Hi, who do you use for travel insurance and why?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Travel insurance
- Thread starter Casserole Dish
- Start date
I have started using travel insurance.
Up to now my CC provided cover where when you purchase tickets with card they provide the medical cover we required.
What the CC does not cover is the excess for rental cars. In most cases we rent a car at destination so doing the sums, its more economical to take out a travel insurance policy to cover the 'reduction in excess policy' that the rental companies try to sell you. Obviously apart from the rental car advantage I feel I am in more control in any claim now that I am directly dealing on a fee for service basis rather than through the CC process.
We are planning to do a number of overseas trips this year so have just bought a yearly (worldwide) travel cover insurance through Alianz for $482. This proved to be very cheap as it covered both myself and partner for the same cost as other companies are charging for one person. With some companies way more expensive yet all using Mondial as the reinsurer.
One of the trips is to the US (possibly will end up being many trips
) so will take out the separate car excess insurance as per Costa's post
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showpost.php?p=739577&postcount=517
Again the cost is the same whether we take the car rental companies cover for this trip or take out insurance for a year through the linked company
https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/#quick&policy=4
Cheers
Up to now my CC provided cover where when you purchase tickets with card they provide the medical cover we required.
What the CC does not cover is the excess for rental cars. In most cases we rent a car at destination so doing the sums, its more economical to take out a travel insurance policy to cover the 'reduction in excess policy' that the rental companies try to sell you. Obviously apart from the rental car advantage I feel I am in more control in any claim now that I am directly dealing on a fee for service basis rather than through the CC process.
We are planning to do a number of overseas trips this year so have just bought a yearly (worldwide) travel cover insurance through Alianz for $482. This proved to be very cheap as it covered both myself and partner for the same cost as other companies are charging for one person. With some companies way more expensive yet all using Mondial as the reinsurer.
One of the trips is to the US (possibly will end up being many trips
) so will take out the separate car excess insurance as per Costa's posthttp://www.somersoft.com/forums/showpost.php?p=739577&postcount=517
Again the cost is the same whether we take the car rental companies cover for this trip or take out insurance for a year through the linked company
https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/#quick&policy=4
Cheers
This is very interesting to us as we have just booked flights to Canada/USA. Our bank alerted us that if we paid on our CC this covered our travel insurance. Will have to read the exact details when they send us the information. Post above very good and will make sure "we look into it" as Morris (Mirrors) Iemma use to say.
i use my CC - i have an amex that covers it if i pay for flights, hotel, basically everything on the amex CC. there is a loophole that says if i pay for even part of it using another method, they don't honour the insurance claim. i've had a look at the PDS and i dont think the amex insurance is as competitive as others out there - however its "Free" i suppose.
Credit card insurance is really inadequate (at least all the ones I've checked). They often only cover the flights and baggage, and some of them, only during the travel time - ie not when you're at your destination! Some of them may be OK, but don't fall into the trap of relying on credit card insurance without checking all the conditions; many don't cover medical costs and to my mind, that's the main thing you want cover for! It should more accurately be called "flight insurance" in most cases.
Anyway, I like 1cover. Their policies are very competitive, particularly their annual policies if you travel regularly.
If you just want car insurance excess cover, I think the ANZ car rental cover ($24 per year) is an absolute bargain (but you have to have an ANZ credit card - I'm tempted to get one just so that I can get this):
http://www.anz.com/personal/credit-cards/optional-extras/car-rental-cover/
Anyway, I like 1cover. Their policies are very competitive, particularly their annual policies if you travel regularly.
If you just want car insurance excess cover, I think the ANZ car rental cover ($24 per year) is an absolute bargain (but you have to have an ANZ credit card - I'm tempted to get one just so that I can get this):
http://www.anz.com/personal/credit-cards/optional-extras/car-rental-cover/
We've always relied on our Amex Platinum...
https://www.iplatinum.americanexpress.com/prospect/australia/DOServlet?name=TandCs
The Y-man
https://www.iplatinum.americanexpress.com/prospect/australia/DOServlet?name=TandCs
The Y-man
This forum has awesome info: http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/travel-insurance/
Having recently read ALOT of posts in that forum - I'll be using "Travel Insurance Direct". Theres a couple of offers of discounts for them in those forums if you did decide to go that way.
