Travel Insurance To Thailand No Longer Valid

[sarahsbloke]

Some friends of mine from the UK were thinking of coming out to Chiang Mai to visit me.

They were told yesterday by their travel agent that because of the UK foreign office warnings about Bangkok, any travel insurance they purchased for a trip to Thailand would be invalid.

I'm not sure that the insurance would be invalid, but if the travel agents are starting to say that to customers, it's likely to be the end of tourism in Thailand for a while.

[Jocky]

The change of advice to essential travel only means travel agents cannot sell their holidays toThailand and are duty bound to offer refunds or different destinations if you have booked already.

It would be difficult to get travel insurance now because you would be travelling against government advice so therefore the risks are so much higher.

[Pikey]

Agree. My mate called me last night telling me exactly the same. He was due to fly today but the travel agent advised that should anything happen to him whilst here (connected or unconnected to the current mess), then the insurance company have no obligation to pay up because of the FO travel warning. His agent rescheduled him for May 19th.

Cheers,

Pikey.

[madmitch]

Read the small print.

I have heard this before but really don't know. The policy I last had purely excluded travel in specific countries. Policies may vary.

[pontius]

Agree. My mate called me last night telling me exactly the same. He was due to fly today but the travel agent advised that should anything happen to him whilst here (connected or unconnected to the current mess), then the insurance company have no obligation to pay up because of the FO travel warning. His agent rescheduled him for May 19th.

Cheers,

Pikey.

May 19th? Your mate's an optimist. Let's hope rightfully so.

[Koh_Falang]

Agree. My mate called me last night telling me exactly the same. He was due to fly today but the travel agent advised that should anything happen to him whilst here (connected or unconnected to the current mess), then the insurance company have no obligation to pay up because of the FO travel warning. His agent rescheduled him for May 19th.

Cheers,

Pikey.

May 19th? Your mate's an optimist. Let's hope rightfully so.

Agree... this crap will go on for sometime i think... At least until another election comes around (or is forced)...

[PattayaParent]

Maybe you can arrange short term medical insurance for them with an insurance company here?

[meom]

What about people which are already here with insurance. Does that insurance become void now or what?

[Jocky]

I'm no expert but as far as i'm aware your insurance should be valid if you are already here as you didn't travel against fco advice and also they chose to insure you.

The only problem would be if you were injured due to protesters or rioters etc as this normally isn't covered anyway however the Thai government have said they will cover any cost for foreigners being injured due to ongoing problems under their own insurance policies which they have set up for this reason.

This was done to calm tourist fears but now fco advice has changed and most countries will follow suit therefore only the die hards will be arriving for the forseeable future unless the government get their finger out and sort out this problem.

Any normal problems related with holiday tavel/medical i don't see a problem with your insurance paying up but check your policy and the small print.

[BusyBee123]

I've phoned my insurers and they confirmed the entire policy is void if you haven't made the flight over yet, but if you are there you will be covered under the policy, 99% of policies do not cover you for civil commotion anyway but at least you would be covered for normal accidents...

[greytown]

the Thai government have said they will cover any cost for foreigners being injured due to ongoing problems under their own insurance policies which they have set up for this reason.

This was done to calm tourist fears.

Anywhere to get more details about this? That sounds unusually generous. What are the chances in the event of problems that they would actually deliver on this?

[Jocky]

This was on a Thai tv news report around 2 weeks ago when there was reports of foreigners fleeing from khao san road amid clashes between protesters and police.

[odowdchr]

I've phoned my insurers and they confirmed the entire policy is void if you haven't made the flight over yet, but if you are there you will be covered under the policy, 99% of policies do not cover you for civil commotion anyway but at least you would be covered for normal accidents...

So does that mean if you've got pre-purchased flights (from before the UK FO advice was issued), they will cover the flight costs if the flights can't be cancelled with a refund ?

[el jefe]

I've phoned my insurers and they confirmed the entire policy is void if you haven't made the flight over yet, but if you are there you will be covered under the policy, 99% of policies do not cover you for civil commotion anyway but at least you would be covered for normal accidents...

So does that mean if you've got pre-purchased flights (from before the UK FO advice was issued), they will cover the flight costs if the flights can't be cancelled with a refund ?

You should contact your own insurance company. There is no way for anyone else to know.

And afaik, this only applies to travel insurance issued in the UK, and maybe Australia. Most travel insurance policies issued in the US are still valid for travel to Thailand despite the same govt warning.

[jfchandler]

I can't speak to what U.S. or UK based insurers are doing, since I live here in LOS...

