Travel Insurance?

[Anniesantiago]

Has anyone from the USA or Canada had any experience with Travel Insurance Companies?
What type of travel insurance do you buy?
What are the protections?
Cost?

 

[Pieces]

I seem to remember there are a few threads under misc, one quite extensive one, maybe it is in the sick forum...

 

[karenfromcali]

Has anyone from the USA or Canada had any experience with Travel Insurance Companies?
What type of travel insurance do you buy?
What are the protections?
Cost?

Hi Annie.
I plan on purchasing travel insurance.
Squaremouth.com shows quotes of all types/prices from different companies for travel insurance. Hope this will help you gather some info.
Karen

 

[pattymo97206]

Has anyone from the USA or Canada had any experience with Travel Insurance Companies?
What type of travel insurance do you buy?
What are the protections?
Cost?

I used one in 2012 when I was on Camino with you. I think it was Travelex, but not sure. Cost was $350, so it was spendy, but the coverage was good for just about every contingency. I’ll buy some again, but don’t think I”ll use the same company and won’t pay as much (I hope). Just feel better having it.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

http://www.allianztravelinsurance.c...gn=Brand ATI&gclid=CKjk1vTGubsCFSLxOgodwzQAbg

I never had a claim, so I don't know if they are garbage or not!

 

[DrGubs]

I am on Camino right now and took CAA coverage the top-up for the extra time cost around 200.00 be aware the rate is variable and geared to your age and general health...

 

[lynnejohn]

http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=allianz&utm_content=&utm_campaign=Brand ATI&gclid=CKjk1vTGubsCFSLxOgodwzQAbg

I never had a claim, so I don't know if they are garbage or not!

We are with this company through our employer. Had a claim on our last camino and I would rate them 6/10.

 

[haikutaxi]

I haven't had to make a claim (that's OK, insurance is a form of gambling) but have purchased travel insurance a few times from http://www.travelinsured.com/ ... the company is highly rated and rates are based on the $amount you want to cover. We have just insured the cost of airfare and personal possessions as we aren't going on a tour where we have laid out a great deal of money in advance. Insurance covers flight cancellation/delay, medical emergency and evacuation, baggage delay and loss, etc. We got their "Gold" plan and the cost was just under $200 for 2 of us.

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

Sorry, I don't remember the name of the company, but my wife and I purchased our insurance through the airline when we purchased our tickets. Insurance is one of those things you buy but never hope to use. My wife did have to go to a medical center while we were on our Camino, so while she was being treated, I fumbled around getting all the insurance documents together (she is the organized one ). After all that, they said no charge to us because we were pilgrims!! Awesome!! But next time, I would still purchase the insurance as it covers more than just medical issues. My mother travels a lot and she said buying through the airline was good because the airline would not want their reputation tarnished by letting a less than reputable insurance company sell on the airline's website.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

no charge to us because we were pilgrims

That seems to be typical, but there are rumors that Spain is doing it less often because of financial strains.

The insurance probably is not much use for normal medical care. Its real value is when you need a medical evacuation, and the airline piles on with change-of-flight fees.

 

[egar]

I'll second the recommendation of squaremouth.com as a comparison site. We used it for insurance on our Camino. Ultimately we bought very affordable coverage from 7 Corners via the squaremouth.com site.

We never had to use the insurance, so I can't comment on the claims process.

 

[peregrina2000]

Pieces is right that there are a couple of long threads about this topic. Here are a few of them:
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/health-insurance-recommendations.12867/#post-101305
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/medical-insurance.7980/
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/health-insurance-recommendations.12867/
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/travel-insurance.5676/

Despite some bad recommendations, I have had Medex in the past (it's recommended by the University where I work), but never needed it, thankfully. I have seen some good reviews of it as well.

