Stopped buying travel insurance after 15 years of never using it

Had to cancel a trip to Nashville last year because my cousin got sick. Called the insurance company I had been paying $60 per trip to for 15 years. They denied the claim because her doctor note wasn't specific enough. Never once filed a claim before that and got absolutely nothing back. Now I just put that $60 into a separate savings account instead. Has anyone else stopped paying for it after getting burned?

3 comments

3 Comments

rivershah1mo agoTop Commenter

Man I went through almost the exact same thing with World Nomads. Paid them like $800 over 6 years for trips to Mexico, never filed anything. Then I had to cancel a Florida trip because my dog needed emergency surgery and they said "pets aren't covered under family illness provisions." Like excuse me, that dog is my child. I was so mad I cancelled the policy right there on the phone and started my own little travel fund. Last year I used that money to cover a last minute hotel when my flight got delayed and I didn't have to fight with anyone or send them a million forms. Best decision I ever made honestly.

wendyw715d ago

Gotta say I get why you'd swear off travel insurance after that. I don't blame you one bit. But I also see where @sams25 is coming from, I mean that Thailand story is scary. For me personally, I still buy it but only for big trips where I'm spending like 2 grand or more on flights and hotels. For a weekend trip to Nashville I'd probably just roll the dice and hope nothing goes wrong. Maybe I'm just cheap or lazy but filing that many forms for a denied claim feels like a part time job I didn't sign up for. My own system is I buy insurance half the time and then pray I don't get hit by a stray golf ball or something stupid like that.

sams251mo ago

Wow, I gotta say I see it a little differently. I get the frustration, trust me, I've had my own battles with insurance companies over vague denial reasons. But in my experience, you're basically gambling that nothing really bad happens. I had a buddy who skipped insurance for years, then got hit with a $15,000 medical bill after a random bike accident in Thailand. That one claim paid for like 20 years of his premiums. I think it's risky to compare pet issues or small trip delays to something like a medical evacuation or a hospital stay abroad. Your mileage may vary of course, but I'd rather have a policy and never use it than be stuck with a bill that wipes out my savings.