Tag: allianz global assistance

Why Blue Cross is investing in making wishes come true

Yudi Pratama, August 19, 2024

Why Blue Cross is investing in making wishes come true | Insurance Business Canada

Plus, why travel insurance is more important than ever

InsuranceNews

By Gia Snape

Blue Cross of Canada (Blue Cross) is on a mission to insure wishes. Through its historic pledge to Make-A-Wish Canada, the insurer is granting comprehensive travel insurance to children and families, helping fulfill more than 6,000 new wishes over the next five years.

“The commitment allows us to expand our impact, and grant over 30,000 travel wishes to over 130,000 wish kids and their families in total by 2027,” said Tim Bishop (pictured), managing director, Blue Cross of Canada. “And we’re just getting started!”

How did the partnership come about?

Blue Cross is a long-time supporter of Make-A-Wish Canada. Since 1989, the two have fulfilled more than 25,000 travel wishes, providing travel

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Travel Insurance for a Jerusalem Vacation (2023)

Yudi Pratama, July 24, 2023

The short answer is yes, you need travel insurance for a trip to Jerusalem and other regions in Israel. The fact is, the Middle East is a volatile part of the world, and unexpected events occur more often there than in other overseas locations.

If you buy insurance for a trip to Jerusalem, you must include COVID-19 in your medical expenses coverage. This is required by Israeli law. Many insurance companies now treat COVID-19 like any other illness. You can find details in the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.

Having travel insurance can benefit your vacation beyond just COVID-19 coverage. Your insurance will also pay for any medical expenses should you need urgent treatment for an accident or injury.

A good travel insurance plan will allow you to reclaim your trip costs should you need to cancel your vacation. Likewise, travel insurance can reimburse you for any interruptions

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What You Need To Know (2023)

Yudi Pratama, July 16, 2023

Some countries require foreign visitors to show proof of travel insurance for a variety of reasons, including unstable diplomatic relations or visa requirements. For example, you must purchase travel insurance to obtain a long-term travel visa for the Schengen area.

The following countries require travel insurance as of June 2023:

Bermudas
Bhutan
Try
The Galapagos Islands
Myanmar
Qatar
Russia*
Saudi Arabia
Schengen Visa countries*
Sri Lanka
Ukrainian

*Requires travel insurance or can request proof of insurance to issue a visa. Note that the above list is not exhaustive.

Many countries introduced pandemic-related entry requirements, including vaccination and travel medical insurance, which are now being revoked. But even if travel insurance is not required, the US Department of State highly recommends purchasing a policy to cover unexpected medical expenses while you’re overseas.

Whether you want to travel to Turkey, Thailand, Jamaica or the Bahamas, entry rules change frequently. Below are some

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What You Need To Know

Yudi Pratama, July 11, 2023

Anyone who’s traveled knows that even the most carefully planned trips can go awry. Travel insurance can be a helpful tool to make things right in some situations, like an injury, inclement weather or natural disasters. But it doesn’t cover every possible situation.

Cancel for any reason, or CFAR, coverage can do that. But it often won’t cover 100% of your travel costs.

Here’s what you need to know about CFAR travel insurance, including how it compares to other travel insurance coverage and how to decide if it’s right for you.

What is CFAR travel insurance?

A destination wedding you were planning to attend was called off. Your passport didn’t arrive in time. There’s political unrest in the city you were hoping to explore. For many of these situations, a trip cancellation travel insurance policy wouldn’t help you get your money back. But a CFAR travel insurance policy might.

CFAR

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Can you get compensation if your flight is delayed? Not always.

Yudi Pratama, July 10, 2023

Welcome to Cruising Altitude, a new column at USA TODAY focusing on travel trends.

While reporting on United Airlines’ recent operational struggles, one person I spoke to told me he looked at the Department of Transportation dashboard and found that the airline wasn’t following its own delay and cancellation policies.

On its face, that seemed true: United was offering travelers extra flexibility to rebook their tickets at no extra cost, but none of the stuck passengers I spoke to said anything about being offered hotel or meal vouchers.

Here’s the thing though: The source who was looking at the dashboard didn’t quite have it right.

