Travel Insurance

Because we travel so much, we decided to get an annual plan and have declined coverage sold by OAT and cruise lines. After reading a lot of fine print we decided on Allianz Executive Plan, covering my wife and I. We paid $1,238, for $7,500 in trip interruption insurance ($15,000 for the two of us max per year) and lots of other coverages most importantly medical transport. We might be in trouble if we have two trips or more that need cancelation, but we usually only have one fully paid for trip and others just in the deposit mode. We are also back stopped by excellent coverage under our Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card (high annual fee, but the annual rebate, lounge benefits and insurance make the fee a bargain.) Allianz recently paid a claim with no issues, when our flight was delayed by a snowstorm and we had to add an extra night in a hotel, and covered my ski lesson that was cancelled due to me being a no show. Whatever you decide, read the fine print and compare coverages. Allianz customer service answered many questions before we purchased the policy. Also, don't forget to look at the credit card you use to book the trip (or apply for a new card) you might be surprised at what coverages you already have.

Hi Ward,
We used Tavel Guard (by AIG) for several recent trips. Fortuntaely we have not had to file a claim; maybe other readers can comment if they have experience with a claim. Try this number to reach them directly 877-525-2379. They were always professional and helpful, and the rates seem competitive. We purchased the 'Deluxe' and I'm sure you can request the certificate of isurance to review before purchase. We didn't add the 'cancel for any reason' feature, which increases the cost, but might be worth considering. We qualified for the 'pre-existing condition exclusion waiver' because we purchased within 21 days of initial trip payment.
Happy and safe travels,
Ken
Santa Barbara

We have used Travel Guard and have filed 3 claims with them. One was for a total trip cancellation when my husband had an emergency medical problem 2 days before a departure; one was for a hotel room on a pre-trip where we missed the connecting flight through no fault of ours; and was for emergency medical services after my husband was injured on a trip. They paid the entire claim in each instance. Be aware that you will need complete documentation for a successful claim. (For instance, we got a letter from United Airlines that confirmed that their incoming plane was 4 hours late, causing us to miss our connection). In each case, we sent our documents to Travel Guard and were paid in less than a month.

We also successfully used Travel Guard. We had to cancel an OAT trip to Morocco a week before departure April 2018. All expenses were paid within a couple weeks after all travel documents and forms were submitted. I wrote about our experience, as well as the rationale for our decision to use Travel Guard, in Travelers' Intercom, "Travel Guard claim promptly paid," by Wanda Bahde in ITN, pages 32-33, October 2018.