Risks and uncertainties are inevitable. We often come across different types of insurance plans that a number of companies offer us, where each one has its own set of pre-defined benefits. Travel insurance is no different than the commonly available insurance plans, like health and medical insurance etc.
Here, we are going to do a detailed review about Delta’s travel insurance plan and find out if it is worth buying. Is Delta Travel Insurance Plan Worth Buying learn more.
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A Quick Look at Delta’s Travel Insurance Policy
Delta’s travel insurance is basically a trip protection plan, which is offered to passengers by Allianz Global Assistance in partnership with Delta Airlines. Travellers can sign up to avail the trip protection plan via Delta’s website https://www.delta.com/merch/searchTripInsuranceAction.action.
When you purchase Delta’s travel insurance plan, you are given 10 days (or more, depending on your state of residence) to cancel and request a refund, as long as you have not started your trip or initiated your claim. Your travel insurance premiums then becomes non-refundable, if you decide to request a refund after the permitted 10 days period.
Benefits to Travellers on International Flights
The U.S. State Department recommends trip protection because most health insurance policies does not cover travellers outside the country. If you have a covered medical emergency outside the United States, travel insurance can help you find a hospital, pay for your treatment and get you home safely. It also comes with trip cancellation protection, emergency medical protection, 24-hour assistance, concierge services and more.
Emergency Medical and Dental: Reimburses expenses related to covered emergency medical or dental care incurred on your trip. The amount reimbursed is $10,000 (maximum of $500 for dental).
Emergency Medical Transportation: Arranges and pays for medically necessary transportation following a covered injury or illness to an appropriate medical facility to receive care and get you home after treatment. The amount reimbursed is $50,000.
Trip Cancellation Protection: Reimburses your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses if you need to cancel your trip due to a covered reason. This is up to trip cost ($3,000 maximum).
Trip Interruption: Reimburses the unused, non-refundable portion of your trip and increased transportation costs it takes for you to return home or to continue your trip due to a covered reason. This is up to trip cost ($4,500 maximum).
Travel/Trip Delay: Reimburses meals and accommodations when your travel is delayed for 6 or more consecutive hours. The amount reimbursed is $500 (maximum of $150 per day).
Baggage Loss/Damage: Reimburses the replacement of lost, damaged, or stolen baggage and personal items.
Baggage Delay: Reimburses the replacement of essential items if your baggage is delayed for 24 hours or more. The amount reimbursed is $500.
Change Fee: Reimburses airline fees if you need to make a change to your flight itinerary due to a covered reason.
Concierge: Turns your trip into a VIP experience. Their travel experts can give you destination information, make restaurant reservations, find tickets to shows and more.
24-Hour Hotline Assistance: Help is just a phone call away. Their trained staff is available to help you with medical, legal and travel-related emergencies.
Benefits to Travellers on Domestic Flights
Their trip protection plan can prepare you for unforeseen circumstances that can disrupt your travel plans. Wherever you are flying, travel insurance can provide the peace of mind you need to get the most out of your trip. It comes with trip cancellation protection, emergency medical protection, 24-hour assistance, concierge services and more.
Now, let’s also take a quick look at the various benefits that are offered to passengers travelling on domestic flights i.e. within the United States.
Emergency Medical and Dental: Reimburses expenses related to covered emergency medical or dental care incurred on your trip.
Emergency Medical Transportation: Arranges and pays for medically necessary transportation following a covered injury or illness to an appropriate medical facility to receive care and get you home after treatment.
Trip Cancellation Protection: Reimburses your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses if you need to cancel your trip due to a covered reason. This is up to trip cost ($5,000 maximum).
Trip Interruption: Reimburses the unused, non-refundable portion of your trip and increased transportation costs it takes for you to return home or to continue your trip due to a covered reason. This is up to trip cost ($5,000 maximum).
Travel/Trip Delay: Reimburses meals and accommodations when your travel is delayed for 6 or more consecutive hours. The amount reimbursed is $200 (maximum of $150 per day).