United Airlines is committed to rebooking passengers on United or other partner airlines at no additional cost and to provide hotel and meal vouchers and ground transportation in the event of significant controllable delays or cancellations, but the disruptions last week were considered out of

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Travel insurance a necessity for many Canadians post-pandemic

Yudi Pratama, July 7, 2023

Travel insurance a necessity for many Canadians post-pandemic | Insurance Business Canada

How can brokers take advantage of this demand?

Travel

By Mika Pangilinan

Consumers now consider travel insurance as an essential component of their vacation plans after their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent study by Allianz Global Assistance revealed 89% of Canadians plan to secure travel insurance for their next trip.

Additionally, 74% said having travel insurance is equally or more important post-pandemic, while 32% said it is more crucial than before the pandemic.

This increased awareness presents a unique opportunity for brokers as the travel industry springs back to life from pent-up demand, according to Chris Van Kooten, CEO of Allianz Global Assistance.

“Our latest study revealed that Canadian households are projected to spend over $14 billion on vacations this year – that’s more than pre-pandemic vacation

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Travel insurance could help with weather-related flight cancellations. Here’s how

Yudi Pratama, July 3, 2023

Such insurance purchases are up 9% for trips this Fourth of July compared to last year as unpredictable weather and worker shortages can trigger widespread cancellations for any airline.

By
Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN

Published Jul 3, 2023 10:11 AM PDT

|

Updated Jul 3, 2023 10:11 AM PDT

Nick Ewan explains insurance policies that could protect users from severe weather and also shares insurance tips while traveling.

New York (CNN) — With unpredictable weather and worker shortages, no airline is immune to widespread cancellations. Hundreds of thousands of travelers learned this the hard way recently, as they became stranded in airports across the country in the run-up to the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

For many of them, buying traveler’s insurance could have helped improve their situation.

The hurdles people must be clear to get out of town when the system grinds to a halt can be excruciating.

For example,

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Travel Insurance for a China Vacation (2023)

Yudi Pratama, June 27, 2023

Travel insurance is not mandatory to enter China, but traveling uninsured poses a significant risk. No matter how you spend your time in China, you should have a travel insurance plan that will provide coverage for delayed or canceled flights and other concerns.

Mainland China is a popular vacation destination for travelers looking for adventure. Activities like hiking the Great Wall of China, seeing the terracotta warriors and exploring the Forbidden City will excite the culture-inclined. Foodies can enjoy delicacies like Peking duck, Chinese Hot Pot and traditional Char Sui. Meanwhile, cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing offer a metropolitan escape.

Your trip to China could be canceled due to a disease outbreak, or you could require medical coverage if you become ill during your trip. Likewise, US exit bans can be enforced without warning, which could leave you stranded if you don’t have insurance coverage.

The following sections will

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Do you need trip cancellation insurance? What to know before buying – National

Yudi Pratama, June 24, 2023

Noah Meyer-Delouya, 25, only bought trip cancellation insurance once – and it paid off.

The Toronto-based accountant did it because he, his mom and his brother bought cheap tickets to Los Angeles this past January. They figured $67.89 for trip cancellation insurance for all three of them wasn’t too much extra money to protect their trip.

They also liked that this trip cancellation insurance policy explicitly included the ability to receive a full refund for their airfare if someone contracted COVID-19.

“With COVID, it’s become so much more normal to be more cautious and aware of the chance of getting sick and impacting your trip,” Meyer-Delouya said.

Five days before the trip, his mom tested positive for COVID. Two days later, his brother tested positive too. Meyer-Delouya got lucky and didn’t contract COVID. But the family decided to cancel all their tickets and cash in their trip cancellation policy.

Story

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Travel Insurance for a UK Vacation (2023)

Yudi Pratama, June 20, 2023

The UK does not require US citizens to have travel insurance when they visit. However, coverage can be beneficial for several reasons.

First, a comprehensive or medical emergency policy can pay healthcare expenses if you are injured or ill in the UK According to the State Department, tourists may have to pay 150% of the cost of medical treatment received through the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) . A travel policy can limit these out-of-pocket costs.

Also, trip insurance lets you engage in sports activities, such as a track, cycle, ski or snowboard adventure without worrying about affording injury treatment.

While weather-related problems and natural disasters are relatively rare in the UK, cancellation insurance could be a good idea. Your trip represents a significant investment, and this coverage can reimburse you for the cost of a transatlantic flight and hotel or holiday rental reservations in the event of a cancellation.

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