New Travel Insurance discussion area

FH_Brit

see above - Fortis are pretty lenient with PEMC's

AndyJ13

I am taking my family to Minorca in the summer, we are flying Easyjet and have booked our hotel via Thompsons. I believe that I will need independant traveller insurance, does anybody have any advice on which brokers to use? Thanks

FH_Brit

Andy when you say broker, do you mean insurance company - they are different.

See my link above for the FCO recommendation for travelling (you'll need to change the country to wherever you are going) and then you can see if an insurance company gives adequate cover.

A broker, by the way, is basically someone who worksd on your behalf to find a policy that you need - sort of like a retailer of insurance and they are inependent from any insurer so they can see every policy from all insurance companies

flyaway

FH_Brit wrote: »

see above - Fortis are pretty lenient with PEMC's

Thanks. I did try Fortis as I have a home contents policy with them through Lloyds TSB. But when I rang them they said they did not do travel and passed me on to AXA (through Lloyds TSB). And I've read your posts about avoiding them like the plague.

I tried the Post Office (Fortis) but they are more expensive than the quote I've got for renewal of the policy I already have which is Columbus.

Perhaps I should stick with what I've got as it appears to be the most reasonable unless anyone has had any bad experience with them!

FH_Brit

Marty1981 wrote: »

I personally would recommend AXA as a company to take insurance out with! The M&S policy is one of the best on the market! AXA Treat their customers fairly.

When it comes to travel insurance make sure you fully READ and understand the terms and conditions before you buy, however if you buy and then read the terms and conditions and find the product does not offer what you expected don’t work as your normally have 14 days to apply for a full refund provided the trip has not started or you have haven’t made a claim.
Look at the limits; if you’re taking a £600 SLR camera then you need the Signal article limit to reflect that price. Also look at what the insurance company defines as a valuable as most would class electrical goods, MP3 players and cameras as valuables and then there is a valuables limit.
Don’t just go for the cheapest policy you can find as its cover will not be great.
The most important part about travel insurance in my mind is the medical cover! I have witnessed some great stories where the insurance company I work for have helped people in their hour of need. There are lots of insurance products to buy out there and personally if I saw it was underwritten by AXA I know I would be buying a quality product and that they would look after me if I needed assistance before, during or after my trip!

Oh my kettle is about to boil over - I'm gonna blow my top! What an invitation to unload about Axa. MARTY you are 1 post - go to search above and put Axa in it and see how many posts their are, go to the Ombudsmans site and see how many cases Axa has "lost".

What a load of tosh! Anyone reading this see the part I have underlined - I bet Marty works for Axa. If not MARTY, how many times have YOU claimed personally, not as work but needed to claim because you have loss while travelling, either actual loss or medical? Once, Twice, a dozen?

On My desk is over a million dollars outstanding with Axa and there is another $1.3m being sent to our lawyers next week as for the umpeenth time Axa Ipswich have told me they would get these resolved and yet again I fell for it, thinking someone in authority will get some answers or kick butt to get some resolution. But again (I've lost count how many people and times we have tried) Axa have given us empty promises where people don't even have the decency to return our calls.

On Monday our Lawyers will be contacting Axa, and the patients, as they are responsible (sorry if you are one of my patients, but enough is enough, and you can thank Axa if we report you to the Credit Reporting Bureaux).

Axa's policy may read good, but if the claims/assistance service is poo, then all the grweat policies in the wourld mean nothing as the claims handlers dont care about the laws that they are supposed to abide by. Axa Cicago is the route of all the problems I have with Axa and seeing hpow many people cone to Florida each year from the UK, I will continue to advise people to stay away from Axa.

If uyou are a customer of mine and you admit that you know how bad Axa are and your account comes to me, please be aware we will NOT EXTEND you any more time. i.e. f you've read this and ignored me, then fool are you to expect my help later when your Axa claim goes pear shaped!!!

And anyway MARTY, bear this in mind you work for them? They are going to look after you! Or YOU'll deal with your own claim?

The evidence will follow - legally I cant say anything about a pending case - but IF this goes to court (I expect Axa will settle as it is cheaper) I will post the case result and we will ALL see how "good" Axa are!!!

