Dan Travel Insurance failed us again are there any better alternatives

[Snoweman]

I've never bought trip insurance, or wished that I had. But, I have looked into from time to time. www.insuremytrip.com is a great site to compare policies and prices.

I always remember to renew my DAN insurance (if needed) before my dive trips. I've gone to the highest plan the past couple of times I have renewed.

 

[BRT]

I would have used trip insurance one time in over 20 years. I will continue not to buy it as I am way ahead. Insurance companies make money selling insurance and I want to self insure for anything I can afford to take the loss on myself.

 

[Bigbella]

I always recalled my lawyer's definition of an unnatural act -- an insurance company paying for a claim . . .

 

[Rickk]

So far no one has mentioned another source of potential reimbursement, your credit card.

Most card agreements are for that you pay the credit card for goods received or services rendered. If the airline cancels the trip BEFORE you start the trip then you should be able to claim the entire cost back from the credit card.

This would only apply if the provider failed to provide the goods, that is you would be reimbursed if the airline went bankrupt, canceled for weather etc not for you missing the flight. It would also only apply if you had not received anything under the contract. If for example the airline included a limo service from home to the airport and after getting to the airport the airline canceled then you got something. It may be a $50 limo ride and you paid 10,000 for the flight as far as the credit card company is concerned you got a $10,000 limo ride.

When airlines and tour companies have gone bankrupt, you can get your money back that way from the credit card company as long as you have not started your trip, once you fly to your destination you are on your own as far as the card is concerned.


My only experiences with travel insurance was more than 20 years ago. We had booked travel for my family plus in laws to a two week all inclusive in Jamaica, if I recall the total was around $CDN 15,000 for the 6 of us at Xmas/ New Years time. ( My kids were old enough to have to pay adult rates.) About a week before departure my MIL had a very mild stroke. ( She is alright now.) We simply got a doctor note saying that due to medical conditions, travel was not advised and I took it into the travel agent. She filled in a form and I signed it. The funds were refunded on my credit card in 48 hours.

(It may have helped that at the time I was living in a small city and had gone to elementary school with both the agent and her husband and my father and her FIL had been best friends back in the day.)

 

[MattAO]

Another thing to mention is it sounds like a lot of you are self planning. With a travel agent involved you get far better rates, especially on the insurance.

And never get travel insurance from the resort, airline, etc always 3rd party.

 

[Snoweman]

With a travel agent involved you get far better rates, especially on the insurance.

I don't know how this is true. I haven't used a travel agent since my honeymoon, 25 years ago. If the deals were so much better, why have travel agents all but disappeared? Insurance should be about 5% of the maximum loss for the trip. If it's less, than there are probably reduced payout or tougher stipulations.

 

[O-ring]

I would have used trip insurance one time in over 20 years. I will continue not to buy it as I am way ahead. Insurance companies make money selling insurance and I want to self insure for anything I can afford to take the loss on myself.

This. I have never bought trip insurance and self insure for everything except where the potential loss could be financially catastrophic (auto, home, umbrella). Given the narrow range of events they seem to pay out on combined with the high cost (last time I priced it out it was like 8-10% of the cost of the trip) and I don't see how it makes sense. Are people getting it cheap enough or using it often enough that it works out for them (like 1 in every 10 trips is a claim that actually gets paid)? I guess I could see it in some special cases (i.e. if my profession experienced a lot of last minute emergencies necessitating cancellation of trips), but for the vast majority of people I don't see how the numbers work.

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah, trip insurance is an extra expense that is designed to benefit the insurance company and stockholders so it's generally a waste. I remember traveling to Cozumel with an online group after having this same discussion. The trip should have been canceled with a Cat-5 hurricane aiming for the island, and when it wasn't, I should have canceled and collected my insurance winnings. I felt like I knew more than the experts I guess because I went. Panic finally swept the group, and we all started our retreats. I wasn't hurt too much as I flew Continental, I called the US reservations, and they got me out on a plane they flew into Cancun empty. I think all of the rest of the group shopped online, booking what they could, paid high prices. I did try to tell them how I booked, but I was largely ignored so blah!

Then the whining about how they lost the rest of their trip plus paid so much for their escapes. I reminded them of previous discussions when they bragged about not paying the insurance premiums and how they saved then.

I remember walking thru a full lobby in Cancun when I got there the next morning for my confirmed ticket. They'd spent the night in the lobby waiting in lines to standby on planes. I bet that most of them saved on insurance premiums then lost on extra expenses.

I guess the recent strandings of millions of tourists overseas and on cruise barges has left many with extra expenses, some with insurance benefits. I still think it's a small price to pay for peace of mind and possible claims when leaving the US.

 

[Snoweman]

I guess the recent strandings of millions of tourists overseas and on cruise barges has left many with extra expenses, some with insurance benefits.

I think those with trip insurance found out that it didn't cover pandemics.

 

[DandyDon]

I think those with trip insurance found out that it didn't cover pandemics.

I think mine does. I went thru the exclusions, finding no problems.

I'll attach my documents. See if you can find an exclusion.