Anonymous
02/23/2025 18:22
Subject: travel insurance - get it? don't?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Foreign medical expenses aren’t that high; even if you break a bone while traveling it’ll cost like €500. And you don’t need evacuation coverage for 95% of places people actually want to travel.
People don't get it for minor things. It's essentially catastrophic insurance - like if you have a heart attack or stroke, are in a major car accident, etc. Those people on that cruise excursion when that volcano unexpectedly erupted near New Zealand were in intensive care for months and couldn't get home. People understand these things are very unlikely to happen which is why the medical-only insurance is so cheap. The part that makes the insurance expensive is the trip interruption/cancellation part.
The NZ volcano related treatment costs were covered by the ACC - the Accident Compensation scheme in NZ. That even covered the treatment costs of foreigners. Other countries don't have this system. ACC doesn't cover illnesses though.
Anonymous
02/23/2025 17:02
Subject: travel insurance - get it? don't?
Anonymous wrote:Our family of 5 is headed to France in a few weeks. We've paid for the trip with cash (about half) and then about half with credit card points. All reservations are refundable, although we'd lose small things like Louvre tickets if we had to cancel.
Do we get the insurance? It's not really expensive - about 250.00 - but I'm just usually not in the habit of purchasing trip insurance and don't know if it's needed?
I'm most nervous about someone getting sick/hurt rather than cancelations/delays.
I used CoverX for a recent trip - due to family medical emergency I was unable to take the long flight and they reimbursed me in full. If there is any change of medical issues I would recommend travel insurance:
Anonymous
02/22/2025 13:11
Subject: travel insurance - get it? don't?
Anonymous wrote:Foreign medical expenses aren’t that high; even if you break a bone while traveling it’ll cost like €500. And you don’t need evacuation coverage for 95% of places people actually want to travel.
People don't get it for minor things. It's essentially catastrophic insurance - like if you have a heart attack or stroke, are in a major car accident, etc. Those people on that cruise excursion when that volcano unexpectedly erupted near New Zealand were in intensive care for months and couldn't get home. People understand these things are very unlikely to happen which is why the medical-only insurance is so cheap. The part that makes the insurance expensive is the trip interruption/cancellation part.
Anonymous
02/22/2025 13:07
Subject: travel insurance - get it? don't?
Foreign medical expenses aren’t that high; even if you break a bone while traveling it’ll cost like €500. And you don’t need evacuation coverage for 95% of places people actually want to travel.
Anonymous
02/22/2025 12:13
Subject: travel insurance - get it? don't?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Any of the ~$500/year travel-focused credit cards like CSR should provide some form of coverage. I don’t really see the point of buying separate coverage unless you have a massive non-refundable expense such as a cruise.
Those don't include medical expenses or evacuation. That's the real concern. Not the $5K cruise.
Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum have medical expenses and evacuation coverage.
https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/whats-covered-by-credit-card-travel-accident-and-emergency-evacuation-insurance/
You'll still need international medical coverage for your care. From your own link:
"Evacuation does not mean repatriation. If you're far overseas, you won't be evacuated back to the U.S. Most policies state you'll be moved to the nearest medical facility capable of proper care.
The coverage is only for the cost of evacuation and medical care during transportation. Once you're back on the ground, you still need medical insurance to pay the doctors and staff who provide care."