 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm sure its a question thats been asked before but I'll ask again.
I am wanting to get some annual travel insurance to cover for all trips snow and non snow related. Probably would want 3 weeks of cover for skiing. Is there anyone better than the rest. Would want to do it as a couple as well but don't know if that is worth while if we're not married.
Thanks for any help from the collective  wisdom. I've had a long hard summer on the farm and am struggling to engage the brain anymore so snow is all that keeps me going now.
Thanks
JP
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have annual travel insurance from www.gotravelinsurance.co.uk £68 per year for worldwide cover including wintersports - that includes a pre-existing medical condition.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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justapurrin, I use www.directtravel.co.uk . Various levels of cover. I think you can have a joint policy if you live at the same address.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My travel insurance cost £66.21 for a year, including any number of ski trips in Europe (a bit more for anywhere in the world). This includes Off Piste, both with and (rare and important for me) without a guide. I got it from the Ski Club of Great Britain travel insurance (0845 601 9422) who use the insurers Fortis Insurance Ltd, except for legal expenses which are done through DAS Legal Expenses Insurance.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Norwich union direct. Annual family multi-trip inc 21 days winter sports ~ £120. Not had to claim tho' so can't vouch for the quality.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Direct Travel for me.
Worlwide family policy £75, includes off-piste cover without a guide.
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I was pleased with snowcard - who delivered well when I had an accident. The SCGB insurance got quite a lot of flak on the club forum. But one usually reliable correspondent has advised that they have a new setup with the same underwriters used by the BMC. However, the club site has no details, yet. Very short SCGB thread about that (accessible by club members only).
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Direct travel for me as well. Good cover and when i've had to claim they've been good as well. Quite cheap too.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| halfhand wrote: |
| Norwich union direct. Annual family multi-trip inc 21 days winter sports ~ £120. Not had to claim tho' so can't vouch for the quality. |
I claimed with them for snowsports, by the time their overseas call centre had finished & they had deducted various fees etc it was hardly worth the hours spent on phone!! Cancelled all my insurances with them after that.
Note that in today's news they are cutting yet more jobs & moving them to India. 
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Go travel annual family travel insurance with snowsports european cover £70 i've gone for this year as it includes off piste cover ,last year used cover from co-op credit card however this didnt include off piste cover hence change.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Direct Travel for me as well. As Helen says, if you live at the same address you qualify for family policy.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Another vote for Direct Travel - the policies seem very comprehensive - but haven`t made a claim (yet).
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You know it makes sense.
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Carre Niege with an Annual travel policy...is my best option for France and anywhere else I use Snowcard with the skiing and medical parts only.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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We are looking at the insurance issue because there has been a case of an insurer refusing to pay out after a fatal avalanche - they claim avalanche risk of 3 out of 5 is "exposure to danger which is reasonably forseeable". The company involved in this case - CNA - hasn't responded to our calls so it's hard to determine what they deem an acceptable risk. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has had a good experience with off-piste claims. Please pm me if you don't want to go public.
We understand that the BMC cover is regarded as very good for ski-tourers etc.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The one thing I don't like about Direct Travel is that they do not cover ski equipment left outside restaurants on the mountain (neither do several others, including Dog Tag).
Snowcard specifically state that this IS covered - excerpt from their exclusions clauses:
"Loss or theft of snowsport, activity, dive or golf equipment you are not carrying with you unless you have kept it in locked accommodation or the locked boot of a car or protected it by using a recommended locking device secured to an immovable object (this exclusion does not apply to skis left unattended during the day time for the purpose of obtaining refreshments). "
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| provenjohn wrote: |
| halfhand wrote: |
| Norwich union direct. Annual family multi-trip inc 21 days winter sports ~ £120. Not had to claim tho' so can't vouch for the quality. |
I claimed with them for snowsports, by the time their overseas call centre had finished & they had deducted various fees etc it was hardly worth the hours spent on phone!! Cancelled all my insurances with them after that.( |
In fairness to Norwich Union, I had quick settlement of my medical claim when I dislocated my shoulder in Banff this February (ouch!). I had only changed my annual insurance to them at the start of the year (bad luck for them  ), but once I got home I submitted the hospital receipts and claim for a taxi fare (£433 in total) and these were paid within a week (minus the policy excess of £50). So in my case I have no complaints.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We've also got our annual policy we Amex. It's not cheap, but the levels of cover are very good and off-piste without a guide is covered.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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justapurrin,
I have found Snowcard very helpful in providing cover. They have a good personal service and have tailored policies to suit. Also, they have recently settled a claim without fuss.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I currently have Dog Tag insurance and won't be renewing. I had to make a claim and their claims process was appauling. Given how difficult they made recovering £120 in medical fees, I wouldn't like to experience their emergency service.
