1Cover travel insurance claiming experience please

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Batman

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#210258 20-Mar-2017 09:47

Hi I bought 1cover travel insurance based on recommendations and they can't answer my question!

If an outbound domestic flight is delayed by fog, leading to missing international connection with a different airline ... is it covered? They said they can't answer because the event hasn't happened! But gave me a list of things they cover and don't cover.

My question is has anyone made a claim for missing international connection ... thanks

Yes I know in hindsight you book with a travel agent, and other kinds of methods (which I have discovered ;p) etc etc but no I didn't. Can't change that fact.

As per the terms and conditions page 37 (attached) We will cover if it was due to sickness, injuries, strikes, collision, retrenchment or natural disasters.

We will not pay for:

a) the death, injury or illness of a relative arising from a pre-existing medical condition except as specified
under Section 13.e) Cancellation Fees & Lost Deposits.
b) you or your travelling companion changing plans.
c) any business, financial or contractual obligations. This exclusion does not apply to claims where you or your travelling companion are made redundant from full-time employment in New Zealand provided you or they were not aware that the redundancy was to occur before the policy was issued.
d) a tour operator or wholesaler being unable to complete arrangements for any tour because there were not enough people to go on the tour. If your tour is cancelled because not enough people are going then unfortunately we don’t cover this. Make sure you choose a tour with a guaranteed departure.
e) cancellations, delays or rescheduling by a bus line, airline, shipping line or rail authority.
f) the financial collapse of any travel agency, transport, tour or accommodation provider.
g) the failure of your travel agent to pass on monies to operators or to deliver promised services.
h) the mechanical breakdown of any means of transport.
i) an act or threat of terrorism.
j) the death, injury or illness of any person who resides outside of New Zealand or Australia.
k) you are being a full time permanent employee and your pre-arranged leave is cancelled by your employer unless you are a full time member of the New Zealand Defence
Force or of federal, state or territory emergency services.

sbiddle

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#1744274 20-Mar-2017 09:59

It's actually a very interesting question for lots of travel insurance policies (FWIW I have a 1cover annual policy)

One thing to be aware of with 1cover is that you are covered from the minute you leave your home. Some other policies such as Southern Cross will *not* cover you until you have actually left NZ meaning any domestic connections or transport will not be covered.

Personally I would never ever book flights on individual PNR's that were within such a narrow margin that a delay could mean missing the flight. Having a single ticket makes life so much easier and means the airline has to look after you.

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MikeAqua

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#1744363 20-Mar-2017 11:10

On my reading they specifically exclude delays/cancellations by airlines.

Or are you thinking if weather precludes flying that isn't a delay or cancellation by an airline?

Mike

lissie

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#1749667 28-Mar-2017 18:52

I frequently book flights which aren't on the same booking so I've researched this extensively and called various providers. I have gotten a universal NO - no cover doesn't matter if its weather or not. I think one insurer would cover if you missed a specific sporting event you were travelling to - but just the cost of the event ticket not the extra flights!

When we need to get to Auckland in foggy season from WEllington I've resorted to the train before (nice option BTW). I normally either fly the night before or fly early enough in the day so that there are several backup flights that would still make my connection. I NEVER fly Jetstar domestic when connecting (even if I'm flying them internationally).

Overseas I have a minimum of a night in the departure city before leaving.

Some say I'm overly conservative - but a few years ago I had a cheap Air Tahiti flight to LAX which stops for an hour or so in Pappeette - except there was a mechanical problem and we were about 3 hours late into LAX - if I'd booked a flight to connect to Philly within 5 hours of arrival I'd have missed it - fortunately we had a flight 12 hours later and were fine. Judging by the frantic phoning and texting going on on the plane many weren't

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Batman

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#1749691 28-Mar-2017 19:27

ok got you. i'm on my own. !

lissie

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#1750613 30-Mar-2017 10:41

joker97:

ok got you. i'm on my own. !

Pretty much - it would be a bad day to be flying out of Wellington on an unprotected connection - the fog is still real low!

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Behodar

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#1750619 30-Mar-2017 11:02

Travel insurance is weird. Last year my parents, brother and I went overseas. Mum and Dad got free insurance through their bank. My brother and I were additional travellers through the same provider, but on a slightly different policy. When a plane broke down and we missed a connecting flight, the insurance company paid for my brother and me, but not for my parents!

lissie

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#1750624 30-Mar-2017 11:23

Were you all on the same booking for the flights?

