Please take out Travel Insurance

[MEL_Traveller]

What’s usual coverage on CC TI for medical?

The usual cover for CC medical is 'unlimited'.

 

[Quickstatus]

Other sources are saying that while the couple had TI, the costs need to be paid upfront.

This is very unusual, as TI usually provides a letter of guarantee so that medical treatment can be undertaken without upfront payment.

Despite the tragedy I’m now thinking the GFM page is less than transparent

 

[mrsterryn]

Wouldn't travel to USA without travel insurance
Husband has a chronic condition which CC's don't cover.
I think the outlay of a few thousand ,insurance wise , to travel a few times a year is worth it
Perhaps people are just assuming the couple need assistance ?

 

[Lynda2475]

The usual cover for CC medical is 'unlimited'.

This certainly isnt the case on Amex - the Qantas Ultimate Amex card (which is a premium card with $450 annual fee) caps medical coverage at $2.5M which sounds like a lot until you understand how crazy the charges are for US hospital stays.

Cards included cover varies and one should always check that the you meet the spend criteria for it to apply and whether it is sufficient for your destination.

 

[Spongbob]

As the SmartTraveller adverts said: if you cannot afford overseas travel insurance, you cannot afford to travel.

 

[theblank]

Please get travel insurance before you need it...

Preaching to the converted here!

(I dont trust credit card insurance).

Why not, the insurers are the same companies as the covers you pay for, like Allianz, Chubb, QBE. You might as well just say you dont trust insurance companies.

Other sources are saying that while the couple had TI, the costs need to be paid upfront.

As far as I am aware medical costs in USA are not upfront. Hospitals/Emergencies are not permitted to refuse any patient, nor demand evidence of capacity to pay before treatment (like how could they if the patient is in a coma). Thats why so many US residents go bankrupt *after* being treated in a hospital, they were not turned away.

 

[Denali]

Why not, the insurers are the same companies as the covers you pay for, like Allianz, Chubb, QBE
.

Because of the fine print like min $500 in single purchase for hotels or activities but not flights before departing and has to be charged in local/AUD and not overseas website ect (or similar fine print that you have to dig through to find).

Im reminded of that poor family in WA, whose child drowned in Bali. While the kid was on life support and wanting to transport to Australia they were told their credit card insurance didnt cover them due to fine print. Now in hindsight, the fine print makes sense (they cancelled the card prior to departure) but they got on that plane thinking they had travel insurance because they used the card for the flights and accommodation ect.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Because of the fine print like min $500 in single purchase for hotels or activities but not flights before departing and has to be charged in local/AUD and not overseas website ect (or similar fine print that you have to dig through to find).

Im reminded of that poor family in WA, whose child drowned in Bali. While the kid was on life support and wanting to transport to Australia they were told their credit card insurance didnt cover them due to fine print. Now in hindsight, the fine print makes sense (they cancelled the card prior to departure) but they got on that plane thinking they had travel insurance because they used the card for the flights and accommodation ect.

That's one hell of a bad assumption on their part. You'd think it would be common sense to assume that if you cancelled the card that would cancel the insurance.

 

[get me outta here]

Yep, and flying the two mothers in and out / accommodation, and if it was me I’d be panicked and am old enough to need J. The well wishers also want to help out with the mortgage etc. There’s lots of expenses, however this thread is about the essential need to have TI.

Whilst (assuming they have it) TI would cover the direct medical expenses, there are a lot of outside expenses which TI may not cover. For example for that 3 months it's unlikely the husband will be able to work whilst in the US, yet expenses such as rent or mortgage will continue.

 

[Quickstatus]

One of the perceptions of TI is that it’s a TA upsell and therefore a scam

 

[theblank]

Because of the fine print like min $500 in single purchase for hotels or activities but not flights before departing and has to be charged in local/AUD and not overseas website ect (or similar fine print that you have to dig through to find).

I have got 5 or 6 cards with International Cover from different providers, and none say anything like that.
The are all as simple as "paid for return flights" or "paid for $x of travel expenses"

i recently got paid a claim from ANZ, they didnt even ask me to prove that I had met the spend requirement.

 

[Lynda2475]

One of the perceptions of TI is that it’s a TA upsell and therefore a scam

It's unfortunate but TA's like Flight Centre and even Qantas have crazy expensive policies, compared with what you can buy from online insurers like World2Cover and TID.

