I’ve mentioned on the blog before that I purchase an annual trip insurance policy every year for my family. Since I’ve taken so many cruises and traveled internationally over the past few years, the primary medical coverage alone is worth the peace of mind.
Back in June on my Norwegian Fjords cruise, I visited the ship’s medical center toward the end of the cruise. The bill came to $189. I took the statement home with me and planned to file a claim with my annual trip insurance policy when I got home.
Well, I kept putting it off, and then I forgot about it. Last week, while de-cluttering, I found my statement from the cruise. Would I still be able to file a claim months later?
Trip Insurance Claim Timeline
I decided to look through the fine print of my policy (Allianz AllTrips Premier) to see if there was a deadline for filing claims after the incident. The policy didn’t mention dates, so I figured I should at least try.
I filed the claim online and uploaded the medical bill receipt from the cruise ship. The next business day, I received a text that my claim was approved! The money showed up in my bank account the following day. That timeline is certainly much better than the 5-month wait I had for a claim in 2022 with a different insurance company! I plan to renew my policy again when it expires next year, just in time for our next cruise.
Have you filed a trip insurance claim lately?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Good to know for sure. Allianz is a behemoth in the travel insurance business and I’ve looked at them a number of times but generally steered clear because their medical insurance always (that I saw) was secondary insurance, which in practical terms means that if you get sick in Malaysia or some other distant country your regular health insurance and Allianz will strenuously avoid paying in the hopes that the other company will be stuck with the bill. In real life that means that you may have to personally fork out every dime no matter how big the bill before the hospital will set you free. Did your policy specify primary coverage? If so I may give Allianz another look.
@Christian My policy specifies primary medical coverage. I’m not sure if that’s a feature of just the annual policies or if it’s available on the other policies.
Thank you for letting us know about a successful claim! So often people will recommend a company, but then you find out they have never filed a claim! How would they know if the company would treat them well or not? I am bookmarking this post for future use! Thanks! Cari
I’ve used GeoBlue and it has been stellar. And when I say used I mean i filed 4-5 claims in the last 10 years. Never had any sort of push back and used it in Mexico, Italy, Argentina and Spain. Reimbursement normally have taken 1-2 weeks.
@Peteco Glad to hear you’ve had a good experience with your travel insurance.
@Cari I’m impressed with the quick reimbursement from Allianz!
Thanks for this note. I try and take a week a month out of town now that I’m retired. Usually stateside, however, I did go to Colombia in April 2024. What kind of costs do you pay for a year long travel plan? What are the potential benefits? What’s covered. Thanks for any info.
@R Johnson My policy (Allianz AllTrips Premier) for 5 people was $435 for the year. It covers emergency medical care, medical transportation (like if we need to be airlifted off a cruise ship), lost baggage, trip interruption and cancellation benefits. Of course I hope we never have to use those benefits, but it’s not uncommon for me to visit a doctor on board a cruise ship. https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/find-a-plan
so nice blog , i am your regular visitor keep updating
Thanks, Sana!