ljj

Thanks HelenTD

We currently have annual Travel Insurance which expires in a few weeks ...I wonder if I simply renew it with the same company I will be covered..I'll give them a call and get back to you.

Thanks for replying to my original question. Although some of the recent replies have made me chuckle

LJJ

Alfresco

Well we phoned ours when we landed in Madrid and they said 'NO'. But I won't leave it there.

I hate insurance companies with a passion.

HelenTD

ljj, surely you would be covered, as you have an existing policy? I'd want to make sure that you pay for the new one before the other one expires. Might be an idea to email/fax them to get it in writing, though, as they would deny a verbal agreement if something went wrong later.

moneypenny20

Not sure there's anything logical about David Icke. I thought he died when the world ended like he said it would. Oh, hang on............

lonndongeek

I use the insurance I get from my American Express charge card (platinum). the payout limits are fairly generous, and whenever I've called them to make a claim before, their first response has been "we'll do what we can to help", not "bugger off".

First time was when SWMBO fell ill on holiday. They put me up in a hotel while she was in hospital and sorted out the bill with no problems. They were happy to pay for a hotel after she was discharged for recuperation and a couple of nights hotel on the way back home to split up the drive back to London from Inverness.

The second time, I was working in India for a couple of months and needed to get home in a hurry. I called the insurance department and was on a plane a few hours later (all paid for) with few questions asked.

The charge for the card in Australia is $900/year, but it comes with a few other useful benefits (e.g. airport lounge access irrespective of who you're flying with).

My guage of a good insurance company is how well they sort you out when the sh|t hits the fan, not necessarily how cheap a policy is.

Good luck!

Steve

koalakim

That's good to know Steve - after all I've just paid $420 for an annual policy, if you added up the airport lounge access as well, etc etc then you might be quids (sorry dollars) in!

I've always wondered about the travel insurance that comes with your credit card whether it does actually pay up if/when you need it. We get it with our UK Natwest Gold Mastercard, they are still happy to do business with us in Oz so I guess that insurance is a backup!

Actually our policy refers to catastrophes rather than acts of God which is probably more sensible, but I'll still give them a call just in case this or another volcano starts to get grumpy again!

Hope everyone stranded gets back to wherever soon!

lonndongeek

Don't presume that just because your bank is happy to deal with you that the credit card insurance still applies. These 'free' policies will sometimes have a clause in them somewhere that says you have to be a resident of the country where the card is issued.

Credit card policies vary greatly. Even between different cards from the same financial institution. American Express' cover that comes with their gold charge card is very basic, and I wouldn't rely on it.

The various insurances and perks that come with American Express' platinum charge card easily justify the $900 fee if you use 3-4 of them. If yo uonly use one (e.g. travel insurance) then you'll be better off getting a specific policy/product.

Cheers

Steve

ljj

Just had an email from the existing Travel insurance mentioned - This is a generic one sent to all policy holders, I have not contacted them yet - Good to know they have initiated it:

Mondial Assistance manages the travel insurance policy that you recently purchased from our partner, Webjet.

As one of our policyholders who may be affected by disruption to flights caused by the volcanic ash cloud over Europe, we want to reassure you about the coverage of your Mondial Assistance travel insurance policy.

All our comprehensive travel insurance policies, purchased before 16 April, include cover for cancellation and accommodation expenses associated with delayed flights as a result of the ash cloud.
Currently you may be having problems in contacting us by telephone as we are experiencing very significant call volumes. We hope the following information will provide you with the detail and certainty you need to rest easy about your travel insurance policy. If after reading the following you are still unsure or concerned please call us on our 24 hour emergency assistance number +61 7 3305 7499 reverse charge from anywhere overseas or 1800 010 075 free call within Australia or 0800 778 103 free call within New Zealand. Or you can email us on [email protected].


We will continue to monitor the situation and respond to any changes in this developing situation as they occur. If you are not due to depart until after next week we ask you to be patient with the situation and not rush to cancel your plans at this stage.
The following questions and answers relate to the travel insurance cover that Mondial Assistance policies, purchased before 16 April 2010, are providing to providing to travellers affected by flights disruption caused by the Iceland volcanic ash cloud.

