CSA Travel Insurance
Editor Review The Good: Both CSA plans feature Identity Theft resolution; WebDirect Luxe also provide coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and financial default of travel supplier (see policy details regarding both); available to both Canadian and US residents The Drawbacks: Does not cover frequent flyer fee reimbursement for canceled or interrupted flights; does not guarantee hospital payment, you pay the costs up front and are reimbursed when the claim is settled. The Bottom Line: CSA Travel Protection plans are great for the everyday traveler. They have very consumer-friendly features like the identity theft resolution protection, rental car collision damage, pre-existing medical condition waiver (with WebDirect Luxe) and a simple choice between their basic WebDirect plan, or the more comprehensive WebDirect Luxe. Where to Buy CSA Travel Insurance:1. Buy Direct from company- Get a quote and purchase directly from the CSA Travel Protection website here. This is a good choice if you have decided on CSA Travel Protection, and are ready to purchase. 2. Compare Quotes from all companies- If you are still undecided but would like to start with some quotes, the best way 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. |
| Company Name |
CSA Travel Protection |
| Website |
http://www.csatravelprotection.com/ |
| AM Best Rating |
A- |
| US Travel Insurance Association Member |
Yes |
| Refund Policy |
10 Day Free Look |
| 24/7 Emergency Assistance |
Yes |
| Plans offered by CSA Travel Protection |
WebDirect WebDirect Luxe |
| Address/Phone/Fax/Email |
CSA Travel Protection P.O.Box 939057 San Diego, CA 92193-9057 1-800-711-1197 (5am-7pm M-F, 6am-3pm Sat-Sun, Pacific Time ) 1-877-300-8670 Fax csa@csatravelprotection.com |
| Travel Assistance/Emergencies |
US/Canada 1-866-922-0278 (toll free) Outside US/Canada call collect to US Dial 0 for operator ask to connect to 202-974-6480 |
More about CSA Travel Protection
Illness, medical emergencies, severe weather, lost travel documents … all of these and more can and sometimes do happen when you least anticipate them. Troubles such as these can force you to cancel or significantly interrupt your trip, losing your vacation investment and often incurring unplanned additional expenses. When you are away from home, things like a medical emergency can be much more difficult to manage.
CSA Travel Protection is dedicated to providing affordable, but comprehensive, travel insurance and emergency assistance services to protect your valuable travel investment and create peace of mind for you.
Dedicated to providing customized travel insurance, CSA provides customized pricing and coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, when necessary. This unique and valuable benefit ensures that you can design and purchase a travel insurance plan any time prior to or within 24 hours of your final trip payment.
In addition, CSA’s WebDirect Luxe provides a unique benefit protecting you against “supplier bankruptcy and default”. If your travel supplier is in bankruptcy or financial default, your financial investment is still protected.
Their website provides travel and coverage alerts for up-to-the minute travel advisories, security tips, and weather warnings for those pesky last-minute details. You can use their “Quick Quote” tool to get a customized travel insurance quote with just a few details. A 24-hour emergency assistance phone line is always available to help you with emergency medical referrals and much more. Their website also includes customer testimonials, which are good to review if you have any concerns.
CSA Travel Protection Plans
WebDirect
The best all-around travel plan to cover your basic travel concerns
The Freestyle and Freestyle Luxe travel plans are very similar, with larger maximum benefit limits for specific coverage features being the only difference. CSA Travel plans can be analyzed and compared online by selecting trip details and saving your quotes. This plan is ideal for individuals and families traveling together. Group plans are also available for groups larger than 10 people.
WebDirect Luxe
Adding a few extra features to a great basic travel plan
The Freestyle Luxe travel plan provides a few extra valuable features and services, including coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and protection against travel supplier bankruptcy and default. CSA Travel plans can be analyzed and compared online by selecting trip details and saving your quotes. This plan is ideal for individuals and families traveling together. Group plans are also available for groups larger than 10 people.
Where to Buy CSA Travel Insurance:
1. Buy Direct from company- You can get an instant quote and purchase directly from CSA’s website here. This is a good choice if you have decided on purchasing CSA Travel Protection, and are ready to purchase.
2. Compare Quotes from all companies- If you are still undecided but would like to start with some quotes, the best way 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.
Screenshots of CSA Travel Protection Website
Where to Buy CSA Travel Insurance:
1. Buy Direct from company- You can get an instant quote and purchase directly from CSA’s website here. This is a good choice if you have decided on purchasing CSA Travel Protection, and are ready to purchase.
2. Compare Quotes from all companies- If you are still undecided but would like to start with some quotes, the best way 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.
Anil | Jan 5, 2009
CSA Travel Insurance sucks. It is the worst of the companies i have ever dealt with.