And if I were you - I deffinately would not boast about working for Axa!

ktloub

Hi,
I am looking for travel insurance for me and my partner (both in our 20's) and my 6 year old son. We are travelling to Gran Canaria on 31/7.
But I am struggling to find any cheap insurance to cover us, as I have pre existing medical condition. I have also just found out that i am pregnant I will be around 29/30wks when flying, airline will allow travel up to 36 weeks. But want to be sure that the insurance will cover if needed for any reason. As i know some companies dont cover pregnancies.
Any help/recomendations would be greatly appreciated!!!

Tippytoes

FH_Brit wrote: »

Oh my kettle is about to boil over - I'm gonna blow my top! What an invitation to unload about Axa. MARTY you are 1 post - go to search above and put Axa in it and see how many posts their are, go to the Ombudsmans site and see how many cases Axa has "lost".

What a load of tosh! Anyone reading this see the part I have underlined - I bet Marty works for Axa. If not MARTY, how many times have YOU claimed personally, not as work but needed to claim because you have loss while travelling, either actual loss or medical? Once, Twice, a dozen?

On My desk is over a million dollars outstanding with Axa and there is another $1.3m being sent to our lawyers next week as for the umpeenth time Axa Ipswich have told me they would get these resolved and yet again I fell for it, thinking someone in authority will get some answers or kick butt to get some resolution. But again (I've lost count how many people and times we have tried) Axa have given us empty promises where people don't even have the decency to return our calls.

On Monday our Lawyers will be contacting Axa, and the patients, as they are responsible (sorry if you are one of my patients, but enough is enough, and you can thank Axa if we report you to the Credit Reporting Bureaux).

Axa's policy may read good, but if the claims/assistance service is poo, then all the grweat policies in the wourld mean nothing as the claims handlers dont care about the laws that they are supposed to abide by. Axa Cicago is the route of all the problems I have with Axa and seeing hpow many people cone to Florida each year from the UK, I will continue to advise people to stay away from Axa.

If uyou are a customer of mine and you admit that you know how bad Axa are and your account comes to me, please be aware we will NOT EXTEND you any more time. i.e. f you've read this and ignored me, then fool are you to expect my help later when your Axa claim goes pear shaped!!!

And anyway MARTY, bear this in mind you work for them? They are going to look after you! Or YOU'll deal with your own claim?

The evidence will follow - legally I cant say anything about a pending case - but IF this goes to court (I expect Axa will settle as it is cheaper) I will post the case result and we will ALL see how "good" Axa are!!!

And if I were you - I deffinately would not boast about working for Axa!

My kettle's in the same state as yours! I can kinda understand people disregarding advice from "ordinary" folk like me - but you are actually in the trade!! You deal with AXA's inefficiency every working day, so you know how they play the game. If I didn't have first hand experience of what they're like, I think I'd still be inclined to listen to someone whose job it is to chase patients for the debts AXA won't pay. I suppose all we can do is let people know what AXA is like - if they choose to ignore our well-intentioned advice, it is ultimately their folly.

Lieutenant_Thrift

luci wrote: »

1. Yes you will have to declare it as a PEMC as that is exactly what it is. However they might not need to take note of it if the condition is fully resolved and you are not taking meds for it. Let the insurance decide.

I had surgery recently and there was a loading on the policy as it was within the last 6 months, even though it is fully resolved.

2. Direct Travel allows the main policyholder to travel for up to 45 days on their own on their Premier policy and a named partner to travel for up to 31 days on their own.

Thanks for the advice. Does any other insurer apart from direct travel offer couples to travel separately?

mikeriley_2

Me and wife off on diy holiday with relatives. We will have our insurance they will have theirs. One of relatives has just discovered medical condition which is to be investigated over next few weeks but outcome is that they might have to cancel holiday. This relative has already booked flights ( with my money for our flights) and is soon to pay for accomodation ( 2 weeks at £400 per week--we pay for 1 week relatives pay for other week- we all to be staying in same appartment). If relative is to ill to travel and they cancel and we also cancel holiday what are we all able to claim back? ( I haven't set up my insurance for me and wife yet but relative has annual policy). What would happen if me and wife still go on holiday but relatives doesn't considering they are to / will be paying for 1 of the weeks?
Thanks in advance!

Porcupine

mikeriley, might be worth them contacting the insurer and asking. If you take out a policy at the same insurer, that'll prevent any fights between insurers. Though it might now be too late for you to invoke any cancellation insurance on your part since you already know of a reason why you might have to cancel.

If they are able to claim on their insurance, they might get the money back for their flights and their share of the apartment. The apartment would still have been paid for so you might be able to still use it. Probably best to ask the insurer.