Question about Marriott Travel Insurance

[Safti]

Update: MVCI told me that a max of 2 Marriott hotel nights prior to or after a MVC stay can be included in the TravelEX insurance coverage.

 

[Steve Fatula]

Interesting. The policy itself (from NJMOM2) says nothing about this, though, it's probably not a big problem as cancellation for hotels is a lot simpler. But, the link appears to be an old policy as well since the coverage limits do not match current levels.

 

[NJMOM2]

Actually when we were evacuated from Marco Island for the hurricane we had prepaid hotel reservations in Fort Myers near the airport the night before check-in and night of check-out. The hotel in Fort Myers ended up being evacuating too so it was a non issue for the claim since they reimbursed us directly. We had called the insurance company while on vacation and they had told us it would have been covered. The extra fees for the car rental being returned to a different location was another story at that time. The car rental company left a message on our home phone that the airport was closed and do not go there to return the car. (From now on I'll give them my cell phone number.) When we returned the car at a different location they charged us an extra $1000. The car rental company later reimbursed us for the extra money we were charged.

From Page 3 on the policy:

Coverage Effective Date: Trip Cancellation Frequent Traveler Benefit coverage will be effective at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the date each Trip is booked or 2 days prior to the scheduled Departure Date as specified on the Confirmation, even if this precedes the Annual Plan Effective Date


Coverage Termination Date: Trip Cancellation and Frequent Traveler Benefit end on the earlier of: (a) the cancellation of the Insured’s Trip or (b) the date and time the Insured starts his/her Trip. The Car Rental Collision Coverage will end when the car is returned on or before the Rental Return Date, or at 11:59 p.m. on the Rental Return Date if the car is not returned as specified on the rental agreement and the rental period has not been extended by the Insured. All other benefits end on the earlier/est of: (a) the date the last benefit is exhausted; (b) 2 days following the scheduled Return Date as specified on the Confirmation, even if this extends beyond the Annual Plan Termination Date.

From my confirmation email:

This plan provides coverage for the annual Maintenance Charges that are paid by you to Marriott Vacation Club and for the full
annual Use Year. The plan will cover the primary traveler and up to 7 traveling companions named on the same travel reservation.
Coverage amounts shown below are shared between the Insured and Traveling Companions 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. A cancellation of this plan within the review period must be requested from Marriott
Vacation Club.

 

[Steve Fatula]

Interesting, thanks!

 

[dgf15215]

I would like to thank everyone for their comments on this thread that I started some weeks ago. I've read them all with great interest. What I have gathered - and please correct me if I've missed something here - is that the coverage is really limited to trips using one's Vacation Club weeks/points and the costs associated with that travel. It would not cover my travel elsewhere unless it was somehow shown to be incidental to the VC travel. With that being said, it does cover the lost use of points with compensation for maintenance fees if you had to miss a VC booking for some covered reason which can be a substantial sum. Other travel insurance plans that I use cover individual trips but not the lost use of points. Perhaps for the modest cost it's not a bad plan even if I have to continue to purchase wrap-around policies for international travel as I have always done in the past unless I'm specifically going primarily to Marriott properties.

In any case, thank you all for the entire thread.

 

[Steve Fatula]

That all sounds correct from my understanding. Don't forget many travel cards have pretty decent coverage for things that this insurance would not cover. So, on my card, even my trips to hotels on the way (eventually) to a MVC vacation would be covered, including free trips from miles.

 

[public]

Actually when we were evacuated from Marco Island for the hurricane we had prepaid hotel reservations in Fort Myers near the airport the night before check-in and night of check-out. The hotel in Fort Myers ended up being evacuating too so it was a non issue for the claim since they reimbursed us directly. We had called the insurance company while on vacation and they had told us it would have been covered. The extra fees for the car rental being returned to a different location was another story at that time. The car rental company left a message on our home phone that the airport was closed and do not go there to return the car. (From now on I'll give them my cell phone number.) When we returned the car at a different location they charged us an extra $1000. The car rental company later reimbursed us for the extra money we were charged.

