 Poster: A snowHead
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If its of any interest I well and truely checked out prices on the internet and ended up with Insure and Go in Feb this year. Silver cover, with baggage and holiday money cover as extra's, for me, DH and 2 kids 6 and 3, all but DH covered to ski on piste. 8 days cover £53.36, single trip terms though, it covered most of Europe inc. Switzerland - which is where we were. Also, don't know how good they would have been as luckily I didn't have to claim. Dead easy to set up on line though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Just got my travel insurance sorted out at travelplandirectinsurance.com.
Annual Worldwide cover Inc USA & Canada + winter cover for a couple with 1 medical condition (High Blood Pressure) £101.60
Thats a good price...well I think it is.
Roll on Jan 10...Whistler here we come. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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snow, you may like to take a look at the SCGB insurance. Following criticism of the claims handling process in past years, this year they've changed the handler and underwriter to the same one that underwrites the British Mountaineering Club insurance, which generally gets very good reviews. The basic wintersports cover does cover recreational racing, which means racing where you do NOT get points counting towards a professional or amateur series - not sure whether that covers your son or not - but the next level up (50% premium loading) covers racing generally. There are different levels of annual traveller and seasonaire policy, but only the lowest (which gives 17 days cover) is available to non-members. One other point to be aware of if looking at this, and SCGB membership, is that with the new Chil Protection Policy the SCGB activities he would be able to participate in without a parent/guardian present might be quite restricted if he's under 18.
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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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I've got a Barclays Additions + a/c - costs me £14.50 a month & I get free annual family travel insurance (worldwide cover inc. skiing) & Green Flag breakdown as well as a commission free currency service (they deliver to your door!!) & various other stuff that I just haven't got round to using!!!
I haven't had to claim yet so not sure how easy that is. I think the cover is with Norwich Union, not sure if off piste is covered as I haven't needed it!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm using P J Hayman (the same company that the Ski Club recommends). Cost £114 for annual insurance including unlimited number of days skiing per year, off piste included. Single trip limit of 90 days.
http://www.pjhayman.com/index.asp
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Hi there - any ideas for Travel Insurance that covers "No Snow" and any idea what has to be closed at the resort for such an insurance to pay out? Not really sure how that works, just overheard some guys at work talking about it.
Already have an annual policy but wondering whether I sould get another single trip Policy for my Les Deux Alpes trip on the 16th Dec incase there's no snow. Your advice would be appreciated, cheers.
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williams691,
With a glacier there and snow on it I think it highly unlikely to be worth your while trying to cover this eventuality. Policies vary but from memory usauully require 90% or more of the areas to be closed, piste closure due to bad weather is a bit more likely but I doubt it is worth taking a policy to covre this.
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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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Just got my annual insurance with the SCGB £120. Could have paid £104 but I took the excess waiver option.
I have used Snowcard for the last 3 years but this years £185 was a bit steep in my opinion
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williams691, tour ops usually bus their guests to LDA when there is no snow elsewhere, so I wouldn't worry about it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Cool - Thanks 
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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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williams691, The good news is that Europe appear to be in for a big dumo during the next 48 hrs and again over the weekend.
hopefully this will be enough to put right the current lack of snow in the Alps.
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rob@rar, My AMEX insurance includes of piste if with a guide.
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You know it makes sense.
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I used Snowcard last year and we were unfortunate enough to have 2 accidents. Mrs lbt tore her ACL and I broke 2 teeth.
Teeth Claim:
$600 for medical/drugs (recovery from in-bounds off-piste on mountain with 9 patrollers, doctor etc etc all part of US ski resort service - Thanks Snowbird)
£2000 for dental work at home
Insurance paid: £500 max towards dental (small print) and no hassles paying back US medical charges.
Result: out of pocket by £1500 for something I fully expected to be covered for.
ACL injury:
a few dollars for a consult and a leg brace.
Whistler refunded Mrs lbt's unused ticket (credit note)
IIRC they wouldn't pay for physio without hassle - PPP just dealt with it. MRI after a week. Operation, physio. I think we signed one form. Truly Excellent.
