# MVCI Travel Insurance? Yes or No?



## NYFLTRAVELER (Dec 28, 2014)

I just spoke with MVCI on an unrelated issue and the agent offered me travel protection for $119 for the year (covering up to 12 people) for MVCI related trips...

Have you ever heard of this?  If so, have you purchased this (or why not)?

Thank you & Happy Holidays.

--SBD


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## dioxide45 (Dec 28, 2014)

We haven't purchased. This is because it only covers timeshare related travel and we also tend to take a few other trips each year outside of timeshare. Also, when traveling domestically we usually don't buy any insurance since our main reason for any kind of insurance is medical coverage. Our insurance will cover us inside the US. When we take a cruise we always buy third party travel insurance.

The insurance offered by MVCI is through VacationGuard and from what I have heard is pretty good. Though you have to buy it based on your use year and there was some lengthy discussion a while back about use year and year used. You may want to check out this thread where Fasttr obtained a lot of information about the plan directly from VacationGuard.


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## jimf41 (Dec 28, 2014)

We buy it every year. I used it it 2013 when due to an injury I had to cancel a trip. They paid the airfare when we cancelled the flight. About a month later they sent another check to cover the seat upgrades we bought. They don't pay the MF until just after your week is past and they don't pay the taxes if they are billed separately as in St Thomas. Other than that it's good IMO and we will continue to get it.


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## GreenTea (Dec 28, 2014)

I am counting on it being good, if needed.   The Martiott rep said all people on the trip are covered, but I have people flying to Spain from various US cities, some miles, some cash.  The Marriott vacation club reservation doesn't specify all their names, just the 2 owner names.


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## NYFLTRAVELER (Dec 28, 2014)

jimf41 said:


> We buy it every year. I used it it 2013 when due to an injury I had to cancel a trip. They paid the airfare when we cancelled the flight. About a month later they sent another check to cover the seat upgrades we bought. They don't pay the MF until just after your week is past and they don't pay the taxes if they are billed separately as in St Thomas. Other than that it's good IMO and we will continue to get it.



Thank you. I think we will get it just as protection with 2 DC points trips scheduled for 2015.


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## VictorB (Dec 29, 2014)

*Vacation Guard Insurance*

I buy it every trip - seems worth it. 

 It says it covers the entire year. Does that mean ALL travel is covered or just Timeshare related? Wonder if you collect on one trip, can you collect on another trip?


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## BobG7734 (Dec 29, 2014)

I may be faced with filing a claim net month.  Has anyone had experience with claim processing?  I assume airfare is covered, does it also reimburse for maintenance fees at the home resort?  What about DC points used?

Thanks, Bob


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## n777lt (Dec 29, 2014)

rcgrogan said:


> I may be faced with filing a claim net month.  Has anyone had experience with claim processing?  I assume airfare is covered, does it also reimburse for maintenance fees at the home resort?  What about DC points used?
> 
> Thanks, Bob


Thank heavens, we have not had to file a claim (and we do buy the insurance - Old Father Time can be pretty unkind at our ages!) so I can't answer, though I thought one of the points of buying through MVCI is that maintenance fees would be reimbursed.

But please, please report back on your experience with the insurance carrier if you find you do have to file a claim. (And I'm sorry about whatever has occurred to upset your travel plans)


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## Ann in CA (Dec 29, 2014)

VictorB said:


> I buy it every trip - seems worth it.
> 
> It says it covers the entire year. Does that mean ALL travel is covered or just Timeshare related? Wonder if you collect on one trip, can you collect on another trip?



It does have to be a timeshare trip, specifically only the "use year" insured. We have never had to make a claim, but it is my understanding that it will cover any timeshare trips for the weeks in that "use year" , but only up to the policy limits. That is, if one had multiple weeks, all claimed which exceeded the policy limit for the maintenance fees, you would only be covered for the $  limit on maintenance fee reimbursement.  Probably the same on medical evac, etc., although I didn't ask about that.

Just be sure to get the Marriott  insurance before you deposit to II, because you cannot buy it after. They told me it is best to buy it when you make your reservation, although you may buy it later, just not if already deposited in II.


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## EducatedConsumer (Dec 29, 2014)

Many airlines offer their customers travel insurance from Allianz Global Assistance of Richmond, VA.

Apparently, Allianz's customers do not hold them in very high regard:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/allianz-global-assistance-richmond?osq=Allianz+Global+Assistance+USA


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## BobG7734 (Dec 29, 2014)

I had a claim with Allianz two years ago and the recovery was smooth and complete.  That was before learning about TravelGuard thru MVCI, which is more comprehensive than through the airlines.  Got the Marriott insurance for 2015 using 400 orphan DC points.

