Should I get a paid Travel insurance policy?

[ffhound]

Hi everyone

I am going to Europe for 4 weeks in June and am contemplating getting a paid travel insurance policy.
I have an ANZ travel adventures credit card and a Westpac Altitude credit card and have qualified for the free travel insurance on each of these cards.
Would the combination of these free travel insurances be sufficient for my trip or us there some advantage to paid insurance policies that I have overlooked. Both policies are with Allianz.

Thanks Peter

 

[jch]

Cheers for the clarification, as always need to read the fine print. I had USD 10k+ covered under a paid policy when I got pneumonia in Beijing.My advice is to upload all your supporting docs to the cloud like Google Drive before you leave, its not much fun trawling through emails for receipts and passport scans etc while feeling like cr**p.

Had a travel delay claim on last trip and had everything on hand when I called the insurer. For some reason I’m only playing ~$60 a year for my CommBank card annual fee when the published rate is higher, only keeping hold of it for the cheap insurance as the earn rate is terrible.

 

[Port Power]

I have claimed on my ANZ CC indurance four times, successfully in all cases. These included deaths of close family members and sudden return home. Allianz also said the providers could send their invoices directly rather than me pay up front. That is good for hospital stays as hospitals are used to dealing with insurance companies. I paid my hotels and new airfares up front and was reimbursed. But I did read the PDF, new I needed return tickets (fly one way, cruise ship return), knew what medical issues were not excluded and knew age limits. I keep the bank statement related to flights and/or cruise, deposit receipts along with the itinerary in a folder until after I return home. The ANZ/Allianz cover is extensive. However the Qantas CC covers only 30 days of total travel each year, so is not very useful for my travel needs.

You need to read what you get, paid or CC, and not moan it's not your fault you were not covered. CC cover is excellent and there is no need to buy two policies unless there are specific circumstances.

 

[get me outta here]

There have been articles recently about travel insurance and mental illness. The articles intimated that for example breaking a leg and having a (pre existing), mental illness could be connected. So, a pre-existing may have nothing to do with breaking your leg but they will sure try to make it so. I think somebody was going to challenge it so I wonder how that worked out.

 

[theblank]

My Flight Centre travel agent told me a true story. A.... it cost him $21k in interest payments on his card to carry the debt for nearly a year whilst the insurance rigmarole continued. - William

that has nothing to do with using the credit card policy. He is a dope for paying the expenses on the credit card.

 

[get me outta here]

If o/s having a medical episode, is there another way to pay other than on a card?

 

[jch]

If o/s having a medical episode, is there another way to pay other than on a card?

The hospital can get a get a guarantee from the insurance provider (or their local representative) so you don't need to put on your CC first and will be covered for the duration of your stay.

 

[Zanzara]

Peregrine thanks for sharing that information. It's incredibly useful.

 

[VZ1_60]

I have noticed on some of the cards that the Rental Car excess cover has changed or tightened up. By my reading, some seem to only cover rental in Australia, and others require you to take all insurance offered by the rental company, even the option cover to reduce excess.

If that is the case, the cover under some of the cards would not seem that beneficial.

 

[theblank]

If o/s having a medical episode, is there another way to pay other than on a card?

my american freind tells me that its illegal for hospitals to refuse treatment on suspiciion that you cant pay, then when you are discharged they simply hand you a invoice. what are they going to do, undo the treatment ? this is why the USA issue is that Americans go bankrupt over medical bills.

I like probably many others here in OZ, are misled by myths and legend (perhaps TV) that US hospitals require proof of capacity to pay upon arrival. When you think about it, its a pretty dumb idea to think that even happens, if it was true, an unconscious person arrives in an ambulance they wait until he wakes up before looking at him?

An overseas tourist would just call the Insurance company (when capable) and the insurer takes it all from there.

 

[theblank]

I have noticed on some of the cards that the Rental Car excess cover has changed or tightened up. By my reading, some seem to only cover rental in Australia, and others require you to take all insurance offered by the rental company, even the option cover to reduce excess.

If that is the case, the cover under some of the cards would not seem that beneficial.

For USA rental cars, all Australian travel insurance policies dont cover anything under Rental Cover, because in USA you (a non USA resident ) cannot even hire a car without being covered 100% by the rental companies stuff.

Yes there are exclusions, but none of these exclusions are covered by any travel insurance policy.

As for the rest of the world, IMO, Australian travel insurance policies word their cover in such a way its almost useless. If anyone wants to rent cars overseas, you really need to do a lot of homework, and then some. '

I am a fan of RentalCover.com — Save On Your Rental Car Insurance if only to read all their info and get a better understand how the Rental companies excesses etc actually work.

 

[Dougo]

I have noticed on some of the cards that the Rental Car excess cover has changed or tightened up. By my reading, some seem to only cover rental in Australia, and others require you to take all insurance offered by the rental company, even the option cover to reduce excess.

If that is the case, the cover under some of the cards would not seem that beneficial.

Years ago I rang our CC provider’s insurance cover ... I think it was Zurich ( Westpac M’ card) anyway the rep told me that their insurance only covered a single collision between the card holders car and another car or property ... not, for example, a multi car pile up.

However to read the PDS, I would not have thought that was the case. IMO, always best to check with the insurers to listen to their interpretation of the PDS.