Poster: A snowHead
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I know this is nothing to do with equipment, but I can't see any other "general" topic I could post under. Admin please feel free to move to the correct section if this is the wrong place.
Can anyone recommend a good company for cheap ski insurance or would you use normal travel insurance with the snow sports option added.?
I've got the green light for the Livigno bash in January. Yesssssssss!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Awdbugga, I go with travel insurance that covers skiing (winter sports). Last year we claimed and everything was covered absolutely fine.
There are a couple of companies that are more specialist but I don't feel the need personally. Snowcard is an example.
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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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Thanks. I'll go that root.
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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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I use Ski Club Insurance...but it isn't the cheapest.....for the following reasons:
1. I'm a member so get a small discount.
2. They cover Off Piste without a guide.
3. They provide a Fogg Medicard as part of the cover. This is useful if you need taken off the mountain, as you will often be asked to play at the time (if you haven't taken out extra insurance with the lift pass). The Medicard should cover you for this (unless outside Europe).
http://www.skiclubinsurance.co.uk/fogg-medi-card/
Always check out the reviews of the cheaper companies, as they can put obstacles in the way of claiming.
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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 have skiclub membership and their insurance but shall be doing 2 weeks in Canada next year. Suggestions?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Perfect thanks
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@endoman, I have a couple of declared passed illnesses....and I took out their Gold Worldwide Multi-Trip for a year....as it was cheaper than the single trip one (to the USA).
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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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I have used these guys, using their voyager ski policy inc USA / Canada, it covers offpiste without a guide but only 21 days of skiing
online-travelinsurance.com
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I recently took out normal travel insurance with Cover Cloud. This was before I got the green light for next years MYAsHBash in Livigno. Cover Cloud offer Winter sports cover for an additional premium. I'll look into the costs and quality of cover. In particular the small print.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Awdbugga wrote: |
Can anyone recommend a good company for cheap ski insurance
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Slightly OT but I would not recommend cheap insurance full stop. Last season I had to claim and was very glad to have purchased the most expensive plan.
Basically, you get what you pay for. More expensive insurance means lower excesses, higher single claim limits, and better cover.
The cost of medical treatment in Europe is such that the small price difference between a cheap policy and a good one will pale into total insignificance if you have to claim. Hell - even if you don't claim for medical expenses - the cost of hiring kit in resort because your bags went missing and the cheapest plan didn't cover that? Or the cost of having your skis nicked and the cheapest plan only covering up to £150?
To me, you only win on the cheap plans if you don't have to claim at all. Which for many people is absolutely the case. But if you're working on the premise of not claiming at all, why get insured at all?
You mention that you're going to do the Livigno bash - that's great but let me warn you up front, the only medical centre in Livigno is private and the nearest state operated one is very far away. A 'cheap' ski insurer might not cover you to use private medical facilities... so you could be letting yourself in for a long journey to the hospital.
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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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dp wrote: |
Slightly OT but I would not recommend cheap insurance full stop. Last season I had to claim and was very glad to have purchased the most expensive plan.
Basically, you get what you pay for. More expensive insurance means lower excesses, higher single claim limits, and better cover.
The cost of medical treatment in Europe is such that the small price difference between a cheap policy and a good one will pale into total insignificance if you have to claim. Hell - even if you don't claim for medical expenses - the cost of hiring kit in resort because your bags went missing and the cheapest plan didn't cover that? Or the cost of having your skis nicked and the cheapest plan only covering up to £150?
To me, you only win on the cheap plans if you don't have to claim at all. Which for many people is absolutely the case. But if you're working on the premise of not claiming at all, why get insured at all?
You mention that you're going to do the Livigno bash - that's great but let me warn you up front, the only medical centre in Livigno is private and the nearest state operated one is very far away. A 'cheap' ski insurer might not cover you to use private medical facilities... so you could be letting yourself in for a long journey to the hospital. |
This is exactly what I was getting at in my first post.....better companies pick up the bill (bar the excess); whereas others leave you paying for everything and then try to mitigate how much they reimburse you, by challenging different aspects of your claim.
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@Old Fartbag yes of course that is another thing... I picked up around £16,000 of expenses in Italy and they just paid them all up front. Then some form filling and doctors appointments followed and the claim was all signed off.
Cheaper policy might have expected me to front the £16,000 and then reimburse it afterwards... I have a Platinum American Express but I still don't think it covers that much credit. And as you say, they'd have then done everything in their power to worm out of paying some or all of it by challenging whether my actions were exactly in accordance with their 7 million words of small print which would take you the entire ski season just to read.
It made my life so much easier (and believe me, having a fractured pelvis in a ski resort is not easy) being able to use local private clinics, get taxis reimbursed, etc. Also worth noting that the private hospitals, whilst convenient, are reasonably rogue in their behaviour and will do 5 CT scans 'just to make sure' whilst charging £600 a time - they know the insurer is covering so it's just free money to them. We tend to trust medical professionals which makes it easy for them to rip us off. Much nicer being ripped off when the insurer has already granted express permission and is settling the tab directly, though.
Having been through that experience this year, I will only ever buy 'good' policies. The policy was about £150 for annual multi-trip, including off-piste without a guide. £150 will not get you an X-Ray in resort. It would cover about 5 hours with a private physio (my policy gave me 10x 2-hour sessions with a private physio to recover - a cheap policy wouldn't give you any). Examples go on. I see it as 100% worth the money.
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You know it makes sense.
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@dp, The whole thing is doubly important going to The States....and will become increasingly so in the EU, if there is no EHIC equivalence after Brexit.
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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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@dp, so which insurance company/plan would you recommend?
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