Tip for those getting travel insurance from Canada..

[jelo]

Maybe it's not new news for the more experienced travellers, but it was new for me so I thought I'd pass it along.

I've spent the last two days comparing etravel insurance company, and had decided I'd probably go with TravelSafe, at $242.00 for my family of 4.

Tonight I spent a wee bit more time searching and found www.squaremouth.com. I can get better coverage with them, using "TravelGuard" for $149.00. I have verified that we Canadians can be insured with them for US travel.

I hope this helps someone who might be on the fence trying to decide whether to insure or not, I know I was having a hard time digesting some of the quotes I was getting...RBC wanted $516.24!!

 

[minnie56]

Have you looked into annual insurance? We have trip cancellation/interruption /baggage loss-damage-delay/and medical coverage for all 4 of us ...for not much over $100 a year. It is a policy added on to our homeowners which is with 'Intact' and the travel plan is called 'travelwell 30'. We are covered for unlimited trips..up to 30 days each trip with 5 million in coverage per trip-per person.

So far, have needed to use it twice..last time my daughter needed it in NYC and had 2 hospital visits including MRI's and other tests and they paid every penny..with minimal involvement on our part. Their customer service was amazing.

 

[CdnKayDee]

Yes keep looking around. Try CAA we family of 4 pay so little for insurance I cannot even be bothered to remember how much. Also some Credit Cards offer some travel ins ie lost baggage flight ins if you use their card to book of course. Insurance did cost me a lot once but once I really looked into it we saved a lot. Also I dont get car rental ins either Already covered under my package policy.

 

[ccudmore]

I signed up for an American Express card that provides free out of country medical insurance even if I don't use the card to book the trip. The annual fee was less than the insurance for a week.

 

[two*little*birds]

I signed up for an American Express card that provides free out of country medical insurance even if I don't use the card to book the trip. The annual fee was less than the insurance for a week.

I was just going to suggest this. Many credit cards do this, so check with yours first before you pay for any separate coverage.

 

[jelo]

Have you looked into annual insurance? We have trip cancellation/interruption /baggage loss-damage-delay/and medical coverage for all 4 of us ...for not much over $100 a year. It is a policy added on to our homeowners which is with 'Intact' and the travel plan is called 'travelwell 30'. We are covered for unlimited trips..up to 30 days each trip with 5 million in coverage per trip-per person.

So far, have needed to use it twice..last time my daughter needed it in NYC and had 2 hospital visits including MRI's and other tests and they paid every penny..with minimal involvement on our part. Their customer service was amazing.

I've already checked into that possibility, and our TD insurance doesn't offer that service

 

[jelo]

I signed up for an American Express card that provides free out of country medical insurance even if I don't use the card to book the trip. The annual fee was less than the insurance for a week.

Okay, I just checked with A/E...
It's $307.80 for multiple trips(which would be good since I'm over shopping alot!)
but it doesn't include, No cancellation coverage before departure.
Then there's the $76.03, which doesn't include the multiple trip or the cancellation before departure.

I like the Travelguard, because it also covers us fully if we get laid off as well, and you never know with my hubby's job! It's $149. and all the coverages that are important to me are higher (baggage delay, baggage loss, travel delay etc..)

 

[minnie56]

I have a friend that banks with TD and she got something similar to what I have this past Spring..I will see if I can find out what it is. She pays a little more annually than my policy but I think much the same coverage...

 

[jelo]

Yes keep looking around. Try CAA we family of 4 pay so little for insurance I cannot even be bothered to remember how much. Also some Credit Cards offer some travel ins ie lost baggage flight ins if you use their card to book of course. Insurance did cost me a lot once but once I really looked into it we saved a lot. Also I dont get car rental ins either Already covered under my package policy.

CAA was the 2nd highest quote I had...

 

[minnie56]

I am thinking she must have this...which isn't nearly as good as what I have.
http://www.tdinsurance.com/products-services/travel-medical-insurance/options.jsp

Can you call your insurance broker and ask about Travelwell 30?
My broker added it to my homeowners some years back after a big medical expenditure at Disney where I had not purchased any insurance (fortunately-Disney paid whew) but I vowed never again.

