New travel insurance question for those with confirmed tours

Based on my non-expert understanding and when I purchased insurance, it was based on when the first payment/deposit happened which would be confirmation date for Ricks tours, at least that’s the case for my confirmation.

You could probably call up the insurance company you plan to purchase from and ask just to make sure though.

I don't know what credit cards you may carry, but I find that the travel insurance with my premium credit card covers just about the same as a traditional travel policy. You may want to do a little research and see what you have (or don't have) already.

The one type of coverage that I do buy is evacuation coverage with Med-Jet, especially since I plan to travel a lot in the next year. :)

I would call the insurance company you plan to use. My tour was confirmed on May 26 and I will call Travel Guard tomorrow to apply my e-voucher from my cancelled tour from 2020 to this tour. I was told one time it was the date you paid but in this case with the gap between the date you paid and the date you were confirmed is a wrinkle only your insurer can answer.
Good luck!
Edit: in thinking this over, it seems reasonable to say you paid on the confirmation date because if your credit card charge was in pending status, then you paid when RS put the charge through. I will be interested to know what you learn.

Carol, I was glad to see your comment about a credit card that has travel insurance. Our card seems to have pretty good coverage so I was wondering if anyone has actually needed to file a claim using their credit card coverage. Our card is through Chase if anyone has any experiences.

Regarding credit card insurance, I don't think it covers pre-existing conditions. It may be adequate in other areas, however. I tried to wade through the legalese awhile back... any experts here?

Kathy, sending you a PM

"Regarding credit card insurance, I don't think it covers pre-existing conditions."
EVERY credit card is different. Just because one covers X doesn't mean they all do. You have to check your specific credit card and account level. ie not all chase cards provide the same coverage...there are huge swings with coverage even with the same bank.

The credit card contract is difficult to wade through to determine what is and what is not covered in terms of travel insurance. If you call you cc company they are very helpful in advising what your particular card will cover.

I'm "hoping" (and will confirm with the insurer) that my insurer uses the confirmation date. My insurer states that the policy can only be purchased for travel that begins within 365 days. With a still-pending confirmation date, my late spring 2020 tour may just squeeze into the interval that allows me to purchase insurance fewer than 10 days after my confirmation date and fewer than 365 days before the trip start date. That wouldn't be the case if it was based on registration date - just a few days too soon to fall within the interval.

My insurer's language reads "Payments or Deposits means the cash, check, or credit card amounts actually paid for Your Trip."
Since I have not yet "actually paid" (the charge is still pending, I'm hopeful - and will confirm - that it's a gray area in my favor.)

My fall 2022 tour is a different story, well beyond 365 days past the registration date and the (still pending) confirmation date.

I booked a tour last week, called Travel Guard the next day after receiving the tour confirmation and used that date along with my voucher from last year. No muss, no fuss and went as smoothly as silk. It was a pleasure to have such an easy process.

Interestingly, my insurer (Nationwide) specifically notes that payment in the form of a voucher is not considered the initial payment or deposit, for purposes of the pre-existing coverage clause clock or any other provisions.

"Payments made in the form of a certificate, voucher or discount are not Payments or Deposits as defined herein."

Perhaps because they do not cover the value of the voucher. (I don't have a voucher, so I haven't researched this.)

I suspect andi is discussing using a voucher as the form of payment for the Insurance Policy and not the insured tour/trip. Every policy will have different language and reasons (in the insurers eyes) for the difference.

You are correct, onefastbob. Thank you for clarifying. Basically I had to pay an extra $2 as I had a birthday since my initial policy!

I was told (by TravelGuard) 15 days from date of deposit

I'll let Travel Guard choose. RS charged my CC on 5/30/21 and I got my confirmation today. I'll be able to use my vouchers in plenty of time to get the pre-existing conditions coverage.

I bought the insurance for my canceled 2020 trip in the fall of 2019 when I was 73. I'm now 75. It will be interesting to see how that will affect how far my vouchers will go. 🤑

Lo,

My husband would have been 69 and now he will be 71. The rates went up $150 for us.

Curious as to why everyone's getting travel insurance so quickly after making a deposit when Rick Steves said they can refund deposits for 2022 tours if you book by December. Why not get travel insurance after December and save the money for now? I would just make sure you get insurance before you book airfare and pay the tour balance. Or please let me know if I've missed something or there's something I'm not aware of here! :)

Jill, most travel insurance companies have a pre-existing medical waiver that will be in effect if you buy insurance between 9 and 20 days (depending on the company) from the time you pay your deposit. You may be able to buy insurance up until your trip but any pre-existing medical condition will not be covered.

Jill- horsewoofie is directly on point. Pre-Existing Conditions waiver. If your 40 and healthy, not an issue. 60 and on some prescriptions it can become an issue. So yes, you can cancel tours until 12/31...but you might lose out on the insurance premium paid (which can be expensive).

With Travel Guard (and probably others), you can buy $400 worth of coverage now for a small premium, and add coverage as you pay for additional travel/tour costs.

Also look into annual policies if planning more than one trip per year. Some of those don't require immediate payment.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. So this is about the medical coverage if you have pre-existing conditions vs. recouping the trip costs if something goes wrong medically. Thanks for pointing this out as I was not even aware!