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Batman

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#1750626 30-Mar-2017 11:26

Behodar:

Travel insurance is weird. Last year my parents, brother and I went overseas. Mum and Dad got free insurance through their bank. My brother and I were additional travellers through the same provider, but on a slightly different policy. When a plane broke down and we missed a connecting flight, the insurance company paid for my brother and me, but not for my parents!

I think the key here is "slightly different policy"

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#1750646 30-Mar-2017 12:24

lissie:

Were you all on the same booking for the flights?

Yup.

joker97: I think the key here is "slightly different policy"

Indeed; it just seems odd (at least to me) to have such differences from the same insurance company.

itxtme

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#1750887 30-Mar-2017 20:31

Not that odd, if you read the policy from the Credit Card companies its not worth the paper its printed on. So many exclusions and gotchya's. I get it free through my CC but always purchase a proper policy. Big differences are on Delays, Carrying money/Travellers cheques, Car excess coverage to name a few.

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#1750898 30-Mar-2017 20:47

itxtme:

Not that odd, if you read the policy from the Credit Card companies its not worth the paper its printed on. So many exclusions and gotchya's. I get it free through my CC but always purchase a proper policy. Big differences are on Delays, Carrying money/Travellers cheques, Car excess coverage to name a few.

I don't agree. Policies such as the AIG one offered by ANZ and Westpac is a very good policy with cover better than many paid travel insurance policies. ANZ has it's incredibly stupid rental car exception that offers no rental car cover at all, but apart from that it's not really that different. The Amex policy is also a very good one. The biggest downside of any credit card policy is that you need to call them and provide proof of eligibility when you need assistance - so if you're stuck in a hospital in the US needing immediate surgery providing the month of your credit card bill that you booked the flights on is going to be the last thing on your mind.

There some paid policies such as the Southern Cross one that have some terrible exclusions as well - such as offering *no* cover at all until you're actually on the plane to leave NZ which means you're not covered for any domestic connections or travel for a trip. Any good policy will cover you from the time you leave home.

I have a 1cover multi trip worldwide policy since I travel so much. It's far from a perfect policy but I do get domestic cover which is incredibly handy for rental car hire in NZ. For the price it's a good deal IMHO - you have to spend well over double the price to get something better from a broker.

There have been a lot of discussions about travel insurance in light of the fog in Wellington, and certainly plenty of comments from people saying people should take it. Lots of people have no knowledge at all about what their travel insurance covers, and more importantly that you will need to find things such as accommodation yourself and claim it back. That's of no use when it's impossible to get a hotel room in Wellington.

Kiwifruta

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#1750967 30-Mar-2017 23:16

In 2014 we successfully claimed from 1Cover when my wife and kids initial flight was cancelled due to a storm in South America and they missed all their connecting flights back from South America to NZ.

The initial flight were organised through a travel agent in South America. The other flights back to NZ were organised through a travel agent here (Michelle Fergusson of Flight Centre in Hamilton, best travel agent I've ever had) which is where I bought the 1cover insurance.

1cover covered us for all the flights that I organised at Flight Centre. Saved our bacon, because it would have taken months to save the money again and bring them back to NZ, while I worked here in NZ.

Claiming was straightforward and quick, didn't even need to supply original documents, emailed scans were fine.

surfisup1000

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#1750985 31-Mar-2017 01:27

itxtme:

Not that odd, if you read the policy from the Credit Card companies its not worth the paper its printed on. So many exclusions and gotchya's. I get it free through my CC but always purchase a proper policy. Big differences are on Delays, Carrying money/Travellers cheques, Car excess coverage to name a few.

Not in my experience, I've claimed 10's of thousands of dollars in around 4 or 5 claims in my lifetime (albeit one US medical claim for a broken arm was responsible for most of that).

In fact, they even covered me once on an arguable point in a grey area.

And, I had a claim last year for a rental car accident where someone rear ended me at traffic lights. I was paid out a week after getting home.

The main hassle with CC insurance is when you need to make a big claim immediately for emergency reasons.

Jas777

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#1756204 4-Apr-2017 11:33

Based on my experience if different bookings with different airlines the answer is no. I had it where delayed international flight out of NZ (delayed in Australia to USA leg) meant missing domestic connection in USA. The insurance said it was the airlines problem.

Now if I did similar (I won't ) I would pay the extra dollars for Insurance from the airline on the US leg.

Torque

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#1756637 4-Apr-2017 21:23

Or book it all on one ticket..