Trip Insurance

loverotties · Post by **loverotties** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:57 pm

Since we will be headed to St. John in late Sept. - Oct. we will need trip insurance . Anyone had good luck with a particular one ?? There seems to be many to pick , not sure who to go with for insurance. Thanks.

mit43 · Post by **mit43** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:10 pm

We have always used CSA, but never had to file a claim. The best opinions on this question will be from those who have had to actually use the insurance.

PatrickMcc · Post by **PatrickMcc** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:22 pm

We always buy with Travel Guard although if you google trip insurance I believe there is a website that compares different companies but it can get complicated. They only cover pre existing health conditions if you purchase the insurance shortly after booking your trip- I think 10 or 15 days. You should check about hurricane cancellations in September. A few years ago we cancelled because my sister-in-law died. Travel Guard wanted a death certificate but I didn't want to bother my brother
and I couldn't legally get the certificate myself. I called and explained my reasoning, sent them the obituary in which we were named as survivors and they paid the claim.

Post by **Anthony** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 8:41 am

We recommend CSA to all forum members - they offer excellent, competitively-priced plans which cover the pre-paid cost of renting a private villa. If you click on the link in the left column you can get a free, no obligation quote (and if you do purchase CSA trip insurance, please do so through that link so we get the credit!).

Thanks for your continued support on buying through us - it really makes a difference.

Or you can just start here: http://www.csatravelprotection.com/?aff=VIONLINE

Nic in KC · Post by **Nic in KC** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:13 am

We've been buying CSA since we started going to St. John. My parents actually had to use their benefits last summer when my grandfather passed away at home and they needed to get back for the funeral. After providing his death certificate they were reimbursed the cost of booking tickets to come home a day early and their lost vehicle and villa costs without any difficulty.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:23 am

I would not recommend Four Corners.

The company denied one claim I submitted for lost baggage. A year later, we were delayed on an international flight, missed a connection and had to stay in CLT overnight. The short version of the long story is they tried to deny the claim. It took months and months to resolve it. At one point they accussed me of insurance fraud. Eventually the insurance agent that sold us the policy got involved and the claim was paid. I think the amount was $188. I can only imagine how they would resist paying larger claims.

susan & herb · Post by **susan & herb** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:41 am

We have always used CSA for our trip insurance.

Two years ago in Eleuthera we were robbed while we slept in our villa. I had taken out insurance mainly if we had to cancel our trip because of illness, never thinking about getting robbed!
CSA paid the claim for the jewelry and money that was taken. They were very professional to deal with. Only delay was in getting a police report from Eleuthera which of course runs on island time!

Marcia (Mrs. Pete) · Post by **Marcia (Mrs. Pete)** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:49 am

The only travel insurance we've ever used is Travel Guard and I highly recommend them. We had to file a claim last August after our trip to Topsail Beach, North Carolina got seriously disrupted by Hurricane Irene. Everything I submitted for reimbursement was covered and the process was very pleasant.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:52 am

For those of you with trip insurance experience, how far in advance to you recommend getting it? Thinking it might be a good idea for our next trip in August...

CBama · Post by **CBama** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:07 am

If you want to add the "cancel for any reason" you have to buy the trip insurance within a specific time frame dictated by each company by the date your first payment was made for the trip.

When I was looking, I think CSA was 24 hours and Travel Guard was 15 days. I had already passed the 24 hour time frame from the time I put the airline tickets on my credit card so I bought Travel Guard Ins...

Each company is different and you may not be concerned with the cancel for any reason..but if you are it may be too late to add.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:17 am

Thanks so much CBama, that's really helpful. We just booked our airfare a few days ago, so sounds like I need to get on this asap. I think the weather is really our only concern...although I probably shouldn't say that! Thanks again!

CBama · Post by **CBama** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:24 am

I kept debating whether to add the cancel for no reason.

My prepaid costs included airfare and villa...so it was about $90 more to add cancel for no reason...you only get back a percentage of upfront costs BUT that would be better than losing all of it for a reason not covered under regular trip insurance.

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:47 am

I don't always buy trip insurance, but the times I have I have purchased CSA via the forum link. I just bought some last week for our upcoming summer trip.
At the time I checked the difference between regular and cancel for any reason coverage and the price differential was fairly significant--If I remember correctly, it was 35-40% more to choose the cancel for any reason option.

stjohnnewbie · Post by **stjohnnewbie** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:37 pm

I have a colleague who fell and fractured her shoulder and hip while in Israel and had to have surgery and stay in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Her trip insurance (included medical) covered that cost and made all the arrangements for a paramedic escort and ambulance from the hospital to the airport, wheelchair escorts through airports, her flight home in business class, and the ambulance from US airport to rehab facility. It all added up to $20k or $30k, and all she had to pay was the $46 that she forked over for the policy in the first place. Holy canoly.

I'm young, so I don't really think about health stuff like that, but since we're traveling to the Caribbean in a couple months when I'll be 20 weeks pregnant, I bought the same policy that covers all the normal trip things plus medical.

Anyway, that was with Allianz/Access America and I just went with that since I had heard my colleague's story and she had such a great experience. It sounds like the one that has the link from here that helps support this site is good too. Now knowing how inexpensive trip insurance is, I don't think I will ever travel without it again!

awardb · Post by **awardb** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:35 am

As far as buying Trip Insurance re: Hurricane season -

Be advised that if you get chased out of your villa because a hurricane is approaching the island, and have to leave early or rent rooms in a hotel, you will NOT be covered if you have completed over 50% of your planned vacation OR have 4 days or less left on your planned vacation.

This happened to us with CSA, and I've found the same or similiar clause in most other trip insurance verbiage.

So for us, 14-day vacation in STJ, 4 days left in Paradise, Hurricane Earl hits very close to island, villa boarded up, we must leave, forced to go to Gallows Point to stay, resulting in an additional $1300 in unexpected charges......NO COVERAGE.

I am not bad-mouthing CSA. I believe all the insurance co.s have similar wording in their policies. Still, it comes as a huge shock, as you would believe that you are covered. We still buy TI when going to STJ in August.

Most of the good coverage to take care of almost any scenario is BEFORE and during the first half of your trip. After that, travel plans change due to weather is severely curtailed or unavailable.

A word of warning to all.

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Trip Insurance

Trip Insurance