But there are at least a couple of insurance policies covering medical and liability that will cover tourists INSIDE Thailand...

My Thai insurance agent is checking on them for me, to make sure that they're still issuing new policies at present and haven't done anything to exclude Thailand...

One is a Thai-based insurer that specifically covers medical and liability inside Thailand for people from other countries...

It's a big company, LMG Pacific...though their Thai web site appears to be under re-construction now...

Some info on their travel policy can be found here....

Then there's an international travel insurance policy that covers tourists in pretty much any country other than their home one...

It's from Pacific Cross Insurance and info can be found here...

When my agent gets back to me, I'll update if there any further or different information...

[stevenl]

So does that mean if you've got pre-purchased flights (from before the UK FO advice was issued), they will cover the flight costs if the flights can't be cancelled with a refund ?

No, it does not, at least not automatically.

Especially for independent travellers: check with the insurance company. But as long as the carriers keep going, the carrier will quite often say: we go, if you want to cancel, your choice, but no refund. The insurance company will also not want to pay for the refund, so the traveller is left without much choice: either go without insurance, or don't go and still have to pay for the flights.

[odowdchr]

So does that mean if you've got pre-purchased flights (from before the UK FO advice was issued), they will cover the flight costs if the flights can't be cancelled with a refund ?

No, it does not, at least not automatically.

Especially for independent travellers: check with the insurance company. But as long as the carriers keep going, the carrier will quite often say: we go, if you want to cancel, your choice, but no refund. The insurance company will also not want to pay for the refund, so the traveller is left without much choice: either go without insurance, or don't go and still have to pay for the flights.

Hopefully we'll see the response to this November election offer today and it might start calming.

I can't claim for cancellation of the flights as it's excluded due to civil unrest/terrorism etc.........but i can travel and still be covered for anything unrelated to the unrest...such as medical, accident, theft and loss etc.

So that's hopeful as long as the airport stays open and i can get in and out with no problems.

[roamer]

So does that mean if you've got pre-purchased flights (from before the UK FO advice was issued), they will cover the flight costs if the flights can't be cancelled with a refund ?

No, it does not, at least not automatically.

Especially for independent travellers: check with the insurance company. But as long as the carriers keep going, the carrier will quite often say: we go, if you want to cancel, your choice, but no refund. The insurance company will also not want to pay for the refund, so the traveller is left without much choice: either go without insurance, or don't go and still have to pay for the flights.

Don't know where your getting that from. Don't know of a case where the carrier is refusing refunds where FCO advise is against travel, its simply not the case. Not least because a carrier that did that would be regarded as leaving passengers with no choice other than to risk traveling against FCO advice, they would have the pants sued off them should any mishap befall the passenger.

Secondly check the policy wording; quite a few policies cover your trip at present as the warning is not against "all travel" but against "non essential travel". Tesco and Liverpool Victoria are amongst those that cover at present.

[Boater]

i have just booked travel insurance starting tomorrow and valid to the 1st june for thailand, was no mention when buying it that it would be invalid...

[jfchandler]

It all comes down to what the specific language is in your existing insurance policy, and whether that language has exclusion language in a kind of situation like has been occurring in Thailand... For any tourist, it certainly would be smart to check your coverage before traveling.

For example, the U.S., UK and other governments have advised against travel to Thailand right now... That may be an issue for some kinds of coverage... Also, some insurance policies specifically exclude things like war, terrorism and civil unrest. If your policy is one of those, you may need some supplemental coverage.

For the record, right now, the Thai government, thru a private insurance company, is providing a three-part insurance coverage for tourists in Thailand relating to any impacts from the current political unrest. The government coverage is structured so the tourist must pay any covered expenses directly first, and then seek reimbursement. Specifically, that coverage is:

--$10,000 U.S. benefit if someone is killed due to the unrest.

--up to $10,000 in hospitalization coverage due to injuries incurred due to the unrest, and

--up to $10,000 in trip delay expenses if the cause is due to the unrest.

(each of these three is separate coverage, meaning it is NOT a $10,000 combined amount)

These Thai government coverages do not apply to ex-pats who are living here, such as those with work permits or on retirement visas. But the coverage would apply to a tourist whether they've arrived here on a tourist visa, visa exempt entry or visa on arrival. This government coverage is in effect now and will remain in place through the end of March 2011, though hopefully the political mess will be settled before then.

I will do a separate post in the near future here on TV detailing all the specifics of this coverage, since as best as I can tell, all of this information and what someone would need to know to file a claim isn't currently posted in English anywhere on the web, even though this is an official program of the Thai government.