Will post if I have to cancel our Waiohai trip next month (medical reasons)...poster was correct that age does catch up!


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## BocaBoy (Dec 30, 2014)

The insurance MVCI offered for a couple of years before this program was good for a year of timeshare trips, not limited to your "use year".  It also covered getaways, e.g.  The perils covered were very similar to the current offering.  We bought the old program but not this one.


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## dioxide45 (Dec 30, 2014)

rcgrogan said:


> I had a claim with Allianz two years ago and the recovery was smooth and complete.  That was before learning about TravelGuard thru MVCI, which is more comprehensive than through the airlines.  Got the Marriott insurance for 2015 using 400 orphan DC points.
> 
> Will post if I have to cancel our Waiohai trip next month (medical reasons)...poster was correct that age does catch up!



Just to clarify, the insurance offered through MVCI is from Vacation Guard, not Travel Guard.


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## BobG7734 (Dec 30, 2014)

Opps...my bad


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## NYFLTRAVELER (Jan 24, 2015)

I purchased the travel insurance for $119.  The policy states (see below) that it covers me and up to 12 people named on a reservation. The question is must I add my spouse's name and the names of my children to every MVCI (or even II) reservation I now make?

I will call to clarify but if anybody has experienced this please let me know. Thank you.

_"The plan will cover the primary traveler and up to 12 traveling companions named on the same travel reservation. The Maximum Benefits amounts shown are shared between all travelers and are paid to the primary traveler listed. When traveling to or from your destination, the purchased protection plan will automatically cover you up to 2 days before, and 2 days after your scheduled travel dates."_


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## Ann in CA (Jan 25, 2015)

NYFLTRAVELER said:


> I purchased the travel insurance for $119.  The policy states (see below) that it covers me and up to 12 people named on a reservation. The question is must I add my spouse's name and the names of my children to every MVCI (or even II) reservation I now make?
> 
> I will call to clarify but if anybody has experienced this please let me know. Thank you.
> 
> _"The plan will cover the primary traveler and up to 12 traveling companions named on the same travel reservation. The Maximum Benefits amounts shown are shared between all travelers and are paid to the primary traveler listed. When traveling to or from your destination, the purchased protection plan will automatically cover you up to 2 days before, and 2 days after your scheduled travel dates."_



Last September when I bought ours I called and they said no need to add names, but I suppose if you had a claim you'd need some proof.  Never hurts to get a second opinion though. We won't be using ours for a few months, so haven't done that yet.


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## BobG7734 (Jan 25, 2015)

I am in the process of submitting a claim...the claim forms ask for the name of the insured (i.e., one who purchased the policy) and the name(s) of the travelling companion(s) giving rise to the claim.

Looks pretty straightforward...I will report back the results once the claim is processed.

You can see the forms and required documentation on vacationguard.com.


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## luvmytimeshare (Jan 25, 2015)

Had to file a claim for a little car accident and we had no problem being reimbursed. Happy camper.


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## GreenTea (Jan 27, 2015)

I worried about not naming names.   MVC had no way to do so, they said.   We have people flying to Europe from different US locations.  I am counting on everyone being covered!


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## NYFLTRAVELER (Jan 27, 2015)

GreenTea said:


> I worried about not naming names.   MVC had no way to do so, they said.   We have people flying to Europe from different US locations.  I am counting on everyone being covered!



According to the terms of the policy:

"The plan will cover the primary traveler and up to 12 traveling companions named on the same travel reservation. The Maximum Benefits amounts shown are shared between all travelers and are paid to the primary traveler listed. When traveling to or from your destination, the purchased protection plan will automatically cover you up to 2 days before, and 2 days after your scheduled travel dates."


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## GreenTea (Jan 27, 2015)

I tried to get MVC list all our names but they said they can only list the owner.  

Now you have me worried.  No one but the 2 of us will be driving the rental cars, but we have flights from various domestic airports meeting in Barcelona.


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## dioxide45 (Jan 27, 2015)

I would suspect if you can produce airline itineraries/confirmations for all the travelers, that would be all that TravelGuard needs to process the claim. How about calling them to verify?


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## pwrshift (Jan 29, 2015)

Broke a tooth in Ft. Lauderdale and had to get a crown for $1800...they paid it as it was emergency dental.  Don't leave home without it.  All other programs I checked we're more expensive for less coverage.  Stay away from Allianz...I had a claim and they only covered a small portion of it.


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## pwrshift (Jan 29, 2015)

Duplicate...sorry.


