Travel Insurance

[neverburi]

Is travel insurance what its all made out to be.been hospitalized twice now in bangkok bumrangrad sukhumvit the hospital want there money for services,of course ,but it has not been worth a stamp back in australia unable to claim because of excess.

NB

[Zpete]

Curiosity, has anybody any experience with using a GOLD or PLATINUM Visa credit card travel insurance?

I have relied on it for 10 years, but have never made a claim.

Reckon I have 'saved' thousands of dollars in that time by not using normal insurance company policies.

My Platinum Visa gives me........

<LI>While you're off seeing the world, you're covered with International Leisure Travel Insurance (PDF 120KB) on trips of up to 90 days.

Most tripping is for at least a month, in OZ, Pacific Islands and around S.E.A., later this year, 65 days in LoS and places on the way to the Philippines, then return mainly by backtracking.

Edited September 9, 2009 by Zpete

[tig28]

Hi Zpete

Same as you have relied upon it for years. About 5 years back We were delayed 24hrs (bird strike on take off) out of Colombo into Sydney and naturally missed all connecting flights within Australia. I did everything wrong after landing at midnight in Sydney.

Booked my own hotel (airline was offering complementary hotels to the stranded) and selected a later flight than the complementary flight offered by the airline --- with a 6 am take off.

I submitted all bills ---- all were paid without a problem. I was amazed ......I did not believe I was entitled ....

Please note: Early in its life this coverage did not require a "spend" on the card in relation to (and prior to) your trip --- now it does...you are probably aware but...

Edited November 7, 2009 by tig28

[darrenr]

To Australians:

Did you know the Commonwealth Bank of Australia Platinum credit card offers 12 months international travel insurance (most other banks only offer 3-6 months), the insurance is offered by Zurich Australia. Handy if you are spending more time overseas.

by the way little know clause (at least in the above insurance but i am sure is widely the same). You are NOT covered for motorbikes above 200cc engine capacity and if you do not have a Australian motorbike licence and international licence.

So next time your Thai wife or GF wants to ride the the Honda 125cc (which is under 200cc limit) and she has no licence or only a thai licence then you are NOT covered and your spouse as well if you have an accident!! (stupid really is she has a valid Thai licence !!! all because she does not have an Australian licence).

So all these Auzzies riding large motorbikes in places like Pattaya etc check your policy fine print

[hyperdimension]

I'm applying for travel insurance online and it asks for country of residence. I live in Thailand using Tourist Visas. Should I put Thailand as my country of residence, even though I am technically a tourist here? It makes a big difference to the final cost.

What are the best web sites to buy travel insurance? I'll probably go through worldnomads, but I've also checked out TFG (globaltravelinsurance.com) which also look good, though their web site could have been designed better.

[hyperdimension]

I found the answer to my question:

What is my country of residence?

Your country of permanent residence can be defined as the country you would wish to be repatriated to in the event of a medical emergency and where you would be able to then receive long term medical care, if required. You must also be legally defined as a permanent resident (not temporary) of that country and have a residential address that you can refer to within that country. Please be aware, however, that your policy does not cover expenses incurred within your country of permanent residence.

Can I change my country of residence in my World Nomads members' page?

Some of our travellers find that their plans change and they find themselves 'living' somewhere else. Before changing your country of residence you will need to consider the question 'Is this where I want to be repatriated?'. If you are able to receive medical treatment in this country, are able to enter and exit without restriction and consider yourself a permanent resident (not temporary) with a permanent address then you may wish to start a new membership with your new country. Your current membership can only be linked to one country of residence. Remeber that there is no cover in your country of residence.

Source: http://www.worldnomads.com/faq.aspx

[scorecard]

I have always taken at least a basic travel policy for all trips, by just mentioning it to the travel agent handling the bookings. Usually all fixed on the spot in 2 or 3 minutes.

I have discovered that there is basic cover at low cost, but if you want really high and broad cover then there are many options, and much higher cost.

My reason is to provide something extra for my family if i was killed in an accident, then as a secondary point, some cover for hotels, out of country medical/hospital etc.

Just recently I approached one travel insurance company, here in Bangkok, for a quotation (the tickets were arranged/paid by my new employer but I had to take care of the travel insurance myself).

The agent e.mailed the application form, It didn't have any provision to include a 'beneficiary name'. I mentioned this to the insurance agent and was told flippantly that it was not needed. They also added "Your family can apply to a Thai court to recover the money from the insurance company. so it doesn't really matter very much".

I approached another company and their application form did include a box for 'beneficiary name', which is what I wanted. I got into a discussion with this agency and they told me that in fact it's illegal to not record a beneficiary name.

Edited March 23, 2010 by scorecard