I recently completed a trip to China with my daughter and arranged travel insurance thru Insureandgo, one of the companies recommended by Choice in the recent travel insurance review.
Not only were they the cheapest for a comparative policy they were easy to deal with when i needed to clarify some policy issues.
Unfortunately I needed some medical attention on a river cruise and submitted a claim with Insureandgo on return home.
They forwarded a claim form by email and settled the claim without clarification or dispute and credited my bank account within days.
Excellent service and again shows the value of Choice reviews.
Well done Insureand go and Choice.
Ian
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For those interested hereās the CHOICE travel insurance review that @ianlacey58 is referring to. Like much of our travel content this analysis is free to non-members as well as members. And like all CHOICE testing and review content it is unbiased and independent.
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My wife and I booked a trip to Newcastle last Christmas but my wife fell ill and was admitted to hospital two days before we were scheduled to leave home.
We had insured our trip with Covermore and because my wifeās illness was not pre-existing we received a full refund, less fifty dollars.
We also received a full refund of our pre-booked parking at Brisbane airport.
Lots of paper-work but worth the effort.
We will always insure our selves in future because you never know whatās around the corner.
Jeff
I bought Worldcare Travel following an article at Choice, my husband broke his leg before his trip to Europe, I had to cancel my trip to India and provided evidence from hospital. The company refunded my airfares, accommodation, visa and all expenses. I was very impressed and continued to take insurance with them when I go overseas.
Husband and I have had annual travel insurance for several years now, through Lloydās. Much cheaper than covering individual trips and can be worldwide for unlimited trips. Have made 2 claims, no problems.
I have also had cover from Qantas, for one trip to Perth for work, purchased when booked flight. Had to cancel for sickness and despite hospital admission and discharge note, they still needed GP authorisation, and heaps of documentation (like copies of my flight and insurance bookings - which was their company!) Then forgot to tell me claim had been approved.
@p.waite Iām with you on the year round trip cover!
If anyone else is like me and is prone to taking a few international trips a year with only a few months planning (rather than a year ahead), year round trip cover is great. In fact, I might have to convince our travel insurance whizz to look at the best value year round cover policies this year.
I have previous used QBE in the past and have always had a good experience with them, though Iāve been pretty lucky and have only had to claim one or two times in the last ten years. Always good to double check the PDS - you never know what cover you might need if you havenāt planned your holiday:
- Are you going to the USA? - if so, thatās extra
- Sports cover? - I like to rock climb when Iām away so I always have to check if thatās covered
- Motorbike cover? - Most policies will only cover you if youāve got a licence back home
- Extra items like expensive cameras? - Check the restrictions on the amount you can claim
- Chronic medical issues? - Always check if you need to submit documentation, Iām coeliac, but donāt need to let them know.
Like @viveka says, weāve got a pretty good comparison tool up and running so itās worth checking out and purchasing insurance at the time youāre booking.
Tilly -
Travel policy and campaigns advisor
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Thank you for that! Much appreciated.
Maybe a little off topic, but I didnāt want to start another thread.
Iām trying to book travel insurance for an upcoming trip and have noticed every organisation I ask for a quote and try to add an existing medical condition is asking for my height and weight. Iām more than a little suspicious of them asking for such information, as insurance companies a quite notorious for using any excuse for getting out of a claim. What if I have a medical issue that requires coverage and my weight has changed half a kilo since I submitted my application?
Also thought I would add, Iāve looked through Choiceās recommendations and found Good2Go charges an āadministration feeā to those with existing medical conditions. From their website -
If you have an Existing Health Disorder you will need to call 1800 008 473 to complete an assessment. The assessment will determine whether we are able to provide you with cover for that disorder. Please read the following for further information. Please note: If the Existing Health Disorder is accepted, a non-refundable $100 administrative fee will also be charged for assessing Your application for Existing Health Disorder cover. Payment can be made by Credit Card over the phone.