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## SunandFun83 (Jan 29, 2015)

*A Must Buy If You Own Multiple Weeks*

i have Vacation Guard already for 2015, 2016 and 2017.  The premium is per year and not per trip.  We take three or four Marriott Timeshare trips each year.

The question was raised about putting traveling companions on the reservation.  I have a claim pending for expenses related to a trip to Grand Chateau in Vegas.  My mother-in-law was with us and had a heart attack upon arrival at the airport.

We had two hotel rooms after checking out of the timeshare  for a week she needed to recover before flying home.  Had to get a rental car for trips to the hospital.


Her name was not on any Marriott documents nor reservations.  She never set foot in the timeshare,  heart attack at the airport.  
Vacation Guard just asked me to show she travelled with us.  The said they would cover all my Marriott timeshare travel including exchanges and Getaways.  Asked to read the policy itself.  I did when I bought the first time.

I strongly recommend this service.


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## ilene13 (Jan 29, 2015)

We too buy it, but I purchase the Timeshare Plus policy directly from Vacation Guard because we also take non Marriott timeshare trips.  It has always been $159 vs $119.  It seems that the price just increased to $199.  Regardless, it is well worth it.


Also, it is Vacation Guard  NOT Travel Guard.  TG is not timeshare specific.


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## BobG7734 (Feb 27, 2015)

rcgrogan said:


> I am in the process of submitting a claim...the claim forms ask for the name of the insured (i.e., one who purchased the policy) and the name(s) of the travelling companion(s) giving rise to the claim.
> 
> Looks pretty straightforward...I will report back the results once the claim is processed.
> 
> You can see the forms and required documentation on vacationguard.com.





The claim process was painless...for medical reasons our Waiohai reservation in January had to be cancelled...reimbursement was for all airfare and the maintenance fee for the week.  Well worth the premium!


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## Fasttr (Feb 27, 2015)

rcgrogan said:


> The claim process was painless...for medical reasons our Waiohai reservation in January had to be cancelled...reimbursement was for all airfare and the maintenance fee for the week.  Well worth the premium!



Good to hear.  Valuable feedback for those of us that purchase this stuff.


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## jeepie (Feb 27, 2015)

*Two caveat's*

I recently needed to cancel a trip due to an injury to one of our travelers. I called the VOA and said I needed to cancel this reservation and I also have a question. Well, the VOA canceled the reservation THEN I described the reason. Well, it turns out that my points were returned as Holding Points (which must be used less than 60 days out, can't be banked, transferred, etc.). I found out Vacation Guard will not consider this a valid claim, since the points (even though tarnished) were returned to me. When the VOA asked the reason, I asked the question, how do I file a claim? Uh oh...now the reservation was taken by someone else. Lesson learned. I also gently suggested it would be helpful if the VOA would ask the reason before actually canceling.

Now I have another claim. One of our party got sick. This claim is in process (I didn't cancel this time!). I followed up with Travel Guard about 10 days after they received the forms, and was told they had sent me a letter (still not received). They needed to know my MVCI number and reservation number. I gave it to the rep over the phone. I went back and looked pretty carefully...they don't ask for that on the claim form. So, at least in my experience, you can shorten the claims time by a couple of weeks if you give them that information initially. The claim isn't yet resolved, but I expect a check in another week or two. Cheers.


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## dioxide45 (Feb 27, 2015)

I wonder if they will come back and indicate that the reservation was cancellable up to the day of departure and deny the claim? This would make the travel insurance all but worthless to cover MFs and would only help with other travel related expenses or travel delay.


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## Phanatic (Mar 24, 2015)

i spoke to a VOA yesterday and am now confused.

First she quoted the cost as either 700 DC points or $199.00.   Using the DC points doesn't seem cost effective at that rate.  She said the rate increased earlier in the Month.  I hadn't heard that.

She also said the insurance doesn't include airfare.  So the only real benefit would be the replacement cost of the MF's and any medical costs not covered within your own healthcare policy.   Not sure it's a good deal.

Should I call someone else to clarify the airfare?


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## GreenTea (Mar 24, 2015)

Phanatic said:


> i spoke to a VOA yesterday and am now confused.
> 
> First she quoted the cost as either 700 DC points or $199.00.   Using the DC points doesn't seem cost effective at that rate.  She said the rate increased earlier in the Month.  I hadn't heard that.
> 
> ...




This is a huge change!    The selling point, for me, was it covered air loss, delays, rescheduling to get home in an emergency.   If that is excluded I likely won't get it via MVC.  And the price has very nearly doubled.  Really bad combination.


