quitecontrary

I think we should be taking out insurance for the worst case scenario - having said that we have insurance through our uk Amex Plat cards which basically covers us for everything but preexisting conditions.
In the worst case scenario example a family I knew who with friends had bought houses in the same development in Khao Lac and had arrived there just before Chrostmas 2004, the guys had gone off to play golf behind the resort when the Tsunami hit. On returning the father of the family I know met a truck on which he saw his badly injured daughter - he quickly followed the truck, phoned his friend in London to go to his house, retrieve the documents for his travel insurance from the drawer in his office and within a couple of hours his eldest daughter was being airlifted to a hospital in Singapore. She survived and has gone on to lead a full life.
In the U.K. I do think we tend to take out insurance more than other nationalities as we've heard the horror stories of those who need medical treatment abroad - mainly the US.

dulciusexasperis

I will say yet again, that people make assumptions based on their understanding of insurance in their home country.

A 'deductible' is not a given MD/DC Flyer. You seem to think it is. I would not accept any medical coverage with a deductible. A cast for a broken arm does not cost $12.5k, you are correct. But what does the surgery for a compound fracture cost? The example of a broken arm is just an example. Attempting to argue the specific cost to treat a broken arm does not refute the issue of insufficient coverage overall. What if it is a broken back? Do you want to then argue about the cost of a cast? Or or there other considerations that are more important.

I agree that when travelling one needs to make choices of cost and benefit when it comes to travel medical insurance. It is also my goal to provide information that is cost sensitive. Where we differ is when you make a statement like, "Yes it is possible to get an insurance that will cover everything and anything but the cost would be unsustainable."

Is $38 for a 2 week trip 'unsustainable'? There are plenty of insurers offering such coverage even to US residents MD/DC Flyer. You just need to look around a bit more.

https://www.itravelinsured.com/trave...l-lx-insurance

https://www.reviews.com/travel-insurance/

dulciusexasperis

Meanwhile back at the ranch, after all this discussion and attempts to clarify what travel insurance covers and how it works, you then ask how credit card coverage works? Really? Coverage for what? A medical claim or a lost bag? Your question is meaningless unless you make it clear what you are asking about specifically. Why not just go and read the AmExPlat policy for yourself and see what it says.
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...nce-terms.html

You make statements about a gazillion dollars and bureaucratic barriers, yet I see no evidence whatsoever that you have done any actual research on which you base such statements. I think like many, you make assumptions based on hearsay. If you don't want to buy insurance whether medical or trip coverage, then don't. But don't look for others to validate your thinking when someone can spend $38 and get everything covered. Not a 'gazallion dollars' and here's a tip for you KatW. Read the following reviews by people making claims from an insurer and then where you see some of the people complaining about the process, read again carefully and ask yourself if what they are really saying is that they didn't READ the policy before they travelled and as a result they did some things wrong in making their claim. IN 9 out of 10 instances at least, when people complain about a claim process with insurance, it is because they didn't read their policy in full.
https://www.squaremouth.com/travel-i...nsured/reviews

When negative reviews represent .05% of all reviews, 'bureaucratic barriers' don't seem to be an actual issue worth mentioning. If you need a $100k hospital bill paid, I think it is going to put your disliking 'bureaucratic barriers' in perspective for you. You'll jump through as many hoops as they ask you to if they pay the $100k. Where people complain about the paperwork they have to go through for a claim, it is usually when they are claiming for some small amount for something I'd wouldn't even have bothered claiming for to begin with.

I have no affiliation with any insurance company except as a customer but I do find it ridiculous when so many people bad mouth insurance companies as if they do not provide a useful service.

KatW

Well, that was weird.

luxtrvlwrks

KatW, I have used my credit card coverage with Chase and it was super easy. I had a domestic flight that was canceled due to a snowstorm that forced me to overnight in Philadelphia. I did not purchase a separate travel insurance policy as it was a domestic trip and therefore I did need medical insurance. Instead I chose to use my credit card's included insurance for cancellation/interruption coverage.

The hardest part was finding the website that I needed to use to file the claim. I scanned maybe 10-15 receipts and other requested documentation and uploaded them, and within 3-4 weeks I had a check for $500 in my mailbox.

The Chase coverage on my card does not provide medical insurance, only trip interruption and cancellation - and pre-existing conditions are excluded.

KatW

Good to know, luxtrvlwrks.

EuropeanPete

You would be an unusual person if you've never booked a trip which was non refundable. Fully flex air fares are primarily used by businesses nowadays, and hotels are increasingly adding 72 hour cancellation fees in place even for refundable rates (hate, hate this).

Annalisa12

I would neverbgo anywhere without insurance.

Be careful of pre existing medical issues as you may not be covered for them. Some serious medical illnesses may not be covered.

United747

dulciusexasperis

Which pre-existing trip interruption and cancellation conditions are excluded?

Or were you trying to say pre-existing medical conditions are excluded, in which case the question would be excluded from what if there is no medical insurance?

I can accept somewhat sloppy writing from people but this goes well beyond sloppy into the realm of nonsensical.

dulciusexasperis

How many people does it take for something to move from being 'unusual' to 'usual'? I too have never booked a non-refundable trip. Nor do I accept any cancellation fees for hotel reservations. I agree many people do those things EuropeanPete but it does not make those who don't, 'unusual'. 'Less usual' no doubt but our behaviour I can assure you is still our 'usual' behaviour.

