Trip Protection Plans
Take the time to review this now
Like most insurance, trip protection policies don’t seem terribly important to consider….until they are. Read on for the process by which we consider the importance of various plans offered. There’s far more to the coverages than “simply” cancellation insurance.
Some benefits are only obtained if the plan is purchased within 15 days of the initial tour deposit, so please take 5-10 minutes to make an informed decision about trip protection plans for your tour.
When you register for a tour directly with Accent Concerts, you’ll receive important updates and reminders about travel insurance. If you are not receiving these updates, or if you have any questions about the information below, please feel free to contact us!
Overseas Medical Insurance
In our opinion this the most-important coverage you can consider. Medical care is widely available in the destinations we travel to, but most US-based health insurance policies will not cover you while traveling abroad.
The risk of getting sick or injured while overseas may not seem much greater than when at home doing your daily routine, but the consequences – both financial and emotional – of an illness or injury that results in an ER visit, a hospital stay of one or more nights, missed tour activities, and even a changed plane ticket home can be sky-high.
No one wants the biggest and longest-lasting souvenir of the tour to be a large medical bill, so please consider that for the cost of a nice meal or a nice gift (depending on your age and your tastes), you can purchase a policy that provides overseas medical insurance.
What to think about:
Contact your health insurer to see if they will cover medical needs at the destination. If they will, what is the deductible, and is it on a reimbursement-only basis?
Consider purchasing primary coverage with no deductibles from Travelex:
- For as little as $20*, Travel Basic offers
- $15,000 of Emergency Medical Coverage
- $100,000 of Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation Coverage
- Trip Interruption Coverage (revised plans to return home) up to 100% of the trip cost
- Starting at $34*, Travel Select offers
- Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions if the policy is purchased within 15 days of paying the trip deposit
- $50,000 of Emergency Medical Coverage
- $500,000 of Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation Coverage
- Trip Interruption Coverage (revised plans to return home) up to 150% of the trip cost
Post-Departure Coverages
Once the tour begins, the largest personal risk is illness or injury, addressed above. But there are plenty of travel nuisances for which coverages are included in the policy that secures your overseas medical insurance. We call these “post-departure” coverages, which include
- Compensation for items purchased because your baggage was delayed
- Compensation for items replaced because your baggage was lost
- Compensation for out-of-pocket expenses because the trip was delayed or there was a missed airline connection
What to think about:
Cancellation Insurance
This is the big and expensive one. This is the premium that most people look at and use to base their decision whether or not to buy any trip protection coverages.
Cancellation insurance can reimburse your tour fare not only in the case of your own injury, death, or sickness that prevents you from traveling, but also the in the case of the death or life-threatening injury or sickness of a Family Member.
It’s difficult to advise travelers on cancellation insurance. Some people purchase it regardless, for the peace of mind it provides. Some people purchase it because of pre-existing conditions that may cause them to drop from the tour late in the planning process. Some people because they are primary caregivers for family members (of any age). And yes, many people decline it.
What to think about:
As with any insurance, weigh the cost of the premium vs. the personal financial impact of the cancellation penalties outlined for your individual tour.
If you – or family members – have pre-existing conditions, be sure to consider the Select policy within 15 days of paying your deposit in order to obtain the best coverage.
If you don’t think cancellation insurance is the right choice in your situation, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Please consider the much lower-cost post departure benefits coverage with overseas medical insurance discussed above.
Next Steps
For general questions, contact us about the different options. For questions specific to your own personal situation (e.g. “is this covered?”) please contact Travelex directly at 1-800-228-9792.
Review the full summary of benefits or the actual policy document by clicking on the buttons provided.
Note: in some cases, group leaders may have designated a different policy to be offered. Details are provided in that case at tour sign-up.
If you are ready to purchase a policy, please click the button below.
* Minimum premiums are age-based and subject to change. All benefits, including waivers for early policy purchases, are subject to change. See the Travelex website for complete policy documents and current coverages. This webpage is kept up-to-date as much as possible, but is always superseded by actual premium quotes from Travelex and information in their actual policy documents.