Edit: After posting this, a nice man from Dog Tag has got in touch - see post below.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 15-09-06 16:57; edited 1 time in total
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Could the mods make this a sticky as like certain subjects like hiring a car from Geneva airport it crops up time & time again?
BMC is the gold standard. Direct seems pretty good. Others watch for off piste/ freestyle/ 17 days max per annum not per trip limits.
Carte Neige always a good idea in addition in France/Europe. Don't rely on credit card "free insurance". Don't ski while drunk as your policy will be invalid. EHIC + Carte Neige still leaves you private clinics & repatriation to worry about.
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fallliner,
Glad you're pursuing the off-piste exposure to danger angle. Its a fine example of where proper journalism can benefit everyone. Main problem is insurance is sold by call centre monkeys who probably wouldn't have a clue how to evaluate hazard risk in any circumstance & that there seems to be no consensus as to hazard levels.
Personally I'd be happy to accept 4 & 5 avy danger as not insured, 3 is a difficult call. In N America ducking a rope into a permanent or temp closure area - not insured, leaving a ski area boundary in most cases - insured in line with with Euro offpiste.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| davehk wrote: |
| The one thing I don't like about Direct Travel is that they do not cover ski equipment left outside restaurants on the mountain (neither do several others, including Dog Tag). |
I'm with Direct Travel and I have asked them this specific question with respect to their wording for what you are not covered for:-
"8. Loss or theft of, or damage to, ski equipment unless it is:
d)locked to secure racking when available during the day only; ..."
They informed me that I would not be covered if during the day only my skis were outside a restaurant with secure racking available that I had not used but that I would if duing the day only my skis were outside a restaurant where secure racking was unavailable.
Direct Travel also allow off-piste without a guide, though I admit I always buy Carte Neige with my lift pass when in France.
fallliner I'd be very interested in that article and its conclusions too
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| slikedges wrote: |
I'm with Direct Travel and I have asked them this specific question with respect to their wording for what you are not covered for:-
"8. Loss or theft of, or damage to, ski equipment unless it is:
d)locked to secure racking when available during the day only; ..."
They informed me that I would not be covered if during the day only my skis were outside a restaurant with secure racking available that I had not used but that I would if duing the day only my skis were outside a restaurant where secure racking was unavailable.
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That's interesting, thanks. Direct Travel need to re-word the policy document to remove the ambiguity. They should also define what they mean by "locked" - is one of those extensible cable locks sufficient (that I could probably cut with my bucktool in a second)?
On a side-note: Does anyone remember seeing in Europe the Skikey racks they have in US & Canada where you buy your own lock that slots into the rack http://www.skikey.com/products/color.htm (since I have one and it would be good to be able to use it in Europe)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ski Club have new travel insurance on their website.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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justapurrin, I get ski cover complimentary with my NatWest Black card. For a £250 fee you get worldwide travel insurance (worth £70-100 or so) (including 21 days ski pack), Eurooean Green Flag cover (worth £120 or so?), a full Priority Pass (Airline lounge access worth £250 in its own right) with a free second card and Priority Pass for Sophie, Domestic Emergency cover, full CDW cover (which I have used several times...) plus a handy concierge service. We have made several claims and they've always been great.
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David Murdoch, wow, sounds too good to be true! D'ya have to bank with them?
