travel insurance

[Donalyn]

So, what companies do you use for your ABD Europe trips? We are booking a river cruise tomorrow and will have substantial pre and post days, so looking for different options than ABD's coverage.

Thanks

 

[fla4fun]

So, what companies do you use for your ABD Europe trips? We are booking a river cruise tomorrow and will have substantial pre and post days, so looking for different options than ABD's coverage.

Thanks

I go to insuremytrip.com first because it compares coverage from several companies. The important thing is to write down ahead of time a list of exactly what you want to cover. For example, on international trips medical coverage including medical evacuation is important to me, but on a domestic trip I wouldn’t need that. You will find that some companies lean heavily towards medical coverage while others might focus more on trip interruption and cancellation. It is important to read each one carefully before making a decision. Once I have selected the insurance company I want, I go to their website to purchase direct instead of purchasing through a third party so there is less chance of a problem should I need to make a claim.

 

[Lewisc]

Check
Pre-existing conditions terms. Many waive them if you purchase the policy within a certain number of days of your first deposit, occassionally final payment.

A broker gives you the option of getting advice if you have a claim. That's a positive, not a negative.

Does your health insurance have international coverage? Or will you be exclusively using travel insurance.

Are you purchasing refundable air? Does your airline offer usable credits if you cancel.

 

[Donalyn]

I mainly care about medical. Oldest DD has asthma and while we haven't had any issues, you never know.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Funny, just went to make a payment today and the AbD person said that after final payment is made I can no longer add travel insurance. We don’t normally travel with it but it’s a VERY expensive trip and now I’m wondering.

2 sets of tickets are refundable but 3 are not.

What would you do?

 

[Lewisc]

I mainly care about medical. Oldest DD has asthma and while we haven't had any issues, you never know.

Make sure preexisting conditions are covered. If possible buy trip insurance with primary medical.

 

[Pinkjgray]

Delete

 

[sayhello]

I agree with everything said above. I really love insuremytrip.com, because it allows you to input all the parameters of your trip, filter by the features that are important to you, and then compare cost vs. coverage. For me, a pre-existing condition waiver is paramount, along with it being primary medical coverage. Then it becomes a look at how much is covered vs how expensive it is. And all the plans they offer are from highly rated insurance companies (A or A+ ratings). I will buy through insuremytrip.com, because they are easier to ask questions of. But once you get the policy, you can totally contact the insurance company, and it's them you will deal with directly if there are any issues during or after the trip. It's worked well for me for MANY years (over 20!).

Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I've read a TON about trip insurance, and keep up on current issues and trends. Plus I've made a few claims, too!

Sayhello

 

[lanejudy]

What would you do?

I would look into third party coverage, not the insurance offered from AbD. It's most likely better coverage and less expensive. Use the suggestions above.

 

[wdp]

If all you need is international medical coverage, we had excellent experiences with GeoBlue. Only one claim, but they made it easy and paid promptly. It wasn't very expensive; premiums depend on traveler age and length of trip.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I go to insuremytrip.com first because it compares coverage from several companies. The important thing is to write down ahead of time a list of exactly what you want to cover. For example, on international trips medical coverage including medical evacuation is important to me, but on a domestic trip I wouldn’t need that. You will find that some companies lean heavily towards medical coverage while others might focus more on trip interruption and cancellation. It is important to read each one carefully before making a decision. Once I have selected the insurance company I want, I go to their website to purchase direct instead of purchasing through a third party so there is less chance of a problem should I need to make a claim.

Check
Pre-existing conditions terms. Many waive them if you purchase the policy within a certain number of days of your first deposit, occassionally final payment.

A broker gives you the option of getting advice if you have a claim. That's a positive, not a negative.

Does your health insurance have international coverage? Or will you be exclusively using travel insurance.

Are you purchasing refundable air? Does your airline offer usable credits if you cancel.

I agree with everything said above. I really love insuremytrip.com, because it allows you to input all the parameters of your trip, filter by the features that are important to you, and then compare cost vs. coverage. For me, a pre-existing condition waiver is paramount, along with it being primary medical coverage. Then it becomes a look at how much is covered vs how expensive it is. And all the plans they offer are from highly rated insurance companies (A or A+ ratings). I will buy through insuremytrip.com, because they are easier to ask questions of. But once you get the policy, you can totally contact the insurance company, and it's them you will deal with directly if there are any issues during or after the trip. It's worked well for me for MANY years (over 20!).

Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I've read a TON about trip insurance, and keep up on current issues and trends. Plus I've made a few claims, too!

Sayhello

I just want to thank you for these posts. I'm traveling internationally soon (not through AbD) and I didn't even know where to begin with buying trip insurance. These three posts gave me confidence for using Insuremytrip and it made it really easy to find travel insurance.

 

[sayhello]

I just want to thank you for these posts. I'm traveling internationally soon (not through AbD) and I didn't even know where to begin with buying trip insurance. These three posts gave me confidence for using Insuremytrip and it made it really easy to find travel insurance.

