Travel insurance for USA
Discussion
Matt.. said:
Which companies provide the best travel insurance for visiting the US? Secondly, is it sensible to get additional car insurance? If so, who is best for that?
Thanks
On the car front it depends. Enterprise's cover is very good, and most of the other companies do provide "super waivers" which are well worth it. I wrote off my hire car (long story) and didn't pay a cent. Thanks
davepoth said:
On the car front it depends. Enterprise's cover is very good, and most of the other companies do provide "super waivers" which are well worth it. I wrote off my hire car (long story) and didn't pay a cent.
I have two rentals. The first is a basic car for 2 weeks and a few thousand miles from Avis and includes LDW (Loss Damage Waiver) and ALI (Additional Liability Insurance) and no PAI (Personal Accident Insurance) or PEP (Personal Effects Protection). The second is a fun car from Hertz for 4 days with the same insurance.I am tempted to use Insurance4CarHire, but it could also be a complete waste of £120.
Matt.. said:
...no PAI (Personal Accident Insurance) or PEP (Personal Effects Protection). The second is a fun car from Hertz for 4 days with the same insurance.
I am tempted to use Insurance4CarHire, but it could also be a complete waste of £120.
Please check, but I don't think it covers those things anyway.I am tempted to use Insurance4CarHire, but it could also be a complete waste of £120.
A lot of people panic about excesses in the US, but there aren't any.
If you arrange your own CDW / SLI etc insurance, the rental company might not accpet it. Even if they do, I can't imagine it'll be anything other than horribly messy if you do have an accident.
Deva Link said:
Please check, but I don't think it covers those things anyway.
A lot of people panic about excesses in the US, but there aren't any.
If you arrange your own CDW / SLI etc insurance, the rental company might not accpet it. Even if they do, I can't imagine it'll be anything other than horribly messy if you do have an accident.
Oh ok, i will look into it a bit more.A lot of people panic about excesses in the US, but there aren't any.
If you arrange your own CDW / SLI etc insurance, the rental company might not accpet it. Even if they do, I can't imagine it'll be anything other than horribly messy if you do have an accident.
PEP seems as though it would be covered by standard travel insurance anyway, so it's just PAI that i'm missing out on isn't it?
Matt.. said:
PEP seems as though it would be covered by standard travel insurance anyway, so it's just PAI that i'm missing out on isn't it?
I've always just booked an all-inclusive package through a UK consolidator.You tend to get offered extended personal accident and, more recently, key & tyre etc insurance, at the desk but I always decline them.
yellowbentines said:
As someone who's had to make a £100k + claim on travel insurance and repatriation in the USA (not for me, a family member), I'd ask that you buy on reputation and quality of cover, not just price.
Absolutely. This is really the reason for asking. There's no point in paying for insurance if it turns out to be totally useless when you actually need to use it!I have never made a claim on travel insurance, and have always used Halifax in the past. If anyone has reasons to use someone else then i'd be very interested to here them.
Even although I endorsed Insure and Go, I've never had cover with them myself, I always use www.direct-travel.co.uk !
But as they say proof is in the pudding. To expand a family member took seriously ill in the US a couple of years back, we contacted Insure & Go in the UK and they immediately took the details and passed the claim to AXA in the US to deal with locally which was ideal as it worked out better with the time difference - expert care in a private room in a new hospital, and when well enough a private flight back to the UK on a medical air ambulance. Total cost was well over £100k (it was about £15k before the 1st day was out
), lucky she had good insurance to cover it.
But as they say proof is in the pudding. To expand a family member took seriously ill in the US a couple of years back, we contacted Insure & Go in the UK and they immediately took the details and passed the claim to AXA in the US to deal with locally which was ideal as it worked out better with the time difference - expert care in a private room in a new hospital, and when well enough a private flight back to the UK on a medical air ambulance. Total cost was well over £100k (it was about £15k before the 1st day was out
), lucky she had good insurance to cover it.yellowbentines said:
Even although I endorsed Insure and Go, I've never had cover with them myself, I always use www.direct-travel.co.uk !
But as they say proof is in the pudding. To expand a family member took seriously ill in the US a couple of years back, we contacted Insure & Go in the UK and they immediately took the details and passed the claim to AXA in the US to deal with locally...
This highlights an issue with commenting on claims experience - you insure with one company, they use another to underwrite the poilcy and another to handle claims. And that can all change every year.But as they say proof is in the pudding. To expand a family member took seriously ill in the US a couple of years back, we contacted Insure & Go in the UK and they immediately took the details and passed the claim to AXA in the US to deal with locally...
I took insurance with John Lewis's Greenbee last year. It's underwritten by Axa. I really wasn't happy with the answers I got from them regarding independant traveller cover over last year's ash cloud incident (in the end our trip went ahead, we were the first flight out of the UK after the ban was lifted).
JohnLewis wouldn't even talk to me - everything was just referred on to Axa. Axa, rather than deal with my complaint, just told me they would accept cancellation of the policy (even though we'd travelled under its cover, but not claimed).
I then went to M&S - also underwritten by Axa but significant differences to the way the cover is operated.
Stupeo said:
I used Endsleigh a few weeks ago for a business trip to states. Wasn't cheap but cover was one of the best.
Endsleigh are underwritten by AXA for their health cover, so if they are cheaper then maybe worth going direct, albeit depends on what risks you're wanting covered!I discovered the underwriting thing when my mate had to go into hospital in Argentina and although it was an Endsleigh policy it was AXA I spoke to every day.
Their claims handling in America was faultless. BA end left a bit to be desired, but I scared them into paying before he left the hospital in the end.
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