A friend of mine did some really careful comparison shopping and was shocked to find huge differences in the fine print. I told this story on an earlier thread, but I'll reprint it here because it's kind of shocking:

One provider lists among benefits: "arrange for medical evacuation to home country" and "arrange for repatriation of remains to home country."
My friend asked: Does "arrange for" mean "pay for" or does it mean "call around to find someone to do it and send the client the bill?" The response: for medical evacuation, it means the latter; for human remains, it means the former. So, they will pay for your body to be returned, but will only find someone to bring you home if you are alive. Of course, that's what a live person said on the phone, which is not going to do you any good if the small print on the policy says otherwise.

If you have decent medical insurance at home, you will likely be covered at least for emergencies abroad, so I have decided that the main thing I need insurance for is medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, but it's worth checking carefully.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Sorry. I have trouble using the search function on this new forum.
And when I do find a thread, I'm unable to post to it.
So I have resorted to starting new threads.

I've never used travel insurance.
Seems like if you have medical insurance, all you really need is some way to get home in case of emergency.
Like last year, when my sister died, I could not get home!
They wanted me to pay MORE than I paid for my round trip ticket!
Even so, I doubt if travel insurance would have helped.
I'm just not sure what good it is????

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Information on Allianz: http://www.yelp.com/biz/allianz-global-assistance-richmond

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Three years ago:

Medical Evacuation Statistics from Travelex and On Call International
August 11, 2010

Most travel insurance plans offer some level of coverage for medical evacuation & repatriation. This can be as simple as being transported to a local medical facility or as complex as returning home on an air ambulance. Coverage amounts can vary drastically. Some plans cover $50,000 or less, while others boast coverage up to $2,000,000 for medical evacuation. Travelex, who uses the emergency assistance services of On Call International for medical evacuation, recently provided statistics on the number of transports, nurse escorts and related costs.

Regarding the average cost of an evacuation, we have calculated average costs for both Air Ambulance and Nurse Escort evacuations from the counties listed below.

#Air Ambulance Average Cost #Nurse Escorts Average Cost

France 2 $57,300 13 $22,193

Mexico 30 $28,809 11 $8,934

Canada 8 $18,425 27 $12,041

UK 1 $55,950 17 $21,852

Italy 2 $64,625 26 $26.561

 

[jirit]

For Canadians....

Before I hit that magic age we always used Travel Cuts insurance (Bon Voyage Travel Insurance) underwritten by a Quebec company. It was cheaper than most of the brand name insurance arrangements here including Blue Cross, CAA, etc which from experience are the most expensive travel insurance you can buy.

We used it when we traveled the world back in 1993/94 for one year and we have used for all the time since. The current policy works out to less than $1.4 per day per person for up to 12 months.

Since then I noticed that RBC is underwriting Bon Voyage Travel Insurance so I am not sure if the rates are that competitive anymore.

My experience with RBC is that they rates are high, as are most of the banks and association based deals.

Also since hitting that magic age I can no longer use Bon Voyage Travel Insurance, so we have switched to Travel Direct Insurance
https://www.travelunderwriters.com/consumerexpress-app/VerifyPartner.b2c?pc=CDI001

Again given my research it is the least expensive travel insurance for Canadians - again the policy is about $1.4 per day per person.

My wife just walked the camino and she purchased a 78 day policy and it cost $115 (she spent some extra time before and after the walk in Europe)

Another good feature is it covers you up the age of 89.

We never take trip cancellation too (a feature that many policies include automatically) since our Gold Visa cards cover this. Ditto with lost baggage, trip delays.

 

[Pieces]

My travelsinsurance would have covered in case of death in the immidiate family (covers tons of other stuff too, legal aid, if my stuff gets stolen lost, if get get sick, if I miss my plane (and it is not my own fault) etc etc). I usually don't need to use my insurance, and I am happy I don't, but have on a few occations, thing is though that without it I would end up on the street if I ever had to have transport home by Ambulance or somesuch, things get real expensive real fast especially medical things.

