Dangers from above: Can holidaymakers on their winter breaks really afford to relax?
As holidaymakers?head off for their winter breaks, most won't be worried about the cost of medical treatment for accidents or illnesses, or replacing the smartphone lost overboard while sailing around palm-fringed isles, because they expect their travel insurance to cover those costs.
But would it?
It will depend on which company they are insured with because most insurance companies provide cover for some events and not others and they are not all the same.
The Sunday Star-Times reviewed the policy documents of four major travel insurance providers - QBE, Southern Cross, Westpac's Gold Card travel insurance provided by AIG Insurance and 1Cover which is provided by Allianz.
This suggested that you may be better off insuring with some companies than others, depending on what you intend doing on your trip.
Say you are spending a few days sailing in the Pacific Islands and have an accident which requires expensive medical treatment. Would the cost of this be covered?
Westpac/AIG's Gold Card policy specifically excluded "ocean yachting" although the phrase was not defined, so you may not be covered if relying on that policy.
The other three policies did cover sailing accidents, but with varying restrictions.
QBE excluded cover for events that occurred while "in or bound for international waters," so if you stayed close to the coast you would probably be OK.
The Southern Cross policy excluded cover for "ocean yachting 12 nautical miles or more from populated land" or in "any area with limited or no telecommunications or medical services", so you may not be covered even if you stayed close to land.
The 1Cover/Allianz policy excluded "open water sailing more than 10 nautical miles off any land mass".
So if you are planning a holiday that may involve some sailing, it would pay to check the policy wording from several different providers, and choose the one that best matches the type of sailing you intend to do.
There are also differences in the type of cover provided for activities such as skiing.
The 1Cover/Allianz policy did not have any particular exclusions relating to skiing, so most claims arising from skiing accidents were likely to be covered.
QBE's standard policy did not cover any "snow sports activity," unless you bought an additional Snow Sports Package, which covered "skiing or snowboarding within the boundaries of a commercially licensed ski field".
Southern Cross covered skiing provided it was within designated commercial ski areas and was non-competitive, while the Westpac/AIG Gold Card policy covered skiing provided it was not "off piste".
The list of activities which may or may not be covered by different companies' policies is extensive and includes everything from riding a motorcycle or scooter to participating in a friendly game of football. However, even if you don't venture beyond your resort and have an accident walking to your room, you may not be covered.
The thought of spending a few days lounging beside the pool and sipping fancy cocktails may be a tempting one, but all four of the travel insurance policies reviewed had exclusions for situations where the policy holder was "under the influence" of alcohol.
While that did not necessarily mean an insurance company would decline a claim just because you'd had a couple of drinks, it's worth bearing in mind that in general, booze and travel insurance do not mix well.
However, the reasons for reading your travel policy documents can extend well beyond what you intend to do during your trip. If you are pregnant or become pregnant while travelling and suffered complications which required medical treatment, would the cost of that be covered by your policy?
Westpac/AIG's Gold Card policy would cover unforeseen complications that occurred before the 26th week of the pregnancy, while QBE's policy provided cover up to the 20th week of pregnancy as long as it was not the result of in vitro fertilisation and you had not suffered complications in any previous pregnancies.
Southern Cross would also provide cover for treatment of complications up to the 20th week and the 1Cover/Allianz policy provided a very detailed list of what would or would not be covered, depending on such factors as whether it was a single or multiple pregnancy.
If you are buying travel insurance online, reading the policy document is usually as simple as clicking on the "policy wording" link on the screen.
Travel insurance policies may not be the most exciting things to read, but at least they are relatively straightforward documents that most people would be able to understand.
Spending a few minutes reading them and ensuring you get the best policy for your trip might save you heartache if things go wrong.
- ? Fairfax NZ News
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Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8772882/Holidaymakers-duck-for-cover
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