Separately, my Thai insurance agent, who's a very good lady based here in BKK, did get back to me today and confirmed that both the LMG Pacific and Pacifc Cross travel policies I mentioned above are available and would cover tourists in Thailand, of course, not just re the political unrest, but for all kinds of circumstances.

Two details my agent advised. The LMG Pacific tourist policy has a 5,000 baht per incident deductible. And the Pacific Cross policy must be purchased prior to the tourist arriving in Thailand (or whatever other country you're visiting).

If anyone needs more information either about the government coverage or about the private policies, just private message me here. Thanks.

[jfchandler]

I don't know your exact circumstance. But just in case, please read my post above relating to the Thai govt. insurance coverage for tourists and trip delay expenses.

I can't claim for cancellation of the flights as it's excluded due to civil unrest/terrorism etc.........but i can travel and still be covered for anything unrelated to the unrest...such as medical, accident, theft and loss etc.

So that's hopeful as long as the airport stays open and i can get in and out with no problems.

[odowdchr]

I don't know your exact circumstance. But just in case, please read my post above relating to the Thai govt. insurance coverage for tourists and trip delay expenses.

I can't claim for cancellation of the flights as it's excluded due to civil unrest/terrorism etc.........but i can travel and still be covered for anything unrelated to the unrest...such as medical, accident, theft and loss etc.

So that's hopeful as long as the airport stays open and i can get in and out with no problems.

That looks interesting...we still intend to travel next Wednesday 12th from the UK. If the TAT produce an English link sometime can you post it on here?

Thanks very much.

[jfchandler]

I'm still not quite clear on your situation. But it sounds from your post like you're in the UK now and that your trip TO Thailand was delayed...not quite sure why....

Under the Thai govt's program, clearly, if someone's trip OUT of Thailand back to their home country was somehow delayed as a direct result of the unrest, that probably would be covered....

But if someone's trip TO Thailand was delayed, presumably by your own choice or because of following the UK government advice against travel, I'm not sure that would qualify.... I think their coverage is meant to apply to tourists who have some problem while IN Thailand....not outside...

But it would help if you'd be more clear about your circumstance. I doubt very much anyone's going to expect to see anything from the TAT re the insurance program. I've been in contact with a couple of govt agencies on this subject, and I see no signs of any marketing or publicity on this...

That looks interesting...we still intend to travel next Wednesday 12th from the UK. If the TAT produce an English link sometime can you post it on here?

Thanks very much.

[jfchandler]

I'm still not quite clear on your situation. But it sounds from your post like you're in the UK now and that your trip TO Thailand was delayed...not quite sure why....

Under the Thai govt's program, clearly, if someone's trip OUT of Thailand back to their home country was somehow delayed as a direct result of the unrest, that probably would be covered....

But if someone's trip TO Thailand was delayed, presumably by your own choice or because of following the UK government advice against travel, I'm not sure that would qualify.... I think their coverage is meant to apply to tourists who have some problem while IN Thailand....not outside...

But it would help if you'd be more clear about your circumstance. I doubt very much anyone's going to expect to see anything from the TAT re the insurance program. I've been in contact with a couple of govt agencies on this subject, and I see no signs of any marketing or publicity on this...

That looks interesting...we still intend to travel next Wednesday 12th from the UK. If the TAT produce an English link sometime can you post it on here?

Thanks very much.

[canopus1969]

I can't speak to what U.S. or UK based insurers are doing, since I live here in LOS...

But there are at least a couple of insurance policies covering medical and liability that will cover tourists INSIDE Thailand...

My Thai insurance agent is checking on them for me, to make sure that they're still issuing new policies at present and haven't done anything to exclude Thailand...

One is a Thai-based insurer that specifically covers medical and liability inside Thailand for people from other countries...

It's a big company, LMG Pacific...though their Thai web site appears to be under re-construction now...

Some info on their travel policy can be found here....

Then there's an international travel insurance policy that covers tourists in pretty much any country other than their home one...

It's from Pacific Cross Insurance and info can be found here...

When my agent gets back to me, I'll update if there any further or different information...

WE use the Thai Visa Brokers who offered these companies - very good and very easy over the internet

[odowdchr]

I'm still not quite clear on your situation. But it sounds from your post like you're in the UK now and that your trip TO Thailand was delayed...not quite sure why....

Under the Thai govt's program, clearly, if someone's trip OUT of Thailand back to their home country was somehow delayed as a direct result of the unrest, that probably would be covered....