Baggage Loss/Damage: Reimburses the replacement of lost, damaged or stolen baggage and personal items. The amount reimbursed is $300.
Baggage Delay: Reimburses the replacement of essential items if your baggage is delayed for 24 hours or more. The amount reimbursed is $150.
Change Fee: Reimburses airline fees if you need to make a change to your flight itinerary due to a covered reason.
Concierge: Turns your trip into a VIP experience. Their travel experts can give you destination information, make restaurant reservations, find tickets to shows and more.
24-Hour Hotline Assistance: Help is just a phone call away. Their trained staff is available to help you with medical, legal and travel-related emergencies.
From the given benefits for both domestic and international trips that are mentioned above, we can see that Delta’s travel insurance plan is more or less similar. However, the difference in the benefits may occur based on your state of residence.
Crucial Travel Insurance Benefits for International Trips
Amongst all the benefits that are listed above, there are a few that are most crucial, which include trip cancellation, medical treatment and medical transportation.
Trip Cancellation Benefits
Any major travel insurance policy provide their customers the ability to cover cancellation of a trip because of issues that were totally unexpected. These may include things such as severe illness, death, jury duty etc.
The other level of trip cover included in the insurance policy that customers are offered is the cancellation for work reasons protection. The best policies support you if you made redundant after only a year of service with your employer. The worst may need you to have been an employee for three consecutive years. Additional protection on the best plans could also help you, if your employer cancels your holiday. A few travel insurance plans may not provide such type of work vacation cancellation protection.
For those of you who have very chaotic lives, it is better to be able to cancel for any reason at all and get a refund. We really like the additional benefit that they bring to their customers.
Emergency Medical Insurance
For almost every traveller, once you leave from the United States, you are on your own. Your medical insurance plan that offer you benefits in the U.S. will now rarely offer any protection at all when you are flying overseas. The State Department and CDC are very clear about this – health care overseas is expensive, and the U.S. Government is not going to help pay for it. Even if a country has subsidised or fully inclusive state health care, that does not help a traveller. For example, visitors to Canada, Mexico or the United Kingdom may be required to pay full private rates, if you happen to fall sick or injured.
Therefore, having a travel medical insurance is where you will begin to feel comfortable. There is no logic whatsoever in saving a few dollars and taking less cover. One exception to this is for those travellers who have medical insurance that will travel with them. Our advice to those people for whom this is relevant is to check and get the confirmation in writing.
Emergency Medical Transportation
At times, the cost of getting to a medical facility may exceed the money that is spent in being treated. We like to see cover levels of $100k for medical evacuation when travelling close to the USA, and upwards of $250k if travelling somewhere remote.
Why such a huge figure? Because a private jet specially equipped with medical equipment and staffed with professional doctors and nurses is way too expensive. Thankfully, these call-outs are rare, but this happens every day, somewhere in the world. Often times, due to simple incidents like road-traffic accidents with travellers unfamiliar with some of the more exotic driving practices in the country they are visiting.
Delta Travel Insurance Work Cancellation for International Trips
Also, in Delta’s travel insurance policy document, you will find reference to work cancellation. In keeping with the rest of the policy, the benefit is weak. For instance, an employee is required to have three years of continuous service with an employer in order to benefit from protection in the event of termination or lay-off. The best travel insurance policies will only need one year of service.
Work
Termination or layoff
You or a travelling companion is terminated or laid off from a company after your plan’s effective date.
Specific requirements (all must apply):
- The termination or layoff isn’t your fault.
- You worked for this employer for at least three continuous years.
It can be seen here that there is no mention of any trip insurance protection if your employer cancels your vacation. So, if you purchase Delta travel insurance and have your holiday cancelled by your boss, your insurance will offer you no protection whatsoever.
Conclusion
Several insurers offer a range of different, world-class travel insurance plans. You may want each of your airline carriers to have formidable customer service as well. You can expect that every travel insurance provider that the airliner is in partnership with, you will be happy with the comparison. This way, you can also compare some of the best travel insurance policies in the market and see which one fits you best. As a result, you will get to see the true value in the purchase that you make.
