My mother and I are traveling together. My main point of confusion is how to set up the insurance since my mother is a Canadian resident and I am a US resident. Do we need to purchase separate policies? Shannon

Thanks Shannon for the good question. You’ll need to get separate policies. That’s because each Travel Insurance Policy is filed with the Insurance Department in every US State or Canadian Province it’s offered for sale.

Generally, the plans are the same in all the States or Provinces they are sold, but sometimes there are subtle differences that could make a policy claim complicated at best. Or completely denied at worst.

Plus, not all policies are available to everyone. Of the 6 companies we offer, Canadians can only get three of the companies (CSA, Travel Guard & TravelSafe).

Lookback Period question: If my companion or I are stable and can travel when I buy the insurance more than 181 days before the trip will I have coverage for pre-existing conditions? If I have a condition that requires a doctor visit today and I buy the insurance the next day but more than 181 days before the trip am I covered for pre-existing conditions? Hank

Hi Hank,

The Lookback period is not the number of days before you leave on your trip. It’s the number of days before you buy a policy.

So, if you or your traveling companion (and any non-traveling immediate family members) have any medical condition in the Lookback Period and are medically stable by the travel insurance plan’s rules, you must get the trip cancellation travel insurance plan by its deadline.

You also need to abide by the specific company’s rules to get its own Pre-Existing Medical Conditions. Go here to learn more on Pre-Existing Medical Conditions:
http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml

Here’s more on medically stable:
http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/medically-stable.shtml

I hope this makes sense.

I understand that emergency evacuation covers the person who is sick. But, what about the other people that are traveling with them? Can we cut our trip short and is this a covered expense with travel insurance? Marianne

Hi Marianne,

Here’s how travel insurance covers you for the situation you describe: one person is evacuated via their emergency transportation and the others still have to cut their trip short.

First, if there’s room on the emergency evacuation plane then it might be possible for one of the family members to ride along with the person. There’s no guarantee for this because it depends on the situation and how serious the medical condition is. If it’s a choice between taking another doctor or medical professional along versus taking a family member, the evacuation company is clearly going to take the medical professional along.

However, the other three of you will have a trip interruption. All our travel insurance plans will reimburse you up to 150% of your unused prepaid nonrefundable trip cost when you interrupt your trip for a covered reason.

As to trip cancellation coverage - if one breaks a leg or arm or has some other unforseen medical condition occur before leaving on their trip, even a bad virus, they probably would not need to be hospitalized but at same time would not feel up to their trip. Will your trip cancellation travel insurance cover them for reimbursement of trip ticket cost? Or do you have to be hospitalized to have coverage? Betty

Hi Betty,

All our trip cancellation travel insurance plans require that you go to a doctor and have her or him advise, in writing, that you are unable to travel. You do not have to be hospitalized.

My answer assumes that the particular medical condition is unexpected. If the medical condition was known or expected, then we’re talking about a pre-existing medical condition.

And, yes, any of our trip cancellation travel insurance plans will reimburse you if you insured the airfare’s cost.

Note: I am not covering pre-existing medical conditions in this blog post, but you can click on this link to learn more about Pre-Existing Medical Conditions:
http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml

My air tickets are “nonrefundable” but can be reissued or changed for a “change fee.” I know that all trip insurance policies will only refund the “change fee” and not the cost of the tickets. Why then do I have to insure the “full cost” of the trip? Dion

Hi Dion,

Unfortunately, you’ve been given the wrong information. I can’t say how all travel insurance companies work with “nonrefundable” tickets, just the ones we offer. All our plans will refund you the full out-of-pocket cost you paid for your tickets if you cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.

Therefore if you want to be able to be reimbursed for the money you paid for your ticket or are concerned about pre-existing conditions, you need to insure the actual out of pocket prepaid cost of your trip.

I am considering a trip to Cancun in the fall and traveling on Frontier airlines. I guess they filed for bankruptcy protection, does this mean I can’t get trip insurance if I use Frontier? Rod

Rod, Here’s how the Travel Insurance works:

You can still get travel insurance to cover you for everything except cancellations, travel delays, missed connections or trip interruption due to Frontier Airlines’ Bankruptcy filing or if Frontier ceases its operations.

That means if you get hit by a cement truck and have to cancel your trip, you’ll be covered. The same goes with any of the other events that are covered reasons.

My sister is having hip replacement surgery which the doctor scheduled so she should be recovered way in advance. If there are complications from the surgery would she be covered? Should she get the insurance before she has the surgery? I know there are only a few policies that waive pre-existing so that’s what we are interested in. Joyce

Unfortunately, since your sister already has surgery scheduled, anything related to her hip isn’t covered because she won’t meet the “Medically Stable” rules. Here’s more info on “Medically Stable”: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/medically-stable.shtml

In other words, no policy I know will cover her until she’s fully recovered from her surgery.

