How are the insurance companies rated? I want to make sure that we choose a reliable insurance company that has an excellent track record.

A.

A. We have insurance company ratings online! When viewing the plans in the products area or while comparing or viewing in the quote area, each insurance company's A.M. Best rating is displayed.

Back to Top

What is the definition of a Pre-Existing Medical Condition?

A.

This would be any injury, disease or illness to You, a Traveling Companion, Family Member, or Business Partner occurring prior to and including the effective date of your insurance.

Back to Top

What is the Pre-Existing Condition Period?

A.

This is the number of days that the insurance company will "look back" from the day the insurance was purchased, to see if your claim is related to a pre-existing medical condition.

Back to Top

When will my coverage become effective?

A.

For Travel Medical, Multi-Trip Medical and Medical Evacuation Policies, coverage begins at 12:01AM the day of your departure. If purchased on, or after your departure date, coverage begins at 12:01AM the next day. For Flight Accident Policies, coverage becomes effective the day of your departure upon boarding your flight.

Back to Top

Can I purchase a Flight Accident Policy if I have already departed on my trip?

A.

These policies cannot be purchased if you have already departed on your trip. Only Travelex Flight Plus can be purchased on the day of departure as long as you have not left for your trip.

Back to Top

Is there trip insurance available to cover the need to cancel a trip due to the death of a close family member - not one who is traveling on the particular trip?

A.

Yes, most of our package policies provide coverage for trip cancellation due to a non-traveling family member's death or illness requiring you to stay home.

Back to Top

I made my own travel arrangements and did not go through an agency, can I insure my trip?

A.

Yes, all of our policies can be used by people making their own travel arrangements. The policies will cover the pre-paid, non-refundable travel arrangements that you have made.

Back to Top

What is the latest date I can purchase travel insurance?

A.

You can purchase a policy up to the day before you travel. However, our recommendation is to purchase as soon as possible to maximize your benefits. If you wait, you always run the risk that something will happen before you buy your insurance and you won't be covered.

Back to Top

When is the best time to purchase travel insurance?

A.

To receive the most benefit from the travel policy you must purchase the insurance within 7 to 21 days (varies by company and plan) of making your initial trip payment. If the insurance is purchased within the 7 - 21 day period you receive two enhancements (varies by company and plan) to the policy.

1. protection against the financial default of a tour operator, airline or cruise line. (depends on company)
2. the pre-existing medical condition exclusion is usually waived (again, depends on company and plan).

Most companies count the day you make the first trip payment as day one (not the day the check is cashed).

Back to Top

I booked part of my vacation, but not the flight. I would like to purchase travel insurance within the pre-existing condition exclusion waiver period. Do I have to wait until the flight is booked?

A.

You can certainly purchase the travel insurance right away. You will probably want to include the cost of your airline tickets in the trip cost. If you can find out what the price of the tickets will be before purchasing them, you can include that amount in the total trip cost. If not, an estimate will have to do. Otherwise, buy the policy now with the costs expended to date and contact us at [email protected] when you make your other arrangements and we will have the policy corrected to reflect the change. If there is any additional premium as a result of the change, it will be charged at that time. Be sure you do this within the 7 - 21 day purchase requirement (depends on company) in order to comply with the pre-existing condition waiver requirements.

Back to Top

I am interested in travel insurance policies that cover cancellation for any reason, for example if I couldn't get off work. Does this exist?

A.

Yes. Both TravelSafe and Global Alert! offer "Cancel For Any Reason" options for those customers that want coverage should they have to cancel their trip for reasons not otherwise covered. Coverage does carry certain requirements including, 1) purchase of the plan within 15 days of the trip deposit , and 2) the trip must be canceled two (2) or more days prior to the departure date. Customers with the "Cancel For Any Reason" benefit plan are refunded 75% of their non-refundable trip cost.

Back to Top

What is the First Trip Payment Date?

A.

