Buying Travel Insurance
Posted on | December 14, 2009 | 9 Comments
When you fly off this summer on your longed-for sunshine holiday, the last thing you want to anticipate is getting ill whilst abroad, or losing all your belongings. Having adequate travel insurance will give you peace of mind that, should the untoward happen, you will be taken care of.
But the watchword is ‘adequate’. You need to make sure that your policy covers all your potential needs, so check the terms carefully for any limitations or exclusions you might not expect.
Medical – To begin with you need your policy to have a high basic medical cover – one million pounds for Europe and at least two million for the States and the rest of the world. You won’t have the luxury of our good old NHS should you have an accident in America. The medical cover should provide for an air ambulance to fly you back home if need be.
Loss of baggage and personal belongings – Be aware of any single item limit on your policy so that very expensive camera equipment wouldn’t exceed the upper limit.
Cancellation – If you have paid out thousands for a holiday and have to cancel at the last minute through some unfortunate illness, you would be glad to have a policy which would refund most of your money. The same applies if you were abroad at the time and had to rush home for an emergency.
Personal liability – This is an important one especially in the States. A policy should have a minimum cover of one million pounds in case you cause an injury to someone whilst abroad, or to their property.
Emergency help line and legal expenses – a 24-hour phone line should be available on your policy. You should also be able to claim for legal expenses.
Disputes – Your travel insurance provider should be a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service. This is the body you can make a complaint to if you have a dispute that can’t be agreed between you and your insurance company.
When you purchase travel insurance you must be completely honest about any medical conditions you or anyone else on the policy may have. This is important as otherwise you will be denied a claim relating to that condition.
Choose a policy where you are happy about paying the excess.
Don’t sign up for anything you are not sure of. Ask questions if you aren’t clear on any details, and read the small print.
Travel agents are likely to charge more for travel insurance than you would pay elsewhere, so don’t automatically buy it when booking your holiday – shop around. Travel agents are best dealing with travel, not with insurance. Currently you wouldn’t have the safety-net of the Ombudsman if there was a dispute on a policy sold by a travel agent.
You can save on the premium if your possessions are covered on your home contents insurance already. Also, if you are planning another trip later on in the year it might be more cost-effective to purchase an annual multi-trip policy rather than just the single. And don’t accidentally buy a worldwide policy if you’re just going to Europe.
If you use an EHIC card (the old E111) in Europe your policy excess may be waived if you need medical treatment.
When you start thinking about travel insurance don’t forget to check your bank account and credit cards. Some had an incentive of free travel insurance if you used the card to pay for the holiday, so you may find you are already covered. Just check it’s the right cover. And watch the wording – travel accident insurance only offers limited medical cover; it’s not the same as full travel insurance.
Related posts:
- Time For Travel Insurance?
- Is It Too Hard To Get Travel Insurance If You Are Over 65?
- Travel Insurance for Holidays at Home
- What Travel Insurance Company Would be the Best for You?
- Cheap Annual Travel Insurance: for a Safer Journey
- How Many Excesses Does It Take To Make A Travel Insurance Policy?
- Reasons To Consider Travel Insurance
- Travel Insurance – How to Get the Best Deal
- Pitfalls of Free Travel Insurance Offered With Cards
- Senior Citizen Travel Insurance UK
Comments
9 Responses to “Buying Travel Insurance”
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December 14th, 2009 @ 10:49 am
It begins immediately and starts on the first day of your trip.. You should get a rider or policy description. For a free quote of travel insurance, peep out: http://www.travelex-insurance.com/index.asp?location=07-0018
December 14th, 2009 @ 11:36 am
The excess is the first bit of a claim that you agree to pay for yourself. Same as excess in car insurance or life insurance.
If you agree to pay the first £5000 then the policy will be cheaper, if you only agree to pay the first £50 then the policy will be more expensive.
An excess waiver means that you agree to pay the first bit yourself.
Check this out -
http://www.life-assurance-bureau.co.uk/travel-insurance/faqs/What-does-the-term-excess-waiver-mean.htm
December 14th, 2009 @ 1:25 pm
Usually these types of policies reimburse on non specific items based on a capped rate. You have to read the policy carefully to determine coverage. (you ask a good question though)
I usually use TravelEx. They have been great to me in the past when I have needed to file a claim. Here is a link for a free quote.
http://www.travelex-insurance.com/index.asp?location=07-0018
December 14th, 2009 @ 4:26 pm
This assumes you mean a Platinum American Express Card.
You were probably just lucky. Travel medical insurance is NOT automatic when you buy an airline ticket with the card.
However, AMEX does sell travel medical insurance and you can purchase it per trip or get an annual policy. Just call the toll free number on the back of the card.
December 14th, 2009 @ 7:05 pm
Check here
http://www.cheapinsurancetoday.com/
December 15th, 2009 @ 12:11 am
You can get a refund if your insurance covers illness as a reason for cancellation. Different policies cover different contingencies. The way you would prove illness is by a note from your physician.
InsureMyTrip.com is one site that has comparisons among policies. I'm sure there are others.
December 15th, 2009 @ 4:37 am
You can buy it on the Internet, I would recommend International medical group.
http://www.imglobal.com/
This coverage is good for US citizens traveling abroad as well as for foreign nationals traveling to the US.
I suggest checking out their website then call the 800 number and have a rep walk you through your options.
December 15th, 2009 @ 3:37 pm
Here are some links-
I had a similar situation- I was living in the Caymans Islands, no longer a Canadian resident, and wanted to travel for the summer. But every policy required that Canadian citizens be insured in their home privince, which I no longer have as non-resident. IMG was the only one I found, but as you DO have Canadian insurance, this will be easy for you. There are lots of short-term plans.
https://www.imglobal.com/travelinsurance/index.cfm?show=&&CFID=1718830&CFTOKEN=d9392e2d0226f2d2-EC75C061-1143-EBE5-76B31862584AA777
http://www.internationalsos.com,
http://www.travelexinsurance.com,
http://www.ijet.com,
http://www.travelassistance.com,
http://www.wallach.com,
http://www.travelguard.com,
http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=48&category=8,
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/insurance.htm.
December 17th, 2009 @ 4:46 am
I am glad you found your answer.