When Traveling Internationally, What Travel Insurance Do (Did) You Buy?

[OneEyedDiva]

My grandson will be flying to Saudi Arabia at the end of the month for Umrah. I advised him to get travel insurance and was wondering what would be the best company to purchase from. From what we were told when booking his trip, if he falls ill, he will be taken care of free of charge (without a policy), but travel insurance should offer medical coverage and of course, other issues could arise. When I took the cruise, I bought Allianz, which is on the "best of" list.

I'd be interested in knowing what company you chose, what they covered and how satisfied you were with the coverage they offered. Also if you ever needed to use the policy, I'd like to know how things worked out. Thank you.

 

[Dr. Jekyll]

We have always used RoamRight. Never had to make a claim so can't comment on that part. They did treat us right and without hassle when we had to cancel a cruise during the pandemic.

Being late to the party as usual, it dawned on me recently that our credit card gives us basic trip insurance (cancellation, lost luggage, etc.) just for using the credit card to pay for the trip. For our next trip, 30 days transatlantic and Mediterranean, I'm depending on the credit card for the trip insurance and just bought a travel medical policy from RoamRight.

The getting taken care of free is fine - but if it's bad enough to require medical repatriation then it can cost a fortune.

 

[oldman]

I never had to use any of the insurances that I bought, but it is a good idea to have coverage. I have used American Express, AAA, Berkshire Hathaway, Allianz. One is about as good as another, but I would recommend carrying one insurance when traveling overseas. I would recommend Allianz.

 

[jujube]

I've never had to put in a claim, but I thought Allianz was the best of the lot. I've used them 3 times.

 

[OceanCity]

I've used Alliainz and Travelex. Good experiences with both.

The difference is Allianz is a secondary insurer while Travelex is a primary insurer. This means to make a medical claim with Allianz you have to go to your primary insurance first and show Allianz your primary insurance denial of coverage. Then Allianz will pay the medical bill. With Travelex you can can just make the claim directly without showing a denial of your regular insurance.

Travelex costs more than Allianz because its the primary insurer.

 

[JoeFromBoston]

I use GeoBlue (for US citizens) as they offer great service at a reasonable price. I used it when I was in Spain last November and it worked great. They helped find a doctor, covered all costs, and everything worked great.

 

[OldOld]

I use GeoBlue (for US citizens) as they offer great service at a reasonable price. I used it when I was in Spain last November and it worked great. They helped find a doctor, covered all costs, and everything worked great.

I am curious what kind of illness you had while traveling, and if you had to pay upfront first, and submit a claim for approval to get reimbursement from GeoBlue.
And to all the other posters, if you never had to use your travel insurance benefit, you really don't know if your choice of insurance company is good or bad.
I bought "world nomad" travel insurance multiple times. On time I was traveling in Argentina and had a bad flu, called world nomad, was told I had to pay upfront, then sumbit a claim to them, along with the proof that none of my other insurance covered it, ie, I need to show them my regular health insurance denied my coverage for the medical bills occurred overseas. I believe this is the srandard protocol with all travel insurances.

 

[oldman]

I've used Alliainz and Travelex. Good experiences with both.

The difference is Allianz is a secondary insurer while Travelex is a primary insurer. This means to make a medical claim with Allianz you have to go to your primary insurance first and show Allianz your primary insurance denial of coverage. Then Allianz will pay the medical bill. With Travelex you can can just make the claim directly without showing a denial of your regular insurance.

Travelex costs more than Allianz because its the primary insurer.

If you buy Allianz single trip insurance, the primary insurance is available.

 

[Twostep]

Did he book a package deal? If so wherever he booked they should have experience with emergencies and insurances covering that market in particular.

 

[Been There]

I started with Allianz, but now use Berkshire Hathaway.