Opinions on Trip Insurance

[liltoot]

I would like to know what people think about trip insurance. i would like one that covers the air travel as well as the rest of the package. We have elderly parents and we aren't young either. You never know when you may have to cancel and I just don't want to lose all that money. Thanks in advance.

 

[AngiTN]

I find it pointless as it is covered by my credit card protection anyway. I'd say check that first

 

[greg9x]

Depends on what coverages you have otherwise (credit cards, health insurance, car insurance, etc). Then what is and is not refundable on your trip, and where you are going.. out of country can get tricky with insurance coverages.
Finally how all that affects your peace of mind.

I did a hotwire hotel reservation that is not refundable or changeable, it was $20 for trip insurance which I got to make me feel better.

 

[liltoot]

We are going to be at the Beach Club. I will be using my Chase Disney Visa card to book the room, tickets with Park Hopper and dining plan through Disney.

 

[Farro]

I find it pointless as it is covered by my credit card protection anyway. I'd say check that first

That only works if you pay your trip with a credit card. We pay "cash" - out of checking account.

OP - we got the insurance through Disney last time and will again. We got the airline insurance through the airline - although Disney may cover that if you purchase through them? I was confused on that piece, so bought through United just in case.

Peace of mind is priceless.

 

[greg9x]

We are going to be at the Beach Club. I will be using my Chase Disney Visa card to book the room, tickets with Park Hopper and dining plan through Disney.

I've never gotten trip insurance for a normal booked Disney trip... But again, what is not refundable on your trip you might be concerned about (flight ?). . If nothing, then don't worry about it. Insurance is bettng that you won't need it.

 

[Farro]

I've never gotten trip insurance for a normal booked Disney trip... But again, what is not refundable on your trip you might be concerned about (flight ?). . If nothing, then don't worry about it. Insurance is bettng that you won't need it.

With elderly parents, anything can happen (god forbid). If you book a package, don't you have to cancel a certain time period before arrival for a refund? Do they refund you if you need to leave early in your trip? That I did not know.

 

[rwdavis2]

We buy AIG Travelguard. Having had to use it the first time we bought made it worth the cost. MY wife got hospitalized in Celebration for 3 days. The insurance covered the hospital co-pay, differences in flight cost, and my additional hotel expenses.

They also cover pre-existing conditions if you buy the insurance within 2 weeks of booking travel. The conditions are pretty clear on their web site and you can get an estimate of coverage. They cover all aspects of the trip even evacuation due to illness.

IMHO, I would not buy insurance sold by the company form which you are buying travel/hotel.

 

[greg9x]

With elderly parents, anything can happen (god forbid). If you book a package, don't you have to cancel a certain time period before arrival for a refund? Do they refund you if you need to leave early in your trip? That I did not know.

No, don't think it is refundable once package starts, but could probably work with Disney if it was an emergency.
Why said depends on your peace of mind... If they were really worried about parents, then maybe insurance would make them feel better.
Most people aren't worried about things like that though, so insurance isn't a priority.

IMHO, I would not buy insurance sold by the company form which you are buying travel/hotel.

Agree with this... The insurance got on hotwire site was 3rd party with good reputation so went with it for to convenience, but normally go through totally separate channel.

 

[Runner225]

I don't do any major trips without travel insurance. We just came back from our trip last week. We were scheduled to fly back home on Thursday night...flight got cancelled due to weather and we were rescheduled for Friday morning. We had to get a hotel that Thursday night. We have Travel Guard and they are reimbursing me for the additional hotel stay and any meals that occurred due to the interruption. I was very happy we had the insurance.

 

[stace1214]

We always get insurance when we travel to WDW. I think it was less that $200 for our last trip, well worth for the peace of mind.

 

[AngiTN]

That only works if you pay your trip with a credit card. We pay "cash" - out of checking account.

OP - we got the insurance through Disney last time and will again. We got the airline insurance through the airline - although Disney may cover that if you purchase through them? I was confused on that piece, so bought through United just in case.

Peace of mind is priceless.

Why can't you pay with the credit card to get the free insurance and then turn around that pay the credit card bill out of the checking account? That way, you get the benefits of the credit card AND no interest too. Win-win for you. We even get a free plane ticket out of the deal every year, not even counting all our miles. No interest and lots of benefits.

 

[Farro]

Why can't you pay with the credit card to get the free insurance and then turn around that pay the credit card bill out of the checking account? That way, you get the benefits of the credit card AND no interest too. Win-win for you. We even get a free plane ticket out of the deal every year, not even counting all our miles. No interest and lots of benefits.

This is how we pay for our vacations. Works for us.

 

[AngiTN]

This is how we pay for our vacations. Works for us.

Ok.
Putting out ideas for others anyway.
Free trip insurance, free miles, free tickets. Can all add up fast.

 

[CarolynFH]

You might want to look at InsureMyTrip.com [sorry, apparently this vendor is blocked by DIS - try an internet search for "travel insurance"] and TripInsuranceStore.com. Also, American Express sells travel insurance that allows you to buy only what you need (for instance, our credit card has excellent coverage for travel delays, trip cancellation, lost luggage, etc. but not for medical expenses so that's what we buy), and you do not need to have an American Express card or account to buy it.

Whatever you choose, look carefully at what's covered and not, especially pre-existing conditions (yours and your parents'). Buying trip insurance can be expensive, so you need to be sure it covers the potential issues you might face.

 

[gofish7490]

I personally do not buy trip insurance. Fortunately, I haven't needed it either.

 

[Farro]

I personally do not buy trip insurance. Fortunately, I haven't needed it either.

We never used to buy it for domestic trips. Just when out of the country or on cruises. But now both our sets of parents are about to be 80 and while still very spry, you just never know! I don't worry that much about our medical coverage because I have great insurance through work (as does he), but mostly losing out money if we have to come home early.

For us it's a relatively cheap cost.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I find it pointless as it is covered by my credit card protection anyway. I'd say check that first

Yes, it’s important to check. My credit card covers travel expenses, change fees, and the like, but that’s about it. They don’t cover actual vacation expenses. For us, the biggest cost is our on-site hotel, which becomes non-refundable 5 days out.

For that reason, I’m buying insurance for this trip.

 

[HopperFan]

SO MANY variables would come into play to know if it is a good decision, it can even vary by trip.

Only once did I purchase for a trip to Orlando since I bought a no refund week at a timeshare. My MIL was not well and I didn't want to lose my money. All went fine.

Now for cruises & international I 100% buy the insurance for the medical assistance and transport back to the states. NO WAY I want to risk medical care in most other countries.

 

[tex1989]

Fortunately for us we have never needed it, until February of this year. I was diagnosed with a detached retina on Friday and we were flying out on Saturday. Had no insurance but we got away with it. This where the previous poster said it helps to know what you already have and what policies are. We have AP's and when we go we only book room only at WDW. We have a SW Visa and always fly SW. So when I found out we were not going (and because we were not getting to our room till 11:00 PM on Saturday night) we were able to come home and cancel the SW flights, Funds usable for other flights for up to 1 year from booking date (important reminder here 1 year from the day you bought them, not the flight date). Call WDW and they were completely sympathetic and refunded my one night deposit, balance due at arrival. So we lost nothing! Sort of made insurance not worth it because we would have collected nothing. Other things could occur when traveling, cancelled flights etc. but I don't sweat those to much cause wife is retired and my work schedule is flexible and I get six weeks vacation a year.

So you have to evaluate your own situation but in our case we feel okay not paying the extra money.