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You know it makes sense.
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David Murdoch, there is a similar level of cover and perks with the American Express Platinum card, but when I looked into it off-piste skiing was not included. Have you checked with the Natwest Black cover that off-piste is included?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| slikedges wrote: |
| David Murdoch, wow, sounds too good to be true! D'ya have to bank with them? |
No, but you have to have an a substantial income to qualify for one.
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Poster: A snowHead
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slikedges, I knew someone had already asked this question before. I suppose the proof would be if someone makes a claim for their stolen skis.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Helen Beaumont, ultimately I'm afraid you're right 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We seem to be going native since the Swiss are reputedly second only to the Japanese as being the most over-insured people in the world... We have the Amex Platinum insurance (came automatically), we have a Swiss travel policy and also (if you speak German) the top level DSV policy AND we get carré neige when in France. The DSV and Swiss policies mention no limits to number of ski days nor do they explicitly exclude off-piste of any sort, therefore I presume they cover unlimited skiing on or off-piste, with or without a guide, if you can ski it, it's covered (professional racing, ski acrobatics are excluded). As for theft cover, the DSV policy states "The insurer will only be liable for loss or theft if the claim arises during the day between 0600 and 1900 local time or if winter sports equipment that is not in use the rrest of the time (1900 to 0600) is left in a secure room or locked vehicle". No mention of withint sight or locking during the day. Helmets are covered too. Seems like a good policy and costs EUR 43 per annum for a couple, and no residence requirements either.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Fri 15-09-06 12:04; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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David Murdoch, Do you have the 'Black Card' in addition to their Advantage Premier account? The resaon I ask is that Advantage premier gets you a lot of those benefits (travel insurance etc) but it sound like the additional 'black' benefits might be worth the cost? I believe the cost of a black card if you have AP is £200.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Any insurance policy only shows its true worth when you have to claim.
I used to have the (old) ski club policy which was excellent value, but the experience of other club members voiced in the forum showed the policy to be practically worthless.
I now have Snowcard, which was the only company I could find that clearly stated (in writing) that it would cover skis stacked outside a restaurant.
I will now look into their attitude to skiiing at various avalanche risk levels - I hadn't thought of that before (thank you fallliner, but sorry about the circumstances of your claim).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| PhillipStanton wrote: |
| I currently have Dog Tag insurance and won't be renewing. I had to make a claim and their claims process was appauling. Given how difficult they made recovering £120 in medical fees, I wouldn't like to experience their emergency service. |
It seems that SnowHeads has a wide readership...
Dog Tag have very kindly got in touch after reading my post in this thread to understand why I'm unhappy. Full marks for that.
They've also hgihlighted that they've changed their claim handling agents from the one I dealt with (Claims Settlements Agencies) to Europ Assistance, who were excellent the last time I had to contact them (to get a friend with a broken leg home).
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I have Dog Tag insurance taken out just last year, I haven't had to claim as yet, but your post has me very worried about their claims procedure. I do alot of skiing every year and like to be covered for other sports as well and I presumed I was insured by one of the best around. I shall be looking into this and deciding whether to give myself extra cover for this years trips. I'm glad you've highlighted the problem, other peoples experiences are good to hear and often an indication of how you will be treated yourself.
A worried
Alpinebullit
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Alpinebullit, Dog Tag seem to be genuinely interested to understand why I'm unhappy. That's a good thing and very positive as far as I'm concerned.
They've also changed their claims handling to Europ Assistance who bent over backwards when we had to get our friend home. This in itself makes me more confident about the likely service in the case of an emergency.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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All those people who are worried about their skis outside restaurants - why not just lock them up? Sure you can cut through a cable lock without much hassle but is any thief going to bother when there's an unlocked pair sitting next to them on the rack. Gear coverage (except in transit) is a very small part of my concern with insurance, I'm far more worried about hefty medical bills (4 stiches in my nose would have cost me about $800 in Tahoe) & repatriation.
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brian
brian
Guest
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fatbob, ... or buy last season's model.
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FAQ
