2011 Articles
Are you an adventure traveler?. Take a close look at Travel Guard’s unique Adventure plan.
Snag a last-minute travel deal? Travel Guard has a great plan for that kind of travel too.
Are Travel Alerts and Warnings Covered? – How are official travel alerts and travel warnings from the US Department of State covered? If one is issued for my destination, can I cancel the trip and be covered?
Primary vs. Secondary Medical Care – What is the difference between primary and secondary medical coverage? Why does it matter?
“Universal” Care Abroad vs. Travel Medical Insurance – Some countries are known for their universal health care programs where anyone can walk in and get care. Why should I buy insurance for travel medical if I can just do this?
2010 Articles
What is “Hospital of Choice” and how does it work? - If I get sick or have an accident while traveling abroad and require emergency evacuation can I go to the hospital of my choice or to the first available?
When Should I Buy Travel Insurance? - What are the advantages of buying my travel insurance plan sooner rather than later?
Hurricane Coverage – Are hurricanes a covered reason for trip cancellation with a typical travel insurance plan? Are there any exceptions? What is the most important aspect of buying insurance that includes coverage due to a hurricane?
Pre-existing Conditions and “Look Back” Periods – How are pre-existing conditions handled with travel insurance? I’ve heard of the “look back” period; can you explain it?
Travel Guard is the nation’s leading provider of travel insurance, assistance, and service plans, covering more than 6 million travelers worldwide each year. Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard are distributed by more than 12,000 travel agents across the United States.
Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard may include coverage for trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and lost or delayed baggage. Most plans also include 24-hour travel assistance services* for emergency medical assistance, last-minute or emergency travel changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice, and more.
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… i apologize for my typing errors…
its insurance, know what is and is not covered. do you expect them to hand you hundreds or thousands of dollars just because you say something happened? also, negative comments travel faster than positive ones. i know i have only posted or wrote companies when i was unhappy… when something great happened i would share with friends and just felt good about a company i could trust. so before just going by reviews online… realize there are probably the same amount or more postive experiences that people dont make public. know what is covered people… there is a reason why there are think brochures or booklets with 15 plus pages.. and if you dont read it or say “noone ever reads those” .. call the company you are buying it from.. and have them explain it. .. its called customer service for a reason.
Is the earthquake in Japan covered under your plan?
Mr. Silvey,
I purchased Travel Guard Insurance in 2010 through my travel agency, Entertainment Cruise Productions, LLC D/B/A Jazz Cruises. My husband and I were scheduled to travel on the Holland America Noordam for a Smooth Jazz Cruise. Our Sail Date: Sunday, January 23, 2011at 5:00 PM. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our plans due to an emergency situation with our daughter. We are grandparents to her only child and our only grandson.
I filed a claim via the claim form received from Travel Guard. My claim # is 120016. I received a telephone message today, Friday 3/25/2011, from Tracy, with Mercury Claims, denying my claim because of my daughter’s emergency situation. She was not traveling with us and we had no iidea we would not be able to make our travel plans,
As the only caregiver for our grandson we were in a dire situation and had no other choice but to cancel our plans. The insurance I purchased also included purchase for “cancel for any reason”. I am at a loss as to why my claim has been denied. This is unacceptable as I am out of pocket $7,450 with no protection being afforded to me through your company.
No one wants to be put in a position to have to make the kind of decision we had to make. Jazz Cruises was sure we would be covered because we had purchased this insurance. I would appreciate your consideration in this matter.
I just read the press release posted when you became CEO. You indicated;
“This is an opportunity for me to join a company that has established an outstanding reputation in the travel industry for incredible service, quality products and impeccable integrity,” Sivley said.
It seems to me – either you did not do your due diligence or the service levels have plummeted since your taking over. All you need to do is read the reviews on line they are full of negative statements with a random and infrequent positive statement thrown in.
I am in the midst of trying to get a refund for my fathers airline ticket – his sister in law became ill and died when he was supposed to travel. He sent in a claim with a doctors note that indicated she was in critical condition. We subsequently sent in the obituary. AND you want more information!!! When you book an airline ticket you don’t routinely go through your family tree to determine who might die! We purchased the insurance because he is 74 years old and thought it prudent – I suppose it only sufficed to again give your company a small amount of revenue – pennies probably while depriving a deserving customer of his benefit.
Your reps want more information on his sister in laws medical condition – date of condition and diagnosis – she is dead and can not sign a release and in case you haven’t heard, the Federal Government issued a law called HIP
AA protecting medical information. She will not postumously sign a release of her protected medical information!
You need to revise your statement. I find it interesting that you lock down your facebook site so that consumers are not able to post honest issues about the company – guess you know what your real reputaion is.
Kelly Mangold
What did TravelGuard do for the people who were traveling in Egypt when the the uprising started? What did TravelGuard do for the people who had to cancel their Egypt trip to avoid the disturbance? We are planing to go the Egypt/Jorday this Spring – what do you advise for that trip?
We have carried TravelGuard insurance on a number of international trips, but it was never necessary for us to submit a claim. However, on a trip to Australia a lady in our group was a passenger in an automobile accident and on a trip to Japan there was another lady in our group that was a passenger in another automobile accident. Both ladies were hospitalized in the foreign country for an extended period. TravelGuard paid, including cost of an attendant to accompany them home. Good record, but I am concerned about the policy exclusion regarding war, civil commotion, insurrection, etc.
We need your response before we arrange for our planned trip. Thank you.
I filed a claim in November and still have not been paid.Airline ticket and rental car have been paid by other companies.Purchased your insurance for resort in June 2010 and had to cancel our trip in November 2010.My husband tore all the tendons off his rotator cuff in a gym workout and was unable to lift his left arm.Had a total shoulder replacement December 2010.He had had cortisone shot in his shoulder previously.Really who pays money out of their pocket six months in advance to receive $1000.00 refund which wouldn’t begin to buy a room in Hawaii for a week.Accidents do happen and I beleive that is why most people buy insurance.Here it is almost Febuary of 2010 and your claims department is still giving the run around.Shame on your company.Bet this doesn’t get published or acknowledged..
We have used Travel Guard for past trips to Europe where we went to one country. This time we are going on a river cruise that goes from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. I have done a request for quote on the internet by putting in Switzerland as the destination. Is this correct? Will the insurance cover while in the other countries? What if we add a few days to stay in Switzerland after we buy insurance?
We have used Travel Guard for past trips to Europe where we went to one country. This time we are going on a river cruise that goes from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. I have done a request for quote on the internet by putting in Switzerland as the destination. Is this correct? Will the insurance cover while in the other countries? What if we add a few days to stay in Switzerland?
Monday – Oct 25th My companion and I cancelled our trip to France for a number of reasons. We plan to travel in the spring and want to apply the insurance that we have purchased to that trip-since we are not going on the 31st of Oct as planned. How do we proceed?
My claim with you has just been rejected for pre-existing conditions. This is the 3rd time we have used your company, luckily we never had a problem until now.
We bought the insurance in August 2009. We came back from a trip in October 2009 and our daughter told us her husband had a recurrence of cancer from a few years ago. He wasn’t expected to live past November. We called that day and canceled our trip. This was not a pre-existing problem for me or my husband and my son-in-law wasn’t going on the trip. We were planning shore excursions and an extension of our trip until we got home and received the news. It makes me feel that I should ask everyone I care about to have a physical and get a clean bill of health before I take out any more insurance. I could understand this if it had been my husband or myself with a diagnosis and had been “hoping” to make the trip.