Annual Business Traveler Protection Review
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This travel insurance plan is perfect for…
- Business travelers-If you travel for business several times a year, you should consider this plan.
Overview of Annual Business Traveler Protection from Access America:
- Provides varying coverage for emergency medical and accident coverage, with a maximum of $25,000 with Executive.
- Depending on the plan, Annual Business provides coverage for business equipment
Access America has designed a travel insurance plans specifically for business travelers who take many trips throughout the yea, and need coverage to cover all trips. If you’re like many business travelers who take 5-6 trips a year, this is probably the plan for you.
The annual plan from Access America focuses on the usual post-departure coverage such as medical emergencies/evacuation, lost baggage, trip delays, and travel accident. It also includes business-specific coverage such as business concierge, coverage for lost business equipment like presentation projectors, and even coverage for the rental of replacement equipment.
Finally, the plan is available in several different levels; from the most simple with Essential, more coverage with Road Warrior and Long Haul, and the top level coverage with Executive. The latter plan, which is the top-level coverage, provides coverage for trip cancellation and trip interruption.
Where to buy this policy:
1. Buy direct from the company- Get a quote and purchase this plan directly from the Access America website here
2. Compare this plan with other plans- The best way to buy travel insurance is to use a comparison website (similar to using Expedia or Travelocity for airline tickets). There are several, but we recommend a comparison site called Squaremouth.com to get instant quotes and purchase online. Squaremouth.com only works with reputable companies, and you can get instant quotes and purchase instantly online with a credit card.
What is the coverage with Annual Business Traveler Protection?
Trip Cancellation
This plan provides coverage for your canceled trips, and covers your non-refundable trip payments. Any number of incidents can cause you to cancel a trip. An injury or illness, to you or a close family member, can ruin an entire trip and cause you to lose all non-refundable trip payments. You may not get to travel, but you don’t have to lost all the money you invested too. Without trip cancellation insurance, you can lose it all. There are many non-refundable expenses at risk on your business trip. Without trip cancellation coverage, your are not covered for those expenses that you lose.
The key to trip cancellation coverage is understanding the covered reasons for cancellation. For example, simply deciding that you do not want to go is not a covered reason for canceling the trip, and this policy would not cover you. A death in the family, however, is a covered reason and would pay for your lost, non-refundable trip expenses. In and trip cancellation policy, it is important to read the “fine print” and make sure you fully understand the covered reasons for cancellation. In the policy certificate, you will find a section regarding covered reasons for trip cancellation/interruption. This literally spells out the exact covered reasons for cancellation; including illness or injury, death in the family, loss of job, or your residence in made inhabitable.
Trip Interruption
Trip Interruption coverage is similar to cancellation coverage in that there is a list of covered reasons, but is intended for losses that happen after departure. From the policy certificate: “Trip Cancellation coverage provides benefits for loss(es) you incur for trips canceled up to the time and date of departure. Trip Interruption coverage provides benefits for loss(es) you incur for trips that are interrupted or delayed after the time and date of departure.”
If a covered reason causes you to cut the trip short, you can recover non-refundable payments you have already made. This could include an injury or illness while traveling, but can also cover reasons at home. For example; your mother gets sick and needs you to care for her, or your home is rendered uninhabitable by a flood. There are many reasons why you might need to cut a trip short; trip cancellation insurance makes sure you don’t lose your non-refundable money if it happens.
Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit
What many travelers don’t understand is this; when you leave your home country, your medical coverage stays behind.
For the majority of travelers, medical insurance that you count on everyday will not be applicable while traveling abroad. That means you are without health or accident insurance, traveling in a foreign land, with foreign doctors. This lack of overseas acceptance even includes Medicare, the American system providing care for citizens over 65 years of age.
This emergency medical coverage is here to pay for medical or dental care while away from home, outside the coverage area of your standard health insurance. Anything can happen: a slip and fall, a stomach bug, or even a chipped tooth. Without travel medical insurance, you have no coverage and would have to pay out-of-pocket. In some parts of the world, you will not even receive care until you can prove your ability to pay.
This plan provides $25,000 of emergency medical and dental coverage.
Emergency Medical Transportation
The other half of the medical emergency problem is transportation, specifically; how do you get to the hospital, and how do you get back home? Medical transportation costs like ambulance rides or helicopter airlifts can have extremely high costs. Without emergency medical transportation coverage, these expenses would be paid out-of-pocket.
What is emergency medical evacuation? If you are injured while on a trip and cannot get to a hospital, you might need emergency medical transport like an ambulance. You might even need an airlift to take you to the nearest medical facility. Sometimes the nearest hospital is not adequately prepared to help, and you need to go even further to get care at a reputable hospital. After you have been cared for, you need to get home somehow, which would result in even more transportation costs. With many injuries, you can’t simply get on a standard flight. You might need a specially designed medical airplane to take you home, with a specially trained medical staff.
This plan provides $250,000 of emergency medical transportation coverage.
Travel Accident Coverage
This coverage provides a cash payment if you are in an accident during your trip that results in death, loss of limb(s), or sight. This benefits pays if a covered accident occurs during the effective dates of the policy, and the loss occurs within 365 days of the accident. This policy provides $100,000 of travel accident coverage.
Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Baggage / Baggage Delay
This insurance provides coverage for your baggage and personal property in the event of loss, theft, or damage. Occasionally, problems do occur as the airlines process thousands of bags a day, and your bags can be lost, damaged, or maybe even stolen. The airlines have some responsibility for your bags, but their coverage has limits. Perhaps you have a nice set of luggage, or the contents within the bag have a high value. Many travelers want extra coverage in case they have a problem collecting from the airline, or the airline does not provide enough coverage. Many travel insurers will provide baggage coverage in their package policies as a way to supplement airline coverage, and make sure travelers have enough coverage.
