The greatest challenge travelers face when booking their own travel is rarely choosing the destination. It's usually other related tasks – booking the flight, purchasing travel insurance, choosing hotels, and coordinating all of the moving parts.
While we recommend using a travel agent, we know this is often where online travel agencies, or OTA's, end up coming in.
The large OTA's collect hotels, flights, travel insurance brands, and other related content. They display links to the goods or services for purchase. They receive commission for anything the traveler booked through their site.
Travelers tend to use these sites to view their potential options, but as social psychologist Alexander Cherneve, PhD. says, "Too much choice can also lead people to make simple, snap judgments simply to avoid the hassle of wading through confusing options."
While OTA's have become a popular way to book travel, we recommend using alternative ways to purchase insurance. This will ensure maximum coverage. There are a lot of different ways travelers can book insurance. What works for you may not work for others, and vice versa. That's why we've rounded up what you need to be careful of when getting travel insurance quotes.
How to Find the Best Travel Insurance for You
Often times, the best travel insurance for your trip is going to be dependent on a few different things, but sifting through the options always comes down to one – knowing what your needs are. Will you be traveling domestic or abroad? Do you have a high medical insurance deductible like many Americans? Are you at risk for trip cancellation for any reason? Do foreign countries provide emergency evacuation, or are travelers responsible themselves?
Hint: Americans often think emergency evacuation is government funded, but this is not the case in most foreign countries.
The different options provided to you can cause confusion when you are looking at a product you may not be well versed in. This could cause you to skip over these important questions, and leave you purchasing a product that doesn't fit your needs. We don't want to see that happen to any traveler, so we want to help you understand.
If you are traveling domestically, you may have primary medical insurance that will cover you in the United States, but if you are like most of us and have a high deductible of let's say, $1,000 or more -- you may want to consider getting yourself a trip insurance policy that includes primary medical coverage with no deductibles that will help you avoid having to come home from your trip with a large deductible that needs to be paid.
Medical insurance and traveling abroad is a little more complicated because many travelers believe they are covered no matter where they are in the world. The reality is, very few major medical plans cover treatment out of the country. If they do, they never cover treatment like they do at home and almost no insurance plan will what is known as "promise to pay" or prepay. Promise to pay is when a insurance company will tell a hospital or emergency room, "Hey, we are covering this traveler and we are good for the payment." This means the traveler pays nothing to be admitted, treated and released.
Without an insurance company who will promise to pay, you are paying out of pocket. This can cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars and risk being denied treatment.
So the first thing you want to do before getting travel insurance quotes, is know what you might need while traveling.
What you you need to be careful of when getting travel insurance quotes
1) Pay attention to the price tag
When being presented with multiple travel insurance quotes, you may see price tags but not necessarily the benefits that go behind these prices. When using an aggregator you may see many different options available but the details of the plans will not necessarily be apparent. Take your time and compare why one plan is more expensive than another, and take advantage of the filters that let you sort plans by things like primary medical, missed connection and other helpful benefits.
You may find that it is because there is more coverage with less exclusions and could mean an all around better product.
2) Understand the exclusions
There is that word again. Exclusions. Every insurance on the face of the earth has them, and while they may seem frustrating, they are necessary. Exclusions are what allow a product that is frequently being used to stay affordable to the public while being capable of paying claims.
Some people are aware that an Act of God may not be covered by your car insurance company(TravelSafe policy's do not have an "Act of God" exclusion), but most don't know that excessive alcohol or drug abuse could exclude a travel insurance claim -- meaning the claim would be denied. if an event resulted in your being intoxicated?
3) Know your deposit date
The day you put your first deposit on your trip is a day your travel agent keeps track of. However, if you book travel yourself you may not.
Important benefits like Pre-Existing Conditions waivers and Cancel For Any Reason are dependent on the date of your deposit. We have experienced many travelers who forgot when their trip deposit date actually was. When they booked their trip insurance, they purchased a plan that they were actually not eligible for. When they filed a claim, they were denied all because they forgot their deposit date was done so far in advance.
4) Be sure there is emergency assistance included
Trip insurance does not always include emergency assistance. This benefit is especially important, and is why TravelSafe includes it in all of our plans. If you are experiencing an emergency while traveling, you want to know you are working with experienced professionals who are trained properly for these kinds of events. Emergency assistance can help break language barriers, arrange emergency medical evacuation and make sure you are being taken care of by the most qualified professionals.
5) Know who you are dealing with
No two companies are the same, even if they are offering similar products. Some companies will offer more customer support from beginning to end, and having that support can mean the different in understanding which product is the best fit for you and making the mistake of purchasing trip insurance through a check box add on an aggregator's website. If you are dealing with a company who specializes in offering travel insurance quotes, you are more likely to have a positive experience than if you purchase trip insurance through an online travel agency whose main focus is getting the best flight deals.
Need help understanding your trip insurance quotes? Give us a call. We'd be happy to help.
1-800-523-8020
