How to get a quote for travel insurance?
Nov 10, 2011, 7:27 am
#3
Moderator: Hilton Honors, Practical Travel Safety Issues & San Francisco
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: San Francisco CA
Programs: UA, Hilton, Priceline, AirBnB
Posts: 11,001
that's not actually true anymore.
Best sites for travel insurance comparisons are
bootsnall.com
insuremytrip.com
bootsnall.com
insuremytrip.com
Nov 10, 2011, 7:33 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LHR- ish
Programs: MUCCI, BA Blue
Posts: 4,295
See what cover you already have courtesy of your bank/insurer/employer and if you could get a cheap deal through them - personally I could change my bank account so it included travel insurance (if I paid my bank a monthly fee) or I could book through my employer which would, at the very least, get me a staff discount on my policy.
If you are elderly/a student it might be worth getting it from a specialist, I got my last lot from STA - booked it at the same time as my ticket.
Of course this is all asusming you just want it for one or two trips, not for massive amounts of business travel
If you are elderly/a student it might be worth getting it from a specialist, I got my last lot from STA - booked it at the same time as my ticket.
Of course this is all asusming you just want it for one or two trips, not for massive amounts of business travel
Nov 10, 2011, 8:39 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,573
Never found that to be the case. I've used comparison sites before and they have been of little use. For example, I just used the first site you mentioned. It brought back 4 results, all of which were more expensive for less coverage than my current policy. Speaking to a real person / broker you can ask questions about the coverage, pay for the bits you need, increase coverage on areas that are important to you. You don't have to necessarily buy from them, but it gives you an idea of what is available that matches you needs, not a cookie cutter policy that may not work for you.
Nov 10, 2011, 10:14 am
#6
Moderator: Hilton Honors, Practical Travel Safety Issues & San Francisco
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: San Francisco CA
Programs: UA, Hilton, Priceline, AirBnB
Posts: 11,001
I'm wondering if Canadian travel ins is really different from the US?
I can't imagine going to a broker here for travel insurance, unless you count my AAA insurance broker who would tell me to go to the web site, which sells the TravelGuard brand.
I have used bootsnall for several years and find them the most economical for what we need. But now that I think of it, we now buy yearly travel policies so maybe for individual trips they aren't the cheapest.
Insuremytrip is a great comparison site if you have specific need s- for ex., for some time we needed medical travel insurance that was PRIMARY as we had no health coverage. Insuremytrip lets you see whose insurance is primary, and what the rules for pre existing conditions are.
I have used bootsnall for several years and find them the most economical for what we need. But now that I think of it, we now buy yearly travel policies so maybe for individual trips they aren't the cheapest.
Insuremytrip is a great comparison site if you have specific need s- for ex., for some time we needed medical travel insurance that was PRIMARY as we had no health coverage. Insuremytrip lets you see whose insurance is primary, and what the rules for pre existing conditions are.
Nov 10, 2011, 4:50 pm
#9
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Easton, CT, USA
Programs: ua prem exec, Former hilton diamond
Posts: 31,801
Figure out what you already have for insurance, and from that you can figure out what you need.
Go to sites like insuremytrip.com where you can compare policies side by side to find one that has the coverage you need. Realize that there are many different policies out there, and they are usually different, sometimes very different from each other.
That doesn't mean one is always going to be better than the other, it just means they provide different levels of coverage and different restrictions.
I usually end up with travelguard, it provides the coverage I want at a price I'm happy with and most important to me is that it's Primary insurance, not secondary to what ever other insurance I have. Never had a claim so I can't say how that process works.
Go to sites like insuremytrip.com where you can compare policies side by side to find one that has the coverage you need. Realize that there are many different policies out there, and they are usually different, sometimes very different from each other.
That doesn't mean one is always going to be better than the other, it just means they provide different levels of coverage and different restrictions.
I usually end up with travelguard, it provides the coverage I want at a price I'm happy with and most important to me is that it's Primary insurance, not secondary to what ever other insurance I have. Never had a claim so I can't say how that process works.
Nov 11, 2011, 2:32 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 480
Another question to throw in the mix. I'm trying to "value" our trip so we can get an accurate quote. AKA the amount of money we paid that will be covered.
Our flights to PPT are on award miles. We did have to purchase about $1,400 worth of miles and $175 in taxes. We paid for that on a Hilton AmEx Are either of those purchases eligible to be covered? My guess would be no.
Our inter-island flights were $1065 and paid for on our Capital 1 Venture. I looked around and it doesn't look like there's any automatic coverage unless there's an accident or lost baggage.
We booked 4 nights on points and paid $700 to upgrade the room. (Is that covered?)
We reserved 5 nights for $2650 and we have to cancel 3 days prior.
We reserved 1 night for $200.
We pre-paid 10 scuba dives for $935. (Is that covered? I would guess no).
This is my buest guess for covered charges (based on policy, of course):
$1,065 - flights
$ 700 - Upgrade hotel
$2,650 - hotel
$ 200 - hotel
$4,615 Total
Does anyone think any part of the award flights or scuba dives would be covered? Thanks in advance!
Our flights to PPT are on award miles. We did have to purchase about $1,400 worth of miles and $175 in taxes. We paid for that on a Hilton AmEx Are either of those purchases eligible to be covered? My guess would be no.
