Earth+ Insurance on AA Award trips

[chrisb]

Has anyone asked Earth+ what the situation is with insurance when using AA (or any other airlines) points for a trip?

The rules state you have to pay all pre-paid costs with the card - In this case, they will be - Namely the AA Taxes and Car Hire/Accomodation - But not directly the airfares.

I notice they have a weird rule about Qantas FF trip redemption, so i'm wondering if they'd take objection to award flights.

Thanks,

Chrisb.

 

[Mal]

Do you have a link to their insurance policies?

Interested in a read of them, although I can't help with your question yet.

(As the card is new, perhaps their support line is of help. Don't think too many ppl's here would have tried out their insurance and/or asked that question).

 

[chrisb]

Insurance Terms & Conditions:

http://earth.com.au/pdf/Earth+_Insurance_conditions.pdf

As i'm not travelling until September, i'll probably fax them and get a written reply. Car rental excesses scare me.

Thanks!

 

[chrisb]

BTW: This is the weird eligibility bit I was refering to -

Eligibility.
To be eligible for this insurance:
(a) You must be a current Earth+ Cardholder and You
must have paid the Full Cost of Your Journey including
charges, fees and/or taxes with Your Earth+ Card to
activate this cover prior to the commencement date of
Your Journey, or
(b) You are a Earth+ Cardholder and You are a member of
Qantas Frequent Flyer and prior to the commencement
of Your Journey:
(i) You redeem Qantas Frequent Flyer points to
obtain Your airline tickets; and
(ii) the converted Qantas Frequent Flyer points fully
cover the cost of Your overseas return travel
tickets; and
(iii) You have paid all the fees and/or taxes associated
with Your overseas return travel tickets with Your
Earth+ Card;
You are eligible for this insurance if you combine
the use of Your Earth+ Card, and the redemption
of Qantas Frequent Flyer points, to pay the Full Cost
of Your Journey.

 

[Mal]

Insurance Terms & Conditions:

http://earth.com.au/pdf/Earth+_Insurance_conditions.pdf

As i'm not travelling until September, i'll probably fax them and get a written reply. Car rental excesses scare me.

Thanks!

Interesting reading (well quick browsing )

I'm not sure that AA tickets are covered under their insurance.

I agree that I'd be scared by the QF FF statement, including this gem:

"You must be a current Earth+ Cardholder and You
must have paid the Full Cost of Your Journey including
charges, fees and/or taxes with Your Earth+ Card to
activate this cover prior to the commencement date of
Your Journey,"


While the full cost of an AA fare is the "surcharges", do the points actually have a bearing on the cost?

Think you're best off sending them a fax and getting something in writing. Well worth sharing here for others who are in the same situation


(BTW, I always strongly feel that anyone who has questions over insurance terms/quirks should contact their insurance company for a definitive answer rather than asking here. No use in taking 2nd hand advice that the insurance company later denies giving leaving you in the lurch... )

 

[chrisb]

(BTW, I always strongly feel that anyone who has questions over insurance terms/quirks should contact their insurance company for a definitive answer rather than asking here. No use in taking 2nd hand advice that the insurance company later denies giving leaving you in the lurch... )

I agree 100%, but it's good to research it in advance.

I think this is a problem they will face with AirNZ and Singapore airlines FF's redeeming flights. I think a reasonable reading of the "Full Cost" section is that if the taxes are all you paid, then you should be covered.

Anyway, i'm sure the insurance company will just do what they want

Chrisb.

 

[Mal]

Agree

Just wanted to make it clear that people shouldn't solely rely on AFF to provide them with insurance advice (without confirming it themselves).

Insurance companies can be nice (I know they can, just ask me some other time about a claim I lodged and got approved!), but they can also play hard ball. Best to have your own opinions on what is allowed and not.

 

[chrisb]

FYI: AIG Australia (Earth+ Insurance Company) just called and told me that any award flights are NOT covered, unless you meet the QFF requirements detailed in the policy. You must charge the FULL cost of the flights which take you out of the country to the card to pick up the insurance. Just paying taxes isn't enough.

Oddly, they refused to respond to my faxed query in writing as they said it would need to be signed off by their legal department, so I had a fun argument with them over that too.

Very annoying, and it's made me not want to use the card for the rest of my holiday costs, including other flights, accomodation and car hire. :|

Chrisb.