Trip Insurance Recommendations?

[jmb]

I buy annual travel insurance from Allianz. If you travel a lot, it's a cost effective way to do it. I bet there is better coverage/benefits out there to be had though.

I have used Allianz for individual trips over several years and had no problems making claims & getting paid. Bought the annual policy last year and haven't needed to make a claim yet, fortunately. Different level of coverage available either way - one advantage to the annual policy is that it's not based on your age or the cost of the trip, though there are coverage limitations.

 

[Scubagermany]

For example, if an airline cancels your $800 flight 48 hours before departure and you have to rebook a $1500 flight the same-day to ensure you arrive at your destination in time for a liveaboard...are you covered for the $700 difference you had to pay? The $800 original flight purchased can be covered by a credit card so I don't need coverage there.I was never clear on this from the fine print.

I doubt that you will find any insurance anywhere on the planet that will cover your additional cost.
What if there was only a first class flight available or a far more expensive hotel.
Do you expect the insurance to cover the difference?

 

[roadstoadventure]

I doubt that you will find any insurance anywhere on the planet that will cover your additional cost.
What if there was only a first class flight available or a far more expensive hotel.
Do you expect the insurance to cover the difference?

That's a valid point. Here's the verbiage from Allianz's 50+ page policy:

Your travel carrier cannot get you to your original itinerary’s destination for at least 24 consecutive hours
from the originally scheduled arrival time due to one of the following reasons:
A. A natural disaster;
B. Severe weather;
C. An FAA or foreign equivalent mandate; or
D. A strike, except when:
a. The striking workers are employed by the travel carrier, or an affiliate of the travel carrier, from
which you purchased your certificate;
b. The strike was threatened or announced prior to the Coverage Effective Date, unless you have
continuous coverage; or
c. The strike was threatened or announced prior to the purchase of the trip.
However, if you can get to your original destination another way, we will reimburse you for the following, up
to your certificate’s maximum Trip Interruption Coverage maximum benefit:
i. The reasonable cost of alternate transportation, less available refunds; and
ii. The cost of any lost prepaid accommodations caused by your delayed arrival, less available refunds.
The following condition applies:
a. Alternate transportation arrangements must be in a similar or lower class of service as you were
originally booked with your travel carrier.

Would that scenario be covered if the flight was cancelled due to severe weather? Maybe? LOL.

 

[roadstoadventure]

I have used Allianz for individual trips over several years and had no problems making claims & getting paid. Bought the annual policy last year and haven't needed to make a claim yet, fortunately. Different level of coverage available either way - one advantage to the annual policy is that it's not based on your age or the cost of the trip, though there are coverage limitations.

We started researching Allianz a bit, and then noticed this exclusion: "This certificate does not provide coverage for any loss that results directly or indirectly from any of the following general exclusions if they affect you, a traveling companion, or a family member: Scuba diving at a depth greater than 60 feet or without a dive master."

Has this ever been an issue for you? If you apply the definition broadly enough, you could argue that an entire trip that has some sort of liveaboard component is directly or indirectly related to scuba diving at a depth greater than 60 feet.

 

[Dan]

I buy annual travel insurance from Allianz. If you travel a lot, it's a cost effective way to do it. I bet there is better coverage/benefits out there to be had though.

Me too.

 

[TFAIR]

I'm currently researching trip insurance for dive travel and would like your recommendations for US-based divers, particularly for those who travel several times a year.

I have some basic coverage from Chase Sapphire Reserve and have looked into more comprehensive providers, but it's often unclear if certain scenarios are covered. For example, if an airline cancels your $800 flight 48 hours before departure and you have to rebook a $1500 flight the same-day to ensure you arrive at your destination in time for a liveaboard...are you covered for the $700 difference you had to pay? The $800 original flight purchased can be covered by a credit card so I don't need coverage there.I was never clear on this from the fine print.

Also, what are the pros/cons of insuring individual trips vs. a full year?

Hi, I've been doing some deep diving into travel /dive insurance (pun intended) the legaleez and fine print is very convoluted and I found most plans don't relly benefit scube divers, who then end up buying seperate scuba insurance. The BEST option by far I have found is the Patriot Multi trip plan from IMG. It is an Annual plan (for 2 or m ore trips a year, that's the way to go) and covers all trips in a year. It has some trip interuption coverage etc. but the main focus is medical. (up to 1Million $) The thing I found unique is that it covers scuba to 50 meters as part of the general coverage. Most travel plans exclude scuba, or limit coverage to $10k-$15k, or have other limits like 10 meter max or diving with a master requirement. I'm 61 years old and make 4-6 month long trips a year, and my fee is $200 all in. Rose at IMG was extremely helpful in getting the details and confirming coverage. Rose.Wilson@imglobal.com

 

[Salamandra]

Hi, I've been doing some deep diving into travel /dive insurance (pun intended) the legaleez and fine print is very convoluted and I found most plans don't relly benefit scube divers, who then end up buying seperate scuba insurance. The BEST option by far I have found is the Patriot Multi trip plan from IMG. It is an Annual plan (for 2 or m ore trips a year, that's the way to go) and covers all trips in a year. It has some trip interuption coverage etc. but the main focus is medical. (up to 1Million $) The thing I found unique is that it covers scuba to 50 meters as part of the general coverage. Most travel plans exclude scuba, or limit coverage to $10k-$15k, or have other limits like 10 meter max or diving with a master requirement. I'm 61 years old and make 4-6 month long trips a year, and my fee is $200 all in. Rose at IMG was extremely helpful in getting the details and confirming coverage. Rose.Wilson@imglobal.com

This is super helpful! Do you get this in addition to DAN, or instead of DAN?

I live in a state where DAN doesn't cover emergency evacuation as part of the insurance I can buy, which makes me nervous. But I was never able to find a reasonable alternative either.

 

[GiraffeMarineSalvage]

This is super helpful! Do you get this in addition to DAN, or instead of DAN?

I live in a state where DAN doesn't cover emergency evacuation as part of the insurance I can buy, which makes me nervous. But I was never able to find a reasonable alternative either.

I'm assuming that there is something unique about Indiana insurance regulations (based on DAN website saying "coverage available for U.S. Residents Except in IN" but does anyone actually know why that is though?
In terms of OP I would definitely get DAN if can (but I have never had to file a claim, although years ago I did benefit from one phonecall for dive-related medical advice). Personally I've always considered insurance as primarily being for the things you simply can't afford to handle on your own, as opposed to eliminating risk of a setback that can be personally handled (and focusing that energy/money on prevention/risk mitigation).
ie in example of "if an airline cancels your $800 flight 48 hours before departure and you have to rebook a $1500 flight" I would be very unhappy about the situation but able to deal with it on my own (and would also likely jump to the personal assumption poor customer service of that degree was due primarily to choosing to fly United and would book with Delta next time... ).