Insurance paid: <£100
Can't say I was delighted at having to pay £1500 when I'd bought what I thought was 'top of the line' insurance (certainly I got their top package).
I will probably go elsewhere this year but only if I can get better cover.
Actually handling the claim and paying me was great - but frankly I'd rather it took an extra month and paid the £1500!!!
What gets me is that I read *every line* of at least 3 different Ts & Cs - and still got caught by the small print.
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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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lbt, As we live in a country where we expect the NHS to pick up the bill for medical treatment or we pay for private medical cover which tends to use the NHS to cover a lot of it's expenditure we have an exagerated view of travel insurance. The general principal is that they pay for treatment we have to pay for when we're away from home and not to underwrite your medical bills for treatment you require AFTER a trip even if you sustained an injury whilst away.
If they changed the rules to cover all costs incurred as a result of a trip I think you would find that the premiums would rise to a level that not many British people would pay - after all, your skiing holidays are probably your highest risk weeks for personal injury of the whole year.
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Poster: A snowHead
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colin_g, totally agree. Travel insurance is there to alleviate the pain and inconvenience while you're travelling. Once home, you're on your own otherwise it becomes private medical insurance and rates for that are around 10 times higher. Some travel policies cover a small amount of physio however.
lbt,
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What gets me is that I read *every line* of at least 3 different Ts & Cs - and still got caught by the small print.
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The Ts & Cs is the small print surely.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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colin_g, Sorry but no.
I accept that there's a risk that's why I pay for insurance for that trip. I then expect to be covered against a normal simple accident.
To me "covered" = "not out of pocket". Pretty simple really.
It's like having a car crash and being told that your 'fully comp' insurance covers getting your car fixed up enough to drive to a garage but then you have to pay to get the bodywork repaired.
IIRC I paid almost £200 for 3 weeks of skiing cover - many people seem to pay less than £100. That's full comp - so yes, I expect more.
I just checked PPP rates for their top 'Premier' (unlimited cover) health care are £700 for 52 weeks. Hmm, they didn't ask if I played amateur football 3 times a week? (think ACL) Or drink in a Liverpool pub? (think broken teeth)
So that's, what, about a factor of 7 over top end health care? And I shouldn't expect to get my teeth paid for?
Bode Swiller, Yes. Deep in the small print was a limit on dental cover. Misleading? Well, funny how I had $10 million medical cover in *huge* glossy print on the brochure and £500 in tiny print in the Ts&Cs. As usual there is *so much* in the small print that it's almost impossible to appreciate what you're [not] getting.
My favourite is still the one in another policy where you are covered for missing a flight if you are involved in an accident.
Guess what, we (Tour Operater coach) were stuck in a 2hr queue *behind* an accident - we weren't 'involved' so we weren't covered. Clever eh?
Snowcard are very good here and cover you if you are 'affected' by an accident (IIRC). You may need to provide police reports but that's sensible.
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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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lbt, Using your own analogy, travel insurance is just like AA Europe cover, it is on top of your normal cover (or reliance on the NHS)- it covers you for the extra expenses whilst travelling - it is not full term medical cover.
As I mentioned in my earlier post in the UK we don't realise the expense of FULL medical cover - if you think that PPP will pay out "unlimited" costs for £700 pa for two people I think you need to look closely at their T&Cs. It obviously didn't cover your dental costs.
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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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philip stanton glad to hear your dogtag insurance was sorted
I've been with dogtag for the last 5 years and Pay around £120 a year for my insurance and was very alarmed to hear it mentioned on here, glad that its been sorted though
my avalanche kit is the most expensive piece of kit I hope never to use, my insurance comes in a close 2nd, but I wont be without either
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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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Question: If I book flights and then may need to cancel them myself. Is there a type of holiday insurance which will cover me??
Cheers Rob
PS: PM me if you have info.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Flashk5,
the Barclays Additions cover varies, depending on which risk you're exposed to. e.g. you might be covered for accident, but not legal liability. You need to check which risks are covered with/without a guide.
