[Help] Travel Insurance 101

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  bulldoges on 05/02/2020 - 22:32

  I have all ways used https://www.travelinsurancedirect.com.au/

  You should all ways buy travel insurance when you start planning your holiday. Most travel insurance wont cover an event if its happens before you took out your travel insurance e.g Volcano.

  • 

    EightImmortals on 06/02/2020 - 08:50

    Yeah we've used them for a few years also. Had to made a claim last year for some medical expenses racked up in China and had the claim paid within 2 weeks. Would need to read the T&C's on any particular policy though to see is and isn't included.

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  blimpyboy on 06/02/2020 - 00:56

  +2

  The USA is a great country to visit! I hope you and your family have a great trip!

  Credit-card vs paid-for insurance

  I travel a lot and don't buy travel insurance; I rely on my credit card's cover.

  Medical emergencies or other major events are the only thing worth insuring against, because they (a) may cost you $100k+; and (b) may require professional expert advice to help get you safely home. All other issues, such as thefts or a flight change, are relatively small costs, and if you can't afford to pay for them then you probably shouldn't be going on holiday anyway.

  When it comes to medical emergencies or high impact events I've see no significant difference between the paid-for and credit-card policies - at least not enough to warrant paying extra. I'd encourage anyone who has found policies that do differentiate to reply here and let us know!

  Paid-for insurances have better terms around smaller costs such as theft cover, trip delays, and other inconveniences, but as I said above you should have some money set aside for emergencies, so just self-insure.

  Coronavirus and travel bans

  I'm assuming your family are Australian citizens and have not travelled to China recently? If so then there's no travel ban on you going to the USA - for coronavirus or otherwise.

  Insurance companies typically won't insure you if you travel to a DFAT orange or red zone (I've received conflicting advice on this to suggest red zones only, but to be safe let's assume both orange and red zones). USA is not a DFAT red zone, in fact it's rated green right now, which is the best possible rating. It's unlikely this will change before your trip, but you should subscribe to updates to DFAT's travel advice and if it changes to orange or red then you should contact your insurer and ask them. If this happens while you're already in the USA then obviously they still need to insure you.

  For what it's worth, if Australia puts USA on the red list due to the coronavirus, then we are really in the shit and your insurance cover will be the least of your worries.

  Car rental and insurance

  You don't need to buy the extra insurance that car rental companies offer you. This is a classic up-sell technique from the car rental companies and was recently covered in this magazine article. The bottom line: credit-card insurance should be fine for car rentals.

  • 

    John Kimble on 06/02/2020 - 03:41

    This is a reminder, therefore, to take photos of your hire car when you pick it up, and again when you drop it off. It feels to me like you shouldn't have to do this, and there was certainly a time when no one would, before we were all carrying tiny cameras around in our pockets 24/7.

    It feels like hire car companies should be more trustworthy than that. This isn't GoGet or Car Next Door – it's not new technology that relies on photographic evidence because there's no staff on site. Hiring a car is more old-school than that. It's traditional.

    But still, the risk is there. When you pick the car up and when you drop it off, take photos. Keep the evidence.

  • 

    RockyRaccoon on 06/02/2020 - 04:13

    -2

    USA car rental insurance, not needed?

    Buddy when they have an accident in the US and at fault, I hope you will start at least with a go fund me appeal to help them out.

    Read the traps and important tips here at Ozbargain

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/car_rental_insurance

    Read it carefully, it’s going to be worth it. Also tips on how to get full coverage from third party insurance companies (not the car rental company), that will be far better than any travel insurance policy.

    Your magazine article link, is for Europe (unless the US uses Euro’s) nothing to do with the US. Except the base scams to do with damage to a rental car. Insurance also relates to damage you do to others, and the scams in this article don’t address that.

    Eg your Rental car that you get comes with base $15K of coverage to repair damage to others. $15K would even cover the first letter from lawyer in the worlds most profitable legal market.

    • 

      RockyRaccoon on 06/02/2020 - 19:38

      Really voting down facts. Some people have no idea. Did you read the wiki?

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  Ughhh on 06/02/2020 - 01:02

  I'm reading above that it's crap, and that I should get a proper travel insurance.

  You need to read and compare the Commbank PDS. Think about what you need and COMPARE.

  Most of you answers can be found if you bothered to read the PDS and see if it suits your travel needs. Otherwise call the insurance for clarification.

  If you want good accurate advice. Pick up the phone and call them

  If you want guesses and 0% guarantees from forums Where's there's 0% consequences for giving out bad advice, then don't pick up the phone. Its your trip, your money, your health, what's accurate facts worth to you?

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  John Kimble on 06/02/2020 - 03:40

  +1

  https://www.traveller.com.au/everyone-asks-hire-car-insuranc…

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    RockyRaccoon on 06/02/2020 - 04:18

    Exactly - good advice here. Mirrors what the Ozbargain wiki also says. But the Ozbargain wiki gives more detail, whereas the travel article you linked is a start.

    We think every country has the same laws and requirements we have, and we are wrong. Just like tipping, here it’s optional because it’s covered in the wages, in the US their system is different. Again they add sales tax to the advertised price, where we inc GST.

    With tipping if you don’t do it, you can cop abuse, that’s about it. If you don’t have the correct optional insurance the impact isn’t abuse, it’s financially crippling.

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  Meho2026 on 06/02/2020 - 06:49

  In Australia, car rental includes basic insurance with a huge excess and optional extras to reduce the excess.
  In the USA it’s different.
  Although travel insurance policies sometimes cover the excess of car hire insurance. It’s not actual insurance, you still need to buy the car insurance which will have an excess that the travel insurance may cover all or part of.
  It’s easier for us to book USA car hire through a third party booking site that allows us to enter our country of residence. That way the prices will include insurance.
  If you don’t do that you can end up with a rental agreement tailored to US residents that doesn’t include any insurance and you have to cough up loads of cash when you try and pick up the vehicle.

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  Austaurean on 06/02/2020 - 08:47

  remember they do not cover cancelling due to 'Fear of Travel'
  i.e. Corona Virus and fear of being in an airport and around other people.
  If the country is not on the 'do not travel list', you wont get cover on cancelling the trip,
  and once something is considered a known event, it would not be covered unless purchased prior to being recognised as a known event.

  I suggest checking their website for updates on current events

  from Insure and Go.

  https://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-alerts/update-global-c…

  Am I Covered For Claims Related To This Event, for travel to Destinations other than China?
  •If you bought your policy before 12:00am AEST on 21st January 2020, you may be covered as per the benefits of your specific PDS, but you will not be covered for cancelling your trip due to change of mind or fear.
  •If you bought your policy after 12:00am AEST on 21st January 2020 and before 4:00pm AEST on 31st January 2020, you will not be covered for cancelling your trip due to change of mind or fear but you may be covered for claims directly related to travel delays as a result of quarantines at major airports directly related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Please be aware our policies only cover connecting flights where the stopover was originally scheduled on your itinerary for more than 6 hours.
  •If you bought your policy after 4:00pm AEST on 31st January 2020, you will not be covered for claims related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It would be expected the policy was entered into with awareness of the virus and its developments.

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  bugsbunny on 06/02/2020 - 13:19

  have you tried calling them? I would think you would be covered, I don't see any exclusions mentioning no cover for coronavirus related events if you purchased now, unlike a few other travel insurances.

  I'm travelling (or hoping to) to Japan end of March for 2.5 weeks with my wife and 8 month baby, and at this point only have ANZ CC insurance so was thinking about getting this (ING travel insurance) too.