From Page 3 on the policy:

Coverage Effective Date: Trip Cancellation Frequent Traveler Benefit coverage will be effective at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the date each Trip is booked or 2 days prior to the scheduled Departure Date as specified on the Confirmation, even if this precedes the Annual Plan Effective Date


Coverage Termination Date: Trip Cancellation and Frequent Traveler Benefit end on the earlier of: (a) the cancellation of the Insured’s Trip or (b) the date and time the Insured starts his/her Trip. The Car Rental Collision Coverage will end when the car is returned on or before the Rental Return Date, or at 11:59 p.m. on the Rental Return Date if the car is not returned as specified on the rental agreement and the rental period has not been extended by the Insured. All other benefits end on the earlier/est of: (a) the date the last benefit is exhausted; (b) 2 days following the scheduled Return Date as specified on the Confirmation, even if this extends beyond the Annual Plan Termination Date.

From my confirmation email:

This plan provides coverage for the annual Maintenance Charges that are paid by you to Marriott Vacation Club and for the full
annual Use Year. The plan will cover the primary traveler and up to 7 traveling companions named on the same travel reservation.
Coverage amounts shown below are shared between the Insured and Traveling Companions 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. A cancellation of this plan within the review period must be requested from Marriott
Vacation Club.

That all sounds correct from my understanding. Don't forget many travel cards have pretty decent coverage for things that this insurance would not cover. So, on my card, even my trips to hotels on the way (eventually) to a MVC vacation would be covered, including free trips from miles.

I have asked Marriott if their travel insurance covers fees for rented points. One agent told me it should and another said that it will cover everything normally covered except the maintenance fee or cost of the rented points. I think the second answer is the right one. I wanted to see if anyone else had experience with this.

 

[GreenTea]

For the entire group to be covered, do they have to have the same travel itinerary...everyone traveling together at the same time?

No, not all have to be traveling together. My son had to rent a car when his flight was canceled and that was covered in full.

 

[VacationForever]

Travelex did tell me that exchanges were covered based on the week year deposited. But not getaways.

MVC rep told me that II exchanges are not covered.

 

[jeepie]

I just concluded a very successful claim for a trip interruption, due to an elderly relative’s unexpected hospitalization. The insurer requires thorough documentation, which is clearly set forth in the claim form. I took great care in furnishing the information, and therefore eliminated requests for further details. I only had to follow up once. I selected PayPal and the payment in full arrived moments after approval notification. As long as you understand the coverage and its scope (MVC stays, not other travel), it is a good value. I could take the proceeds and pay the premiums for decades. Cheers.

 

[GreenTea]

MVC rep told me that II exchanges are not covered.

My exchange was covered. I had the option to take a replacement week, or have my maintenance fee on the deposited week refunded.

 

[VacationForever]

My exchange was covered. I had the option to take a replacement week, or have my maintenance fee on the deposited week refunded.

Was your exchange into another MVC week? If it is exchanged into to a non-MVC week, will it be covered?

 

[AlmostRetired]

Was your exchange into another MVC week? If it is exchanged into to a non-MVC week, will it be covered?

Coverage is determined by it being a Marriott timeshare/points and the year the MF was paid. If you trade your Marriott with II for a non Marriott, you are covered for the non Marriott. The year comes into play in that a policy for an ownership in 2019 is covered for an exchanged unit in 2020 or 2021 without taking out a new policy in 2020 or 2021. The only reason to take out a policy in 2020 or 2021 is to insure a unit that you pay a MF in that year. Yesterday I took out a policy that covers 4 weeks I have in 2019 one will be used in 2020. I did so after playing the what if game with Chase Sapphire Benefits. It turns out that with Chase, the benefits apply to all for only my wife and I. The rest get complicated with adult children and even more so with their girlfriends. You need to look at each benefits T&C's. So for example the evacuation medical benefit would be for my wife, and myself but not for my kids (over 18) nor there girlfriends. I played the what if game with Marirott and it was a lot cleaner and clearer. Technically I will have both so if I need to take advantage of it, I will use whichever one provides the best benefit based on the rules they have. and the circumstances.

 

[jeepie]

MVC rep told me that II exchanges are not covered.

In my experience, it is dangerous to rely on a well-meaning MVC VOA for an expert opinion on insurance. Unless this has changed, VOAs are not even licensed to transact insurance. Cheers.

 

[jeepie]

Technically I will have both so if I need to take advantage of it, I will use whichever one provides the best benefit based on the rules they have. and the circumstances.

