Best travel insurance

[Makaala]

Aloha, we will be doing the French way in September. I am 66 and my partner is 58. We were wondering if there is an insurance company that is recommended for pilgrims.

 

[ivar]

I just tagged your question with the "Travel-document/insurance" tag:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/tags/travel-documentsinsurance-2/

... browse that tag, I think you will find some useful information there.

 

[trecile]

I used SquareMouth.com to find and compare travel insurance. I went with a plan from AXA that provided primary medical coverage. This means that you don't have to submit to your regular insurance company first.
My policy really paid off for me last year when I broke my arm in Portugal. AXA reimbursed me 100% of my submitted costs.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Back in 2015 we used Seven Corners and there was a surcharge for those 65 or over. Watch for that while you shop.

 

[naplesdon]

I have always used Allianz, fortunately I have never had to file a claim.

 

[J Willhaus]

I have always used Allianz, fortunately I have never had to file a claim.

We usually buy what comes on offer with our air tickets. Have filed a claim once to return home for a family health emergency. I had to pay up front and get reimbursed. It took some time, but finally happened after 6 months.

Our school uses Zurich On Call International so that is what I will have next week with the university group I am leading. They have a number for me to call if anyone gets hurt or sick to direct me on next steps of who to see. I haven't looked closely at it for things like lost bags or trip delays.

 

[lt56ny]

I have always used Mapfre. But now I live in Mexico and I do not know if you can get Mapfre travel insurance in the United States. I have had to go to clinics on two caminos. Once I had bronchial spasms and had to go to 3 or 4 clinics along the way. The other time I had a gastrointestinal issue that was misdiagnosed in Mexico and then again in 2 clinics in Spain. it wasn't until I got to a hospital and a young doctor said he was going to figure it out. I had a battery of tests and he did figure it out. It took about a week of radically changing my diet to be 100% again. With Mapfre I just walk in and showed my insurance papers and my passport and I did not pay a penny and never had a worry. The medications I needed for my spasms I paid out of pocket. Kept the receipts from my credit card when I paid at the pharmacies. When I got home I took the receipts to the Mapfre agent who sold me the policy and in about a month my credit card was credited back the amount of money for my medications. It is almost too good to be true. Especially for us Americans who know what a nightmare insurance companies in the states are.

 

[Susan Peacock]

We buy annual travel insurance from Allianz that covers us anytime we are 150 miles from home. I had to use it this year when we were traveling in the western U.S (we are from Florida.) I broke a tooth and had to see an emergency dentist and fly home. They covered the dentist up to the dental policy limits $750 and covered my airfare. The medical limits for our policy is $75,000 and medical expatriation is $500,000.
You need to consider what your primary insurance will cover too. For the 66 year old, Medicare doesn’t cover International at all, while some of the medigap policies have coverage up to a $50,000 lifetime max.

 

[Mahuri]

I used Seven Corners. They denied my claim for a missed flight connection, - a $2000 loss.

 

[CWBuff]

I don't think there is a special insuracne that is geared towards Pilgrims. Rather you buy what suits your needs...and this topic does pop up often enough here on Forum and you already got couple of nice answers.

I've always used Travelex. Before my Frances in May 22 I called them and inquired if The Camino would be considered something 'special' (i.e. the supplement based on activity would be required) but they said "NO as simply "walking" (hiking) in Spain is not considered a Sports activity
So the cost is determined by your age, number of days in trip and of course the coverage amount - and I always look at it as to assure that whatever is already pre-paid is covered.
You buy in $500 increments
So in my case i was 62 at the time travelling for 6 weeks but I only had airfare, 2train tickets (Paris to SJPdP and SdC to Madrid) and albergues from SJ through Pamplona. $1000 sufficiently covered me - the cost was $230 among the benefits trip cancelation 100%, interruption 150%, delay $2000, baggage delay lost baggage trip delay.... medical $50,000.00 emergency evacuation $500,000 (!) and more....

my wife who was younger and had $2000 coverage paid $125 for pretty much same benefits

I had a claim from hospital in Burgos and some supplies i subsequently bought in a Pharmacy. Submitted it along with receipts and CC statement - got paid back IIRC within 2 months or so.

I have also alluded to this in some of my previous posts on the subject. Last year we came across something called Return Assured which will return one's remains from anywhere in the world as long as you are US permanent resident and 75 miles away from home. The cost ofr both of us was $570.00 one time fee!
the post is here https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...re-existing-conditions-usa.80566/post-1137922

Good luck planning

 

[rainswift]

For Canadians, regarding travel insurance and travel medical insurance:

I was previously a skydiver, and so had a vested interest in having excellent travel medical insurance. (Obviously covering skydiving, an unusual activity). In those days, I used RBC Travel Medical Insurance. They have options for packages up to 30 days that cover both travel insurance and travel medical, and travel medical insurance alone for up to 60 days. Different age brackets are covered for different prices, including those over 65 years old. They also have single-trip or multi-trip options. Multi-trip insurance is bought for the year (e.g. any number of 30-day trips in a 365-day period).