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## Superchief (Jun 12, 2015)

I purchased this insurance the last few years and was planning to purchase again for 2016. Not only did the price increase from $119 to $199 (400 to 700 VC points), but the coverage levels appear to have been cut from 10,000 to 5,000 per term. These increases aren't acceptable to me, so I guess I will have to explore other coverage options. 

One challenge is that you must have coverage for the time share/ DC points/ Exchange period that was used. So if I used a deposited 2014 week for a 2016 trip, I needed to have coverage in 2014. My trips in 2016 will include some previously covered weeks (2014 and 2015) plus 2016 weeks. 

MVC is making this difficult for us.


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## ilene13 (Jun 12, 2015)

Superchief said:


> I purchased this insurance the last few years and was planning to purchase again for 2016. Not only did the price increase from $119 to $199 (400 to 700 VC points), but the coverage levels appear to have been cut from 10,000 to 5,000 per term. These increases aren't acceptable to me, so I guess I will have to explore other coverage options.
> 
> One challenge is that you must have coverage for the time share/ DC points/ Exchange period that was used. So if I used a deposited 2014 week for a 2016 trip, I needed to have coverage in 2014. My trips in 2016 will include some previously covered weeks (2014 and 2015) plus 2016 weeks.
> 
> MVC is making this difficult for us.



Im looking at the contract which I renewed in February.  The limits are $10,000 for the term.  Look on their website.  My husband became ill in Mexico with eColi.  The doctor's bill was $700.  They paid it in full.  I would look into purchasing their "Timeshare Plus" plan.  It was $199 when I bought it in February but it is now $242 and covers all your timeshare trips for a full calendar year.  Since we also own non-Marriotts I purchased it on their website.  It covers airfare etc.  I think it is an excellent plan!!!


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## michigander (Jun 14, 2015)

*Does $242 cover all trips?*

Does the expanded coverage you mentioned for $242 include trips other than timeshares, such as cruises?  Is it your understanding that it covers getaways, exchanges, of all timeshares?

Thanks for your research and sharing on this!


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## Fasttr (Jun 14, 2015)

michigander said:


> Does the expanded coverage you mentioned for $242 include trips other than timeshares, such as cruises?  Is it your understanding that it covers getaways, exchanges, of all timeshares?
> 
> Thanks for your research and sharing on this!



My understanding is that it covers all timeshare related trips, so if your timeshare ownership is based on a weeks system, it covers your week, whether using your owned week or if you exchange it for another week via II.  If you are using a points system, it covers whatever trip your points were used for, so if you use points for a cruise, it would cover the cruise.  As I understand it, it does not cover trips outside of your timeshare usage...and I also understand that it does not cover getaways.


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## jimf41 (Jun 14, 2015)

ilene13 said:


> Im looking at the contract which I renewed in February.  The limits are $10,000 for the term.  Look on their website.  My husband became ill in Mexico with eColi.  The doctor's bill was $700.  They paid it in full.  I would look into purchasing their "Timeshare Plus" plan.  It was $199 when I bought it in February but it is now $242 and covers all your timeshare trips for a full calendar year.  Since we also own non-Marriotts I purchased it on their website.  It covers airfare etc.  I think it is an excellent plan!!!



Could you provide a like to the policy you describe. I've been to the Vacation Guard website and I can find no plan that covers airfare and MFs on an annual basis.


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## ilene13 (Jun 14, 2015)

jimf41 said:


> Could you provide a like to the policy you describe. I've been to the Vacation Guard website and I can find no plan that covers airfare and MFs on an annual basis.



www.vacationguard.com is the site.  Look at the timeshare plus plan.  I just read the policy and it talks about airfare if a trip is cancelled for a covered reason, interrupted etc.If you want a copy of the entire plan PM me and send a fax # I will fax it to you.


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## Fasttr (Jun 14, 2015)

jimf41 said:


> Could you provide a like to the policy you describe. I've been to the Vacation Guard website and I can find no plan that covers airfare and MFs on an annual basis.



Jim...try this link for policy summary info.  https://www.vacationguard.com/Enrollments/ConsumerComposite.aspx?p=SVTP&ct=PKG&facp=0

The problem is, that if you have ever clicked through from the MVC site, that same link will only show you the MVC policy summary info unless you clear your cookies.  A little trick MVC obviously worked out with them.  If the cost does not show $242 when you click through, then you are looking at the MVC policy info and not the generic VacationGuard policy info.

There is also a link from that page to a Product Overview flier with additional info.  You can also click on the Learn More link on the top menu bar to see a comparison between their Timeshare focused policy and their Single trip focused policy.  That's where it outlines that Getaways, etc are not covered on the Timeshare policy.


