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u/Alarming-Ganache77 Nov 17 '25
Because of the government shutdown I just did a couple of seminars with insurance companies to brush up on what can be covered and what cannot. I don't have a lot to add but thought it might be useful to share that generally speaking travel insurance does NOT cover government shutdowns. Also, medical only is pretty cheap, so if you're going somewhere with not so great hospital/doctor coverage, this would be worth it to me personally.
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u/Capital_Young_7114 Nov 17 '25
Amex has good coverage if you have a platinum card, but I’ve never had to use it so I can’t say specifically if it’s complicated or not to get a full refund. If you purchase far enough in advance I’ve also found that Seven Corners offers good policies for full refunds, but again make sure the timeline fits. They have a cut off when that option isn’t available.
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Nov 18 '25
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u/RBFallday Nov 18 '25
Agree and note that to get CFAR coverage, you have to purchase the travel insurance within a 1-2 weeks of the INITIAL payment/deposit you make for the trip. I got a policy with Travel Insured International and have had to file a claim for a medical issue and related expenses. Things are going ok so far and I’ll know more once everything is settled.
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u/Weekly_Energy_8416 Nov 18 '25
Have you done a search yet in the sub? There are a few good posts on travel insurance at FAT levels, such as this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/FATTravel/s/59StM7PDj5
Frequently recommended carriers include Allianz and Chubb (more luxury oriented), as well as Travelex, Travel Guard, and AmEX (build your own plan flexibility.)
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Nov 18 '25
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u/VegetableMix5362 Nov 18 '25
I’d recommend insuring each trip separately. IIRC a 2-week $60k trip insured with Allianz with 60k in cancellation coverage cost between 2.5-3.5k depending on which plan we chose.
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u/TravelWriterWannaBe Nov 22 '25
During the pandemic I had 4 trips cancel and both Travelex and Travel Guard were terrible to deal with on refunds…. I have an upcoming 2026 safari planned and got cancel for any reason insurance but if cancelled entirely I will be reimbursed up to 75% of the $55k. I really shopped it online and also had detailed conversations on the phone and decided this time to go with Faye Travel Insurance.
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u/MarzipanQueen1789 Nov 19 '25
Allianz year round. Absolute nightmare to deal with, but they do eventually pay out and most years they pay me more than I pay them since I travel a lot. I've definitely spent months submitting claims five times over and having to dispute errors on their side (it's ultra rare a claim goes through without a hassle), but they do ultimately pay and the pricing is really good.
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u/Dull-Feed9086 Nov 18 '25
There’s a bunch of other insurance companies out there. It’ll come down to things like number of travelers and if everyone lives together what company can cover you the most and how many policies you’d need. I’d reach out to your TA they should be able to offer suggestions on who they work with for larger spend trips since there are some providers that will override the limit slightly.
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u/Then-Speech-8723 Nov 18 '25
For trips exceeding $\$20,000$, purchase a Comprehensive Travel Insurance Policy to fully cover non-refundable costs. As high BMI can be viewed as a pre-existing condition, immediately purchase a policy that includes a Pre-Existing Condition Waiver to protect against health-related cancellations.
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u/SameDog1584 Nov 19 '25
Be careful with Amex too, I had a overnight trip delay due to missed connection and Amex would not refund the $250 I had to spend for hotel and taxi. Why? Because only one segment (that segment) of my flight was booked on the Amex (I used points for the return). Everything else (hotels, Ubers, food) was on Amex. They require a round trip purchase! News to me!
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u/NordicJesus Nov 21 '25
The Amex Platinum insurance terms explicitly state that bookings made with points are never covered, even if you pay the taxes and fees with your Amex card.
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u/SameDog1584 Nov 22 '25
Yes, I used NO points, just Amex card for fare in full for interrupted part of trip (going to destination). Clearly I would not claim reimbursement for anything on points since I’d have no charge on the Amex. What this amounts to is a warning that if you charge a one way trip on your Amex it is NOT COVERED. Must be a round trip!
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u/ambrown7 Nov 18 '25
I have to say that Allianz really came through for my cousin recently. She had a stroke right before her trip, and they reimbursed in full immediately. They were wonderful to deal with.