Actually, technically, you have to disclose (on the Travelex claim form) which credit cards you used to pay for your trip. Travelex will pay on a secondary basis. And, typically, credit card benefits claims will have similar provisions. The net result will likely be a delay while it gets sorted out; however, both (or all) policies will contribute to the settlement, and you will not double dip or collect more than your insurable loss. Btw, my recent claim (posted yesterday, #35) required this disclosure. I noted that all of the credit cards used only covered trips under 60 days. And since my scheduled trip was for longer than 60 days, I noted there was no coverage from my credit cards, which Travelex accepted.This eliminated any delay in my case. Admittedly, such trips are the exception rather than the norm. Cheers.

 

[mjkkb2]

Travelex will pay on a secondary basis.

I don't believe this is correct. The CC coverage is usually if not always secondary to other coverage. Just like for a car rental, first car rental coverage would kick in (if purchased), then the personal auto policy and the last would be CC.
I agree with the no double dipping, just like with medical insurance one is not allowed to be paid twice for the same loss.

 

[jeepie]

I don't believe this is correct. The CC coverage is usually if not always secondary to other coverage. Just like for a car rental, first car rental coverage would kick in (if purchased), then the personal auto policy and the last would be CC.
I agree with the no double dipping, just like with medical insurance one is not allowed to be paid twice for the same loss.

Almost.

Yes, typically, BOTH the CC coverage AND the MVC Travel Insurance state they are secondary to other coverage. Now, that wouldn’t be fair, so in practice, both (all) policies contribute to the claim. It can take a while to sort out.

From the MVC policy, General Provisions, Company’s Recovery Rights...

“When an Insured has been paid benefits under this Policy but also recovers from another policy, the amount recovered from the other policy shall be held in trust for the Company by the Insured and reimbursed to the Company the extent of the Company’s Payment.”

And:

“Insurance With Other Insurers. If there is other valid coverage with another insurer that provides coverage for the same loss, the Company will pay only the proportion of the Loss that this Company’s Limit for that Loss bears to the total limit of all insurance covering that Loss, plus such portion of the premium paid that exceeds the pro-rata for the benefits so determined.”

Finally, regarding car rentals, this is true unless you have paid for the rental with a credit card that provides Primary CDW (such as Chase Sapphire Reserve). In that case, you don’t need to involve your personal insurer in most cases. Cheers.

 

[mjkkb2]

thank you, this is very informational. I was not aware of credit cards having primary CDW....

 

[StevenTing]

I just reread this thread and it has been helpful. I spoke with a VOA and she eventually conferenced in a rep from Travelex to answer my additional questions. Many of the answers are similar to others but I'm going to summarize what my call entailed.

• The policy covers the use year of the points or week.
  • Though the policy will have begin and end dates, the policy remains in effect until your points are used. This covers points/weeks that have been banked.
• Points borrowed from a future year would need a corresponding future policy.
  • I have a reservation in Oct 2019 that was made with points borrowed from 2020. A 2020 policy would be needed for coverage of this trip.
• Weeks reservations would be reimbursed the Maintenance fees.
  • I forgot to ask specifically if this would also include reserves and property taxes. My assumption is no.
• Reservations in points would be reimbursed in cash.
  • Travelex does not have a calculated amount per point. Travelex works with MVCI to determine a per point cost.
  • I tried to see if there were different reimbursement amounts between trust points and points acquired through exchanging a week. No answer provided.
• Airline flights made through the use of airline miles would not be reimbursed directly since there was "no monetary" cost.
  • In cases of cancelled flights, most airlines charge a fee to redeposit miles back to an account. These fees could be claimed as a loss.
• Policies must be purchased at least 10 days prior to the trip.
  • 21 day review/rescission period

 

[VacationForever]

• Policies must be purchased at least 10 days prior to the trip.

I think insurance must be paid within 3 days of MF payment for pre-existing condition. I missed this the last couple of years because I paid MF early in the year. For 2020, I will make sure to buy MVCI insurance when I pay MF.

 

[Fasttr]

I think insurance must be paid within 10 days of MF payment for pre-existing condition. I missed this the last couple of years because I paid MF early in the year. For 2020, I will make sure to buy MVCI insurance when I pay MF.

