I am a travel agent...and even I ALWAYS have insurance. I take it for the medical aspect as much as the trip coverage. Insurance is one of those things that bugs you and we hate to purchase.....BUT when you do need it ( like homeowners or renters insurance) you are glad as hell you have it. We broker a lot with Travelguard and a couple other companies. We also represent Vacation Express in NC as well.....they have 3 different plans with their packages. You have been getting the best coverage it looks like ( smart move). You really are purchasing "peace of mind" when it comes down to it. Peace of mind does have value. It would really be insane to travel in hurricane season without it for sure. We now make our customers sign a waiver if they don't want to purchase insurance. In the past we have has clients need it, not have it.....and then want to blame us and claim we didn't offer it to them when we clearly had.
Since 2000 we have traveled out of the country about 20 times. Either cruising or all inclusive resorts. We have purchased insurance maybe 5 of those times. Call us lucky, but we have never needed to use insurance. We have saved over $3500.00 by not buying insurance. The way that I look at, is if we do have a claim in the future, what we have have saved by not buying would pay any claim. You can cancel most resorts with 24 hour notice. We always travel a day early for cruises in case of weather problems. We did have that problem once and were able to cancel the room at the destination and still be there in time to catch the ship. Airfare can be changed for less that insurance costs. Also our group medical insurance through an employer now has added coverage outside the USA. They pay 100% with no deductible. They provide an number to call and everything is handled by the rep. We have not used it but in theory it sounds good. I always wondered what the kickback to the travel agent for a traveler that is purchasing insurance. Maybe the agent does not get anything but I believe the agency does in one way or another. We book most trips ourselves through web based travel companies. We find this the best because we pick flights that not only have the best price but also fit our schedule. We do not like being at the airport at 5:00 am. We are cruising in Europe in Sept. We did buy trip insurance for this one. It is a matter of what you feel comfortable with.
Hmmm.......lets see how much would it cost to lease a private air ambulance jet to fly you back to the USA if you needed emergency surgery. How about the neighborhood of $50K. I know of no health insurance in the US that would provide that. What if you get drunk and fall off the Boob Cruise and drown. Who pays that $15-20K to get your body back home for the funeral ...haha. A very few health insurance companies in the US provide coverage outside the USA. It would be a good idea to check with your insurance company to find out. I know my Blue Cross does not. The last time I did a change for one airline ticket for a client ( yesterday ) American Airlines charged $175 plus the difference in the current airfare. That alone is more than the price of travel insurance many times. What if 3 days before your vacation you have jury duty....or one day before vacation a family member has a heart attack....or your employer cancels your vacation. I have seen all these things happen. If a hurricane strands you at a resort because the flights are cancelled. ....who pays that rack rate bill for extra nights if you have no insurance ? And let me answer another question...Yes travel agencies are paid a fee by the insurance companies for SERVICE to the traveler. The price is the same from the insurance company whether you use the insurance company website or let the agent do it for you. I don't see anything wrong or obscene about the agency being compensated for servicing the customer...especially if it doesn't cost the traveler any more. Should they spend time doing customer service work for free ? That is like asking your accountant to do your taxes for free. When my car breaks down I could attempt to repair it myself....or I can pay my trusted experienced mechanic who knows what he is doing. I am very glad to pay for it too. I have paid for my homeowners insurance for over 25 years now and used it once for storm damage.....just think if I had not carried it I would have saved over $45,000......then again my house could burn down tomorrow and what I would save ? And that is why I never travel without travel insurance....and I sleep well
I agree with Carolinacouple 100% Better to have insurance and not need to use it than not have it and need it! I too have coverage outside of Canada with my public service medical plan but the limits are quite low and there are some nasty exclusions that would send me to the poor house if needed it and solely relied on it. I can travel to some very "not nice" places with work and I pay out of pocket for extra medical coverage. Very prudent in my mind IMHO
I agree with CarolinaCouple, the sky could fall tomorrow. In no way was I trying to insult your livelihood. As I stated, it is a matter of what you are comfortable with. Check with your Blue Cross about GeoBlue. Looking at the coverages I am covered for everything you mentioned.
Depending on how much you travel, you might want to look into Medjet. It's about $350 per year for a couple and it covers anywhere in the world. If you travel internationally more than 4x per year, we think it's a pretty good deal. Had a friend have to use it from Argentina once and they picked him up in a private jet and flew him back to Texas. Would have been upwards of $100k otherwise. Sam
So I've got a question about travel insurance...I was looking at it for our next trip in September and it sounds like you have to submit a claim (which means waiting to get reimbursed anyways)...or would it cover you immediately in Mexico without having to resort to using a credit card? My employer's insurance will cover us in Mexico for emergency purposes and reading the travel insurance policy if you already have medical insurance they require them to pay out first anyways. So I'm wondering if its even worth having (at least for the medical coverage) ?
There have been claims that you have to pay before treatment. Having insurance is not considered payment, your credit card is.
medical insurance is a must. no question about that. I don't buy trip cancellation insurance and won't. I can't imagine cancelling enough trips to make it worth it. Even if I did cancel a trip now, I would have saved enough in premiums that I'd still be ahead. Insure catastrophic events. Don't insure against random stuff that kinda sucks.