Mary | Feb 2, 2009
I submitted a claim due to our ship being delayed due to mechanical problems. CSA ONLY paid for our hotel night and food. My claim for the extra fees to re-book a flight was denied. They said this fell under Trip Delay not Trip Interruption and I was denied the reimbursement of $300. Be very cautious using this company. I do not recommend this company.
Brenda Wright | Feb 25, 2009
You cannot collect from this company. They are very, very rude.
Brad Kirk | Apr 22, 2009
After reading the three reviews previously posted about CSA, I would not even consider using them.
Joe | Jun 12, 2009
I took CSA for a trip i made to India in Dec 08. on paper everything looked good, but when i had the incident abroad, i became furious with their service. First of all they didn’t want to deal with my case because i saw a doctor 5 days after the incident had happened – they have a clause that says you must see a doctor within 5 days, but when you get sick, on foreign soil, who counts the days? but there was more. the lady that was handling my claim was very very cold, not rude, but you could tell she wasn’t interested in helping at all!, and found every possible excuse to reject my claim. Since i was dissatisfied with her handling, i decided to speak with a supervisor, but guess how many phone calls it took to finally speak with one (did you say 5? 10? – keep going….), and even after i pleaded my case, i never heard back again, i’ve tried since to follow up, but get rejected every time (I am writing this review on June 09 – half a year later!)
bottom line is, CSA to me is a scam, their customer service is horrible, and i don’t recommend anyone buying their services.
Michael Bard | Aug 28, 2009
Very poor service and unhelpful claims representatives. Very slow to reimburse and deducted 25% from the reimbursement for destroyed luggage because I didn’t have the original purchase receipt (though the contract didn’t require it). They also tried to get me to pursue a claim against the foreign airline before considering my claim. This too, was not in the insurance contract.
Be smart, shop elsewhere.
RANDY | Oct 12, 2009
DO NOT PURCHASE INSURANCE FROM THIS COMPANY, THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO NOT PAY CLAIM, I HAVE FILE A CASE AGAINST CSA CLAIM DEPT!
Allan Thomson | Oct 13, 2009
CSA clearly have an agenda to deny legitimate claims. We had a delayed connection/flight that caused us to potentially miss the start of a purchased tour. So we had to buy an alternate flight to ensure we caught the tour on time.
CSA denied the claim saying that the original flight was not delayed enough hours. Despite no other flight on the same carrier the same day.
Do NOT go with this company they clearly are sharks. I would never purchase insurance from them again.
harry berger | Dec 9, 2009
this is the worst company and watch out for travel agents that sell them they make good commission on selling this crap . i purchased a flight ticket…a few days before i was to travel
i tripped landed up with wrist surgery they did not pay as they claimed 6 yrs before i had carpal tunnel surgery and that may have been the cause they are garbage they lie they sold me their best policy which covered pre existing conditions not that this was avoid these liars like the plague. i think they employ retards that only know how to say no save your money save your health go elsewhere
harry berger | Dec 9, 2009
this is the worst company and watch out for travel agents that sell them they make good commission on selling this crap . i purchased a flight ticket…a few days before i was to travel
i tripped landed up with wrist surgery they did not pay as they claimed 6 yrs before i had carpal tunnel surgery and that may have been the cause they are garbage they lie they sold me their best policy which covered pre existing conditions not that this was avoid these liars like the plague. i think they employ retards that only know how to say no save your money save your health go elsewhere
i feel cheated once again as i can only leave a single star which is poor they deserve a 5 star minus
Ron | Jan 12, 2010
Company is very devious and will lie to deny a claim.
Before leaving on a trip to Europe, I purchased a policy from CSA because I was going to several cities with flights in between and a cruise at the end. I read carefully the brochures of many companies and then I spoke with CSA and was assured that I would be covered from “home to home and everything in between.”
Fortunately, I asked for and brought along a doctors claim form. This was invaluable. When I got sick in Paris, it was very difficult to reach their emergency line but I had the doctors form. We had to return home missing the rest of the trip.
CSA changed our flights back and reimbursed us for the cruise because I had the doctors form. They denied the our intra european flights.
After calling again the sales office I was again assured that I would be covered. Both of us recorded the telephone conversation and then I sued them in small claims court. At court, they could not produce their recording but I had mine. I lost the case. As it turns out, the language is more restrictive in the contract than the brochure although they appear identical. The judge said that a written contract superceeds an oral contract.
Go figure! They can and do say anything until there is a problem
Judith | Feb 17, 2010
Do not buy travel protection from CSA or stonebridge travel protection offered y airtran or other airline it is a scam and will find any reason to deny your claim. I will be reporting them to consumer affairs. There policy state that they cover natural disaster it a lie, because my wife was flying from haiti earthquake and her claim got denied since it was not the airline that change her travel plan. I repeat do not trust this people because the more claimed the denied the higher payout fo employee. So the incentive to help you or approve your claimed would be detrimental to them keeping with the jones.