Another important part of the baggage coverage is baggage delay, which provides for the purchase of essential items while you wait for your baggage. Toiletries, personal items, or a bathing suit for that first swim; baggage delay insurance allows for necessary items while you wait for your belongings.
This plan provides for $1,000 in lost, stolen, or damaged baggage. The coverage for delayed baggage expenses is $1,000.
Travel / Trip Delay Coverage
In the event of a trip delay, you might need to spend money on additional needs such as extra nights in a hotel and meals. If your trip is delayed due to a covered reason such as a carrier caused delay (including bad weather), lost or stolen passport, or civil disorder (see above in cancellation and interruption sections), Access America will reimburse you for expenses like accommodations and meals. This coverage limit is $1500.
Missed Connection Coverage
This insurance provides reimbursement for additional costs if you miss your connecting flight or cruise due to a travel accident or severe weather. Missed connection coverage provides reimbursement in the event of a missed flight connection or for the additional costs to catch up to a cruise or tour if the cause of delay is an accident or bad weather. Deluxe provides $500 of missed connection coverage.
24-Hour Hotline Assistance
This is a great benefit provided with Access America, and it can provide great peace-of-mind. Available with both the Comprehensive plan and Limited, if you need help while traveling, Access America has a 24-hour hotline to help you with all types of problems anywhere in the world; from reporting lost luggage to getting emergency medical care. This phone center can also help you replace passports and personal documents, refer you to legal help, get you cash in case of emergency, and guarantee payment to hospitals in need of financial proof of your ability to pay. The hotline center is staffed 24 hours a day with multilingual professional who can guide the way for you.
Online Access to Policy Information
Access America has designed a website where policyholders can access important information after purchase. If you need to review your policy, the conditions, make modifications, or even cancel it, you can log in to your account and make the changes. Another great feature of the Access America website is the ability to submit claims online and even track claim progress.
Rental Car Damage Protector
This is an optional coverage with the Deluxe plan. So many travelers rent a car when they arrive at their destination, but end up either buying expensive insurance coverage at the counter, “winging it” and going without any coverage at all, or depending on their personal auto insurance.
There are problems with each of these choices. Buying insurance at the car rental counter can be expensive, usually starting at $25 per day. Not having any insurance at all is risky, especially in a foreign country where driving regulations can make operating a vehicle more dangerous than usual. Finally, depending on your personal auto insurance from home can work, but in the event of a claim you will suffer from much higher rates which will end up costing you money. True, that is what the insurance is there for, but quite often drivers in minor accidents will prefer to just pay out-of-pocket to avoid filing a claim and raising their rates.
The advantage to using a travel insurance policy for coverage with a rental is the fact that the travel insurance coverage is primary, meaning in the event of an accident it will pay first, and you won’t even need to file a claim with your personal auto insurer. Everyone knows their rates go through the roof after an accident, and with a temporary rental car protection policy, you do not need top worry about raising your rates.
This plan provides $45,000 of rental collision coverage.
Change fee coverage
This provides coverage for the fees associated with changes travel dates. Most airlines will allow date changes, but usually with a fee. This coverage provides up to $1,000 for these fees.
Business equipment coverage
This coverage provides reimbursement for the repair or replacement of you business equipment if it is lost or stolen by your common carrier, or if it is stolen. Business equipment might include presentation projectors or other related materials, and includes $1,000 of coverage.
Business equipment rental coverage
This coverage provides reimbursement for the rental expenses of business equipment if it is lost or stolen by your common carrier, or if it is stolen. Business equipment might include presentation projectors or other related materials, and includes $1,000 of coverage.
Special Notes
Satisfaction Guarantee- Access America will provide you with a full refund of premium if you cancel your insurance with 10 days of purchase and have not filed a claim or departed for your trip. Also known as the “10-Day Free Look” clause, this allows travelers to buy their plan, take some time to read it through and understand the details, and then return it for a full refund if they so choose.
Effective Date- Any insurance policy needs to define, very specifically, when the policy becomes effective and when it expires. With Access America, insurance is effective at 12:01am on the date the scheduled trip begins. Trip cancellation coverage, if purchased, begins the day after your web order is received and approved. This illustrates the importance of buying your trip cancellation policy as close to the time of initial deposit as possible. If you’re booking a trip and make an initial deposit, go ahead and buy your trip cancellation policy at the same time. This give you the most amount of coverage time.
Termination Date- Coverage ends at midnight on the date of return selected, or upon return to the city of residence or when the trip is canceled, whichever is earliest. If your return is delayed for any covered reason, your coverage is extended to the date when you are able to return to your city of residence.
Benefits are per person, and all insureds must purchase the same plan- Each person traveling needs to be listed on the policy.
Maximum Coverage- The maximum coverage available for trip cancellation is $30,000, and is $45,000 for trip interruption.
Where to buy this policy:
1. Buy direct from the company- Get a quote and purchase this plan directly from the Access America website here
2. Compare this plan with other plans- The best way to buy travel insurance is to use a comparison website (similar to using Expedia or Travelocity for airline tickets). There are several, but we recommend a comparison site called Squaremouth.com to get instant quotes and purchase online. Squaremouth.com only works with reputable companies, and you can get instant quotes and purchase instantly online with a credit card.