Having recently read ALOT of posts in that forum - I'll be using "Travel Insurance Direct". Theres a couple of offers of discounts for them in those forums if you did decide to go that way.
Pre-existing conditions cause a big problem for getting insurance.
I primarily travel for work, and have confirmed that my work travel insurance will cover me (in remission from cancer), so long as I'm not travelling against medical opinion or for the purpose of treatment.
But for personal travel insurance noone would cover me without paying huge premiums, but most will just knock me back. My aim when I travel overseas will be to combine personal with business travel, so I'm still covered under my work insurance.
I primarily travel for work, and have confirmed that my work travel insurance will cover me (in remission from cancer), so long as I'm not travelling against medical opinion or for the purpose of treatment.
But for personal travel insurance noone would cover me without paying huge premiums, but most will just knock me back. My aim when I travel overseas will be to combine personal with business travel, so I'm still covered under my work insurance.
We have a platinum Amex but still take out insurance cover whilst we are traveling. My other half recently went to the US, his cover cost him just under $90. He unfortunately got food poisoning and it was that bad that his friends took him to hospital. The bill for a couple of hours there, an IV drip, blood tests and medication? $5,000 usd. Mind you, the credit card needed to be fronted when he was admitted. The insurer was great and sent emails to and fro, once they were contacted.
I heard a story of a young woman who sustained a spinal injury on a holiday in SE Asia. Needed to be medivacd home. Would have hated not to have travel insurance in that instance, and would not be surprised if the bill for that was 6 figures.
Moral of the story, if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel.
I heard a story of a young woman who sustained a spinal injury on a holiday in SE Asia. Needed to be medivacd home. Would have hated not to have travel insurance in that instance, and would not be surprised if the bill for that was 6 figures.
Moral of the story, if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel.
That's terrible.
I wonder how come all these oldies of about 80+, some of them recovering from heart surgery and on high blood pressure medication, can travel through Europe? They'd be more of a risk than you.
they also wouldn't get insurance. Actually I think there is an age limit possibly anyway.
Its very common for insurers not to provide travel insurance. If you look at the policy, there is a very long list of pre-existing conditions that you need to declare, and pay a higher premium) and then a shorter list of conditions where you can't get cover. If I had to get travel insurance privately, I wouldnt declare the preexisting condition, and at least have the cover for luggage etc.
my SIL's mother had a stroke while on holidays in Europe, with no insurance. It cost a fortune, both for hospital and for the trip home. 4 or more business class seats required for the hospital bed, plus the medical support team/ family.
Hi, just wanted to say thanks for all the replies. I'm still researching this one as my sad little credit cards don't offer any insurance so I'm thinking maybe just RACV again.
I just booked some flights in the Easter hols to Gold Coast.
I selected the travel insurance that Jetstar offers. Then went to book car hire, and wondered whether the car hire excess was included in Jetstars travel insurance. (I know, I know, you should check the policy document before you buy insurance )
anyway, it turns out that all it covers is cancellation and baggage. Not accommodation or any other costs. So, it pays to check what you are actually buying. Qantas have both a cancellation and baggage option, as well as a comprehensive cover option. For our family it comes to $150. the cancellation option would be $40. The cost of paying the car hire company to reduce the excess is $260. So, the travel insurance is a better option.
I selected the travel insurance that Jetstar offers. Then went to book car hire, and wondered whether the car hire excess was included in Jetstars travel insurance. (I know, I know, you should check the policy document before you buy insurance
) anyway, it turns out that all it covers is cancellation and baggage. Not accommodation or any other costs. So, it pays to check what you are actually buying. Qantas have both a cancellation and baggage option, as well as a comprehensive cover option. For our family it comes to $150. the cancellation option would be $40. The cost of paying the car hire company to reduce the excess is $260. So, the travel insurance is a better option.
