I had to travel on an international flight with my newborn baby for some unavoidable reasons! and my husband asked me to check about travel insurance for our baby. I thought that as completely unnecessary thing to do? It was not at all my priority! Why my baby need a travel insurance?
Anyway when said by Bryan it was necessary for me to check first if I really need a travel insurance for my baby and second if at all I need it what are the ways to take it?
So my Google research began by entering simple standard question “How & Why to take term Travel Insurance for Newborn Baby & Toddlers?” Believe me, the top search results were totally irrelevant to my question. Someone has written about tips on insurance and some other some general info rather than precisely answering my question.
So I decided to put down my learnings after my Insurance research after returning from an international trip with my baby. I may not be the best knowledgeable to answer this question, but I am sure the time I have spent on understanding the need and spending some money on it will surely help you too.
So before spending money and time I first researched on:
Travel Insurance for Newborn Baby & Toddlers
Do I need Travel Insurance for Newborn Baby & Toddlers?
The shortest answer after study is, Yes
It is really helpful to obtain a travel insurance even for a newborn baby or even a toddler till 3 years old.
Well firstly traveling with newborn baby is a tough task in itself, so just imagine what if something goes wrong during a trip? May be the baby gets sick or injured during the trip!
What happens if some emergency medical expenses arises during travel?
I thought that at least if I take an international travel insurance for my baby I will be having a peace of mind. No worries for any emergency medical expenses as well as I will get a prompt service since supported by the insurance company.
Further it may / can help me in instances, such as delayed or cancelled flights in case my baby contracts chicken pox right before the day of your departure.
And, lastly when I have my baby is covered by comprehensive insurance I can confidently take my baby to any good doctor / hospital even during abroad trip without even thinking on medical expenses (which can be exorbitant in countries like USA, UK or even in Canada for foreigners) By any means while you are away from your homeground it medical expenses will always be an expensive affair.
Depending upon the coverage of Travel insurance, it can also be useful when the baggage is lost or delayed. Like my baby needs many many things like her diapers, baby wipes, feeding bottles, a change of clothes, and pretty long laundry list of her necessities. Now in case your baggage is lost, the Travel insurance will surely help defray the cost of buying these necessities.
Family Insurance or Separate Travel Insurance?
Understood! But I have family insurance, then is is necessary to take separate travel insurance?
Yes, I also thought of the same thing. I have a family insurance then why separate travel insurance?
But I understood from my insurance company that my present family policy is something different and offers coverage of my child in an unforeseen event like my demise! My family insurance was not that comprehensive to cover the Travel needs.
So lessons learnt was to verify the range of coverage provided by the standard family policy.
I looked for a travel insurance coverage against the regular features of a standard policies like loss of luggage, personal accident, medical treatment and loss of currency and valuables. And mind it, really important thing is to check and re-check the policy details before you signing above the dotted lines!
Fun Fact I found during my study: 37% of the Canadians believes that the travel insurance offered through their credit card or their employer benefits plan is all that’s required!
Credit card Medical Coverage
Second question came to my mind was about medical cover provided by my credit card.
I simply checked with my credit card company for the coverage provided by them in credit card’s travel insurance policy. Then I discovered that the level of coverage offered was way less than I thought I would need during my travel.
So I thought of going for additional travel insurance to supplement my existing medical cover provided by my credit card company.
By this way I was entitled to get additional benefits aside from the medical coverage.
Also, I came to know that the travel insurance coverage is payable only if I use the same credit card to purchase the travel needs! For an example, my lost baggage and trip cancellation benefits may be payable only if I have booked the flight using the credit card!
What I understood from all the above study is that my credit card was not providing me comprehensive insurance for international travel and hence it was necessary to buy separate family travel insurance covering my baby too.
Once I decided to buy separate travel insurance I began feeling secure! Totally free from tension that I may discover something like So & So thing is not covered under my medical coverage provided by my credit card company or they will not pay for emergency medical evacuation and other expenses related to medical emergencies.