I can attest firsthand that when I broke my pelvis skydiving in 2012, everything was covered. (Yes, it was a bad injury, but I had the "best" case scenario of a bad injury - no surgery required. I stayed a few days in a private room in an excellent US hospital, had some imaging done including a CT scan, saw a surgeon who said "I'm not gonna cut you," had some physiotherapy and meds, and was walking again with a cane within the week. I have no lasting consequences, yay!)

If I didn't have other travel + travel medical insurance through my credit card, I would 100% use RBC Travel Medical Insurance again.

I currently hold a NBC World Elite Mastercard, which comes with travel and travel medical insurance as a benefit for the cardholder. Emergency Medical Care is covered for up to $5 million. There are age restrictions on how long your trip can be, though: Under age 54, up to 60 days. Age 55-64, up to 31 days. Age 65-75, up to 15 days only. If you are over 75, there is no emergency medical care coverage. The full details of what you are insured for are listed in the insurance certificate here.

As I am under 54, and the Camino is not considered a high-risk activity, the coverage from my World Elite card is sufficient. There are very few, if any, other cards on the Canadian market that will give travel medical insurance for 60 days.

For those Canadians who are over 55 and taking a Camino longer than 31 days, I would definitely have another look at the RBC Travel Medical Insurance. For medical insurance alone (not the package with trip cancellation insurance etc), they will still cover those over 65 with the TravelCare Medical Plan option for up to 60 day trips.

This has been my TED talk on Canadian travel medical insurance, thanks for listening!

 

[Gary Martin]

I have always used Allianz, fortunately I have never had to file a claim.

My wife and I did have a claim with Allianz because of an extended stay in Mexico due to Covid. After many months of constant communication with my wife, an expert Washington state bureaucrat, they reluctantly paid.
One of their many objections was that our documentation proving medical expenses were written in Spanish!?

 

[Scott Fraser]

Aloha, we will be doing the French way in September. I am 66 and my partner is 58. We were wondering if there is an insurance company that is recommended for pilgrims.

I had to abandon my Camino once due to a very painful knee. I thought my insurance would cover the extra costs of a non refundable return airfare, but it didn’t. My mistake was not consulting a doctor before booking the flight home. If I had done that and the doctor had advised I stop walking, then the trip home would have been covered. Read the policy terms carefully!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Like J Willhouse, I buy what comes with my airline ticket.
Last Camino I fell and thought I'd broken my wrist.
ER cost was over €400 and they covered it 100%

This year I got my ticket during the Black Friday sales and wasn't offered insurance so I am also looking, though I'm pretty sure the credit card with which I paid will cover me. Still need to look into that.

 

[trecile]

Whatever insurance you choose you need to actually read the policy carefully and not make assumptions about what it covers. Whenever I've purchased travel insurance I've been allowed about a week to go over the policy and cancel if it's not what I need.

 

[gkshrode]

Aloha, we will be doing the French way in September. I am 66 and my partner is 58. We were wondering if there is an insurance company that is recommended for pilgrims.

On the Camino I used AIG Travel Guard. I also used Travel Guard for the UK Coast to Coast and Hadrian's Wall. Used Allianz prior to that.
Not familiar with others that are being suggested, but always worth checking out. Premiums increase with one's age, of course, so always get quotes.

 

[DonnaS18]

I used Seven Corners. They denied my claim for a missed flight connection, - a $2000 loss.

Good to know! Probably Not worth buying then as this is the type of thing u buy insurance for.

 

[trecile]

It would be good to know if those replying to this thread have ever had to file a claim (particularly medical) with their travel insurance. And if so, what was your experience.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

It would be good to know if those replying to this thread have ever had to file a claim (particularly medical) with their travel insurance. And if so, what was your experience.

2015 & Seven Corners. Two visits to two clinics in two towns for two different problems. Got the two bills consolidated easily but paying from the US was a real pain. Once done we got reimbursement from Seven Corners quickly and with minimal paperwork.

 

[gkshrode]

It would be good to know if those replying to this thread have ever had to file a claim (particularly medical) with their travel insurance. And if so, what was your experience.

Yes, I once had to cancel a trip due to a serious family illness. It was a trip through RoadScholar. Can't recall which insurance company the coverage was written through but I did receive a full refund (after sending a letter from the attending physician and backup hospital records).

 

[donalomahony]

Whatever insurance you use check "does it have a limit on the number of days in any one trip"? Some insurance policies cap a trip at 30 days. The Frances will take longer.

Having "seen" a medical evacuation and repatriation by air ambulance following the stroke of friend on the Camino, check that is covered fully also (theirs was).

If the worst was to happen (it won't!) check also about the repatriation of remains.

Simple medical consultations in Spain via the local Centro de Salud (health centres) are relatively inexpensive, don't be afraid to seek medical help but do double check what you have to do "on the ground in Spain" should you need to claim e.g. receips, notification of company etc.

I see the OP is from Hawaii, but for Europeans reading this make sure you possess an up-to-date EHIC Card alongside your insurance

Enjoy

 

[trecile]

2015 & Seven Corners. Two visits to two clinics in two towns for two different problems. Got the two bills consolidated easily but paying from the US was a real pain. Once done we got reimbursement from Seven Corners quickly and with minimal paperwork.

