Questions about Allianz All Trips Premier plan plus Medjets

For question 1, Medjet covers hospital to hospital transfers. I have always assumed that if I had a serious accident/illness that I would transfer back to the U.S. and use my U.S. medical coverage once there. Medical costs outside of the US are less expensive than the outrageous costs we have here in the U.S.

For question 2: Ask yourself - Do you really need more than 15K? You were planning to spend the money on that trip so you had that money in your budget. Yes, it would be a bummer to lose some money if you had to cancel a trip but would it be a financial hardship? I don’t worry as much about trip cancellation as the trip is something that I have planned and budgeted for. I worry more about unplanned expenses like medical or evacuation. Obviously, this is a personal decision based on your finances and risk tolerance.

I am 75 and have had an Allianz annual plan for several years. I increased my coverage to $7,500 which is generally enough to cover my individual trips (I travel solo.) Remember that you only need to cover non-refundable items. The amount you choose is the maximum you can claim in any given policy year. Should you be unlucky enough to use up your coverage early in the policy year, I believe you can add coverage (obviously for a cost) or buy individual plans for trips later in the year. A call to Allianz could clarify this.

I think that you might be able to get a higher limit by buying a separate policy for each of you, instead of one policy covering both of you. Then you would EACH have $15,000 in coverage. However, you would probably double your cost this way. Again, you might want to call Allianz to discuss options.

My feeling is that I would be happy, in the worst case scenario, to recover $7500. I would be able to absorb a (small) loss beyond that. To me, the most important part of travel insurance is medical evacuation since that can cost $100,000, $200,000 or more (and I’m not ready to put a new mortgage on my house!). I have felt that the Allianz coverage is sufficient, but many people add Medjet for this specific purpose and that’s not a bad idea.

I have felt comfortable with the $50,000 medical coverage since medical costs are way cheaper in Europe (not to mention Asia, Africa and South America). You should also check your Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage plan. Many include some international coverage (mine does).

I have not had any major issues on trips where I needed to use my travel insurance. But I have had four smaller claims (under $1,000 each) for trip delays and interruptions. Allianz paid all of them with a minimum of fuss and very quickly.

Regarding the total risk value. Although I buy an annual plan, I anticipate that most trips will go as planned. I think that at most I would probably only file a claim for one of them. If something so big happens that I can no longer travel at all, then I have much bigger issues than the cost of a few trips……

Allianz is not my only source of medical coverage. My Medicare Advantage plan covers me worldwide for urgent and emergency care. In addition my credit cards all have some level of medical coverage as well.