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## jimf41 (Jun 14, 2015)

Fasttr said:


> Jim...try this link for policy summary info.  https://www.vacationguard.com/Enrollments/ConsumerComposite.aspx?p=SVTP&ct=PKG&facp=0
> 
> The problem is, that if you have ever clicked through from the MVC site, that same link will only show you the MVC policy summary info unless you clear your cookies.  .



Thanks, I did get to the site direct from the link you posted.


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## GreenTea (Jun 15, 2015)

These sound like awful changes to the policy.   When I bought the insurance I was protecting myself from lots more exposure than the annual fee.   There is no way it makes any sense.   For a basic owner, $200 to protect about $1200 in maintence fees only?    No way.


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## dioxide45 (Jun 15, 2015)

GreenTea said:


> These sound like awful changes to the policy.   When I bought the insurance I was protecting myself from lots more exposure than the annual fee.   There is no way it makes any sense.   For a basic owner, $200 to protect about $1200 in maintence fees only?    No way.



But what if you own three, four or five weeks? The MF would be far more than $1200. The policy also provides additional coverage, like medical and trip delay in addition to trip cancellation.


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## ilene13 (Jun 15, 2015)

dioxide45 said:


> But what if you own three, four or five weeks? The MF would be far more than $1200. The policy also provides additional coverage, like medical and trip delay in addition to trip cancellation.



Other than the price there are no changes to the non-Marriott version.  As Dioxide said, most of us pay a lot more than $1200 in maintenance fees.  We own 7 weeks.  After my husband's eColi experience we will never be without it.


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## bazzap (Jun 15, 2015)

When I checked, this specific insurance was not available to UK residents.
Does anyone know of any insurer(s) offering similar timeshare cover this side of the pond?


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## GreenTea (Jun 15, 2015)

I have bought it in previous years, but I thought this said it no longer covered airfare.   

I take multiple trips a year, but not all at once.   If one got cancelled I'm much more concerned about a bunch of airline tickets.  So it still includes the air coverage and trip interruptions?


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## jimf41 (Jun 15, 2015)

GreenTea said:


> I have bought it in previous years, but I thought this said it no longer covered airfare.
> 
> I take multiple trips a year, but not all at once.   If one got cancelled I'm much more concerned about a bunch of airline tickets.  So it still includes the air coverage and trip interruptions?



It does cover airfare for multiple trips with a total limit. I've attached the actual plan policy. I wouldn't get it if I only owned one week but if you have multiple weeks and fly to them it's pretty good and very cheap even at $242.


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## Superchief (Jun 15, 2015)

jimf41 said:


> It does cover airfare for multiple trips with a total limit. I've attached the actual plan policy. I wouldn't get it if I only owned one week but if you have multiple weeks and fly to them it's pretty good and very cheap even at $242.


I just want to clarify: This isn't the policy offered through MVC, is it? I previously bought the policy offered through MVC, but noticed significant changes this year in cost and coverage. Is this an unrelated policy available directly through Vacation Guard that is $242 but has decent coverage for multiple weeks? Thanks.


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## ilene13 (Jun 15, 2015)

Superchief said:


> I just want to clarify: This isn't the policy offered through MVC, is it? I previously bought the policy offered through MVC, but noticed significant changes this year in cost and coverage. Is this an unrelated policy available directly through Vacation Guard that is $242 but has decent coverage for multiple weeks? Thanks.



Yes you are correct, it is the same company but not the same plan as Marriott's..  Jim I'm glad you found the plan on line.


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## dioxide45 (Jun 15, 2015)

It seems that the $43 gets you double the coverage for trip cancellation and interruption. It also provides additional coverage in that it covers all of your timeshare weeks, not just Marriott weeks. Though this would only apply to those that also own other timeshares other than Marriott. I think the non Marriott specific plan might be the best option now.

I don't think either plan will cover getaways purchased through II or RCI. Only actual bookings made with your owned week(s) using points, II exchange or home resort. If you rent DC points or do creative private exchanges, I wouldn't expect coverage.


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## Superchief (Jun 16, 2015)

It appears that this Vacationguard policy provides similar coverage to what I bought through MVC last year (with the exception of non-MVC timeshares), but costs about $100 more per year. This is a pretty substantial increase, but I'm not sure  there are any better alternatives.

Is the coverage similar to the MVC VG policy in that it covers the vacations based on the year in which the MF's were paid (ie, a 2015 week that is traded for 2016 would be covered by the 2015 policy)? 

I assume my 2014 policy will still cover my 2015 trips that are exchanges and banked points from 2014. Has anyone had any problems with claims for these types of trips?


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