If I am stranded in London and unable to board my flight home will Mondial Assistance cover the cost of additional accommodation/hotel expenses while I wait for a flight home? What if this continues for weeks, is there a limit to the support you will give me?
We will cover the cost of reasonable accommodation expenses while you wait for your flight home. We want to help so by reasonable we mean the same standard of accommodation that you have been paying for as part of your trip so far.
In terms of any limit of cover, firstly, let’s hope for everyone’s sake that flights can resume safely as soon as possible. However Mondial Assistance will not abandon any of our policyholders that are stranded as a result of the volcanic ash cloud.
What if I have run out of money and my credit card is ‘maxed’ and I am unable to pay for additional accommodation?
Mondial Assistance can help by acting as guarantor with your hotel or other accommodation provider for your accommodation while you are unable to board your flight. If you have already incurred costs for additional accommodation, those costs can be refunded once you submit your claim with us.

What about food and living expenses—will you cover that as well?
Some of our policies do provide for additional expenses of up to $200 per day for reasonable living expenses—always in these cases we urge you to keep all your receipts that you need to substantiate your claim with us.

If I am hoping to fly to Europe this week for the start of a dream holiday and my flight is cancelled indefinitely or until further notice, will Mondial Assistance cover the cost of my cancelled flight and all the accommodation and tours I had booked?
Yes we will cover your cancellation expenses though we believe that all major airlines will either refund fares or offer rescheduled flights when they are able to. We encourage people to continue to talk to us and their airlines about what options are available to them.
There are some travellers stranded in Iceland at the moment and apparently they may be able to board a flight to Seattle and fly back home via the United States—will Mondial Assistance cover these travel costs? And what if the travellers are short of cash or credit, can Mondial Assistance help?
Our policies do provide cover for alternative travel costs and we are able in most circumstances to act as a guarantor for expenses. So if you are a policyholder stuck somewhere with limited or little cash at your disposal, we can help. Every case is different so we do ask our policyholders to call us in the first instance.

What else should I be aware of?
If you wish to check the detail of your policy coverage, we encourage you to read the Product Disclosure Statement or Policy Wording that you received when you purchased your policy. This will give you more detail about what your policy provides cover for and what it does not.
When you call us to discuss your travel options and policy cover, it would be useful if you had a copy of your travel itinerary with you—that will save time in assessing the best next steps for you.
You should take all reasonable steps to minimise your expenses and this includes rearranging your journey where possible.
With your claim, you will need to submit all receipts for any additional accommodation and transport expenses. If you are claiming cancellation or additional expenses you will need to submit all documents showing what your original planned pre-paid arrangements were, along with any receipts and documents showing your new arrangements, and advice from the travel provider indicating the non-refundable portion of the journey.

Mondial Assistance has a 24 hour emergency assistance number for any policyholder to call if you need help—it is +61 7 3305 7499 reverse charge, 1800 010 075 free call within Australia or 0800 778 103 free call within New Zealand.

Or you can email us on [email protected].
Sincerely

Brett Robinson
Chief Executive Officer

koalakim

Reading some UK stuff on the internet last night it would seem Act of God is a natural disaster (i.e. volcano) which you are not insured for and Severe Weather is not and therefore you are insured for it! So, some insurance companies have been good enough to class it as severe weather.

Interesting as Mondial Assistance were name as one of the worst in the UK! More info can be found on thisismoney website.

HelenTD

Response from Covermore, asking about cover if the volcano stopped erupting, then re-erupted later during our trip, and if we bought a policy now:

"Please be aware as the current situation with the Volcano started on the 15th of April, any policies purchased from the 16th of April would not be covered if directly affected by the Volcano.
At this point our underwriters’ (GLA), are classing the Volcanic Ash as one on-going event. Due to the volatility of the situation, we are closely monitoring the situation and are working with our underwriters to advise if this will change should there be a new eruption."

Hopefully I'll get a response from the other insurer tomorrow.

koalakim

Phew, thank goodness hubby was going to NZ so I bought my annual policy on the 8th otherwise I would have left it a few weeks!

Bob Tonnor

What the large print giveth, the small print taketh away!

koalakim

Too right!

themerlin

Depends on your point of view, a deeply religious person might argue that missing luggage is an act of god and not pay up.

Bob Tonnor

Right then im sorry to do this to you but, you can choose to ignore this because it is rather boring, 'an act of god is an event or occurrence due to natural causes which occurs independently of human intervention and either could not be foreseen, or if foreseen, could not be reasonably guarded against'.

Sorry again

Bob