Policy Reviews - 2/3 - Travel Insurance Review

Travel Insurance Review- Freestyle Luxe from CSA Travel Protection

January 19, 2007 By Damian Leave a Comment

CSA makes travel insurance easier by offering fewer options

CSA Travel Protection is a very reputable company selling travel insurance. They recently consolidated several different policy choices into two, simpler package plans: Freestyle and Freestyle Luxe. Freestyle is their basic plan which offers great overall coverage for most travelers. Freestyle Luxe is an upgraded plan that offers higher coverage amounts and a couple extra benefits.

“Just give us the best plan”

CSA made the choices simpler for travelers seeking trip insurance. They found many travelers simply saying, “just give us the best plan”, and they answered by putting together a comprehensive plan called Freestyle, and an upgrade plan called Freestyle Luxe.

Just like CSA’s Freestyle plan, the Freestyle Luxe travel policy includes coverage for:

trip cancellation
trip interruption
travel delay
baggage loss and delay
medical expense/emergency assistance
emergency medical evacuation

In addition, Freestyle Luxe provides these policy upgrades

higher baggage coverage (from $1,000 to $1,500)
higher baggage delay coverage ($200 to $500)
higher medical expense coverage ($50,000 to $250,000)
higher medical evacuation coverage ($250,000 to $1,000,000)
higher collision damage waiver coverage ($25,000 to $50,000)
higher AD&D flight only ($100,000 to $200,000)
AD&D travel accident $50,000
pre-existing condition coverage
supplier bankruptcy and default coverage

Freestyle Luxe gives travelers higher levels of coverage and additional benefits

The upgrade to Freestyle Luxe gives travelers significantly higher coverage amounts in 6 areas: baggage, baggage delay, medical expenses, medical evacuation, rental collision damage waiver, and flight AD&D. The policy also adds coverage for travel accident AD&D, pre-existing medical conditions, and supplier bankruptcy or default.

Online quotes and purchasing made easy

Travelers can easily get quotes for CSA Travel Protection products at csatravelprotection.com , and even buy their policy online using a credit card. They offer both Freestyle and Freestyle Luxe.

Use a comparison site to shop around

Another option is to use a comparison site(see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site), where you can get a quote for CSA products and compare them side-by-side with other similar plans. This is the best way to find the right plan and get the best prices. The policy costs the same whether you buy from a comparison site or directly from the carrier.

Travel Insurance Review- Travelsafe Vacation Insurance

January 17, 2007 By Damian Leave a Comment

Travelsafe’s vacation insurance is a great overall package policy

Travelsafe is a long established company with an A- A.M.Best rating, meaning they are very reputable. A division of the Chester Perfetto Agency, Inc., Travelsafe has been in business since 1971.

They offer a variety of products, but their Vacation insurance is their most popular product, and is perfect for most travelers.

As with most package plans, Travelsafe’s Vacation insurance policy includes coverage for:

trip cancellation
trip interruption
travel delay
baggage loss and delay
medical expense/emergency assistance
emergency medical evacuation with hospital of choice
AD&D
24 hour emergency assistance hot-line
“cancel for any reason” option available

Travelsafe offers innovative “cancel for any reason” coverage

An option offered with the Vacation plan, “cancel for any reason” allows the traveler to cancel their trip, up to 2 days prior to departure, and receive a 75% reimbursement of pre-paid, non-refundable trip payments. This option costs more, but gives travelers great flexibility.

Online quotes and purchasing made easy

Travelers can easily get quotes for Travelsafe products at Travelsafe.com, and even buy their policy online using a credit card. They offer their vacation plan, as well as other travel insurance plans including Premier, Custom, and Insure-A-Flight.

Use a comparison site to shop around

Another option is to use a comparison site (see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site) where you can get a quote for Travelsafe products as well as several other companies’ products, and choose the best one for you. The policy costs the same whether you buy from a comparison site or directly from the carrier.

Cancel for any reason coverage provides peace-of-mind

January 9, 2007 By Damian 2 Comments

Want coverage no matter what happens? Buy “cancel for any reason” coverage

If you want cancellation coverage no matter what happens, some travel insurance companies offer policies with an optional “cancel for any reason” clause. This lets you cancel your trip, no matter what the reason, and receive 75% of the non-refundable trip cost.

“Cancel for any reason” coverage is a new product that gives travelers more flexibility

This is a relatively new product to come to the market, and it shows how travel insurance companies are tailoring their products to the customer’s needs. Two companies offer policies with “cancel for any reason” options: Travelsafe and M.H.Ross, who operates Tripinsurance.com.

Coverage costs extra, but provides peace of mind

Cancel for any reason coverage costs extra money, but many travelers like the flexibility of being able to cancel their trip without taking a total loss financially.

Cancel for any reason coverage will pay 75% of the non-refundable trip cost. Even though it is only partial refund of payments, it is better than a total loss, and many travelers spend the extra money for the peace of mind.