Peace of mind:
So now that I have decided to have a more comprehensive travel insurance policy, I have complete peace of mind, I know that me and my baby both are completely protected from a lot of things that can happen during the trip. Now I will be able to focus my mind on making the most out of the trip & take only unforgettable memories for life.
Getting a Family Travel Insurance
So I could not find separate infant travel policy, but could get a best deal on family travel insurance which also covered my baby.
Obviously I looked for the same coverage features for my newborn which I wanted for myself, except for the fact that I knew I need not pay any extra premium to cover my baby from loss of income or something like that which is of no use for my baby.
So I decided to stick to the basics. I checked the policy terms carefully to make sure that all that I am going to select and pay is relevant for my baby. I read and understood inclusions and exclusions.
Naturally my selected basic travel insurance plan was covering some fundamental concerns like protection from any medical emergencies that might arise especially while traveling abroad. (Remember many American policies do not cover all things). So it is most important to include the cost of emergency and other transportation situations in the coverage. Any small ignorance for such coverage will be pretty expensive later, like the cost of returning home after a serious illness or injury. In such circumstances that could cost a fortune.
Coverage:
- Choose for a single trip or annual multi-trip.
- Cover for up to $xyz million per person for medical costs.
- Worldwide coverage or for the specific country that you are traveling.
- Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI)
Tip : If your home insurance or credit card insurance is covering the baggage loss, then it will save some money fif you exclude baggage cover from your plan.
Pricing & Budget:
I know already your vacation budgets are tight and additional burden of paying for a travel insurance for baby will not be that easy, however by now you know its unavoidable so lets look at the pricing part of it.
Coming to the pricing part of my travel insurance story. Since I had already decided to go for family travel insurance, pricing part was fairly simple, my baby was covered alongwith me for little cost of about $20 for a single trip. They told me that this price would further reduce if I buy multi trip policy (special low rates apply)
It’s worth bearing in mind that there is no proper substitute for travel insurance. And you must buy separate comprehensive travel insurance plan to protect from any exorbitant expenses out of emergencies.
All that you have to do is to shop for the insurance company that offers travel insurance for your baby with the features you want and with no frills.
Tips on Baby Travel Insurance
Now I have taken travel insurance and about to start my international trip
Make sure to do the following:
– Take two printouts of policy, keep one copy in hand baggage and second one in cabin baggage.
– Read carefully what’s covered and what’s not, check with insurance company if you have any doubts.
– Do check if the policy has any restrictions on selection of specific medical providers. Check with insurance company on providers and their location before you begin travel.
– Check if the insurance is cashless or you need to pay first and will be reimbursed later. Best way is to opt for cashless medical insurance policies.
From the authors desk: Oilivia speaks
Hi I am Olivia here a mother of newborn baby, I hope my blog post about –
Do I need Travel Insurance for Newborn Baby & Toddlers?
Must have helped you in understanding what I thought for when I did my first international trip. I do not want to promote any particular insurance company and hence not added name of the company I took insurance from. This is just to avoid any misunderstanding that I am promoting someone. For me it is most important that you should realize importance of travel insurance for newborn or your child. That’s all.
If you like this post, do let me know by commenting in below section of the blog post.
Extensive reference is taken from the following websites for writing this blog post:
Do I need travel insurance for my 3-month old daughter? – http://www.insuranceqna.com/travel-insurance/travel-insurance-for-a-3-month-old-child.html
Do I really need to buy travel insurance when my platinum credit card offers medical cover? – http://www.insuranceqna.com/travel-insurance/buy-travel-insurance-when-having-medical-cover.html
How To Secure Travel Insurance For Newborn Babies And Toddlers – https://www.travelinsurance.com/2013/05/how-to-secure-travel-insurance-for-newborn-babies-and-toddlers/
Travel insurance and children: Can you travel with a baby? – https://www.columbusdirect.com/content/travel-insurance-and-babies/
Leave a Reply