Also note that if you're on a snowboard, you won't be covered off-piste. (snowboarding is generally regarded as one level higher risk).
Otherwise, it's a pretty good 'free' extra.
h.
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Sandy77uk,
I too would like to sing the praises of Dog Tag - have been with them now for two years and this year in November had a non-skiing incident in southern France - heart attack and a weeks stay in hospital! Dog Tag and their claims agents Europ Assistance were excellent.
May wife had to suffer all the problems whilst I was laid up and Dog Tag were brilliant in sorting everything out. Can only recommend the service.
My only problem now, is trying to get cover at an affordable price for our ski trip in February! 
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Our skis are covered under our house contents policy with Norwich Union Direct under the section "Personal belongings in and away from your home", I double checked with them about leaving skis outside when stopping for lunch etc, and they assured me they would be covered, but if they were removed from the hotel, roof rack etc, (when they would expect them to be secured) they would not be covered, as it is possible in these circumstances to lock them. As said before though, the proof is in the claim!
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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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OK, always used Direct-Travel and it's now due for renewal. I can't gwt family cover with dogtag, as they only cover up to age 17, while DT will cover over 18's still at school and students. Just need to check out what sports are covered other than skiing, as kids want to go climbing this summer.
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| PhillipStanton wrote: |
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. |
I had the pleasure of dealing with this shower last March (EA) when my flight was randomly cancelled (Ryan-joke-Air, only flight of the day) and I had to come back from St-Etienne overland racking up over £200 in the process....The claim process got so stupidly bureaucratic and the requests for documentation became so annoying, especially as it had all been sent in the initial letter, that I could not be bothered to pursue it!! I just wrote it off as a bad experience and will insure with somebody else this year!
As has been mentioned, you don't know who you are dealing with until you need to claim....
Nice shiny tag though!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Robbof,
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| The claim process got so stupidly bureaucratic and the requests for documentation became so annoying, especially as it had all been sent in the initial letter, that I could not be bothered to pursue it!! I just wrote it off as a bad experience and will insure with somebody else this year! |
Ahh, that's the problem - the insurance company makes things a little awkard in the hope that people will give up trying to claim.
I had this with Amex. My wife and I were on honeymoon in Eilat, Israel. On second day there was a bad earthquake that was over 6 on the Richter scale. Damage to buildings, but nothing too major in our hotel. One death in the hotel - that was a bloke who had a heart attack while trying to carry his wife down the stairs. And people were going home. We were supposed to be there 10 days, but wife pregnant and didn't want to stay as we were worried about her safety and that of unborn (I wanted to as I was supposed to be going diving!). So I went to the ElAl office and got tickets for flight home for the following day. All sorted, no big issues or anything, holiday nicely curtailed but we were safe back in Blighty.
Then the fun began - call to Amex who told me we shouldn't have come home without a doctor's report saying that she would be better off home than in an earthquake zone. So we had to then get a doctor's report over here to confirm that we had done the right thing (which we already knew). Then sent all the paperwork off to Amex who then told me they couldn't cover curtailment of holiday and flight cost as we didn't call their "assistance line". I then had a battle of 8 months during which I had to repeatedly tell them that there was no mention in the policy of having to call their assistance line. All the policy said was "if you need assistance then call". We didn't need assistance to book two tickets home. Still they wouldn't have it until I wrote them a letter advising that I was forwarding all correspondence to my solicitor (I didn't actually forward it to them - I just put "cc Waugh and Co" on the bottom of the letter). Then all of a sudden I got a letter with a cheque in full settlement of my claim.
Do not give on a claim just because the claim process is "stupidly bureaucratic". The insurance companies want people to give up. The only way they will get better is if the punters fight more to get what they are due.
RANT OVER.
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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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Robbof, The circumstances you describe wouldn't be covered anyway. These days policies specifically don't cover failure of a transport provider to provide the booked journey - your beef is with Ryanair. Insurance companies have wised up to the "don't care, no frills, what did you expect for £12" attidude of the low cost airlines. That's cheap modern travel for you. Can't have it all ways.
