Please take out Travel Insurance

[Pushka]

I always email TID to get in writing that they will bring me back in the class I originally booked which is J or F, as a reward.

I assume that if I am injured and require a higher class to get back they will cover it. In all my years of flying, I have never had to claim ... so far.

They flew our friend J when they’d booked deep discount Y as his leg was a mess.

I have claimed several times. All approved. Some took more paperwork than others.

 

[get me outta here]

I have had both legs in a mess at different times but luckily always in Aus went it happened / had to be done.

They flew our friend J when they’d booked deep discount Y as his leg was a mess.

 

[theblank]

I have a mate who claimed medical through his travel insurance associated with his credit card.

nothing to do with the fact it was a credit card insurance, its the same insurance companies, like QBE, Chubb Allianz. He would have been treated the same way no matter whether he paid for insurance or not.

So has anyone good any good stories of travel insurance claims?

I just got paid $2600 from ANZ rewards CC insurance (QBE?) for unplanned travel expenses due to Hurricane florence in USA in september.
They asked no questions, my evidence of costs was flimsy, they paid $45 a day for food without receipts, and they didnt deduct the $1500 I paid for the event that has been postponed for 12 months, and they paid for the full hotel costs despite my mate sharing half the room.

Who is easy to deal with?

They all are easy, provided you follow their rules/directions.

 

[Townsend]

Preaching to the converted here!



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.




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.

I was in a hospital emergency ward in Idaho and saw three young people turned away because they couldn’t pay $300 to see a Doctor. We were stunned by this as it was a very empty ward.

 

[911tphil]

I suffered a heart attack in Denver, CO last year and had an annual TI policy underwritten by Chubb. I showed my policy when I was admitted into the ER as I was wondering about "up front payments" too. They seemed quite happy I had insurance and they forwarded their invoices to my insurer. It is my understanding that Chubb had their own US based representatives that deal with US claims as hospitals always bill you the max amount and its common practice for the insurer to argue them down on the final price.I ended up having a quadruple bypass and was stuck in the US for around 7 weeks. We paid for an apartment which was eventually covered by our TI.

We also had to cancel a planned cruise and many hotels etc. These were all submitted as a claim as some were non-refundable.

My only complaint was this process took several months and I kept receiving nasty emails and overdue statements from the hospital demanding payment. The total claim was around US$285,000 which is expensive when you compare to what the same surgery would have cost out here in OZ under my own standard health insurance.

This was the first time in around 40 years of international travel that I really needed the TI as I used to rely upon CC insurance products. However, in recent times I have read thru the fine print of these policies and opted to take out an annual policy to ensure I had good quality cover. That $700 investment was well worth it in this instance. I recently renewed the policy and Chubb was happy to re-issue the policy again - just not cover any more heart attacks or bypass surgery. The quality of care in the US was good but I think we have as good, if not better care here in OZ, especially when you take into account what they charge in the US. For example my 5 hour stay in the ER was billed at over US$9000.00 whereas I have had several stays in Australian ER wards including overnight stays, at zero cost.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Our staying in AU hospitals aren’t free! We pay for them with our taxes

Again, appreciate you are getting peace of mind with a paid travel insurance policy vs CC. But more often than not they they are one and the same in many cases, with the difference being the eligibility requirements (spend required to activate the insurance).

 

[mrsterryn]

Again, appreciate you are getting peace of mind with a paid travel insurance policy vs CC. But more often than not they they are one and the same in many cases, with the difference being the eligibility requirements (spend required to activate the insurance).

It is the eligibility for us.
So many things could attributed back to my husband's brain tumour
We do pay for issues associated with that for peace of mind.
He is on a cane and does have some mobility issues so I was always concerned that if he fell or slipped the travel insurance would deny saying it could be the tumour.
I am just so fearful of losing our house because of a hospital bill in USA.

 

[theblank]

However, in recent times I have read thru the fine print of these policies and opted to take out an annual policy to ensure I had good quality cover.

What fine print was different?

Noting that Chubb is also one of the insurerers commonly used for the free credit card cover. There is unlikely to be a great deal of difference between the CC cover and the basic level paid for. If you opt for premium bands, then thats extra features, higher cover limits, but its still the same fine print.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It is the eligibility for us.
So many things could attributed back to my husband's brain tumour
We do pay for issues associated with that for peace of mind.
He is on a cane and does have some mobility issues so I was always concerned that if he fell or slipped the travel insurance would deny saying it could be the tumour.
I am just so fearful of losing our house because of a hospital bill in USA.

Agreed. I was thinking eligibility in terms of ‘cash out of your pocket’ vs ‘spend on credit card’ to trigger cover. I agree classic cover is probably the way to go if you need some types of pre-existing cover. ANZ CC doesn’t even have the option for extra cover IIRC.

 

[Benn49]

It is the eligibility for us.
So many things could attributed back to my husband's brain tumour
We do pay for issues associated with that for peace of mind.
He is on a cane and does have some mobility issues so I was always concerned that if he fell or slipped the travel insurance would deny saying it could be the tumour.
I am just so fearful of losing our house because of a hospital bill in USA.

With regards to regards to pre-existing condition, appreciated that this may not apply to everyone but if you own or run your own business you can take out an annual corporate travel policy and most of providers will be able to extent cover to include leisure only trips.

Most corporate policy’s will cost a little more but the benefits they provide are generally hire and most will also have no pre-existing conditions exclusions.

 

[Quickstatus]

I have an annual policy via work related insurer. However the policy states that all members of family have to be travelling with me (policyholder). Otherwise they need a separate policy

 

[coriander]

I had a mitral valve repair 10+ years ago - no problems since but as I see my cardiologist once a year for a (travel talk) consultation I fall under the exclusion of "treatment, diagnosis, consultation, advice (including advice for treatment) has been received in the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding the Issue Date". This knocks out 99% of TI policies for me.

I've had an annual policy for a few years now with Insureandgo who covered my existing "medical condition" (worldwide for Mrs C and I is ~$1k per year). Initially they had a doctor do a phone consult with me and asked for the details of my cardiologist then approved me for my policy with no exclusions. Every time I renew they ask if there's been any cardiac issues, I say no, and my TI is renewed.

 

[Pushka]

Just took out annual insurance with InsureandGo for next year to include the USA. A single event policy for a month was around $900. An annual policy was $1100. Then I had to add on APS, hypertension, hypothyroid and DVT. Which only added around $230.

 

[amaroo]

We have something like 8 CC policies on hand, but I still take out an annual multi worldwide (family) policy. Cost is bugger all, around the $900 mark .... less than the price of a decent lunch.

 

[JohnK]

Cost is bugger all, around the $900 mark .... less than the price of a decent lunch.

LOL. That put a smile on my face.

 

[Pushka]

LOL. That put a smile on my face.

He meant to add “for a year”. Not. Well, I would.

 

[JohnK]

He meant to add “for a year”. Not. Well, I would.

I know what he meant. When you put $600,000 through a card in 9 weeks then $900 is a drop in the ocean. I couldn't spend more than $10 on lunch but I make my own lunch anyway.

 

[get me outta here]

Travel Insurance 101 article : What your travel insurance probably doesn't cover - ABC Life