In regards to insurance as the topic of this thread, that is why as I have said, you can make an educated guess as to how much it will cost you if things go wrong and you choose not to take trip cancellation, baggage loss, etc. travel insurance but you can't guess as to what a medical cost might be. So for 'trip coverage' vs. 'medical coverage', the first you can do a cost/benefit analysis on and decide whether to insure or not while the second you should always insure for.

The issue of hotel cancellation fees is an interesting one. For many decades, the normal hotel industry policy was a reservation was held until 6pm on the day of the reservation. If you wanted it held later than 6pm, then you requested a 'Guaranteed Late Arrival.' If you requested a GLA, then you agreed to pay a one night stay if you didn't show up. Think about that. There was NO cancellation fee whatsoever unless you requested that GLA! The hotel had a policy that said they would hold a reservation till 6pm. They had no policy that said they would charge you for not showing up or calling to cancel your reservation beforehand. None, nada, zip, zilch.

So what changed? Well, that's easy, the behaviour of travellers changed. Hotels now have to deal with travellers who make multiple bookings, surf for the best deal at the last minute, bid on auction sites and then cancel bookings already made. In other words, the hotels are getting more cancellations, more no-shows and less walk-in bookings. So to deal with that, they have to make changes accordingly. I am a firm believer in the saying 'the people get what the people deserve.' It is our fellow travellers who have caused this move to 24, 48 and 72 hour cancellation policies EuropeanPete and on whom the blame falls 100%.
https://skift.com/2017/08/16/hotel-c...-more-to-come/

Now you can hate these changes all you want but the question is what are you going to do about it? If you participate in the type of behaviour that has resulted in the changes, then really, you might as well write, '(hate, hate myself)' I chose not to participate in that behaviour and insist that a hotel treats me the same way is it always has. In other words, I want a 6pm reservation hold unless I request a 'Guaranteed Late Arrival'. Interestingly, I have found no difficulty in maintaining that relationship with the hotel industry.

I make all hotel reservations directly with the hotel, on the phone, in person. I do no online booking, I use no third party booking sites. I deal one on one only. When I call, I make that clear from the beginning and then ask for their price and terms. On a recent call, I was quoted a price if I agreed to 'pre-payment, non-cancellable' (this particular hotel has moved to the entire gamut of pricing. ie. with/without pre-payment; with/without cancellation fees. They had half a dozen different prices for the same room on the same dates). They wanted me to pre-pay for an entire 7 night stay and 2 rooms with no refund regardless of how far in advance I might want to cancel. The total price was several thousand dollars. I said the price was agreeable but I could not accept the terms. Both terms were dropped almost faster than I could say I wouldn't accept them. I then asked for a 'Guaranteed Late Arrival' and accepted a 1 night charge would be applied if I 'no-showed'. As far as I am concerned anyone who would have agreed to the terms being suggested would have to be an idiot.

I find a lot of people think a company 'policy' is like a law, inviolable. But policies are not laws, they are simply guidelines and any company policy can be ignored if you are speaking to the right person in that company. In many cases, the level of the person in the organization that can ignore a policy can be surprisingly low, in others you have to talk to the organ grinder. But here's the thing, whoever it is that can ignore the policy is not going to ignore it if they believe you are just 'gaming them' for the lowest price with no real interest in doing business with them rather than a competitor. Getting them to see you as wanting to do business with them rather than their competitor is what gets you their best effort and most people probably don't know how to do that, primarily because most are just trying to 'game' them.

I would suggest the 'unusual' traveller these days EuropeanPete, is the traveller who understands what a 'win/win' relationship between a hotel or airline and their customer is. If travellers overall want to play 'win/lose' then they are going to get (and are) what they deserve as a result.

luxtrvlwrks

There is no need to be rude to me simply because you don't understand.

The Chase card coverage that I have does not provide medical insurance. It only provides coverage for trip cancellation and trip interruption, but it will not provide any benefits if you cancel your trip or leave early due to a pre-existing medical condition.

If you break your arm on your trip, they will not pay your hospital bill. If you have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and have a heart attack the day before you were you were to depart on your trip and canceled your plans, you would receive no compensation. The same would be true if your trip was interrupted for a medical reason that was found to be a pre-existing condition.

Annalisa12

Often little Betty on the desk has no authority to accept a price quote/change.

Often I have fronted upp at a hotel to be told tgey would not do the rate I have seen so I'v taken a few steps away from the counter, booked in online then returned to counter in minutes to check in for the lower price.

offerendum

dulciusexasperis

"LIttle Betty"? My guess is 'liitle Betty' takes one look at you and sees someone who sees here as 'little Betty' and that's as far as you're gonna get with her. Your attitude no doubt precedes you.

It seems that you didn't understand a thing I wrote. If you 'fronted upp' saying something like, 'match this online price', you demonstrated to 'little Betty' what your intent was. You want to game her and her hotel. I don't show up and ask Ms. Jones, to match an online price. I show up, return her greeting with courtesy and respect, and then ask her what she can do for me in regards to a price for a room. I don't ask her to match or beat another 'quote'.

And I certainly don't need to step away from the counter, book online and then return to the counter 'in minutes' to check in for the lower price. I would be highly embarrassed to be seen acting in such a crass way.

I do thank you for commenting though Annalisa, you have provided a perfect example of how many travellers today think and behave. It's all about win/lose for many people. Of course that's fine if you win but no so much if you lose. What people who play win/lose are foolish enough to convince themselves of is that they are always going to win. I prefer to play win/win.................it's the only way to never lose. Unfortunately, not evryone understands that or knows how to play win/win, they're convinced someone has to lose.