My wife and I are looking at the best way to deal with our future travel re insurance. We are 72 and 76 y.o. respectively. One of our key concerns is medical evacuation. While we travel in mostly 1st world countries you might as well be in a remote area while someplace like Northern Scotland--especially if you are hiking or have a head on traffic accident on one of the many single track roads. You will want a helicopter to get to the nearest/best hospital.
To supplement our credit card coverage we are looking at Allianz (which would then be our primary carrier). Have any of you ever had to file a claim or dealt with an evacuation? What was your experience?
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2793 posts
I buy a specific evacuation policy - a policy that will get me home. I use AirMed. I’ve never made a claim - but it’s serious evacuation coverage. Most evacuation policies get you to the nearest good facility.
This is AirMed: https://www.airmed.com/Services/Aeromedical-Transport-and-Evacuation-Services/Medevac.aspx
We buy an annual policy: https://www.airmed.com/Membership/All-Plans.aspx
There’s a second company often mentioned here - MedJet Assist. But if you’re over 75, you need proof of a recent medical check-up, a form filled out by your doctor and submitted to MedJet, and your application needs to be vetted and approved. That just bugs me so I used AirMed.
By comparison, I just renewed our AirMed - and one of us is 80 - and it was auto-renewed immediately.
Posted by
Everett, WA
1304 posts
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/impressed-with-allianz-trip-insurance
This was posted a few days ago. I have used Allianz, but never had to file a claim.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
9348 posts
I filed a trip delay claim. It was paid promptly.
Posted by
Washington State
408 posts
Our trip to Ireland was cut short by Covid in September 2023. While we had never considered trip insurance before, we purchased Allianz coverage, almost as an afterthought, just before our trip. We were very pleased with the ease and speed of filing the claim and the resulting reimbursements. We will be buying an Allianz annual policy this year, possibly supplementing with a separate medical evacuation policy (haven’t researched that yet).
Posted by
Idaho, USA
8486 posts
I had to make a claim on my Allianz policy last year for a death in the family. They paid it promptly.
Posted by
Schwerin
3887 posts
Especially in Europe Allianz is a renowned and well trusted insurance partner. Since the 70s/80s they built a reliable network. In certain situations it is good to have an insurance from a well-known brand.
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
22676 posts
I use them for my expat medical insurance. they pay everythng on time and without any issue.
Posted by
Atlanta
5441 posts
Since you are concerned about evacuation, check out MedJet Assist. It is strictly evac insurance -- not medical. They will bring you home if hospitalized more than 150 miles from home. Not sure about evacuation from back country to hospital. Their customer service people are quite nice, easy to talk to, and can discuss the fine print details with you. They have a variety of annual and short term plans.
Posted by
Lakewood, CO
252 posts
I always buy Allianz insurance and have filed two claims They were both small claims and I have not ever had to use the evacuation coverage. Both claims I filed were paid in less than a week.
Posted by
8933 posts
I have had two claims, both fairly handled. One was a significant amount, the other was a delay claim and not.
Posted by
The States
114 posts
Allianz is great!
Over 10 years ago, my husband got pneumonia in Amsterdam. We went to the ER and paid a flat fee, which included a chest X-ray and the medication. After we got home, he filed a claim and was promptly paid.
We were supposed to visit Quebec in the summer of 2023, but we canceled because of the wildfires. Our claim was only for our train tickets between Montreal and Quebec City, and Allianz paid us in full.
In 2022, we had to cancel a December trip to Portugal because Lisbon was flooding. There were a lot of components to this claim - airfare penalty, non-refundable hotel stays, and train tickets. It took a bit longer than the other claims, but Allianz came through in the end.
Posted by
30 posts
I bought Allianz protection when my dad passed away. I needed to change my flight to accommodate his burial. They denied me They are useless (based on my experience with them).