The First Trip Payment Date is the date that you first made a payment for the trip you want to insure. This is the date the check is written not the date it is cashed

Back to Top

How do I determine the total cost of the trip?

A.

To determine the insurable cost of the trip, add together the cost of all of your non-refundable pre-paid trip arrangements.

Back to Top

What if I take medication for high blood pressure, for example? Would this be considered a Pre-Existing Medical Condition? ?

A.

If your medication is controlled and you see a Doctor for routine checkups, this would NOT be considered a pre-existing condition. It would only be considered a pre-existing condition if your Doctor altered your medication, had a test done, requested that a test be done, or changed your diagnosis.

Back to Top

What does it mean to have the Pre-Existing Conditions waived if insurance purchased within # days from First Trip Payment? ?

A.

This means you will have coverage for a pre-existing condition if you need to cancel/interrupt your trip. You get this by purchasing the policy within the # of days the company requires (differs by company), after the first payment towards your trip is made.

Back to Top

Does the Pre-Existing Condition Period apply if I purchased the insurance within the required time frame and qualify for the Pre-Existing Condition Waiver? ?

A.

No, this does not apply to a policy purchased within the required time frame.

Back to Top

When will my coverage become effective?

A.

Coverage begins at 12:01AM the day after you purchase a policy.

Back to Top

Can I purchase a Package Policy if I have already departed on my trip?

A.

These policies cannot be purchased once you have departed on your trip.

Back to Top

Can one business insure multiple employees on one policy, or do they need separate policies for each employee?

A.

You can put up to 9 employees on these policies. If you have more than 9 employees, please call us to discuss a group policy.

Back to Top

Can someone insure more than $1,500 for a domestic trip?

A.

No, at the present time, $1500 is the highest limit that can be secured.

Back to Top

Who gets reimbursed if a claim is made, the company or the insured person?

A.

The company gets reimbursed in the event of a claim.

Back to Top

Is there a discount if an insured travels for less than 30 days and purchases an annual plan?

A.

No, the rate offered on the Business Executive 30 is not subject to a discount if you travel below the 30 day limit.

Back to Top

Are there policies available to an employee that works outside the US or Canada and is traveling to the US or Canada?

A.

No, these policies are available to US and Canadian residents traveling within their countries or internationally.

Back to Top

Can I cancel a policy I purchased? Do I incur a penalty?

A.

Most of the companies allow you to review the policy for 10 - 20 days following purchase (varies by company and plan). If you cancel your policy within that 10 - 20 day period, you will receive a full refund except for a small $3 - $5 non-refundable processing fee charged by the company.

Back to Top

I made a mistake in entering my data, what should I do?

A.

You can call or email us at [email protected], and we will have the changes made to your policy and have a corrected policy sent to you.

Back to Top

I did not receive a copy of my travel insurance in the mail yet. What can I do?

A.

If you have received your order confirmation email, please be assured that your coverage is in full force and effect and has been since the date you purchased your policy. All of the policy and contact information is included in your email. Policies are normally sent out within 24 hours of purchase from our web site by the respective insurance company. With mailing time, the policy should be received in 7 - 14 days.
If you have not received your policy in 14 days, please contact our office. We will verify your mailing address and request that the policy be sent out again.

Back to Top

Which policies will protect me if my trip needs to be cancelled because of terrorist activity?

A.

Many of our plans will offer coverage for "Terrorism". Trip cancellation coverage is generally considered to be a "named peril" type policy, meaning that only those perils that are named in the policy are covered. This includes terrorism. Each company includes their own definition of terrorism.

Back to Top

Can I purchase a policy to cover cancellation due to war or threat of war?

A.

No. All insurance companies exclude coverage if the loss is caused by war or threat of war.

Back to Top

I am in the military. What if I am called to duty or denied leave?

A.