Our inter-island flights were $1065 and paid for on our Capital 1 Venture. I looked around and it doesn't look like there's any automatic coverage unless there's an accident or lost baggage.
We booked 4 nights on points and paid $700 to upgrade the room. (Is that covered?)
We reserved 5 nights for $2650 and we have to cancel 3 days prior.
We reserved 1 night for $200.
We pre-paid 10 scuba dives for $935. (Is that covered? I would guess no).
This is my buest guess for covered charges (based on policy, of course):
$1,065 - flights
$ 700 - Upgrade hotel
$2,650 - hotel
$ 200 - hotel
$4,615 Total
Does anyone think any part of the award flights or scuba dives would be covered? Thanks in advance!
Nov 11, 2011, 2:57 pm
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Another question to throw in the mix. I'm trying to "value" our trip so we can get an accurate quote. AKA the amount of money we paid that will be covered.
Our flights to PPT are on award miles. We did have to purchase about $1,400 worth of miles and $175 in taxes. We paid for that on a Hilton AmEx Are either of those purchases eligible to be covered? My guess would be no.
Our inter-island flights were $1065 and paid for on our Capital 1 Venture. I looked around and it doesn't look like there's any automatic coverage unless there's an accident or lost baggage.
We booked 4 nights on points and paid $700 to upgrade the room. (Is that covered?)
We reserved 5 nights for $2650 and we have to cancel 3 days prior.
We reserved 1 night for $200.
We pre-paid 10 scuba dives for $935. (Is that covered? I would guess no).
This is my buest guess for covered charges (based on policy, of course):
$1,065 - flights
$ 700 - Upgrade hotel
$2,650 - hotel
$ 200 - hotel
$4,615 Total
Does anyone think any part of the award flights or scuba dives would be covered? Thanks in advance!
Our flights to PPT are on award miles. We did have to purchase about $1,400 worth of miles and $175 in taxes. We paid for that on a Hilton AmEx Are either of those purchases eligible to be covered? My guess would be no.
Our inter-island flights were $1065 and paid for on our Capital 1 Venture. I looked around and it doesn't look like there's any automatic coverage unless there's an accident or lost baggage.
We booked 4 nights on points and paid $700 to upgrade the room. (Is that covered?)
We reserved 5 nights for $2650 and we have to cancel 3 days prior.
We reserved 1 night for $200.
We pre-paid 10 scuba dives for $935. (Is that covered? I would guess no).
This is my buest guess for covered charges (based on policy, of course):
$1,065 - flights
$ 700 - Upgrade hotel
$2,650 - hotel
$ 200 - hotel
$4,615 Total
Does anyone think any part of the award flights or scuba dives would be covered? Thanks in advance!
2. Most standard policies do not include the value of awards because almost all award programs expressly value the points/miles at zero.
Nov 14, 2011, 3:52 am
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 7
There is an UK based company that will provide travel insurance, either single trip or annual policy for expats.
They are Globelink International Travel Insurance, it can easily be found on the website https://globelink.co.uk/
I found it very affordable and they provide all the standard covers. It offers different level of covers, you can choose according to your suitability.
They are Globelink International Travel Insurance, it can easily be found on the website https://globelink.co.uk/
I found it very affordable and they provide all the standard covers. It offers different level of covers, you can choose according to your suitability.
Nov 18, 2011, 3:37 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 208
Travel insurance will not cover the flights since you have not "paid" for them. (or anything else you have not actually paid cash for).
When using award miles for flights or points for hotel, that is calculated as a zero value for purposes of travel insurance. So you won't have coverage for cancellations, etc. But if your purpose is to have medical coverage for travelling, as long as you can document that the price you "claimed" to have paid (and upon which your insurance quote will be based) is accurate, you should be fine.
If you have even the slightest question when getting travel insurance quotes, I have found that insuremytrip has excellent agents. I have always gotten accurate information (although fortunately never had to use any of the insurance policies I've bought). I too was very nervous about a recent trip where we had FF tickets, hotel on points, and a cruise for which we only paid taxes. Because our actual cash outlay for the trip was so low, the price of the insurance policy was also unusually low, hence the anxiety. I was told to calculate my total trip costs based on actual amounts of money that were paid.
But ALWAYS read the contract, especially the parts that cover your particular concerns.
When using award miles for flights or points for hotel, that is calculated as a zero value for purposes of travel insurance. So you won't have coverage for cancellations, etc. But if your purpose is to have medical coverage for travelling, as long as you can document that the price you "claimed" to have paid (and upon which your insurance quote will be based) is accurate, you should be fine.
If you have even the slightest question when getting travel insurance quotes, I have found that insuremytrip has excellent agents. I have always gotten accurate information (although fortunately never had to use any of the insurance policies I've bought). I too was very nervous about a recent trip where we had FF tickets, hotel on points, and a cruise for which we only paid taxes. Because our actual cash outlay for the trip was so low, the price of the insurance policy was also unusually low, hence the anxiety. I was told to calculate my total trip costs based on actual amounts of money that were paid.
But ALWAYS read the contract, especially the parts that cover your particular concerns.
