Travel Insurance Article Discussion

Petal7bzxq

Hi,
Next year I'm going on holiday with my sister who already has an annual travel policy which she researched and met her needs. For this particular trip I just need a single trip policy but I have PEMCs - I'm OK with all the questions on the PEMCs but I'm a bit concerned over the choices for policy types which are offered when doing online quotes.

My sister is covered so I just want cover for myself but an Individual Traveller policy would suggest that I'm travelling on my own. We're not a "couple", living at different addresses.
I rang one insurer to ask if anything were to happen to my sister (fingers crossed it wont!) to prevent travel would my individual policy cover my claim for any cancellation - and was told not necessarily. Separately, I was told the policy included travelling companions and was asked if she had any PEMCs (not as far as I'm aware). It was suggested by this insurer that I could take out a group policy as it's not a crime to have more than one insurance (but you can only make one claim) and quite a few people do this to make sure they are covered. I responded that in that case there's little point in anyone having an annual policy if someone in the party ends up being insured twiceover, it's just more money to the insurance industry.

Had anyone else been in this situation, members of the party having different policies? I don't see why I should have to take out a group policy and answer questions relating to my sister's medical history (I'm darned sure I don't know everything!) when she has her own insurance in place.

Any advice gratefully received.
Petal7bzxq

Doc_N

Petal7bzxq wrote: »

Hi,
Next year I'm going on holiday with my sister who already has an annual travel policy which she researched and met her needs..........
...............Any advice gratefully received.
Petal7bzxq

No reason at all why you shouldn't have your own individual policy with another insurer.

What it covers willl depend on its own T&C, of course, but it's likely to cover travelling companions, relatives falling ill, dying etc.

The catch can be, though, that if a relative (your sister, perhaps) falls ill and you have to cancel, the insurer could argue that PEMCs relating to that person should have been declared. What it would be likely to come down to, though, if the matter went to the Financial Ombudsman, might be what you could reasonably have known about the health of relatives.

Might be worth a look at this - it's very helpful on what their approach would be:

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/travel-insurance.htm#1a

Petal7bzxq

Doc_N wrote: »

No reason at all why you shouldn't have your own individual policy with another insurer.

What it covers willl depend on its own T&C, of course, but it's likely to cover travelling companions, relatives falling ill, dying etc.

The catch can be, though........

Thank you for the advice - I've looked at the website you suggested. It does seem that travel insurance is a minefield with insurers using any excuse not to pay. Mind you, in the past when I (or others I know) have had to cancel a holiday there has not been a problem making a claim, presumably because everyone in the party was on the same insurance.

I expect I will end up buying a group insurance to cover myself (well, us) just to be on the safe side. I would have thought that living in this technological age it would have been a simple thing for people to have their own tailored policies and then just divulge the policy numbers so the different insurers had relevant details of who was in the party for any given trip, whether insured on an annual/single, or individual/group basis, or a mixture. Or am I being too simplistic????

Thanks again.
Petal

miss_renegade

does anyone know of any insurers which cover you if you're NOT on a package holiday? We booked flights and hotel separately and read on the travel insurance guide you're not covered by most unlsess they state that they specifically cover 'indirect loss' or 'scheduled airline failure'

thanks for any help!

lad22

Hi,

I've posted this twice before but no-one ever replies!! :-(

I'm taking 8 months off work to work as a volunteer in a few African countries and need longer travel insurance. Most of the policies have a one month limit. I found a site offering various policies which give a year but to find out how much they quote you have to fill in all your details on each policy!

Any pointers on the cheapest and most comprehensive longer travel insurance policies?

Many thanks!

sharon1953

We are 2 adults over 58, with pre-existing conditions, nothing lifethreatening, just mundane stuff that we take medication for some old injuriesthat required surgery. We wanted annual cover for a ski holiday and then a USA holiday later in 2013. We are also members of Which. I searched through all the companies that are recommended for over 50’s, pre-existing conditions, Which ‘best buys’, and those best for annual polices for couples. Each category brought up different companies. Then I added those on MSE into the pile. Two days later after filling in umpteen lengthy health questionnaires; making sure I didn’t miss out a single thing, as the wording “directly and indirectly connected”covers just about everything that can happen to you! If you haven’t mentioned everything, past and present, it gives them a get-out if you need to claim as it voids the policy. I would have assumed that companies that say they specialise in insuring older people with pre-existing conditions would be competitive against the bog standard ones, but how wrong I was. Saga wouldn’t insure my husband at all, and the others such as Age UK ranged in price from £400 to £500, some excluded the actual health issues so were worthless.

In the end the one company came up trumps, covered all the medical issues we had, we could have winter activities and travel to USA included and best of all, they beat the price of the so-called specialist companies by miles. Having now read the small print it does what it says on the tin, which I was sceptical about until I had it in writing! I’m not sure I can mention the name on here,but I will and it gets removed I’m sorry. Try LV.

luci

Of course you can mention the name as long as you don't have any connection with them.

Did you try ETA? They cover PEMC's as standard provided there has been no change in medication in the past 12 months.

gloucesteroldspot

Your new format doesn't work for me - we are a couple (one over 65) who frequently travel with an over 18 child, so we don't fit into any of your categories. Unfortunately you are thinking too much like the insurance companies themselves, who like to fit everyone into a standard pattern, whereas actually of course we are all individuals.....

luci

gloucesteroldspot wrote: »

Your new format doesn't work for me - we are a couple (one over 65) who frequently travel with an over 18 child, so we don't fit into any of your categories. Unfortunately you are thinking too much like the insurance companies themselves, who like to fit everyone into a standard pattern, whereas actually of course we are all individuals.....

An over 18 year old isn't a child, they are an adult and will need an adult policy.

mahoney

Hi All,

I'm looking for USA cover - any suggestions? Some that I am looking at do not mention the cover of travel money.. Or does it come under something else?