But if someone's trip TO Thailand was delayed, presumably by your own choice or because of following the UK government advice against travel, I'm not sure that would qualify.... I think their coverage is meant to apply to tourists who have some problem while IN Thailand....not outside...

But it would help if you'd be more clear about your circumstance. I doubt very much anyone's going to expect to see anything from the TAT re the insurance program. I've been in contact with a couple of govt agencies on this subject, and I see no signs of any marketing or publicity on this...

Sorry...should have explained. Coming into BKK on 13th May on Emirates from the UK, flying onwards to Phuket via AirAsia, then back to BKK for 4 nights until 29th May.

Current UK FO advice is not to travel unless essential, which makes insurance invalid for anything to do with civil unrest.

Neither Emirates or Airasia will currently change flights past 12th May, and insurance won't cover for cancellation....so we have to travel or lose the fares.

I think we're going to be alright though.

[jfchandler]

Things have calmed down here considerably the past few days.... I see no reason you'd need to cancel or delay your trip.

Phuket really hasn't had any political problems at all thru this.... It's all been in BKK and other provinces up country, for the most part.

And, the Thai govt insurance coverage, which would apply to you while in country here, would cover up to $10,000 U.S. in hospitalization expense and a separate up to $10,000 per person in trip delay expense, should either situation occur as a result of civil unrest here.

The caveat to that is, in both cases, you'd be responsible to pay first and then the government's insurance would reimburse afterword. And likewise, note the govt insurance only covers things related to civil unrest, not if you are injured in a routine car accident, for example...

Also, as noted above in this thread, there are private travel insurance policies cheaply and readily available... I use the Pacific Cross insurance when I travel back to the U.S., because my Thai med insurance has some limits in the U.S. So I know, the Pacific Cross policy is very affordable and easy to obtain, if you felt you needed something more than just the government's scheme here...

Good luck.

[jfchandler]

I should add as well, after checking with the insurance reps who are handling the Thai govt's coverage here.... the government's so-called riot insurance program will cover tourists regardless of their visa status. The original post in this thread wasn't clear about that.

Meaning, someone could have arrived in Thailand on a tourist visa, visa exempt entry or visa on arrival and would be covered in any of those situations. They indicated even someone traveling here on a business visa for a meeting would be covered, provided they were not living in country or possessing a work permit here...

Based on what the agents said, if someone had a work permit here or a long term visa like retirement, then they would NOT be covered by the government's insurance scheme.

It was also interesting to hear that most of the tourists who were actually injured in the BKK riots supposedly have not made medical claims under this coverage -- according to the insurance reps here -- because most were taken to Thai government hospitals where they were treated for free. So says the managing director of the company managing the government's riot insurance program here.

Based on our phone conversation earlier this week, the managing director overseeing this program could account for only two claims filed thus far... one medical involving a tourist who was taken for treatment to a private hospital, and the other death benefit involving the family or employer of the Reuters photographer who was shot and killed in BKK.

A very brief item appeared in The Nation newspaper in BKK about the governmnt's insurance program recently. It was the first public mention I'd see of it in any of the traditional media here...

The link to that brief article is here....

[Damacles]

Thanks for the information jfchander...interesting. Im due over to BKK fairly soon - hopefully the travel advice will have been amended by then, but just out of interest I followed your Pacific Cross mention. Their 'quote wizard' doesn't work and under the contact section the site stresses that they don't take enquiries, instead advising you go through your broker. They give details of a third party administrator in Hong Kong.

Probably doesn't affect me either way, just mentioning it. I doubt I would have gone for them as a few too many hurdles, but thanks again for the idea of insuring via my destination should it come to it.

[Jimi007]

Thanks for the information jfchander...interesting. Im due over to BKK fairly soon - hopefully the travel advice will have been amended by then, but just out of interest I followed your Pacific Cross mention. Their 'quote wizard' doesn't work and under the contact section the site stresses that they don't take enquiries, instead advising you go through your broker. They give details of a third party administrator in Hong Kong.

Probably doesn't affect me either way, just mentioning it. I doubt I would have gone for them as a few too many hurdles, but thanks again for the idea of insuring via my destination should it come to it.

I've never had travel insurance. I live in south Phuket. There are no problems here, just rather warm, a few thunder showers, once in a while. The air temperature is 35º C and the water is almost 30ºC. Bangkok is hot, but I have to go there for a document from my Embassy. I'm going to try to just make it a day trip. Maybe one night... Even though I have friend's there I haven't seen in a while... There's a lot more to Thailand than Bangkok. Although I do enjoy some restaurants there! Don't worry, have fun!