3 ms·

I'd wager most travel insurance doesn't cover half as much as people would expect it to. A few years ago I was travelling abroad, and someone broke into my ren

by fyfy18 7y ago

I'd wager most travel insurance doesn't cover half as much as people would expect it to. A few years ago I was travelling abroad, and someone broke into my rental car and stole my suitcase which had my passport inside. Both my travel insurance through my bank, and car rental insurance wouldn't cover any of it (they shimmed the lock open, so there was no damage to the vehicle). Since then I've just opted for the lowest cover which will cover emergency medical costs, and kept the rest in a rainy day fund.

refurb 7y ago
Did you use a credit card for the rental card? Plenty of cards offer travel insurance and anecdotally I've heard they don't put up much of a fuss for pay outs. Plus, if you have renters or homeowners insurance, it should cover the stole items.
o-__-o 7y ago
You spent more on travel insurance than what real insurance would cost. If you had renters (or auto insurance but that deductible is much higher) insurance you would be able to file a claim to recover your stolen goods. As with any insurance policy, travel insurance is only as good as the words written on the paper (e.g. read it very carefully)
ghaff 7y ago
By and large, travel insurance is borderline scammy. And it doesn't replace health insurance. There are a few circumstances where I'll buy it: Expensive pre-paid trip Uncertain situation with a close relative medically that may lead me to cancel Trips to remote areas that could require an expensive medical evac if things went bad But 95% of the time, I don't bother.
- eisa01 7y ago
  That is pretty high risk and irresponsible - imagine traveling to the US without travel insurance and you could be on the hook for 100s of thousands USD for a small hospital visit! Travel insurance is usually quite cheap, about 100-150 EUR per year in Norway
  - ghaff 7y ago
    I was speaking from the perspective of a US citizen who has health insurance which will cover me internationally although I may have to spend out of pocket initially. If you live somewhere that won't cover you for health expenses in other countries then, yes, it makes sense to buy travel insurance. However, note that in many cases, travel insurance mostly just pays to get you back to your country of origin as quickly as possible with the minimum of medical treatment. See e.g. this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17548285 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17548285
    - eisa01 7y ago
      Ah, I didn't know that US health insurance also covers you abroad, as that's not a thing in Norway
      - ghaff 7y ago
        It probably varies and you'll be paying out of network rates and it may not cover prescriptions in any case. But, if there are gaps that are of concern, you may want a supplemental international travel health insurance plan instead of "travel insurance" in any case. I've always been covered for international travel as far as I know. Fortunately never had to test how well it worked. I do buy travel insurance now and then but it's mostly to cover costly cancellations or expensive rescue/evacuation costs when those factors are relevant.

by fyfy18 7y ago

refurb 7y ago

Did you use a credit card for the rental card? Plenty of cards offer travel insurance and anecdotally I've heard they don't put up much of a fuss for pay outs. Plus, if you have renters or homeowners insurance, it should cover the stole items.

o-__-o 7y ago

You spent more on travel insurance than what real insurance would cost. If you had renters (or auto insurance but that deductible is much higher) insurance you would be able to file a claim to recover your stolen goods. As with any insurance policy, travel insurance is only as good as the words written on the paper (e.g. read it very carefully)

ghaff 7y ago

By and large, travel insurance is borderline scammy. And it doesn't replace health insurance. There are a few circumstances where I'll buy it: Expensive pre-paid trip Uncertain situation with a close relative medically that may lead me to cancel Trips to remote areas that could require an expensive medical evac if things went bad But 95% of the time, I don't bother.

eisa01 7y ago
That is pretty high risk and irresponsible - imagine traveling to the US without travel insurance and you could be on the hook for 100s of thousands USD for a small hospital visit! Travel insurance is usually quite cheap, about 100-150 EUR per year in Norway
- ghaff 7y ago
  I was speaking from the perspective of a US citizen who has health insurance which will cover me internationally although I may have to spend out of pocket initially. If you live somewhere that won't cover you for health expenses in other countries then, yes, it makes sense to buy travel insurance. However, note that in many cases, travel insurance mostly just pays to get you back to your country of origin as quickly as possible with the minimum of medical treatment. See e.g. this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17548285 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17548285
  - eisa01 7y ago
    Ah, I didn't know that US health insurance also covers you abroad, as that's not a thing in Norway
    - ghaff 7y ago
      It probably varies and you'll be paying out of network rates and it may not cover prescriptions in any case. But, if there are gaps that are of concern, you may want a supplemental international travel health insurance plan instead of "travel insurance" in any case. I've always been covered for international travel as far as I know. Fortunately never had to test how well it worked. I do buy travel insurance now and then but it's mostly to cover costly cancellations or expensive rescue/evacuation costs when those factors are relevant.