If possible, I recommend going to a private clinic or hospital that has the capability of taking your payment at time of service so that you don't have to wait for a mystery bill from Spain, which then has to be paid via bank transfer.

 

[Former member 94614]

It would be good to know if those replying to this thread have ever had to file a claim (particularly medical) with their travel insurance. And if so, what was your experience.

had to file a claim for a hospitalization in Estella and x-rays for a broken ankle. I had purchased allianz with my airline tickets in the US, and it was a horrendous, stressful runaround trying to get them to help with anything whatsoever with any degree of care, or competence . I had complete documentation and should have been covered per their terms. it took many hours and months on the phone to get any assistance. I was so embarrassed that the wonderful Spanish hospital were treated like this for their excellent care that I ended up just paying them myself. finally was reimbursed over 9 months later. NOT recommended.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

It would be good to know if those replying to this thread have ever had to file a claim (particularly medical) with their travel insurance. And if so, what was your experience.

I have twice made claims and possibly another but that was so long ago that it is probably irrelevant.

Once on a trip to Hong Kong with a group of three people, two of whom were travelling together and all of us were travelling to a specific, special event, the marriage of a mutual friend. I travelled on a separate ticket but on the same flight to Hong Kong (via Sydney) but on a separate, direct flight back from Hong Kong. The "two" were booked together on a return flight via Sydney.

The two people travelling together did so specifically because they were nervous about travelling alone and consequently purchased their tickets together but their travel insurance separately.

One of the Two had an accident on the second day, tripping and breaking several facial and skull bones. I was not involved directly with this person's claim but I assisted and so my description of her claim process is anecdotal. An ambulance took her to a public hospital before a claim was lodged. Upon claiming the hospital was approved. After discharge the person was not fit enough to do touristy things and stayed in her hotel room that was pre-booked. Her insurance company allocated a person to "assist" her locally but this person mostly tried to stop the person from doing anything that required additional expenses except for the use of taxi services instead of public transport.

The person was eventually able to attend the wedding ceremony that was scheduled towards the end of our trip. There was some concern that the person would not be well enough to fly home and so the insurance company paid for the person to see a private medical specialist who took further x-rays and one day before the deadline approved the person to fly on a regular flight back to ANZ but recommended a change to a direct flight (the one that I was booked on).

This sent the second person into an immediate panic because this meant that she would need to fly home via Sydney on her own. She asked me for assistance. I had anticipated that this might happen and had, with permission, emailed her insurance company a couple of days prior asking if the policy covered rescheduling a flight because a travelling companion required a change for medical reasons and received a general reply that it was covered.

Once the last minute panic started I tried phoning the Sydney based help desk for the insurance company but it being a Sunday the person answering the phone refused to transfer me to the emergency assistance helpline because I wasn't calling about a medical emergency. The telephone operator suggested that I call back on Monday morning Sydney time to get the permission to change the flights.

Of course, that was an impossible Catch 22 because by the time that Sydney came into office hours the direct flight with her travel companion on it would have already left!

With no other obvious option I phoned the airline and purchased the last remaining ticket on that flight for the person who I was helping, using my own credit card because she didn't have one! The ticket was very expensive.

On arrival back in ANZ the person made a claim with their insurance company with my assistance. Initially the company refused the claim but then I dug out their email reply to my general enquiry and sent it to them. After some time they then accepted the claim and paid it in full. Without that email I suspect that they would not have accepted the claim.

As an aside, the lady who had the accident made a claim for the complete refund of her original travel costs on the basis that she went for a holiday but was unable to enjoy a holiday because she was either in hospital or confined to her hotel. Her insurance company declined that claim, citing her attendance at the wedding ceremony.

On the second occasion I made a claim on my own behalf after I was hospitalised in Spain after being infected with Legionella while on pilgrimage.

Anyone interested in the fiasco around this incident would probably be best searching the forum for my posts at the time.

In summary, I made a claim from my hospital bed, the insurance company did everything possible to not pay anything and eventually I gave up and made a direct complaint to senior management in the company.

I never heard back from the insurance company but neither did I ever receive a medical bill for my five day hospital stay and treatment. Either the Galician Pilgrim medical scheme covered my bills, the insurance company paid the bill direct or the bill got lost somewhere and is still dancing around in the ether somewhere.

In both cases my opinion of travel insurance companies is not high.

 

[WGroleau]

I have purchased from https://faithventures.com

It’s intended for missionaries, but they sold to me anyway. For the length of time you tell them, up to a whole year, it’s the same price, with the odd requirement that you have to return to USA at least once in any 180-day period. Of course, that’s not a problem if you’re just getting it for a Camino. You can get rid of that restriction by paying ten times as much!! But with the restriction. it ws $53 for me.

I tried to buy from “World Nomads” but because I was homeless (my choice) and did not have specific travel dates, they would not insure me. “Must have a USA mailing address and explicit leave/return dates." In other words (ironically), “World Nomads” will not insure you if you’re actually a nomad or live outside of a particular small part of the world!