Be aware of the small print with “cancel for any reason” coverage

There are some conditions for cancel for any reason policies. This policy option covers 75% of the non-refundable trip costs. Cover requires that:

the plan be purchased within 15 days of the trip deposit
you select the “cancel for any reason” option when purchasing the policy
all pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs are insured
your trip is canceled 2 days prior to the departure date

(see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site)

Travel delay coverage for the Denver blizzards

January 2, 2007 By Damian Leave a Comment

Bad weather can cause severe travel delays

Every holiday season is a very busy time for air travel, and winter storms can cause severe delays. The recent blizzards in Denver caused major delays and closed Denver airports for days. Thousands of travelers were stuck in the airport, and were forced to wait it out. Many connecting flight were missed in other locations due to the delays that ripple through the airline system.

Travel insurance can cover travel delay costs

Package plan travel insurance policies include coverage for travel delay and expenses caused by travel delay. Travel insurance can cover hotel costs or alternate transportation. The major variable is the length of delay before the policy kicks in, and the amount of coverage. The lower delay time, the sooner the delay benefits can be used. The amount of coverage usually states a daily amount and a maximum amount.

Here is a table showing the major travel insurance companies and their respective coverage for travel delay. Companies and policies are listed in order of length of delay. They range from 3 hours to 24 hours.

Company Name	Product Name	Coverage
Specialty Risk International (SRI)	Round Trip	3 hours $500 max
Travelex	TraveLiteTravel Plus	5 hours $200/day $750 max$200/day $1000 max
Access America	ClassicDeluxe	6 hours $150/day $500 max$150/day $1000 max
CSA Travel Protection	Freestyle & Freestyle Luxe	6 hours $150/day $500 max
HTH Worldwide	Trip Protector & Trip Protector Preferred	6 hours $150/day $1000 max
Travel Guard	Cruise, Tour, and Travel	6 hours $200/day $1000 max
M.H.Ross	GlobalAlert! & GlobalAlert! Enhanced	8 hours $200/day $1000 max
Travelsafe	Vacation Insurance	8 hours $150/day $750 max
Travel Guard	Essential Essential Expanded My Travel GuardProtect Assist	12 hours $100/day $500 max$150/day $1500 max
International Medical Group (IMG)	Patriot T.R.I.P.Patriot T.R.I.P. Elite	24 hours $100/day $500 max$100/day $1000 max

Travel Guard’s Platinum is a great overall plan

December 19, 2006 By Damian Leave a Comment

Platinum is Travel Guard’s premier package plan

Most travel insurance companies offer something called a “package” plan. Package plans are popular because they offer comprehensive, all-in-one coverage, usually including:

trip cancellation
trip interruption
medical emergencies
emergency evacuation
baggage

Look for a plan with the appropriate amount of coverage for your trip

When comparing package plans, look at the coverage limits and ask yourself if you feel comfortable with the amount. For example, some people are not as concerned with emergency medical expenses but want as much baggage coverage as possible. Before you start shopping, take a moment and write down what is important to you in a policy. What type of coverage is most important and how much do you need?

Travel Guard offers a plan called Platinum. This is their premier package plan, and offers comprehensive coverage for travelers, including:

Coverage Type	Coverage amount
Trip cancellation	Trip cost Covers you if you cancel your trip for a covered reason.
Trip interruption	125% trip cost Covers you if you interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
Trip delay	$1000 Reimburses you up to $200 a day for additional accommodations or travel expenses if you are delayed for more than 6 hours.
Missed connection	$500 Reimburses you for transportation expenses incurred if you miss a connection due to weather or common carrier delay.
Medical expenses	$50,000 Covers necessary medical expenses up to one year after the sickness or injury, provided you sought initial medical treatment while on your trip.
Emergency medical transportation	$1,000,000 Covers evacuation and transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility.
Lost, stolen, or damaged baggage or personal effects	$1000 Reimburses for loss, theft or damage to your luggage and possessions while on a covered trip.
Baggage delay	$200 Reimburses you for the purchase of essential items if your bags are delayed for more than 24 hours.
A,D & D	$25,000 Coverage against unforeseen injury or loss of life while traveling.

See the full review on Travel Guard’s Platinum plan.

Essential, individual coverage for the basic travel protections and not a lot of extras

Pick the coverage you need with My Travel Guard

October 26, 2006 By Damian 1 Comment

Travel Guard logo Travel Guard has begun offering a custom travel insurance product called My Travel Guard. Travelers can pick and choose the coverage they need for their trip.

Travelers start with a base plan which covers:

trip cancellation, interruption, or delay
emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation
lost, stolen, or damaged baggage/travel documents
luggage delay

These benefits cover all the basics of travel insurance. Travelers going on a short, simple vacation might be happy with this. The major concerns are losing pre-paid deposits when you cancel, high medical expenses in case of an accident or illness, and losing your bags.

But for those travelers who have special concerns, My Travel Guard offers several add-on benefits. For an additional premium, you can add the following customizable benefits:

medical expense upgrade with primary coverage
“hospital of choice” coverage, allowing the insured choice of hospital
coverage for terrorism, financial default, and pre-existing conditions
baggage upgrade
adventure sports coverage
rental car collision insurance
“at your service” concierge style benefits
flight insurance for common carrier accidents

This allows a lot of flexibility for travelers who might not want to spend as much on their policy. You can strip down the benefits to the bare essentials while knowing the major coverage is there.

My Travel Guard screenshot

As you can see in the screenshot above, it is simple to check off the coverage you want. Click “update” to see the adjusted premium. You can also click each add-on term (in red) to open a small window, explaining the coverage.

Click here to get a quote for My Travel Guard