Medical emergencies are where travel insurance counts and they're all pretty good at it. Other claims do seem to involve plenty of meticulous paperwork (whoever you insure with) as, yes, some claimants do inevitably give up but more likely because instances of attempted fraud are high I'm told.
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Bode Swiller, I think my Lloyds TSB policy WOULD cover me in this isntance described by Robbof. It says
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Section H – Delayed departure
• Delayed departure for at least 12 hours from the scheduled departure time. £20 for the first complete 12 hour delay and £20 for each completed 12
hours following, up to a maximum of £100.
• Up to £5,000 for any irrecoverable travel and other pre-paid charges if you choose to cancel your trip once 12 hours has elapsed.
Section I – Missed departure
• Strike or industrial action publicly known at the time you made travel arrangements for the trip. |
So it looks like if I were to be delayed for 12 hours by the airline then I could choose to cancel the journey and claim up to £5000 for any irrecoverable travel and other pre-paid charges.
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You know it makes sense.
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Re Lloyds TSB travel insurance - this is how it works. With platinum account I get free family travel insurance. I have just paid £50 to upgrade if to annual winter sports for wife, 4 kids and I - not too bad I don't think, for 6 of us.
The winter sports upgrade is as follows
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Sections J, K, L and M – Winter sports – your upgrade schedule will show if this option is operative.
• Section J – Ski Equipment. Up to £300 for the loss, theft of or damage to your own ski equipment subject to a maximum of £300 for any one article,
pair or set of articles or up to £200 for hired ski equipment.
• Section K – Ski pack. Up to £5,000 for the unused portion of your ski pack following your bodily injury or illness and up to £150 for the unused
portion of your lift pass if lost. The combined total amount payable under Section A – cancellation or curtailment charges and early return and
Section K – Ski pack will be no more than £5,000.
• Section L – Piste closure. Up to £15 per day, up to a maximum of £150 for the cost of transport organised by your tour operator to an alternative site
if snow conditions result in total closure of skiing facilities. If no alternative sites are available we will pay you compensation of £15 per day up to a
maximum of £150.
• Section M – Hire of ski equipment. Up to £20 per day, up to a maximum of £300 for the cost of hiring ski equipment following the loss, theft of or
damage to your own ski equipment – your upgrade schedule will show if this option is operative.
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So my skis are pretty well covered (wouldn't get the full replacement value if I totally trashed them as they cost me £340). And they pay for ski hire up to £20/day following loss, theft or damage to each set of ski equipment. Not too bad I don't think.
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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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Sorry petemillis, but I'm pretty certain that refers only to the outward journey... clearly, you can't cancel your trip once you're on the way home from it as Robbof was.
As for your £340 skis... unless it's new for old (which I doubt), they'll try to suggest that they've been used and therefore worth half... less the excess... you might recover £120. Home contents would probably pay out more.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bode Swiller, I've just spoken to the claims department - the Lloyds insurance is underwritten by Axa. With regard to inward bound flights, they've said they'll pay us for the delay and we would also be covered for difference in price if we had to rearrange flights. However, they said that BA are going to be covering additional costs if their curent problems force passenger to have to use other airlines to get home.
Re the ski insurance - they said that scratches to the bases will be considered "wear and tear". But if I have an accident and rip them to pieces and smash them up then there is no deduction for wear and tear as they are new skis. If they are stolen or lost, again no deduction for wear and tear, but still the max payout is £300. If the bases get really badly trashed then I crash and snap a ski or they were to be stolen, then wear and tear doesn't come into it. When the skis are older there will be a deduction obviously, but I wouldn't really expect to have year old well used skis replaced with new ones anyway. All I'd want is some money (the value of the old skis) to go towards a new pair.
I did ask specifically what would happen if they got trashed at the end of just 2 or 3 weeks skiing and the lady confirmed that there would not be any wear and tear deduction.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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petemillis, well, you're certainly thorough and obviously expecting something to happen! Sounds like a good policy to me. Most have exclusions when it comes to strike action so good that BA are doing the honourable thing.
