New Travel Insurance discussion area

Flylady_Flower

Can anyone help with a problem I have had with insurance - Because I'm asthmatic, obvious medical condition (which I didn't even think to let them know before, which when I think back was a bit scarey, as it's just 'part of the family' now ) anyway, back on track, I'm 45, hubby 48, DS 15 & DD 19 when we will be travelling, family ins no good, as DD not included (not under 16 or 18), so what would be the best way to go? Had some horrendous quotes and paid a fortune when we went away last year, so any ideas gratefully received.

stoneman

hansi wrote: »

if it was for 12 months and with pre-existing conditions covered, I would say £68 is a bargain!

hansi 1 dmg24 0
you really do need to try harder

gb57

Mogedwards - if you DON'T flag up a pre-existing condition that WILL be used as a reason to not cover you at all should anything happen.

You could have an accident (trust not), or totally unconnected illness, but because you had "lied" or "omitted" something from your claim form (your hypertension) you would not be covered for the accident or illness.

You must ALWAYS be totally upfront and honest with insurance companies, as they will use any possible excuse to wriggle out of paying. It might cost you a bit more for the insurance cover, but if you were faced with a bill for thousands of pounds due to accident or illness, it makes an extra £100 or so for insurance cover seem insignificant. Not to mention the stress when you are already ill.

No, I don't work for the industry (and don't have a high opinion of it), but I have read horror stories in, for example, the personal finance pages of the newspapers. People have been penalised just because they forgot that they had asked the doctor about something seemingly unconnected a few years before. It is not worth the risk, even if it does cost you a bit more.

linden_2

Did you hear this question on Money box this week ?
A couple booked a flight to the Caribbean for their wedding . They had to fly from Glasgow to London first . There was a 4 hour delay . They had made all of the arrangements themselves and this flight hadn't been included in the insurande so it invalidated the insurance for the onward flight , and the airline from the internal flight wasn't liable for the onward problems .

ticklepenny_2

Insurance definitions are relative to each policy so it is best to call them and confirm with the insurer directly.

All Pre existing conditions MUST be declared or your claim will be rejected. For Example if you suffer with Hypertension and then suffer with high blood pressure related problems whilst abroad you will not be covered for any related costs. And they will find out! I dont mean to be some one to scare but I used to work on the emergency help line for travel insurance...the person you speak to when it all goes horribly wrong! Insurers state in the T&C's that if required they will carry out a GP check if they feel it is warranted. Your GP will reveal to the Insurer whether you had a related pre existing condition. I worked on this help line for a long time and had to turn down alot of people, some had expenses of £50,000+ easily.

If you have general travel insurance questions I should be able to help, but if it is specific you need to speak with your insurer, and ask them to note the outcome on your policy notes!!

samanthag

i have just purchased travel insurance for a family with pre existing condition which i have declared ( i have high bp ) from travelplandirect it cost me £22.02 for a comprehensive cover which i thought was really good
hope this helps someone
sammy

pookey

i need to find a reasonably priced insurance to go to spain for 10 days for my boyfriend and I. The thing is I dont want a budget insurance where I have to pay an excess. Does anybody know any comparrison sites that allow you to put a £0 excess in the search? I tried confused.com, money supermarket and squaremouth already. Or does anybody know any companies that I can try directly? -the cheapest I found so far is £56.82 with saisburys so I just trying to beat the quote.

Thanks in advance

Travel_Insurance_Expert

hansi wrote: »

We have cruised for many years and have never come across an insurance company that doesn't cover cruises. Why wouldn't they? Do they give a reason? After all, it's just a form of travel!

The reason that there is a problem with obtaining Cruise insurance, is both the cost of medical treatment on board ship and the fact that if it becomes serious, they will offload the passenger at the nearest port.

The medical costs are equivalent to American costs and the Ship's Doctors are incentivised to occasionally overtreat e.g. "pop back tomorrow to see me" because a proportion of their salary is made up by a percentage of the money taken for medical treatment. As such, the bills are extremely high for minor ailments e.g. £1,600.00 for a stomach upset/sea sickness.

When it becomes serious and the passenger is offloaded, the logistics and susequent cost of both treatment and repatriation can be horrendous.

Travel_Insurance_Expert

Insurance cover starts from the date of purchase of the policy no matter when the tickets were purchased. Cancellation is in force from that date and provided all medical problems have been declared and accepted, a claim should be accepted.

When 2 people are travelling, no Insurer would expect a person to travel on their own and so your Mother in law should be covered. This becomes more complicated when there are more than two people as you will find the wording on the policy to be "necessary to cancel" and of course it is the Insurer who decides when and who.

Every travel insurance will have a different definition of "relative" so make sure that people for whom you would cancel or curtail (cut short) your holiday for is covered.

Travel_Insurance_Expert

mogedwards wrote: »

Does anybody have a view about taking travel insurance without bothering with a pre existing condition.

My pre existing condition is hypertension (high blood pressure), which was only picked up because I went to a 'well man clinic'. The fact is that most people my age (60) have this but have never been diagnosed. Therefore, I am less of a risk because my hypertension is controlled and is now normal. What risks do I take if I decide not to include it in my policy?

The particularly annoying thing is that whereas I am asked to pay more for travel insurance, when I asked for an enhanced payment on my private pension, I was told that my hypertension was not considered an added risk.

At best you would have any claim declined that is associated with or attributed in any way to your High blood pressure. At worst you could have any medical or cancellation claim declined as you had not submitted information regarding yourself in "utmost good faith" the very basis of insurance.