We "paid" for our open jaw airfares with rewards points, so there is no real cost there unless we have to cancel or reschedule and then it's minimal. That means our trip cost on any online travel insurance form is $0. I checked RS's page, past postings about travel insurance and insuremytrip.com (both online and by phone) and learned that all we really might want is evacuation insurance. Using the $0 cost, the prices seemed reasonable (about $250 - $350 for the two of us) for either a package or an evacuation policy until I clicked on the Access America link on AA.com. (We are flying back home on AA.) The prices seemed too good to be true -- the minimum $18.75 per person for a Comprehensive Trip Protector package that includes evacuation. They are a company that RS lists so I called them to be sure they hadn't left off any zeros on the price. The guy I talked to assured me that the price was correct because I was going through the AA.com website. He said that at AA.com the cost is based on the cost of the airfare but that on the other sites (including Access America's own site), the cost is also based on trip duration and age of the passengers. Of course the coverage is at a lower level, but it appears to be adequate. I would appreciate hearing from anyone about their experiences with this company or any others.
Posted by
Lawrenceville, Georgia
693 posts
Lo, I usually use American Express. They offer health and evacuation insurance with all their cards. I buy it about 2-3 weeks before I leave on an overseas trip. It was under $15/month last time I used it. I think it covered me up to $100,000. When I get home, I call up and cancel. Never had to use it, though.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
I don't have experience with this company but I will say that $250-350 for just med evac seems like an outrageous price. If the coverage seems adequate to you, I'd go for the cheaper one. I would clarify with them, though, about the use of FF miles. You might have to claim a "cost" based on the value of the flight, not its actual $0 price.
Posted by
Puyallup, WA, USA
881 posts
We used Access America for our last trip, and are currently in the process of having a claim finished. We had a rental car company be out of cars when we arrived, and had to get a much more expensive one at another company. They told us it should be covered. I'll let you know how it turns out.
In regards to the air miles - those do have value, and some insurance companies will cover it - I'd specifically ask.
So far (with the claim not finished), our experience with them has been a pleasant one.