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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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| petemillis wrote: |
Bode Swiller, I think my Lloyds TSB policy WOULD cover me in this isntance described by Robbof. It says
| Quote: |
Section H – Delayed departure
• Delayed departure for at least 12 hours from the scheduled departure time. £20 for the first complete 12 hour delay and £20 for each completed 12
hours following, up to a maximum of £100.
• Up to £5,000 for any irrecoverable travel and other pre-paid charges if you choose to cancel your trip once 12 hours has elapsed.
Section I – Missed departure
• Strike or industrial action publicly known at the time you made travel arrangements for the trip. |
So it looks like if I were to be delayed for 12 hours by the airline then I could choose to cancel the journey and claim up to £5000 for any irrecoverable travel and other pre-paid charges. |
My situation exactly Pete! Until you try and execute the clause.... Jokers!
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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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Try looking at Worldwide Travel, recommended by Consumers’ Association, their Elite Policy is very good, and they ask detailed info about pre-existing medical conditions so they can be either include with a surcharge, or exclude, then at least in the event of a claim, you know exactly what to expect.
What most insurance companies fail to tell you (and Tour Operators that sell insurance) is that if you don't volunteer information about something as simple as seeing your GP about a sore toe, in the preceding 12 months, they can use that as a ‘directly’ or ‘indirectly’ related cause for a claim i.e. your sore toe (which might be due to arthritis or normal wear and tear) stopped you balancing properly so you fell over when you might not have if your didn't have a sore toe! In other words, they can void the policy because you haven’t told them about something, even if your eventual claim has nothing to do with the why you sought medical advice, it’s the ‘omission’ that voids it (and this applies to anyone else in your group that may cause you to cancel/curtail or claim and including those at home). If you’ve attended out-patients or had any in-patient treatment, or are waiting for any type of investigation they will most certainly exclude anything relating to that. Simple things like blood tests and blood pressure checks have to be mentioned, but how many Tour Operators and insurance companies tell their clients this? I know someone who cut their holiday short as their father at home, died of a heart attack, his last one was 15 years earlier, the insurance company insisted that this was a pre-existing medical condition of someone close to her that was a potential risk for a claim, and she hadn’t mentioned it. It took 12 months to get the money back for the added expense, her GP and the hospital had to write detailed reports about the state of her father’s health.
Read the small print, and if in doubt, tell them everything you can about seeking medical advice over the last 12 months (some companies go back further) and those in your party and those close to you at home. If an insurance company can wriggle, they will!!!
With regard to luggage, many TO’s, drop you off in an unattended coach/car parks, and the hotels then come and collect your luggage whilst you walk to the hotel, at this point your luggage is not insured, as it is "left unattended and out of your immediate control and supervision". When I pointed this clause out to the Crystal Rep in Cervinia, they admitted this was the case, and in subsequent years, they left a rep standing with the luggage!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Does anyone have anything bad (or good) to say about Essential Travel? They are now underwritten by AXA and an old thread said they were OK, but there's no mention in this thread.
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PS. to my last message, just taken out mine again with Worldwide and they now include all pre-existing medical conditons but charge a little more, cost us £35 each (Elite policy) so not that bad considering the extent of cover. justacey, It's underwritten by AXA also
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My annual policy dates from May 2006 and allows me 17 days wintersports. I don't expect to be exceeding this for the duration of my present policy, but:
- if I did, assuming I didn't claim for previous trips, how would they know that I had previously been skiing?
- do the 17 days only include when you are actually skiing rather than travelling/having a day off/etc. If any insurance experts are listening in perhaps they would enlighten me.
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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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PamG, It's the flight to flight time as far as I'm aware. Total trip not to exceed 17 days.
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PamG, that'll be 17 days wintersport in total per annum... IMO it doesn't include your travelling time as that's covered by the rest of the policy. Best make a call to check.
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FAQ
they offering me 5% off to renew which is tempting but I am in no rush not on another trip until Jan.
