Heading to Mallorca in a couple of weeks with the family and looking at travel insurance
When I look at my Swiss health and accident insurance together with Rega, it looks like travel insurance does not really add any value / risk if not taken
Am I missing something?
Cheers
Neil
The Swiss accident insurance covers your health costs caused by an accident and your Swiss health insurance your health costs caused by sickness. Rega comes to pick you up if you are super sick but Rega wound help you if your kid just got pox and is not taking into the plane. Then you just need to stay extra days in the hotel and the costs of that is part of travel insurance.
Check out your credit card terms – surprising often credit card providers offer a travel insurance when you pay the trip or most of the trip with that credit card. Particularly when booking for flights when they offer you a travel insurance, you actually got a travel insurance when you used your credit card for booking that flight.
Same applies car rentals, some credit cards give you a travel car insurance when you pay the car rental with that credit card.
If you don’t have such credit card and still want a travel insurance the ones offered when you book online a trip are good and cheap as they are only for that limited time.
I of course have a separate, permanent travel insurance because I travel really lot and ... I work in the insurance business. My travel insurance has paid off many times! The best was surely when we were on Bonaire when the Islandic volcano irrupted. We got a nice paid extra week of vacation under the Caribbean sun I also always book the cheapest flights that you cannot change and when I have got sick, or my travel companion has got sick, the travel insurance had again paid a new flight. Both would have been covered also by the short term travel insurance taken when booking the trip but as I travel a lot, also by car and train, for me a travel insurance from Mobiliar is a good thing.
We usually book refundable tickets, only travel with carry-on, and stay with family so I don't really care about much other than covering an emergency illness in the US. Given the horrific cost of a non-insured emergency in the US, the few hundred francs I pay for my travel insurance is money well spent IMO.
I am still weighing up options, although I was surprised at what is already covered with existing policies and bank credit cards
Does not leave too much exposed at the end of the day
Cheers
Neil
Now that they are planning to come several times a year, for longer periods of times, we are exploring other options that might in the long run be more cost effective, such as some kind of longer-term insurance. I'll be checking out the options posted on this thread, as well as using my Google-fu skills!
I for example don't know if repatriation of the deceased is included in insurances in Switzerland. And i just like the idea of nog having to fear unpleasant financial surprises on holidays.
Make sure everyone who matters knows your insurer's contact info and policy numbers. Insurance is sod all use if no-one knows you've got it.
Choose someone reliable from family or friends (I love my partner dearly, but they are not calm under pressure).
Carry any card from the insurer in purses or wallets.
Hospitals abroad often demand upfront guarantees that treatment costs will be paid. An insurer is able to provide a guarantee letter. Without it - the stress of wondering if a credit card will work abroad, or if your credit limit is enough to cover the costs can be overwhelming.
A quick update,
Between my Swiss house insurance, my Swiss medical insurance, & my Rega membership, I am reasonably covered (all be it with some deductables)
The interesting one is the excess insurance for car rental
I have just bought a one year cover for approx £35 covering up to £10K per hire - pretty reasonable I think.. bought it from iCarhireinsurance.com
Comes recommended by a number of reputable sources and very easy to set up & pay, with policy documents e-mailed within a few minutes (and cheaper for Swiss addresses due to lower tax rate)
Enjoy the summer
Cheers
Neil
Eg. we cancelled our vacation because my father in law got very sick, and once we missed a morning flight in the middle of our vacation because we woke up with food poisoning. But beware the deductible...
We get ours through our UBS Visa credit card. I think it costs Fr.79 per year for the whole family, and the car hire excess insurance is included.
I live (most of the time) and have been working here in Switzerland for the past 3.5 years (though not for much longer, another story, another time) but my family is back in the UK. Because I still have a base in the UK I get the benefit of Travel and Accident insurance as a side benefit for paying for a particular type of bank account. Just having this insurance has acted as a backup medical and accident insurance that actually refunds me (unlike most Swiss versions) when I have occasionally had accidents and the excess is so much lower.
So yes in my personal experience, Travel insurance has been exceptionally helpful...
I do have similar insurance on my UK bank account, however as I ilive in Switzerland it is not valid
Cheers
Neil
Can I please ask which particular company your car hire excess insurance is with? My usual company has been unable to renew our policy this month because they're no longer able to cover Swiss residents, and cannot resolve the issue until October, but we need it for next week.
Got cover immediately - it did not go through correctly on the website, so phoned them up, turned out it is cheaper than in UK due to VAT rates
Got paperwork via e-mail on the same day
Cost was around £35 for one year European, and it is a little more for worldwide, you can also change it from European to Worldwide part way through the year
Hope this helps
Cheers
Neil
Our last policy was with worldwideinsure.com, also via the MSE website, but they're having issues covering Swiss residents for some reason.