Out of curiosity I got an online quote from Qantas for an upcoming 3 week trip Singapore/UK/France/USA and Qantas (which is QBE) wanted over $200 more than World2Cover and $185 more than TID for the same itinerary, no pre existing conditions etc.

So whilst i think TI is essential, i do think the prices that TAs charge for Covermore and Airlines like Qantas charge for QBE are a scam.

Id probably rely on CC TI for a low risk trip to NZ, but never to the US - although whether I claim on purchased TI or CC TI would depend on what the claim was for (if not medical) then with whoever pays the best benefit for delays etc.

 

[ontheaisle]

So whilst i think TI is essential, i do think the prices that TAs charge for Covermore and Airlines like Qantas charge for QBE are a scam.

Covermore is generally a lot more expensive than the usual TI but I often wonder if it's because they will cover a lot of pre-exisiting conditions that other insurers won't...

I travel a lot with my now 79 year old father (and he travels on his own too) and I've found Covermore are the only insurer who will cover his pre-existing heart-related conditions. I just recently bought his TI for a 2.5 week trip to the US and Cuba in December, and at $900 it's not cheap, but I'd rather pay for it and never need to use it

 

[Lynda2475]

Cuba

The really important thing for Cuba is to ensure the printed policy clearly mentions coverage for Cuba and medical evacuation. As you know its mandatory to have TI policy which includes medical evacuation in order to enter Cuba, and to have it at hand on entry.

I didn't get asked to show my Policy, but an Aussie couple on the same flight from Cancun (who had been on my tour of Mexico) went through separate gates but were listed on one policy, the wife went through but her hubby got detained when he couldnt show the policy - it was a bit of an ordeal for her to get paperwork back to him - we waited a while has had a shared ride.

If like Cuba it was mandatory to have TI to enter all countries we see much less crowd funding requests or lobbying govt to rescue travellers who are too cheap/lazy to get cover.

 

[Quickstatus]

If like Cuba it was mandatory to have TI to enter all countries we see much less crowd funding requests or lobbying govt to rescue travellers who are too cheap/lazy to get cover.

Totally agree. How immigration can verify authenticity of TI might be another thing.

In the age of online Estas, evisas etc it shouldnt be too hard

Currently the flavour of the month are Brazilians with no TI getting free treatment on the Northern beaches of Sydney because the hospitals don’t bother chasing them for payment... and they know it

 

[Denali]

Covermore is generally a lot more expensive than the usual TI but I often wonder if it's because they will cover a lot of pre-exisiting conditions that other insurers won't...

I travel a lot with my now 79 year old father (and he travels on his own too) and I've found Covermore are the only insurer who will cover his pre-existing heart-related conditions. I just recently bought his TI for a 2.5 week trip to the US and Cuba in December, and at $900 it's not cheap, but I'd rather pay for it and never need to use it

We use Covermore for same age reason.

Edit: The age bracket is a big deal for us as dad in law was 94 when passed and mum in law currently 84. Death of family member on other policies was being capped at a particular age that both inlaws had exceeded.

 

[dajop]

Branding is everything - maybe the encouragement shouldn't be about travel insurance per se, dumb it down, rebrand it and pitch for people to as the minimum to have "overseas medical' insurance, "emergency medical" insurance or "overseas emergency" insurance (or something which adds a sense of compulsion to it). Have a simple product without the bells and whistles, that is easy to understand that focuses on the events that could really ruin a person financially (ie medical events). I know there are some out there, but difficult to find. Of course this wouldn't cover lost luggage, delays, weather, theft etc, but people who aren't taking travel insurance already aren't worrying about that already.

Personally, that's all I do, an annual medical policy, with very straightforward T&C, that is unlimited and covers me worldwide.

 

[Quickstatus]

True @dajop very true
A lot of the TI clauses are somewhat irrelevant/fluff

Most important are IMO:
1)Unlimited medical
2)Medical retrieval to home country
3)Travel Companion reasonable living allowance while unable to travel due to illness
4)Personal liability
5)Rental vehicle coverage
6)disruption of journey due to act of god
7) maybe cancellation cover due family emergency at home causing termination of journey


That’s it I think...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

True @dajop very true
A lot of the TI clauses are somewhat irrelevant/fluff

'fluff' until you need it A friend's mobile phone slipped out of their pocket while in a taxi in Hong Kong. $900 odd to replace it. The phone was never handed in, but with a police report the money for a new phone was paid in full.

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes but the fluff part is likely to add a lot to the insurance cost.

They should be optional add ons.

Phones get lost whether travelling or not.