Sunitha | Feb 17, 2010
Totally useless for travel cancellation.
The policy excludes all reasons for trip cancellation. SOme provisions for trip cancellation are located under medical reimbursement. Looks sneaky..
It is not worth purchasing a travel insurance from CSA as a protection against trip cancellation.
There is no one to attend to phone calls and people are rude.
Pls do not spend anything with this useless company.
Alan Mullen | Mar 29, 2010
Complete rip off. I took insurance on a cruise and had to cancel due to airlines cancellation and we would not make it in time for cruise to leave. We bought it, the small print doesn’t matter, because when you buy it, you don’t what your heading into. So instead of feeling secure your out mucho dollars. Also they don’t write and tell me they won’t honor it, they call me on the phone with no number or ID. I will never recommend them.
N/A | Apr 14, 2010
I always think it is funny to see these types of reviews about CSA travel insurance, this company does not try to keep from paying out, if anything they pay out more than they should, if people would just read their policies they would understand why their claims aren’t being paid. Take my word for it, when you read insurance, read your policy
Jeff | Apr 19, 2010
We purchased this insurance and was told after we had to cancel our flight that this was not covered. I would strongly urge others not to buy this, as we are exploring legal options. It is companies like this that give the rest of the insurance a bid reputation. They mislead you before the purchase by making you think they are with the airline you are buying the ticket from. Once you agree to buy the insurance, you find out that it is not the airline. We thought we were buying this from Air Tran. I don’t know what other airlines are associated with them, but I intend to avoid those that are as well.
Mary Chapa | Apr 21, 2010
After many trips to Mexico I decided to buy travel insurance for a wedding trip to a small town outside of Puerta Vallarta. I fell and broke my ankle, a compound fracture and needed surgery before I could return home. I liked that I was assigned a case coordinator and that I could talk to a nurse about my options. This was a painful and challenging process, very expensive too as everyone wanted cash or credit cards for payment.
The only frustrating problem was I was unable to get a wheelchair arranged with transportation to the airport and home even though I was very clear I could not walk at all. Most of my frustration was with my own medical insurance company, their ability to help me process the medical documents never did come out right even though they did not pay any portion of the out of network claims.
CSA accepted the final denial of my insurance even though the numbers didn’t match and paid my entire claim which was several thousands of dollars. I would recommend them and use them again!
dennis ribarich | Jul 10, 2010
This company is a nightmare to deal with if you need to file a claim, they have a clause for everything.I lost 6000.00 for a Alaska Cruse in 2009,Doctor said wife was unable to travel due to current and past health problems.Save your money on this one.
tena | Jul 11, 2010
just flush the money, thats how good this company is.check bbb in san diago for more info
MICHELE | Jul 14, 2010
Do not buy from them – they do not pay you when payment is due!!! They refund us less then what we paid for the insurance when the Iceland volcano erupted
MICHELE | Jul 14, 2010
Do Not buy from this company – they do not follow throught w/your claims.
MICHELE | Jul 14, 2010
The insurance commisionners should ban this company from selling insurance – Vacations to go should NOT encourage clients from buying from them.
Deanne Jordan | Jul 22, 2010
WOW!! I was going to purchase this..Thanks for all the reviews
Heather | Aug 8, 2010
I was wondering about others experiences and I too had a horrible time getting a claim paid for baggage delay. It was 3 years ago and i was traveling in Africa. The airline did not get my bag to me before I departed on a safari so i paid someone to get my bag for me at the airport and cross over from Zambia to Botswana. I paid him $200 cash and when I filed the claim, CSA wouldn’t pay indicating that was not what their baggage delay was for -it was for me to buy new items. The policy language indicated, “For necessary personal effects” not stating that I had to buy new items. My bag was necessary and personal. I filed a complaint with the CA Insurance Dept. and got my $200 back from CSA, but they did not claim any wrong doing. I’m traveling again and looking at insurance firms and will keep away from CSA again.
CAROL KOWALCZYK | Aug 9, 2010
HELLO
I’M 67 AND PLANNING ON A TRIP TO ITALY SOON WITH A GROUP. FROM CLEVELAND, OH TO FCO, ITALY FOR 12 DAYS. HOW MUCH WOULD THE INSURANCE COST BE?
THANK YOU,
CAROL
Marty | Aug 30, 2010
My Mom was on vacation in England when she fell and broke her hip. They will do whatever they can to avoid paying legitimate claims. CSA SUCKS!