.

 

[byoung]

Only time I got insurance was our trip to Hawaii 3 years ago.

 

[halld6479]

I just purchased ours today, we are flying the first week of Dec from the mid west figured a year ago to the day we leave the biggest ice storm hit here so I figured it would help cover the tickets to fly and the xmas party tickets, it ran me like $298 for 7 of us.

 

[JimC]

Only buy travel insurance when traveling outside of US and then primarily for the medical coverage.

A great place to shop and compare is Insure My Trip

Remember that each policy is different in benefits and requirements. This is something you should decide on when you book the vacation. There are also annual policies that cover the 12 month period instead of trip by trip. Finally there are timeshare oriented policies as well. Good luck!