Consumer Diary: Travel Insurance – We-Ha
West Hartford-based consumer columnist Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone can encounter.
Highlights of our trip to Japan included the quaint Japanese shops that house pigs. Courtesy of Harlan Levy
Written by Harlan Levy
Peak travel season is just around the corner, and all forecasts point to record pent-up release after we leave the pandemic behind us. So you should consider travel insurance for potential — or potential — airline delays and cancellations, vacation screwups, medical emergencies, lost luggage, traffic accidents, and other mishaps that could ruin your plans.
In Nara, sacred deer live in their own garden, happy to eat deer crackers from your hand. Courtesy of Harlan Levy
We (my concierge/travel planner wife) spent an intense few days exploring insurance options before making our last-minute decision to visit Japan over the past two weeks. I will describe the results and give some advice. If something had gone wrong, we might not have had unhindered, unforgettable experiences with cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji, cuddling pigs, eating sushi and ramen, the amazing Kyoto Fish Market, feeding deer in Nara, crazy shopping experiences, and more.
Here’s what I’ve learned from extensive online research, especially from Business Insider, Upgradepoints.com, SquareMouth, ForbesAdvisor, and many others.
An exclusive sushi meal individually prepared by the chef especially for us. Courtesy of Harlan Levy
Credit card versus independent travel insurance
In general, standalone travel insurance policies will cover more than premium credit card travel insurance, which costs nothing extra and covers delays, lost luggage, collisions with rental cars and other unforeseen events, but the exact coverages depend on the credit card. Typically, only flights booked with this card are eligible for coverage. With some exceptions, credit cards typically will not cover medical emergencies or injuries unless they are catastrophic. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers up to $1 million in coverage for an accident that causes loss of life, speech, hearing or use of a hand, among other life-altering injuries. Other cards that offer protection include the Platinum Card from American Express, the Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card, and the United Club Infinite Card. Most cards with travel benefits have an annual fee. Credit card coverage limits are also usually much lower than standalone policy offers. Credit card protection often limits the reimbursement to just $10,000 for a trip, while travel insurance typically caps $100,000.
Standalone cards will cover expensive medical emergencies, hospital visits, evacuations, and may also cover no-reason cancellations (any-reason cancellation insurance), while credit cards generally will not. Since your health insurance does not cover you when you are abroad, and a broken arm resulting from a fall or a heart attack can be financially devastating, you will need independent health insurance, as it will respond to the financial loss, proven by a medical bill, a medical clinic receipt, or a medical statement from a doctor .
Some travel insurance policies also provide pandemic coverage, which covers customers who become ill with COVID-19 or a future pandemic, are individually required to quarantine, or are denied boarding due to suspected illness,
While credit card insurance is usually included in the cost of the card, traditional travel insurance is an additional expense, usually between 5% to 6% of the value of the trip, although rates can range from 4% to 12%.
Compare travel insurance rates from multiple providers with SquaremouthTrustpilot.com and BBB.
Our conclusion
After all our research, we decided to purchase an independent policy and compared costs and coverage from the companies with the best reputations: ALLIANZ, Tin Leg (yes… it’s a real company), and AARDY in the following chart:
| Allianz Basic | classic | Tinlig STD | Tinlig gold | ardy | |
| it costs: | $1,066 | $1,419 | $738 | $1,090 | $981 |
| Eliminates: | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| boycott: | 100% | 150% | 150% | 150% | 150% |
| MedEvac: | 50 thousand dollars | 500 thousand dollars | 200 thousand dollars | 500 thousand dollars | 250 thousand dollars |
| emergency Med & Dent: | 10 thousand dollars | 50 thousand dollars | 30 thousand dollars | 500 thousand dollars | 100 thousand dollars |
| Lost bag: | 500 dollars | 1000 dollars | 500 dollars | 500 dollars | $1500 |
We went with ARD.
Note: They advised us to take local money to an international destination, so we each bought $250 in yen at the airport, JFK in New York. We could have bought yen from our local bank, but it would have taken three or four days. I also learned that when using our debit cards in Japan, the debit card fee was a cheap 1% of each transaction ($100 cost). So, if you’re leaving the country, check your debit card fees.
Now you know. Happy trails!
The world’s largest Buddha statue in Nara is located here. Courtesy of Harlan Levy
Highlights of our trip to Japan included the quaint Japanese shops that house pigs. Courtesy of Harlan Levy
An exclusive sushi meal individually prepared by the chef especially for us. Courtesy of Harlan Levy
Note: If you have a consumer issue, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in the subject line), and with the power of journalism, maybe I can help.
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