I believe it is also waived if you purchase the next year's policy while you still have current year policy in place. So if you purchased in December of each year, it would satisfy that timing.

 

[Dean]

I just reread this thread and it has been helpful. I spoke with a VOA and she eventually conferenced in a rep from Travelex to answer my additional questions. Many of the answers are similar to others but I'm going to summarize what my call entailed.

• The policy covers the use year of the points or week.
  • Though the policy will have begin and end dates, the policy remains in effect until your points are used. This covers points/weeks that have been banked.
• Points borrowed from a future year would need a corresponding future policy.
  • I have a reservation in Oct 2019 that was made with points borrowed from 2020. A 2020 policy would be needed for coverage of this trip.
• Weeks reservations would be reimbursed the Maintenance fees.
  • I forgot to ask specifically if this would also include reserves and property taxes. My assumption is no.
• Reservations in points would be reimbursed in cash.
  • Travelex does not have a calculated amount per point. Travelex works with MVCI to determine a per point cost.
  • I tried to see if there were different reimbursement amounts between trust points and points acquired through exchanging a week. No answer provided.
• Airline flights made through the use of airline miles would not be reimbursed directly since there was "no monetary" cost.
  • In cases of cancelled flights, most airlines charge a fee to redeposit miles back to an account. These fees could be claimed as a loss.
• Policies must be purchased at least 10 days prior to the trip.
  • 21 day review/rescission period

I think there is also an additional requirement based on when it's purchased and related to pre-existing conditions. If forget the exact requirement though.

 

[JIMinNC]

We've never bought the travel insurance, but probably will starting in 2020. A couple additional clarifying questions:

1) It looks like for a multi-week owner like us who is also just a standard Owner level in the DC, the annual cost is $199, and that one payment will cover all of our weeks and our DC points. Is that correct?

2) To cover pre-existing conditions the information on the MVC web site says policy must be paid within 3 days of paying the maintenance fee. We usually pay our DC Trust points first, in December, then our weeks usually come due in January. So, if #1 above is true, we would pay $199 within 3 days of paying our 2020 points mf in December 2019, but it would then cover the points, plus our weeks. Is this correct?

3) Finally, we are using some borrowed 2021 Elected Points for a February 2020 trip. To have that trip fully covered, would we also have to go ahead and pay another $199 for the 2021 use year at the time we buy the 2020 policy? How does that work?

 

[Dean]

We've never bought the travel insurance, but probably will starting in 2020. A couple additional clarifying questions:

1) It looks like for a multi-week owner like us who is also just a standard Owner level in the DC, the annual cost is $199, and that one payment will cover all of our weeks and our DC points. Is that correct?

2) To cover pre-existing conditions the information on the MVC web site says policy must be paid within 3 days of paying the maintenance fee. We usually pay our DC Trust points first, in December, then our weeks usually come due in January. So, if #1 above is true, we would pay $199 within 3 days of paying our 2020 points mf in December 2019, but it would then cover the points, plus our weeks. Is this correct?

3) Finally, we are using some borrowed 2021 Elected Points for a February 2020 trip. To have that trip fully covered, would we also have to go ahead and pay another $199 for the 2021 use year at the time we buy the 2020 policy? How does that work?

I'm not usually a big fan of this type of insurance but the economy of scale and the fact it covers up to 8 people per trip (doesn't have to be the same 8 & don't have to designate them ahead of time) makes it more reasonable in our situation. My understanding is it would cover all weeks and points. You'd just purchase it for multiple years where applicable. The question I can't answer is whether any changes would be retroactively enforced for future years.

 

[4Sunsets]

Not sure if this has been answered, but two things worth noting:

You need the insurance Marriott offers for each use year of points. For example, if you travel in 2019 but use some 2020 points. You get into a situation where you need insurance for both 2019 and 2020.

The insurance says it offers lots of things but in practice all we got back was the worth in Maintenance Fees of the lost points. This is because the rental car company let us cancel at no cost (which most/many do). The airline credited us back (because the trip cancellation was weather related and the airline flight was canceled).

For us it was kind of a huge bummer to get like $2200 back on 5000 points. Because the points are lost and worth WAY more than $2200 if we had to book a comparable vacation using cash.