It's good to know I am covered every time I cross border to shop even for a day up to multiple 30 day trips. Can't beat that security.

 

[minnie56]

I have this..
https://www.intactinsurance.com/travel-insurance-ontario.html

Apart from my DD's need to visit a hospital in NYC I tore my meniscus in Orlando last summer...I went to Celebration hospital...had multiple tests incl MRI, pain injection, they gave me a cane to walk out of there..amazing ...and my insurance took care of every last thing. I hobbled in and hobbled out, nothing more. When renewal time came in November they didn't even increase my policy one cent. And I just looked $123 a year for a family of 4.

 

[minnie56]

And a lot of credit cards cover only trip interruption-no cancellation. I have a CIBC Aerogold-Infinite only covers interruption and an RBC Avion-Infinite which is the same I believe. Haven't checked the inclusions lately.. So that's something to be mindful of.

 

[corster]

And a lot of credit cards cover only trip interruption-no cancellation. I have a CIBC Aerogold-Infinite only covers interruption and an RBC Avion-Infinite which is the same I believe. Haven't checked the inclusions lately.. So that's something to be mindful of.

Yup.. the only two cards with Cancellation Insurance I can think of off the top of my head are the CIBC Aventura World Mastercard and the Capital One Aspire World Mastercard, i'm sure there's a few more but they're few and far between.

 

[monkey30]

OUr BMO mastercard was $80 to add insurance for the year, as long as we booked the airfare with them. They even covered my trip to the doctor when I came down with severe ear and sinus infections just a few days before we were to leave (got pills to help clear it up just in time!) We paid for it on the cc and they re-embursed us.

Credit cards are sometimes handy for this not always though

 

[jelo]

We're fully covered by my husbands employer, so we don't need medical. We just need the travel/cancellation/baggage loss etc...

 

[5Dreamers]

We're fully covered by my husbands employer, so we don't need medical. We just need the travel/cancellation/baggage loss etc...

We also already have adequate health isurance through my husbands employer and don't need to buy more. I checked out the insurance by TD suggested above, it is mainly medical, and only covers cancellation/interruption for health reasons, not other non-medical reasons (ex. weather, jury duty, etc) and doesn't seem to cover baggage at all. I was interested in something more comprehensive.

I'd also appreciate any info from those who have purchased insurance or used a credit card but didn't need medical, only the other expenses covered (flight, baggage, etc).

 

[colin25]

Every time I see how much some companies want for travel insurance, I just shake my head. I buy it from one of my local insurance companies, and it's only $1 a day(minimum $20), and it covers me up to 2 million.

 

[candygirlIRE]

I saw today that PC has TRAVEL INSURANCE TO GO for $96 for a 15-day trip for a family.... any good??

 

[squirrel]

I should check out more options.

I just buy the RBC deluxe travel insurance every year. I take my niece so I want to be covered.

Oh that reminds me I need to add another day onto my insurance as we are spending the night before and after our WDW trip.

I just had a travel agent (mine is away) add another night to my travel insurance and it cost me nothing! I was shocked. Last year I had to add another night on as my BIL couldn't pick us up in Seattle and my mom won't drive at night. So we needed another night and since we were already in Orlando RBC quoted me a lot of $. I asked my mom to check and see if she could get something cheaper for us. She was able to get us some for $10.

 

[melly_jane]

I never travel to the US without insurance ...even if it's over the border to buffalo for 2 hours.

I was just looking for quotes and the cheapest i found was Manulife's Cover me for a family of 4 was $100.49 and that's for a 17 day trip.

I've also used TD's travel insurace ....Back in '09 we were in Disney for a 4 night stay and MNSSHP ....a day after we left Disney (went to Treasure island for a week) i started feeling ill...thought was allergies....sorry...long story short...it was much worse...then my son caught what i had....a trip to St pete's hospital emerg....the nurse at the clinic sent us there for him ....he needed a breathing treatment....I really believe we both contracted the H1N1 that year.

My cousin who works for RBC insurance (they underwrite most major travel insurances...like the TD one)...i asked her how much that 3 hour trip to the emerg would've been for my son..and she said easily $10,000!!

Moral of this story....please never ever go without the insurance!

sorry this got really long...just wanted to share our experience.