Iām pretty sure the assessment is just going to be a call centre operator ticking a few boxes, and then the extra insurance premium for the coverage will be on top of this. A few minutes on the phone for $100 seems a bit rich.
@JodiBird might be able to give you more advice on this @fmc - heās our travel insurance whizz! Glad to see youāve had a chance to look through CHOICEās travel insurance comparisons.
Of course, youāll always have to weigh up which policy is going to be better value based on your personal circumstances - something CHOICE might not be able to capture in the comparison.
When younger, in 1991, we did the UK and Europe tour in a camper van. We bought a wonderful caravan insurance in the UK. We broke down in France after 2 months in Europe with no chance of repair there ( we eventually installed a reconditioned engine which wasnt covered) The insurance covered towing the van back to the UK plus enough money to cover the cost of hiring a car for a month which allowed us to finish our planned visit.
In 2005 hubby won a scholarship to visit UK schools. He bought insurance that would cover cancellation as we had elderly parents and were worried about their health. Unfortunately it was I who fell ill with cancer. The insurance covered the cost of the cancellation and he was able to reschedule his visit for the following year.
I go away for 3 months each year, so far RACT insurance has met my needs though fortunately have not yet needed to claim. Now considering a month or two as a second trip, so very interested in year-round insurance, thanks.
Hi, weāve updated the CHOICE travel insurance review to include Annual multi-trip policies.
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Yes unfortunately several insurers charge an upfront admin fee for assessment, Weāll look at checking which ones do in our next review. In the meantime Iād suggest shopping some other insurers to find the ones that donāt charge upfront.
Thanks for the link to the update, but not working ATM, and nor is my login. However, I have a question - do any of the annual policies allow longer than 60 days for individual trips? That is the longest I have found so far - one was only 45 days.
Hi @mudpuppy, sorry for the slow reply. Can you try the link again? It should work now. Also, you should be able to view the travel insurance reviews without a login. There are several policies that go for longer than 60 days, either inclusive or as an optional extra. Click on Compare all products and scroll all the way to the bottom to see which policies allow this.
Thanks, link works now
I thought this worth posting. I checked my credit card insurance T&C and they state āunder the influence ofā¦ā That could be highly subjective noting DUI (as an example) is 0.08 in some countries, 0.05 in many, and 0.03,0.02, or even 0.00 in others. Cover-more often comes out as a well regarded insurer but seems to take a hard stance when it might save them a dollar of payout.
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Thanks @PhilT - itās a tricky area that people should look closely at in their policy. For those interested, weāve got some more advice on travel insurance and intoxication and other exclusions here on the CHOICE website and also even more information on this page dedicated to the topic (free content, not just member content).
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Something else we have noticed is the wearing of helmets. We have noticed a few terms and conditiins which state that eventhough a local law may not require the compulsory wearing of helmets when riding a bicycle or motorbike, the insurance policy wonāt provide any cover for any accident or injury related to bikes or motorbikes if a helmet is not worn. This can even be for injuries not related to no head protection.
This is important to know as it is very easy to hire a bike/motorbike to get around a place when travelling. We have recently been to San Pedro de Atacama where bikes are the favourite way for backpakers to get aroundā¦they provide helmets but is is not compulsory to wear them. What surprised us is that most backpackers had the helmets clipped to their daypacks when riding their bike rather than wearing them on their head. I did think at the timeā¦ I hope their insurance does cover them should they have any sort of accident.
There was a recent report where an elderly gentleman has a medical condition, but as it occurred while doing an activity excluded from the insurance coverage, he was refused cover. If he was instead walking, he would have been covered. Not sure what the final outcome was but fighting an insurance company in stress not needed.
The other thing to consider is activities which are excluded. These can include motorbike riding through to adventure sports. Many adventure sports can be undertaken at the spur of the moment and one wonāt check T&Cs just before booking these adventures, so it is important to know before departing/when purchasing insurance that the cover is for all activities one is likelt to partake in.
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I would love some information on travel insurance for the over 75s or even over 80s!
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