We presently have a plan for unlimited 35 day long trips and can buy extra days in 15 day increments. Are your plans along the same idea or do you have to buy everytime you go on a trip? Thanks, June

Hi June,

Our Travel Insurance plans only work if you cover the full travel dates. Therefore, you have to buy everytime you go on a trip.

We do have an Annual Travel Insurance plan available for US Residents, but the coverage does not include any Trip Cancellation nor Trip Interruption benefits.

I wrote a post about this on Jan. 20, 2008. You can read it here: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/blog/annual-travel-insurance-plans-for-us-residents/

My first question is, how far in advance do we need to purchase our trip insurance? We have plane tickets for 2 for August 6, 2008 from LAX. I will have more questions later but first just need to know how far in advance we must purchase trip insurance. Thanks, Madelyn

Hi Madelyn, You can get your trip insurance anytime. I can only think of one reason to get a plan before you make your first payment on your trip: That’s if your next birthday happens before you make your first payment and that birthday pushes you into a more expensive age bracket.

Other than that unlikely possibility, there are deadlines to getting your trip insurance if you need pre-existing conditions’ coverage, so you might want to review this page:
http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml

We might be having 3 drivers, but we don’t want to pay extra. Is Rental Car Insurance priced per driver? Howard

I have some good new for you Howard:
The Rental Car Insurance / Collision Damage Waiver’s price is based on the one car per calendar day. Not on the number of drivers since only one person can drive a car at a time. You don’t pay extra for additional drivers.

This means that “Backseat Drivers” are free, too.

You must list any additional drivers on the on the Rental Car Insurance / Collision Damage policy. And, this is important, you do need to list any additional drivers on the rental agreement or else they won’t be covered even if you had them on the Rental Car Insurance.

You can get more information here: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/rental-car-insurance.shtml

Steve, Regarding the price quote, we re-figured some prices and are actually paying $7,000/person (which includes airfare). We are flying Business Class - should we or should we not include the cost of our flight in the insurance estimate? If we eliminate the cost of the Business Class Tickets then the trip is $3500/person. Linda

Thanks Linda,

You only have to include the cost of Business Class tickets if they are non-refundable. In the past, Business Class and First Class tickets were refundable, but recently we’ve been seeing both Business Class and First Class tickets that are not competely refundable.

Therefore, it’s very important you find out if your Business Class tickets will refund all your money if you cancelled your trip. Ask them “If I got hit by a cement truck and had to cancel my trip, will you (the airline) give me 100% of my money back in cash and not a voucher or future credit toward the purchase of another ticket?”

You can go here to find out more on what else is included in trip costs: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/trip-cost.shtml

There will be two adults on this trip…what if one of them cancels but the other one goes…how is that handled? Don

Don, that’s a great question. And it’s a simple answer, too:

As long as the one who cancels can prove they had a non-refundable financial loss on their share of the trip costs, that person can make a claim for their loss.

My answer assumes the reason they cancel their trip is a covered reason and that they follow all the rules for cancelling their trip according to their Travel Insurance policy.

You can go here to see what’s covered.

We’re going to Budapest for 4 days then to Istanbul. Can you give me the names and contact information for hospitals and doctors that you deal with in those cities.

There’s no list of doctors and medical facilities we deal with worldwide. The doctor must be a “Legally Qualified Physician” and it’s best if she or he isn’t a relative of yours. Your Travel Insurance plan will cover any Legally Qualified Medical Facility as long as you seek the initial treatment while you’re on your trip.

Plus, if you need help while on your trip, call your travel insurance plan’s 24 hour Emergency Assistance Phone Number.

I only plan on renting a car for 2 days to drive from Portland, Maine to Gettysburg, PA to pick up my daughter at school. Can I get the Collision Damage Waiver from you for that short a period of time? Bob

Hi Bob,

Yes, you can get the Collision Damage Waiver for just 2 days. In case you didn’t see this, the Collision Damage Waiver covers you for calendar days and not 24 hour rental periods.

For example, if you pick the car up on a Saturday and return it Monday this counts for 3 coverage days making the policy $30 ($9 per day times 3 days plus Travel Guard’s $3 policy fee).

And, even though you clearly said you’re getting a car, I just want you to be aware that in case you meant “car” as a generic term, this Collision Damage Waiver doesn’t cover trucks, not SUVs, passenger vans, nor 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Can I cancel and re-book My trip to reset the pre-existing conditions deadline?

