Discussions

We are travelling to a warm place in Feb. I have sufficient health insurance through work should something happen. I was planning to get cancellation insurance someplace until I talked to a friend. She highly discouraged it because she said making a successful claim is very rare. She had a family member denied with a Dr. letter advising not to travel. So for her it got the conversation going and heard of many people denied.  
 
My concern is mainly highway 1 closing. It can happen for 2 or 3 days straight. She feels it would not be covered anyway.  
 
Do you have experience, opinions with travel cancellation insurance? Is it worth while or just a money grab?

Consider it from a reputable source such as CAA who have a good reputation. Read the fine print and understand what will/wont be covered.  
 
You mentioned a friend had a bad experience and said they spoke to many others as well who said it was a bad idea, I would take that with a grain of salt, sometimes a person has a negative experience and talks to one or two people and all of a sudden 1 or 2 people equals a bunch in their mind. They may have simply failed to do things as outlined in their claims procedure making them invalid.  
 
I wouldnt be too concerned about highway closures if you have flexibility to travel a few days early. They forecast these storms days in advance now especially if your part of any weather groups and you can plan to leave early so your in your city's airport you fly out of a day or two early.  
 
Heres a few links why insurance claim may be denied...  
 
https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/travel/trip-cancellation/trip-cancellation-claim-denied.htm  
 
https://www.sbis.ca/need-know-trip-cancellation-insurance.html  
 
https://www.guthrieinsurance.com/blog/top-6-reasons-travel-insurance-claims-are-denied-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

I have heard the same, but also know a family that was travelling (Grandparents, grown kids, grandkids etc) that had to cancel for a serious unexpected medical emergency that they would never have anticipated. They were very glad to have purchased the insurance. But you are correct, you want to make sure you know what you are covered for. With a winter storm, they are usually predicted and we have travelled in a day early if needed.  
 
We have cancelation insurance on our credit card which we pay for the trip with (you can take it out for the trip and pay a pro-rated amount), then cancel after or keep it for the year. This is another option you can check out.

I’m an insurance broker in town and offer a variety of travel and cancellation coverage from many companies. There are some companies that won’t cover a cancellation due to a closed highway, but there are many that will. I recommend talking with someone that deals with this everyday and understands the coverage and policy provisions.

Goodness, Not getting cancellation or travel insurance is a really bad idea. We have used both a few times and thank god we did.. never had an issue claiming or getting money back or a credit etc.

Certain high end credit cards offer travel insurance. The fee likely be $150 per year. It might turn out be cheaper due to it covering several people, plus it can extend purchase warranties and whatever other benefits are i:ncluded with the card.

For the cost of it I’ve never been able to do it. Granted we always go sunwing or westjet so I just assumed they were giving me my money back...I didn’t even know there was fine print...which makes me even less likely to ever get it. We go on a major vacation to Mexico/punta cana/Jamaica/Bahamas every year for the last 9 years never needed insurance. Granted we go in the day before to avoid things like highway closures (been a while since the highways were closed for a full 48 hours) most people don’t share my logic, just thought I’d post my take on things.

If your main concern is the highways, then make plans for that. Get in to the city a day early. Honestly, I have never seen the number 1 closed for more than about 24 hours. Never seen them closed for 3 days straight.  
As for other things like illness that can happen unexpectedly, that’s a chance you take if you choose not to get the insurance. Although, if you were to show up at the airport and try and board a flight when extremely ill the airline would likely not allow you to fly and they would accommodate rearranging the flight for you. We knew a family that their child got ill during their first flight and was then not allowed on their connecting flight. The airline provided the accommodations needed, the child was treated at a hospital and they were able to get a different flight home.

Thanks, i will contact CAA.  
 
We are totally going into Wpg the night before, however I don't have the luxury of missing more work before that should a storm move in.  
 
The number 1 highway has indeed been closed longer than 24 hours. I work in the trucking industry.  
 
Has anyone on here got experience filing a cancellation claim? How did it go? Any hassles?  
 
Thanks for the help everyone.

Cancellation coverage can vary in cost by hundreds of dollars in some situations, depending on cost of the trip. From personal experience CAA is one of the pricier options. It’s worth calling a few places to ask for a quote. To answer your question about filing a claim, I have had a claim personally as well as helping with a claim as the insurance agent. Both claims got paid without issue.

As a former Insurance Broker that specialized in Travel Insurance Make Sure you speak and talk to your Broker about your concerns, make sure that the problem that you might have will be covered. Make sure that they explain the limitations and cut off dates that may apply(that is the big one) . Don't be afraid to ask questions, take your time. Also if you are not sure you have enough coverage for yourself... It never hurts for more. Happy Travels, and Have a great Holiday!

The purpose of insurance is to divide the risk. As previous posters have indicated, the insurance is only as good as the company which provides it. I purchased tickets and cancellation insurance. Had a medical emergency only to discover I had only two weeks from date of purchase to cancel. Then they charged me and additional amount against my credit card to cancel.  
 
Long story abbreviated, I purchased my ticket with American Express. They refunded my money and provided a lot of guidance. My accident was in May. I received my refund cheque in September.  
 
Moral of Story. I found a bargain on line only to discover I was scammed. The company was being investigated for fraud. Air Canada, Expedia and American Express insurance helped me to recover my money. Mine was a medical injury. I do not know how they would work in case of bad roads.

Their cancelation insurance is "As long as you give 3 hours notice you're refunded in full"  
 
"Your no-hassle, peace-of-mind Cancellation Waiver allows you to cancel up to 3 hours prior to departure for any reason, except no shows or denied boarding, or make one change prior to the outbound departure without paying a change fee. You will receive a 100 percent refund if you do cancel your trip. Some or all of your refund may be paid in Sunwing future travel vouchers, depending on when you cancel. Worry Free Cancellation Waiver does not apply once you have departed on your holiday."

As a person who works in the travel industry I can't stress the importance of travel protection. I can tell that we see more claims successful than not. Life happens and you never know what can come about. I have seen cancellations happen for reasons people think "it can't happen to me". Tour operators have strict cancellation penalties and they typically do not budge unless you have proper coverage.  
Always ask yourself the question can you afford to lose what you paid for the trip if you are unable to travel ? If the answer is no then please make sure you have some form of coverage.

I’m also in the travel industry and highly recommend travel insurance. Companies like Sunwing offer cancellation insurance for cheap but be aware of what you’re covered for and how you’ll be reimbursed. They have strict guidelines for reasons to cancel and most times refund with a voucher to be used within a year. The insurance company we deal with reimburses within days provided you do your due diligence and submit your claim within 24hrs. There are different policies and some only cover a handful of things where others will cover anything, even things like I don’t feel like going now. You’re spending thousands of dollars to travel why would you risk losing all of it!!?? Just because you’re too cheap to spend another couple hundred to cover your ass.