Travel insurance

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coolcat21

285 posts

Ultimate Geek

#157496 2-Dec-2014 22:51

Hey guys, so I will be flying to Canada for a year this coming January and have a question regarding travel insurance.

I've been shopping around to find the best deals for ticket prices & travel insurance.

It looks like for me the best price is with Air NZ, since they travel direct to Vancouver then Calgary (codeshare).

Now for the travel insurance, I need it to be exactly 12 months (more is ok, less would be detrimental to my work permit length) and it needs to be fully comprehensive (medicals, repatriation, hospitalization) .

I've looked around and so far AA is the cheapest one at $1014 NZD. They have another one called "frequent traveller" which is only $400, don't know if I can use that one but I"ll ask them tomorrow.

But I was wondering if you guys can recommend one ? I was looking at the ones in Canada (insurance companies there) and while it seems cheaper, I haven't dealt with a canadian insurance company before, so abit hesitant.

Yep yep I know, January is a super busy season + cold winter in Canada. But...hiring is also really busy there that time of the year, quite the opposite with NZ. So hence the timing.

timbosan

2134 posts

Uber Geek

#1187563 2-Dec-2014 22:57

It sounds like you are going to work rather than just visit - in this case you will need specific travel insurance. I just went through this with my son, via IEP, and they offered packages from $1100 up to about $1600, depending on excess. He HAD to get a years insurance to match his visa, so watch out for that one.

There was also something around employers in Canada won't take on people on working holidays who don't have insurance, but I cannot remember the details.

At the end of the day $1000 is a good price for something that could look after you in hospital in a foreign country where medical costs are expensive. One option we looked at was extra cover for a return trip in case of family emergencies back home - a lot can happen in a year.

Have you tried STA travel? They work with the IEP guys so probably know where to look. If your in Auckland try STA in Queen St.

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Geektastic

17927 posts

Uber Geek

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#1187674 3-Dec-2014 09:36

Make sure the insurer knows you are working and not just going on holiday. Be explicit in making them aware of that before they quote you.

It's the kind of thing that they'll use to avoid paying you for something if you don't.

sir1963

3188 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1188191 3-Dec-2014 18:48

Geektastic: Make sure the insurer knows you are working and not just going on holiday. Be explicit in making them aware of that before they quote you.

It's the kind of thing that they'll use to avoid paying you for something if you don't.

AND watch for the fine print. They will often have in the fine print that any claim you make will mean you have to give them unfettered access to your entire medical and financial history.

Even though the Privacy Commissioner has said they can not do this in NZ, they still try it.

graemeh

2078 posts

Uber Geek

#1188443 4-Dec-2014 08:24

The frequent traveller ones tend to have a limit on individual journey duration, so as others have said, make sure the insurer knows you are going to be working in Canada.

thecatsgoolies

414 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1188485 4-Dec-2014 09:22

I would be looking at travel insurance to cover me getting there. Working for a year would not cover your for standard 'traveller' insurance as you will be more or less taking residency status.

Look at local insurance, maybe medical insurance while you are there.

Geektastic

17927 posts

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#1188492 4-Dec-2014 09:28

An alternative is insurance intended for companies: being self employed I have that on an annual basis and it covers more of the scenario here than a standard holiday type policy would. Speak to a broker about it.

coolcat21

285 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1188504 4-Dec-2014 09:45

thecatsgoolies: I would be looking at travel insurance to cover me getting there. Working for a year would not cover your for standard 'traveller' insurance as you will be more or less taking residency status.

Look at local insurance, maybe medical insurance while you are there.

I'm not allowed to. The border agents won't let me in if I don't have any insurance for the duration of my work permit.

dtmcgregor

32 posts

Geek

#1188889 4-Dec-2014 20:48

WorldNomads will give 12 months travel insurance for $831 NZD. They'll do it for 12 months, and you can extend online if you need to.

I've claimed with them before, and while it took a while to resolve, they paid up ok.

Regards,

- David.

coolcat21

285 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1188957 4-Dec-2014 21:54

dtmcgregor: WorldNomads will give 12 months travel insurance for $831 NZD. They'll do it for 12 months, and you can extend online if you need to.

I've claimed with them before, and while it took a while to resolve, they paid up ok.

Regards,

- David.

But is it valid for working-holiday too ? Or just a travel insurance. I have to make sure of that.

kiwiharry

1009 posts

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#1188995 4-Dec-2014 22:28

You are best to seek advice from an insurance broker.

Some of the "annual" business travel insurance products, may only cover trips up to a maximum of 90 days at a time, so these particular ones are designed for multiple short or medium duration trips over a 1 year period.

I worked in the USA for a 3 month period last year and was then joined by my family for a 1 month holiday before returning home. Purchased a corporate travel policy via my business insurance broker, but even then the base premium only covered 100 days in total, so had to pay additional premiums to cover the extra days.

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dtmcgregor

32 posts

Geek

#1189598 5-Dec-2014 20:47

coolcat21:
dtmcgregor: WorldNomads will give 12 months travel insurance for $831 NZD. They'll do it for 12 months, and you can extend online if you need to.

I've claimed with them before, and while it took a while to resolve, they paid up ok.

Regards,

- David.

But is it valid for working-holiday too ? Or just a travel insurance. I have to make sure of that.

Depends on what you're doing. You might need to get a higher level of cover if you're a bungee jumping instructor, for instance.

From their website:

http://service.worldnomads.com/customer/portal/articles/1063154--i-m-on-a-working-holiday

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1191901 9-Dec-2014 07:00

Southern Cross Working Abroad policy. The cover you must have for IEC is just health cover. This includes repatriation if necessary. Comprehensive cover isn't needed as Canada insists that you prove that you have enough funds to support yourself for the year. However, if you look at the SCTA working abroad policy you will find there isn't much difference between comprehensive cover and health cover for a 12 month policy. The premiums differ greatly depending on the level of risk you are prepared to take ie. the excess you select.

TLD

901 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1191921 9-Dec-2014 08:29

This went up on Fstoppers today. A scary tale of what can happen away from home, and the problems it can leave you with. I didn't see any mention of insurance.

https://fstoppers.com/other/help-fellow-photographer-get-back-his-feet-48859

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

Jonski

265 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1195321 10-Dec-2014 23:02

https://www.scti.co.nz/working-overseas/

Disclaimer: I work there. I will make no recommendations other than to ask if you've considered it.

Jon

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