We don’t get this question a lot, but nearly every time we do it’s because a traveler has been advised by their travel agent that they should cancel and re-book their trip so travel insurance will cover their pre-existing conditions. In other words, the clock is reset so the person can buy travel insurance within the pre-existing conditions’ waiver deadline.

Insurance companies are not stupid. All the travel insurance plans I know of address this somewhere in their terms and conditions. They usually have some kind of a phrase that’s along the lines of “this booking must be the first and only booking for the same travel destination and dates”. The travel insurance companies have already anticipated that this advice is out there and they’ve covered it within their policy wording.

I am trying to plan a trip for this summer but it is possible that work commitments may force me to rearrange my travel, but not cancel it. I’m considering buying a “cancel for any reason” plan. My question is what coverage I would then have for the rearranged trip? Would I need to buy new insurance for that? Would the insurance cover airline’s change fees or my having to pay the difference if the new airfare was higher? Thank you for your help. Michelle

Hi Michelle,
One drawback with the “cancel for any reason” plans is just that - trip cancellation. In other words, there’s no option to use it for travel delay or postponing a trip.

While the policy wordings seem to leave this open as a possibility, you can “read between the lines” and see this is the case because the policy wordings all say the trip cancellation needs to occur at least 48 hours or 2 days before your departure date.

Therefore, you’d be left with making a claim on your trip plus be needing to arrange a new trip to go where you want to go. Go here to learn more about Cancel For Any Reason Plans.

My biggest concern is having to cancel because I don’t get to return from my military deployment at the anticipated time. I can’t find anything in the literature that addresses this concern. How does Travel Insurance handle cancelling or delaying due to military actions? Doug

Thanks for asking this, Doug. Coverage questions relating to military actions are becoming more common.

Other than getting a Cancel For Any Reason plan (which only allows for trip cancellation for any reason), there’s no coverage available if your leave is changed or you are reassigned because of military actions. You can read more about War coverage here.

My sister and I put a deposit on a cruise last Feb 2007, to depart in September 2008. We purchased the insurance at that time with the travel agent, for the cruise portion of the vacation. We are now purchasing our air fare and hotel for a pre cruise stay. Can we now get additional insurance through you for just the air and hotel portion, and keep the cruise portion with the other carrier? The final payment for the cruise is due June 18. Thanks, Linda

Yes Linda, you can insure any part of your trip cost with one of our plans. And you can get the plan anytime, even if you’re past your final payment.

The only part of this scenario you should keep in mind is if you end up having a medical claim. It’s likely the cruise line’s plan has Secondary medical coverage. Secondary’s not better or worse than Primary. It just refers to the order in which a claim is paid.

Therefore, if you end up getting another travel insurance plan, you must take care not to submit the same medical claim to both companies separately. I’ve seen people do this because they assumed that’s what they are supposed to do. The problem with submitting the same medical claim to both companies separately is that it has the appearance of committing medical claim fraud. It’s also known as “double dipping”.

In none of the cases I’m referring to, was “double dipping” ever the customer’s intention. However, in those cases it became known to both companies’ claim departments and it created a lot of unnecessary paperwork to get those claims paid.

PS - It’s not just “double dipping” on medical claims you have to watch out for. You have take care not to submit the same claim to both companies separately on any of the coverages where the policies overlap.

This is new to me but we are renting a condo next year in Florida for a total of $6,000. There is no cancellation clause in the lease, which we have’t signed yet. Is there any kind of protection we can buy in case of cancellation? We don’t plan on it, but you never know. Sherry

Travel insurance covers prepaid and nonrefundable trip costs. Since the owner isn’t asking for a deposit, then you won’t have any prepaid non-refundable trip costs to cover.

In addition, since there’s no wording that specifically states the dollar amount of money that you would lose for forfeit if you left early, then as the agreement stands there isn’t any trip cost that you can cover with travel insurance.

I suspect that the owner thinks his wording clearly states that you are obligated to pay all or part of the $6,000 for the rental. However, I don’t think a travel insurance company will agree with the owner based on the wording you sent me.

I am going on an organized tour in Asia. The tour operator requires that each person have $75,000 insurance for “repatriation of remains”. Even though I would just as soon leave my remains in Asia, I do want to go on the tour! I looked at your plan comparisons and I can’t see any that specify insurance for repatriation of remains. Which plans offer it? Jane

“Repatriation” means “to bring or send back to his or her country or land of citizenship.”

