Recommendation for travel insurance?

[Doctor P]

Can anyone offer a recommendation for purchasing travel insurance privately? I have looked at the major providers and can flip a coin at this point. I am particularly interested in feedback from those who have had to make claims.

Right now, I think I am leaning toward Travel Guard, but am also considering Access America.

 

[minnieluvzmickey]

I just bought my insurance last night at insuremytrip.com I ended up going with travel safe, it was $55 for a 3 night cruise, for me and dh. This is my first cruise so I am not sure if what I have done is good or not. I'm just hoping i won't need to use it.

 

[jgalecpa]

I used access America. I felt most comfortable when I find out that is who DCL uses, As well as KIDS UNDER 18 ARE FREE!

I would go to

http://www.accessamerica.com

But CALL them to make sure you get the Kids go free. It was not obvious.

I saved nearly 60% off the DCL price for virtually the same coverage at the same company.

IMHO

 

[joanb]

I HAVE TO AGREE WITH JGALECPA...WE USED ACCESS AND THE KID WERE FREE. Didn't have to claim anything so don't know how that would have gone.

 

[SeaSpray]

Just recieved our booking package today. (Not cruise docs!). We booked with All Seasons Travel about a week and a half ago and today a small box arrived containing a DCL video, small brochure, as well as a booklet for "Travel Insured" travel insurance. The prices aren't bad all. It would cost $158 to insure our 7 night cruise for DH, DS12, DS15, and myself. That's about half the price of Disney. When I was researching the RCI cruise we took this summer there was a web site where you could type in all pertinent info (ages of travelers, costs of trip, etc) and it would give you a grid, comparing the various travel insurances, showing which ones covered what, and which ones didn't, and how much they'd each cost. I will try and find that site and post it here!

Found it! It's http://insuremytrip.com

 

[crazy4cruises]

My TA recommended the Travelex Travel Plus policy. I asked her if she had known clients who had to file claims, and she said that they are good to pay when claims are filed. I also checked on Insuremytrip.com, and it was the least expensive for our upcoming cruises. I am paying $52 total for my 7 night cruise for my family of four. I think age is a big factor because my DH and I are both 29. We have friends travelling with us who are in their mid-30's, and their policy was 3x as much. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has used this company.

 

[fred ferdlap]

You will need to hit the site connected with AAA. There is no requirement that you are an AAA member. Look at the link below . With the kids free it's a 1/4 of the cost anywhere else.

http://www.accessamerica.com/aaa

Besides this is the same company disney uses. We just bought our policies.

 

[Doctor P]

Thanks, Fred. I had already looked at that site. Seems very good.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I have a question about the kids free policy. Is this based on two paying adults? Can a single parents take advantage of the kids free policy?

 

[fred ferdlap]

We are a family of 5 and travel in two cabins cat 11 and cat 6
In one cabin under my wife the two kids in her cabin are covered by her policy. And I cover one child in my cabin. Two policies because the cabins rates are different.

 

[NADTWINS]

I called access america last night to get a price quote on insurance for our trip. They told me that they no longer offer any child free programs. .Can if anyone has recently purchesed insurance confirm this? Did I miss the boat with that program? the price they quotes me it still about a $100.00 dollors cheaper than I was quoted from Disney.

 

[CGC33A]

I am on the Access America web site right now & it clearly shows "TripAssist Family Care" with kids free. Don't know what to make of their phone comments.... I went on looking for the link to the AAA prices & the regular home page comes up when I click on the link above, or whe I type in the address. Any suggestions on how to find the AAA prices to compare with their regular ones (or maybe they are the same?)

 

[NADTWINS]

I called back this morrning and asked about the TripAssist Family Care" program and it is still available. I took advamtage of it - saved about $200.00. I asked about what happend yesterday when I called could not get an answer. Thanks for the info!!

 

[SeaSpray]

Wow, I went to the "Purchase" page for Access America, and typed in our names and ages, and checked off the "Child is Free" box under our DSs names, and came up with a total price of $91! That's a great rate. Does anyone know of any reason why buying travel insurance through them wouldn't be a good idea?? Otherwise, I think that's who we'll purchase insurance with.

 

[nuke]

I would recommend either Travel Guard or Access America. I have sold both and they are both good providers.

I don't know if this matters to you or not, but the main difference between the two is that if you buy the deluxe policy with Travel Guard they are the primary carrier. So if you were to get sick and needed to be flown home early or taken to a hospital somewhere, Travel Guard is the first to pay. With other companies and policies they are secondary which means you charge your personal insurance first and then what they don't pay goes to the travel insurance.

Just things to think about.

 

[Doctor P]

I ended up going with Travel Guard and buying the mid-level policy. $91 for the two of us for a trip up to $1000.99 each.

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by nuke
I would recommend either Travel Guard or Access America. I have sold both and they are both good providers.

I don't know if this matters to you or not, but the main difference between the two is that if you buy the deluxe policy with Travel Guard they are the primary carrier. So if you were to get sick and needed to be flown home early or taken to a hospital somewhere, Travel Guard is the first to pay. With other companies and policies they are secondary which means you charge your personal insurance first and then what they don't pay goes to the travel insurance.

Just things to think about.

Thanks, nuke, I didn't realize that! I assume it's just easier to go through one insurance company in the event of an emergency, than having to deal with two...? I have another question: If we are all healthy right now, and wait to purchase our travel insurance until the 60 day mark (I'd buy it well before the 60 day mark, to be on the safe side), then can I assume that I don't have anything to worry about regarding "pre-existing conditions", since right now, there is nothing that is "pre-existing"??

 

[nuke]

As long as you have nothing pre-existing it won't matter if you don't have that provision. But what about your family members? If for instance your mom has diabetes and has a complication do to that and you don't want to travel so you can be with her, her condition is pre-existing.

I'm not an insurance agent. These are just things that have come up in the years I've been selling travel.

 

[Doctor P]

The preexisting clause was very essential for me at this time (I was diagnosed with diabetes in between our cruise deposit and today, but we only made our deposit one week ago so we were still in the window) and hastened my purchase of the insurance. I am confident of my health plan's coverage and have had experience with them having had a medical emergency on a trip last year, but need the emergency evacuation coverage since they don't cover that. I went with the mid-level coverage since I have good primary health insurance and wasn't going to pay what amounted to $36 to get $250 worth of "change your mind" insurance.

 

[SeaSpray]

nuke: My mother is 84 years old and has advanced Alzheimer's disease. Physically, she is in great shape though, just her mind is gone, so my dad cares for all of her physical needs, 24/7. If she should die the same week as my cruise, what would happen? I'm sure Alzheimer's is considered to be pre-existing, so that means I couldn't cancel the cruise and be reimbursed? The thing about Alzheimer's is that no one knows how long each individual person can/will live, who has it. Now I'm thinking I should've bought the insurance already!

DoctorP: My DH has had insulin-dependant diabetes for the last 4 years but it's under control and therefore it would not cause a reason for us to have to miss our cruise. I am not meaning to sound sarcastic at all about this question....but, why are you worried about your diabetes being a pre-existing condition, in reference to your cruise? Did your doctor give you any info that maybe we're not aware of? Again, I am asking you this seriously, not to be a wise guy. Or is it because this is all new to you and you don't want to take any chances?? I hope this doesn't offend you, I am just curious! Thanks.