So my advise would be never leave home withou it, but then I am probably way overinsured, I just have an addon world travelinsurance on top of my normal family insurance so always covered for all

 

[Stefania13/14]

Sorry. I have trouble using the search function on this new forum.
And when I do find a thread, I'm unable to post to it.
So I have resorted to starting new threads.

I've never used travel insurance.
Seems like if you have medical insurance, all you really need is some way to get home in case of emergency.
Like last year, when my sister died, I could not get home!
They wanted me to pay MORE than I paid for my round trip ticket!
Even so, I doubt if travel insurance would have helped.
I'm just not sure what good it is????

Annie,
I checked out many insurances when planning my upcoming Camino and found that my normal insurance wants "itemized bills" then they will reimburse me if they agree it is appropriate (ie. this is the way it always is). HOWEVER, I am told that in many European countries the hospitals don't itemize since the insurance is paid by the government and pay perhaps is based on a flat rate for a problem or per day for hospital stays or per diagnosis and procedure.
But this is far from gospel. We'll see what others have to say about my comment.
Stefania

 

[november_moon]

We always buy a travel medical plan when we travel out of the country since our regular health insurance doesn't cover us. We don't insure the trip ourselves, just get a travel medical plan with a provision for repatriation. These plans generally run less than $200 for 2 people. I always compare plans at www.insuremytrip.com and buy through them.

 

[vicrev]

I wouldn't travel anywhere without Travel Insurance,there are good & not so good insurance companies,I have found Z urich, Ok........I had the situation where my cousin who was visiting us in France had to go to Hospital & was admitted that night,I notified his insurance company,in Oz, & they organized everything,they were fantastic.......before you take out the insurance,read the conditions,with the cheaper insurance ,it can be a minefield..... e.g. pre-existing medical conditions, & must have a valid return ticket, or the insurance cover is null & void etc etc...........having said all that it's your Camino,insurance or no insurance it's up to you......there has been a lot in the media lately,in Oz,about people without travel insurance being charged up to $150.000 for repatriation back to Oz, it's just not worth the risk,especially us wrinklies.................keep smiling...........Vicrev

 

[Kanga]

I agree - read the conditions of your travel insurance and make sure you know what it does and does not cover. One of my walking "family" had the misfortune to break her ankle on the Camino - stumbled in a hole while map reading.... She had travel insurance which theoretically should have covered her fully. When she was discharged from hospital she had trouble getting the insurer to pay for her (expensive) hotel while she waited to be repatriated home - she had been staying in albergues before the accident and the insurer couldn't understand why that was no longer possible. We sorted it out eventually (us lawyers occasionally have our uses) but it just added to her trauma. Insurance companies are familiar with package tourism but the Camino is quite different - for starters you don't get receipts!


Sent from my iPad using Camino de Santiago Forum

 

[Leaningforward]

To those members from the US who have Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, have you needed care while on camino and, if so, was your BCBS card accepted as proof of insurance?

 

[OTH86]

Sorry. I have trouble using the search function on this new forum.
And when I do find a thread, I'm unable to post to it.
So I have resorted to starting new threads.

I've never used travel insurance.
Seems like if you have medical insurance, all you really need is some way to get home in case of emergency.
Like last year, when my sister died, I could not get home!
They wanted me to pay MORE than I paid for my round trip ticket!
Even so, I doubt if travel insurance would have helped.
I'm just not sure what good it is????

Annie, I have used Travel Guard several times and twice I've needed to submit a claim -- once because I had to cancel the trip due to a terrible sinus infection, and at the end of my Camino I had to cut short the rest of my trip to Portugal. With appropriate documentation, I was reimbursed for all deposits as well as the additional airfare and fees for changing my flight. This was considered Trip Interruption - which certainly would have covered you last year. I feel this is important for me since I'm 69 years old -- in very good health, mind you. All the same, I think that's what insurance is for....unforeseen situations. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

[grayland]

I just received a quote on Square Mouth comparing many companies for the same period.
I have always used Travel Guard in the past
This time a new company "Tin Leg" was far lower than all others. The coverage was equal or higher in all aspects. The price was less than half of the nearest one (Travel Guard).