All our plans include “repatriation” as part of the Emergency Evacuation or Transportation coverage. There are 2 different kinds of repatriation coverage in our plans:

1) Medical Repatriation: Something bad happens to you and you are sent home, for example, via an air ambulance

2) Repatriation of Remains: Something even worse happens to you (you pass away) and your body is transported home

We often hear “I would just as soon leave my remains in _____”, but the reality is that if you passed away, you are removed from the decision-making process. I’m sure your relatives would rather have you repatriated back home. It wouldn’t be fair for them to have to pay the expense, so that’s why all our travel insurance plans include “repatriation”.

We are renting a mid-sized car. Would your Collision Damage Waiver cover driving on gravel and dirt roads?

You’re covered for normal use of the car. Not all roads are paved everywhere, so if in the course of your trip you take gravel and dirt roads, it’s covered by our Collision Damage Waiver.

On the other hand, if you say, “Let’s see what this baby will do!” and drive off road and / or cause damage to the car, then you may have a difficult claim.

No matter what happens, it’s your responsibility to explain what happened to any authorities, the car rental agency & the insurance company.

Hi, I’ll bet you’re afraid to answer this question: Isn’t insurance just legalized gambling? I think every time I don’t file a claim, the company wins. Right? (anonymous question)

I wouldn’t say it’s a gamble, though there’s risk involved with any kind of contract you enter into. Insurance is a unilateral contract because only one party, the insurer, has made a legally enforceable promise, such as to pay covered claims.

Here’s what I say on TripInsuranceStore.com:

Buying travel insurance is a risk: You are trading a known certainty (your hard earned money) for an unknown quantity - the promise of the insurance policy doing what it says. This is why I pre-screen our plans.

People manage the risk of losing money on a trip different ways:
- Some people use the same insurance company for every trip
- Some self-insure
- Some ignore travel / trip / cruise insurance altogether
- Some take their agent’s advice
- Some shop around
- Some forget

Even though I sell travel insurance, I believe insuring a trip is a personal decision. None of these choices is inherently right or wrong, they are just a matter of personal preference.

Now, sometimes you have to lay aside your own prejudices in order to protect other people from the negative result of your decision. For example, when I was a life insurance agent, it surprised me how many people purposely ignored their family’s financial condition should they die young. They always thought they’d beat the system by living long. The trouble is that death is permanent & guaranteed.

If losing money by not traveling, having an expensive medical claim or needing a costly emergency evacuation wouldn’t burden you nor destroy your finances, then the need for travel insurance probably doesn’t exist for you.

If these would cause you distress, consider getting travel insurance for your trip. Go here to get some side-by-side comparison quotes.

Does Travel Insurance cover the flight cancellations by American, Southwest, United, Delta, Alaska & Midwest Airlines? Thanks, Kate

You may not like this answer Kate, but generally the answer is “No” because it’s the airline’s responsibilty to get you to your destination (your ticket is a contract with the airline).

For example, American Airlines has offered to make amends to travelers with refunds, vouchers and compensation for overnight stays. I suspect the other airlines will do something similar.

On the other hand, if you had travel insurance prior to these recent flight cancellations and you have been affected by the recent airline cancellations you may be covered. Due to the recent mass airline cancellation each travel insurance company is handling claims differently. We cannot pre-determine a claim, so we are strongly advising our clients to contact their respective insurance companies’ claim department to discuss and to determine if you have a payable claim.

So far, only American Airlines has a page that tell you what to do in filing a claim with them: Here’s the American Airlines page

PS - Go here to see what else travel insurance doesn’t cover

Since we’ve already paid our final payment can we still get a Travel Insurance plan?

Yes, you can get a travel insurance plan any time until the day before you leave on the trip. Many people get well after their final payment dates. The cost doesn’t change, either.

One thing you can’t do is wait until something unexpected happens and then rush out to buy a policy to cover that event. That’s because travel insurance only covers “unexpected events”.

It’s funny, but you’d be surprised how many calls we get from people when there’s some major bad weather forecasted. They ususally start with “I kept forgetting to buy travel insurance and now I want to order a plan for my trip starting in 3 days”. Of course, we tell them that that event won’t be covered.

Go here to learn what else is or isn’t covered.

I am trying to find a Collision Damage Waiver for a UK car rental. The rental’s CDW is covered for the first 42 days of the trip through an expanded coverage option with Amex; however, the trip is for 49 days, so there is a period of 7 days with no CDW coverage. Is it possible to get coverage for only that period of time? Thanks for your help, Rachel

No, our Collision Damage Waiver plan only covers the entire rental period. And as far as I know, all other CDW plans have the same rules. Your only choice is to return the car after 42 days & rent it as a new rental for the other 7 days. That way you could insure your rental car because you’d be covering the entire rental period.