“You Want to Charge Me How Much for Travel Insurance?”
You’ve just booked your dream cruise.
Of course, now you need some travel insurance.
So the next step is arranging suitable cover.
Easily done.
But what you didn’t expect is… the cost of the policy.
You see… some travel insurance policies can add a few hundred pounds onto the price of your cruise.
But not to worry.
You suddenly remember that you have free multi-trip insurance with your home policy.
Or maybe you have one of those premium bank accounts which comes with free travel cover.
On the surface, these packaged annual holiday insurance policies look great. They’re free, they’re convenient, and they cover the essentials.
But they could be missing out one vital element…
The Problem with Free Travel Insurance
Free travel insurance policies often don’t cover you for pre-existing medical conditions.
Now that may not be a problem for you.
After all, you’ve not suffered with that bad knee for a couple of years.
And that work-related stress, which gave you heart palpitations many years ago, hasn’t troubled you since.
But those ailments are on your medical records.
So it’s possible they might not be covered under your travel insurance policy.
But do you know exactly what’s recorded in your medical records? Do you know how these ailments would affect your insurance?
Many cruise companies insist on their passengers being insured for every eventuality.
This means that all pre-existing medical conditions must be covered. If there’s a medical emergency during your cruise, you certainly don’t want to end up with a massive bill for thousands of pounds. And, understandably, neither does the cruise company want that predicament either.
How Would You Know if You Have a Pre-Existing Medical Condition?
What is a pre-existing medical condition, anyway?
Do you know if your back pain is classified as a pre-existing medical condition?
Do you know whether your occasional migraine headaches would nullify your cover?
And if your free travel insurance policy doesn’t cover you for pre-existing medical conditions, what can you do about it?
How to Get Cover for Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
Your first course of action might be to check out your cruise company’s own insurance policy. After all, they should have special arrangements to insure your pre-existing medical conditions.
It’s also worth comparing the price with other travel insurance companies.
Perhaps you could even extend the terms of your free insurance policy with an additional premium.
But if you don’t know whether your ailment of years ago, or your current condition, is classified as a “pre-existing medical condition”, you may be spending unnecessary money.
So before you launch into any of these, why not do this…
How to Get Free Travel Cover …or as Cheaply as Possible
A simple and sure way to ascertain whether you have any medical conditions which may not be covered is to make an appointment with your GP.
And ask your Doctor the following question:
“My travel insurance policy says I’m not covered for pre-existing conditions, yet the cruise company says I need to be. Do I have any pre-existing medical conditions? And if so, what are they?”
It’s a straightforward question. Your doctor should either give you a clean bill of health, or he should tell you exactly what conditions you need to get cover for.
If you’re reasonably healthy, it’s highly likely you’ll walk away from the surgery with a spring in your step, armed with the good news that your existing free travel insurance could be all you need.
But if not, you’ll know exactly what extra cover you’ll require. So you’ll be able to use this specific information to compare the market and get the best possible deal.
Does Your Free Insurance Cover a Cruise?
One lady thought her free insurance covered her for her cruise.
But it didn’t.
She ended up with a £50,000 bill after an emergency airlift from a cruise ship.
So remember… always check carefully that your insurance policy:
- covers your cruise
- has the required levels of cover
- covers you for wherever in the world you’ll visit
Then, you’ll be able to go on your cruise with peace of mind, confident that you’ve made sure you have exactly the right travel insurance.
Now here’s a disclaimer: This is not medical advice nor insurance advice. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. Always consult a medical / insurance professional if you are in any doubt.
