Travel Insurance

[irc]

It's 4 years since the last time I needed travel insurance for touring. I'm looking for cover for a 45 day tour in the USA almost all on road. Primarily concerned about medical cover. So looking for insurance which covers bike touring as the primary purpose of the holiday. No get outs like cycle cover but needing to check the small print for what they mean.

So any current favourites. Any experience of making a claim for injury abroad particularly welcome.

[pete75]

It can often be more expensive to get a length of trip policy than an annual policy which allows individual trips of the length you want. When my son was looking for travel insurance he got annual worldwide cover allowing trips of up to 45 days for 36 quid from American Express.
Presumably you're particularly bothered about medical cover for the USA - Amex provide it up to £10 million.

I've made a medical expenses claim for a skiing injury in Bulgaria back in 1999. Gave the Dr. the policy number and the insurers name(Amex) . That was all I had to do, hospital and insurer sorted it out between them . Got a letter from Amex a month later saying they'd paid the bills - no excess.

[simonhill]

I have just renewed my INSUREANDGO policy. £76 for an annual policy with as many trips as you want up to 90 days each. USA is covered.

They specifically INCLUDE cycle touring.

The theft and baggage wouldn't cover a bike, but my household one does up to 60 days. It also doesn't cover 3rd party liability when cycling, but again my CycleUK does.

[irc]

I have just renewed my INSUREANDGO policy. £76 for an annual policy with as many trips as you want up to 90 days each. USA is covered.

They specifically INCLUDE cycle touring.

The theft and baggage wouldn't cover a bike, but my household one does up to 60 days. It also doesn't cover 3rd party liability when cycling, but again my CycleUK does.

Appears CycleUkK's 3rd party cover does not include the USA. So I'll need to rule out Insureandgo annual. As I need 3rd party cover.

Cover is provided for injury or damage caused by you to a third party while you are cycling anywhere in the world, except the USA

http://www.cyclinguk.org/sites/default/ ... ance_1.pdf

[irc]

It can often be more expensive to get a length of trip policy than an annual policy which allows individual trips of the length you want. When my son was looking for travel insurance he got annual worldwide cover allowing trips of up to 45 days for 36 quid from American Express.
Presumably you're particularly bothered about medical cover for the USA - Amex provide it up to £10 million.

I've made a medical expenses claim for a skiing injury in Bulgaria back in 1999. Gave the Dr. the policy number and the insurers name(Amex) . That was all I had to do, hospital and insurer sorted it out between them . Got a letter from Amex a month later saying they'd paid the bills - no excess.

Small print, small print. Reading the Amex policy cycling is only mentioned as "on tarmac mountain bicycling" or or "off tarmac mountain bicycling". 3rd party cover is excluded for both. Off tarmac completely excluded. Which means I wouldn't be covered for anything on any short gravel road sections I do. On tarmac covered only on "an incidental basis." My inner cynic says that they could wriggle out of any claim as cycling isn't incidental to a bike touring holiday.


https://insurance.americanexpress.co.uk ... dGoldCover

[irc]

Snowcard quoted £309! Ruled out.

Allianze Global Assistance quoted £106. Small print states cover includes "cycling" as an "activity. No specific mention of cycle touring. E-mailed to confirm they will cover a cycle touring holiday cycling every day and not just an incidental activity.

There is a few suggestions in a Cycle Touring Insurance blog post at

http://tomsbiketrip.com/cycle-touring-i ... endations/

From where I saw a comment that ruled out the AA for me.

I got this reply from the AA: “I am pleased to confirm that you would be covered for Cycle Touring throughout the duration of your trip (providing you wear a helmet

[pal]

I have travel insurance (an annual policy) from the Environmental Travel Association: cycle touring is covered as an activity, and they also offer some coverage for the bicycle. I haven't had to claim (yet...!) so don't know how good that side of their operation is, but in other respects its been very good so far: https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/travel/

[irc]

I have travel insurance (an annual policy) from the Environmental Travel Association: cycle touring is covered as an activity, and they also offer some coverage for the bicycle. I haven't had to claim (yet...!) so don't know how good that side of their operation is, but in other respects its been very good so far: https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/travel/

Thanks for suggestion.

There is some weird pricing out there. Saga annual cover does up to 45 day trips which is the exact length of my intended tour. . So I got an annual cover quote £91. Then went back and quoted for a single trip cover for 45 days. £264!!!

Saga looks the best price so far. Activities page just says cycling (excluding racing) So probably good to go. And the waffle about protective gear etc does not apply to cycling.

[Slowroad]

Seems as good a place as any to resurect a discussion on cycle-touring insurance.
Just had a discussion with Saga, who will cover cycle touring so long as you can tell them every country you are going to, and have pre-booked all your accommodation. I didn't get a quote. My first trip this year is, as it happens, all pre-booked, but mostly I just pole up at a campsite after cycling far enough that day. That is not covered.
Insureandgo do specifically cover cycle touring - but with personal accident and personal liability exclusions.
Any other suggestions? I have taken insurance for several years that I now realise wouldn't have covered me if something happened.

[irc]

Seems as good a place as any to resurect a discussion on cycle-touring insurance.
Just had a discussion with Saga, who will cover cycle touring so long as you can tell them every country you are going to, and have pre-booked all your accommodation. I didn't get a quote. My first trip this year is, as it happens, all pre-booked, but mostly I just pole up at a campsite after cycling far enough that day. That is not covered.
Insureandgo do specifically cover cycle touring - but with personal accident and personal liability exclusions.
Any other suggestions? I have taken insurance for several years that I now realise wouldn't have covered me if something happened.

I ended up using ETA travel insurance. That was for a 45 day trip. Looking at their website now I see the max length of single trip they will cover is 31 days.

https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/travel/

ETA are the only travel insurer I know of who specifically say cycle helmets are not required for their travel policy. As per this tweet

[foxyrider]

Been using Saga for a couple of years. Good price and easy to organise.

OTOH i've never had to make any sort of claim so I can't say how good they are on that side.

Travel insurance - essential but something you never want to use in anger!

[Slowroad]

Thanks!
I'm just looking at ETA - have emailed them 'just to check'.
Foxyrider - I've just been told by Saga that they don't cover cycle touring unless all accommodation is pre-booked. Just something to be aware of.

[yutkoxpo]

Any other suggestions? I have taken insurance for several years that I now realise wouldn't have covered me if something happened.

Hi, you could try these guys, based in Holland but cover EU citizens, I believe - Any UK posters better hurry up!


https://www.joho.org/nl/special-isis...erswerk#premie


Haven't used them yet, so can't vouch for them, but I've bookmarked their page for when I do want the coverage.

The site is in Dutch, but I understand that if you contact them directly you can deal with them in English.

As I understand there is coverage available to supplement personal health insurance or to replace it, as well as insurance for belongings etc.

And cover is available up to 4 years.

Frank

[simonhill]

I've said it many times before, but.....

The thing to look out for is something in the small print that says it excludes any activities that you are doing as a primary reason for the trip. The example I've seen given is diving. They differentiated between covering the odd diving trip as part of your holiday, against a full time diving holiday eg on a dive boat.

[HarryD]

Have a look at CoverforYou.com They do 45 & 62 day cover including US. They also cover cycle touring as an optional extra. May need to give them a call as this option may not appear on their website if you use the quote generator