If You Are Dead Serious About Understanding How Cruise, Travel & Trip Cancellation Insurance Works, TripInsuranceStore.com Will Be The Most Important Website You Have Ever Read

Which Credit Card should you take for trips outside the USA?

This is a nice set up for me to promote specific Credit Cards (and earn commissions), but I won’t do that. Instead I’ll give you practical and actionable advice that helps you today.

Do Not take the Credit Card you use every day

You likely use one Credit Card for most of your transactions. While it’s a good idea to track of all your spending in one place, it’s a bad idea to take that same Credit Card with you when you travel outside the USA.

And, if your primary card’s compromised and cancelled, you’ll be left without access to funds and will potentially disrupt your ongoing payments and subscriptions.

Instead, take two Credit Cards that are issued by a bank that you do not have any other ties to and only use them when you travel outside the USA. Use one for your transactions and have the other as a backup.

Why? Identity Theft, including Medical Identity Theft, is real. You don’t want to unwittingly help online scammers build a detailed online profile about you as a potential victim.

If your main Credit Card’s stolen, the criminals can access your Transactional History which gives them valuable financial insights that help them steal money, commit fraud or tailor specific scams just for you to deceive you more effectively.

Why Would Scammers Want Your Transactional History?

• To Identify Your Spending Patterns: They’ll see where you spend money, learn about your day to day life and what’s important to you.
• To Steal Your Credit Card Details: If they get access to your credit card statements, they can attempt unauthorized transactions or sell the information.
• Commit Identity Theft: Transactional history contains personal details that can be used to impersonate you or open new accounts in your name.
• To Bypass Security Checks: Banks sometimes ask for recent transactions as a security question. If a scammer knows your history, they can pass verification steps.
• To Create Targeted Phishing Scams: They might send you fake emails or messages that match your real transactions, tricking you into clicking malicious links.

And, there are two more important things to do:

• Call the Credit Card company’s International Security department before you leave and be sure to make a call log of who you speak with. Get the International 24/7 Security reporting contact phone number that’s answered by a live human being along with their website. Tell them which countries you’ll be visiting and the dates you’ll be outside the USA. Also, give them your contact information.
• You need to have the RFID shielded sleeves for your credit cards, passports and hotel room key card. Here’s an Amazon link that I don’t benefit from:
  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=RFID+shielded+sleeves

I know this was a lot of information, but I hope everyone reading this takes it to heart and follows through on my advice.

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I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we'll help you figure it all out.

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• Save your time & money with 9 pre-screened companies (you don't need 100+ travel or cruise insurance plans).
• You get personalized service at 1-888-407-3854. Or email us.
• Do you want a relationship with your travel insurance supplier? If so, you'll fit right in. If you'd rather not get to know us, you'll still find everything you need to get the right travel insurance plan.
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Hi Steve, My girlfriend lives in New Mexico. I live in Washington. We’re planning a two-week self-directed trip to Spain. We haven’t paid any deposits, but expect to do so soon. I’m told we have to have two insurance policies. That would double the premium. Our total trip costs are about $18,000. I’m 68, she’s 66. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you! I like your website and I hope to do business with you. Thanks, Stephen

> I’m told we have to have two insurance policies.

This is correct because you have different mailing addresses. However, you are still Traveling Companions because you are taking the same trip. Here’s more information about this: https://tripinsurancestore.com/your-family-member-or-traveling-companion/

> That would double the premium.

No, the premium wouldn’t double because it’s likely your trip costs will be split between the two of you. You might have some differences in airfare, but I expect most of the other trip costs are the same for each of you.

Look at this page to learn what are your insurable prepaid trip costs: https://tripinsurancestore.com/what-is-your-trip-cost/

And, here are two items to be aware of as you plan your trip:

1. If any of your trip costs are being paid with Future Travel Credits including airline E-Credits that you received instead of a cash refund on a trip that was cancelled or interrupted, this will change your Initial Trip Deposit Date and potentially affect both the Pre-Existing Medical Condition and Cancel For Any Reason coverages.
2. The Pre-Existing Medical Condition Coverage includes anything that your non-traveling family members have that could worsen and, in turn, cause you to cancel or interrupt your trip.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we'll help you figure it all out.

Now, a word from our sponsor: TripInsuranceStore.com (Travel Forums' Most Recommended Travel Insurance Website)

• Save your time & money with 9 pre-screened companies (you don't need 100+ travel or cruise insurance plans).
• You get personalized service at 1-888-407-3854. Or email us.
• Do you want a relationship with your travel insurance supplier? If so, you'll fit right in. If you'd rather not get to know us, you'll still find everything you need to get the right travel insurance plan.
• Get side-by-side plan & price comparisons
• You get our exclusive Smile of Satisfaction Money Back Guarantee

• TripInsuranceStore.com is easy to use

PS - If you liked what you read, please Subscribe to my Blog.

What Does “Proof of Payment” Mean on My Claim Form?