Wow! So glad to have been a help!

Sayhello

 

[nordkin]

One thing people often overlook is what coverage does your credit card offer. The only things Chase Sapphire cards don’t offer is medical and medical evacuation with a yearly coverage of $10,00 per person. We have a separate yearly policy for medical evacuation so we are only looking for medical coverage. I usually go to insure my trip to compare policies for that.

 

[sayhello]

One thing people often overlook is what coverage does your credit card offer. The only things Chase Sapphire cards don’t offer is medical and medical evacuation with a yearly coverage of $10,00 per person. We have a separate yearly policy for medical evacuation so we are only looking for medical coverage. I usually go to insure my trip to compare policies for that.

You do have to be careful with credit cards, because they have a limit as to how much they will cover in a year. If your ABD costs more than that limit, you might not be fully covered. But it can be a really good supplement.

Sayhello

 

[MartyParty]

So, what companies do you use for your ABD Europe trips? We are booking a river cruise tomorrow and will have substantial pre and post days, so looking for different options than ABD's coverage.

Thanks

I had been using World Nomads but have recently switched to Seven Corners.

 

[jimmymc]

I've used the included Chase Sapphire Reserve insurance. Covers $10k per person, $20k for the trip total if it's cancelled or interrupted. It also covers medical transportation up to $100k. This combined with my health insurance covering emergencies anywhere in the world has been enough for me. I haven't booked an ABD that was over $10k per person, but you could either get supplemental insurance or risk the difference.

 

[MartyParty]

FYI when I look at travel insurance for travel outside the US, its primarily for medical emergencies. If using a travel or airline credit card it more than covers lost bags and such. When you're outside the US your US medical may or may not cover you. The big expense is if you or someone in your family requires a medical evacuation. I can count at least three instances I know where someone had this happen:

• Coworkers sister visiting Asia (Russian/China) and got seriously ill. Evac was around $1 million US but thankful she had travel insurance.
• Friend of a coworker visiting the Caribbean. Sustained injuries riding a bike but did not have travel insurance. Had to stay in the local hospital for a couple of months till the family raised enough funds to return her home.
• Daughters' university friend skiing in Europe last year. Need I say more. Got injured. Not sure how much the evac cost was.

I tend to look for $500k to $1 million in evac coverage but that's just me. If you're not doing anything to adventures $100k evac might be just fine. The challenge you have, if you're in another country and injured, then the local providers know you need their services. Rates tend to reflect the urgency.

I think you mentioned this trip was provide by Adventures by Disney. If so, they will offer a travel insurance option. I'd me inclined to take it as from what I understand you'll have the benefit of Disney advocating on your behalf if running into difficulties with the insurance agency.

 

[sayhello]

FYI when I look at travel insurance for travel outside the US, its primarily for medical emergencies. If using a travel or airline credit card it more than covers lost bags and such. When you're outside the US your US medical may or may not cover you. The big expense is if you or someone in your family requires a medical evacuation. I can count at least three instances I know where someone had this happen:

• Coworkers sister visiting Asia (Russian/China) and got seriously ill. Evac was around $1 million US but thankful she had travel insurance.
• Friend of a coworker visiting the Caribbean. Sustained injuries riding a bike but did not have travel insurance. Had to stay in the local hospital for a couple of months till the family raised enough funds to return her home.
• Daughters' university friend skiing in Europe last year. Need I say more. Got injured. Not sure how much the evac cost was.

I tend to look for $500k to $1 million in evac coverage but that's just me. If you're not doing anything to adventures $100k evac might be just fine. The challenge you have, if you're in another country and injured, then the local providers know you need their services. Rates tend to reflect the urgency.

I think you mentioned this trip was provide by Adventures by Disney. If so, they will offer a travel insurance option. I'd me inclined to take it as from what I understand you'll have the benefit of Disney advocating on your behalf if running into difficulties with the insurance agency.

This is all great information. The only part I'll disagree with is the last paragraph. First off, ABD's coverage is usually not very comprehensive (the policy has low limits, etc) and is overly expensive for what you get. You can get much better coverage through a third party. And secondly, ABD just sells the insurance like a Travel Agent does. To my knowledge they will not advocate for you with the insurance company. (If I'm incorrect about this, and this has changed recently, someone please correct me!)

I've used the included Chase Sapphire Reserve insurance. Covers $10k per person, $20k for the trip total if it's cancelled or interrupted. It also covers medical transportation up to $100k. This combined with my health insurance covering emergencies anywhere in the world has been enough for me. I haven't booked an ABD that was over $10k per person, but you could either get supplemental insurance or risk the difference.

I *have* booked multiple ABDs that are over $10k per person. Especially with a single supplement. And a LOT of health insurance in the US is NOT good outside of the US. So that can be a big problem. I honestly think you're in the minority, having yours good anywhere in the world.

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