If your leave is denied because of declared or undeclared war, all policies will exclude that reason. There are several companies that address military leave or being called to duty in one form or another: Access America, AIG Travel Guard - Cruise, Tour & Travel plan, Travel Insured, TravelSafe and Travelex all have "perils" that touch on this.

Back to Top

Can citizens of countries other than the U.S. purchase travel insurance?

A.

Yes. Travel insurance is available to non-U.S. citizens whether or not they reside in the United States.

Selecting the appropriate plan is important. There are five groups of plan types on our site that are available to non-U.S. citizens. The most popular groups for providing insurance protection for non-U.S. citizens are "Package Policies" and "Travel Medical Policies".

Non-U.S. Citizens living outside the U.S.:

We offer IMG's Patriot TRIP policy for non-US citizens living outside the US.

Travel Medical Policies - Travel Medical policies for Non-U.S. Citizens can be purchased. When comparing plans, determine availability by clicking on "Available to Travelers from". Medical benefits under these plans do not cover losses incurred while in your country of citizenship. The Seven Corners policies are an exception in that they will cover you while in your country of citizenship but not within your country of residence. (i.e. A U.S. citizen residing in Europe traveling back to the US to visit, would be eligible for coverage from Seven Corners).

Non-U.S. citizens living in the U.S. or Canadian citizens:

Package Policies - Non-U.S. citizens whose primary residence is the United States or Canada can apply for most of our "Package Policies.

Travel Medical Policies - Most Travel Medical policies for Non-U.S. Citizens can be purchased. When comparing plans, determine availability by clicking on "Available to Travelers from". Medical benefits under these plans do not cover losses incurred while in the country of your citizenship except under the Seven Corners policies, which will cover you for medical expenses outside of your "home country" (country of residence).

Back to Top

Should I include the equivalent monetary "cost" of the airline ticket that I purchased with frequent flyer miles?

A.

Generally the insurance companies will not insure tickets purchased with reward points or miles because no money has been paid. However, you should insure yourself for adequate trip interruption coverage. Make sure that you have purchased enough trip interruption coverage to cover the cost of an economy ticket home plus the cost of any unused, non-refundable land arrangements that you might lose if you have to interrupt your trip.

Back to Top

Is there any company that provides travel insurance to cover loss of frequent flyer program miles, should the airline go out of business or if I am unable to re-instate them in the event of cancellation of a trip?

A.

There is no company in the travel insurance industry that will cover loss of frequent flyer points or miles. Travel Insured will reimburse the penalty fee to return tickets back into the point program.

Back to Top

Is it possible to insure the rental of a house or condo?

A.

All of the companies on our website will provide reimbursement of villa, condo or other rental property as long as there is a written agreement/contract between the insured and the renter. Reimbursement of your pre-paid cost will be made if the trip cancellation or interruption was caused by a peril named in the policy.

Back to Top

I input my family's ages into the quote screen. The quote presented is for the whole family not per person, right?

A.

Yes, the quoted premium is the total cost for all traveler ages entered. The benefits illustrated on the Quote are per person benefit limits.

Back to Top

What is financial default coverage?

A.

The Financial Default protection benefit is part of the Trip Cancellation/Interruption benefit. Financial default coverage applies if the airline, cruise line, or tour operator goes out of business and you are unable to travel or suffer financial loss. In order for this coverage to apply, coverage must be purchased within 7 - 21 days (depends on company) of the initial deposit. After determining if you qualify for the benefit, some of the plans have 7-14 day waiting period before the benefit would become effective. Additionally, this benefit would be only available if the airline, cruise line or tour operator was not in bankruptcy at the time you purchase your travel insurance policy and in the case of Access America, is listed on their list of approved companies and in the case of AIG Travel Guard, is not on their list of disapproved companies.

Back to Top

Would a loss due to the financial default of a travel agent be covered by any of the insurance plans?

A.

No.

Back to Top

Does Medicare cover foreign travel?

A.

No. You are not covered outside of the U.S. You should purchase travel insurance for possible medical emergencies.

Back to Top