Why? Does anyone have anyone have any information on this ?
Am I missing something?

 

[lynnejohn]

@grayland - not an answer to your question, but I'm getting confused with all the insurance (medical, travel, etc) threads. There are at least 10 of them. Can we combine them?

 

[3 Hat Howard]

Has anyone from the USA or Canada had any experience with Travel Insurance Companies?
What type of travel insurance do you buy?
What are the protections?
Cost?

TravelInsured.com

 

[LTfit]

@lynnejohn Merging threads works fine when there are 2, not in this case as all the posts will be mixed up according to dates and the thread will no longer 'flow. '
We have therefore decided that tagging the insurance threads would be a beter solution. That way they are easier to find (see tag cloud below). This option should work later on today.

 

[lynnejohn]

@LTfit - thanks anyway. I'll just consider this a brain exercise.

 

[Atlas Traveler]

Thanks for tagging the insurance threads. That helps. My advice, 1. speak with an actual person before you purchase a policy and an insurance agent will be able to explain insurance than a travel agent; 2. check the company's online reputation e.g. Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Yahoo Reviews or Google reviews 3.) Read your policy before you depart. Safe travels everyone.

 

[peregrina2000]

@lynnejohn Merging threads works fine when there are 2, not in this case as all the posts will be mixed up according to dates and the thread will no longer 'flow. '
We have therefore decided that tagging the insurance threads would be a beter solution. That way they are easier to find (see tag cloud below). This option should work later on today.

Ok, I hope I'm not the only one with the question -- what is a tag cloud and where is it?

 

[LTfit]

Hi Laurie,
You should see a 'cloud' at the bottom of the screen with lots of topics or 'tags'. There is one for insurance. If you click on it you will see the insurance threads that have been tagged.
Moderators can tag old threads so that they are more readily accessible when searching a topic.
Cheers

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi Laurie,
You should see a 'cloud' at the bottom of the screen with lots of topics or 'tags'. There is one for insurance. If you click on it you will see the insurance threads that have been tagged.
Moderators can tag old threads so that they are more readily accessible when searching a topic.
Cheers

Oh my goodness, I had seen that box with camino-related words in different sizes and I just thought it was some part of the graphic design. So clicking on any one of those words will bring up a bunch of related threads, that is amazing! Thanks, LT

 

[lynnejohn]

Oh my goodness, I had seen that box with camino-related words in different sizes and I just thought it was some part of the graphic design. So clicking on any one of those words will bring up a bunch of related threads, that is amazing! Thanks, LT

It really is amazing! When this was introduced at work I thought it was very weird, but turned out to be useful!

 

[DavidsRetired]

My wife, the 2-remaining children at home and I, would always purchase travel insurance, for each new trip and it was rather expensive, but I could justify the cost.

However, 2-years ago, a neighbour mentioned travel insurance through their home and vehicle insurance company.

I’m currently in Kingston Ontario, and purchased an All Inclusive Travel insurance plan through our Home/Auto Insurance Company.

We now, only pay 14-dollars a month ($168.32 yearly), for all of us, for Intact (Travel Well) All Inclusive Insurance. It’s simply brilliant and as we travel several times a year out-of-country, this saves us a small fortune.

Hope this helps.

 

[lbruns01]

Has anyone from the USA or Canada had any experience with Travel Insurance Companies?
What type of travel insurance do you buy?
What are the protections?
Cost?

I went thru my AAA. It was $101. I believe it was for $100,000.for medical evacuation.

 

[mikebet]

Just my personal opinion, but I would never pay extra for an insurance policy to cover medical evacuation. I'm pretty sure you can get the same standard of care in most western European countries as you can get in the US. My priority would be to find medical insurance that covers your actual cost of treatment and hospitalization in a foreign country. My private insurance covers any treatment overseas as an in-PPO-network charge. I'm sure they do that because they know treatment outside the US is much cheaper.