Hi Steve, Thanks for the help you are giving with Max’s claim, very much appreciated. It’s been very difficult to say the least. Their strategy seems to be to make it as difficult as possible to avoid paying a claim. We put together very specific and detailed information for Max’s medical claim and it’s like they are finding other things they need to see just to delay it longer. Things like not accepting a payment confirmation receipt from a provider as proof of payment but making us go back and find the corresponding credit card charge on the statement, or asking the hospital to provide a “current” bill which hasn’t changed since they issued the original bill when Max was discharged back in April. All they should have to do is loop in the Hospital biller for confirmation that the balance is still outstanding and to confirm the amount. Scott

Hi Scott, Thanks for send me this regarding Max’s claim.

I’m not the Insurance Company and I cannot predetermine claims. However, hopefully, I’ll be able to help you understand why they are asking for these items.

Insurance companies are regulated by the States they do business in. Part of the many rules that they have to follow is how they process claims. When a company is asking for specific information, one reason they are doing this to meet their reporting requirements.

Before God gave me the idea to start TripInsuranceStore.com, I was a Certified Financial Planner with a lot more Securities and Insurance licenses.

One day I was touring an insurance company I worked with and there were stacks of files everywhere in their admin area. They told me they were getting their multi-day annual audit of Disability and Health Insurance claims from their State’s Insurance Dept. The auditors picked out 350 claim files and for each claim they examine every document for this information:

• Were all the procedures followed?
• Were the correct State-approved forms completed and signed by the Insured?
• Did the Insured submit all the supporting documentation?
• Was the claim underpaid, overpaid or correctly paid?

You stated: “Things like not accepting a payment confirmation receipt from a provider as proof of payment but making us go back and find the corresponding credit card charge on the statement”.

The reason they want to see the charge on your credit card statement is because a payment confirmation receipt does not show who paid the money and in what form the money was paid. For example, if you had a $500 courtesy credit from your travel supplier that was applied to your payment, that $500 credit isn’t insurable. Without seeing your credit card statement, the insurance company has no idea how much you actually paid out of pocket.

As for “asking the hospital to provide a current bill”, many times costs are added on later as the providers submit their invoices. The insurance company wants to be sure that you aren’t being underpaid.

As you know, we help our customers with their claims. Its common for previously unknown important information to show up weeks or months after a claim was started because of various delays.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we'll help you figure it all out.

Now, a word from our sponsor: TripInsuranceStore.com (Travel Forums' Most Recommended Travel Insurance Website)

• Save your time & money with 9 pre-screened companies (you don't need 100+ travel or cruise insurance plans).
• You get personalized service at 1-888-407-3854. Or email us.
• Do you want a relationship with your travel insurance supplier? If so, you'll fit right in. If you'd rather not get to know us, you'll still find everything you need to get the right travel insurance plan.
• Get side-by-side plan & price comparisons
• You get our exclusive Smile of Satisfaction Money Back Guarantee

• TripInsuranceStore.com is easy to use

PS - If you liked what you read, please Subscribe to my Blog.

Hi Steve, I’m glad I called you. I wasn’t expecting any advice beyond learning how Trip Cancellation Travel Insurance could help me. Your tip saved me more than $1,310 which almost paid for the insurance I got from you and it will continue to save me money in the future. Thanks for mentioning this to me. Tom F. in Delaware

Even though TripInsuranceStore.com sells Trip Cancellation Travel Insurance, Deanna, Kim and I also know how to save you money and grief when you’re planning a trip.

Here’s why Tom’s happy:
Tom achieved a high Marriott Elite status (I don’t know which one). They know him, so whenever he needs to book a stay, he calls and they give him their best refundable rate.

So I asked him “What’s the non-refundable rate? He said he already knew he was getting their best rate, but I pushed back with “every time someone books a non-refundable hotel, the money they save versus the refundable rate pays all or a substantial part of their travel insurance premium”.

I could tell he wasn’t thrilled about contacting Marriott, but I convinced him to do it. Not long after, I received this email:

“Hi Steve, I switched my Marriott Amsterdam booking from the refundable to the non-refundable rate. Before the change it was 2,743.23 Euros. After getting the non-refundable pre-pay rate it went down to 1,551.64 Euros. I saved 1,191.59 Euros which is more than $1,310 !!!! Thanks for mentioning this to me. Tom”

I hope this tip helps you, too.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we'll help you figure it all out.

Now, a word from our sponsor: TripInsuranceStore.com (Travel Forums' Most Recommended Travel Insurance Website)

• Save your time & money with 9 pre-screened companies (you don't need 100+ travel or cruise insurance plans).
• You get personalized service at 1-888-407-3854. Or email us.
• Do you want a relationship with your travel insurance supplier? If so, you'll fit right in. If you'd rather not get to know us, you'll still find everything you need to get the right travel insurance plan.
• Get side-by-side plan & price comparisons
• You get our exclusive Smile of Satisfaction Money Back Guarantee

• TripInsuranceStore.com is easy to use

PS - If you liked what you read, please Subscribe to my Blog.