Marriott Owners' Travel Protection Plan

[Dave M]

e-mail message from MVCI:

With the recent weather-related devastation, it's not surprising that Marriott Vacation Club® International has received many recent inquiries from Owners regarding travel insurance protection. We listened, and we worked closely with Travel Guard International - the industry's leading travel insurance provider - to define a travel insurance plan specifically suited to the needs and concerns of our Owners.

As a result, Owners with Marriott Vacation Club and Horizons® by Marriott Vacation Club can now enroll in an Owner Travel Protection Program starting at $62* a year.

Your plan covers your timeshare week(s) to insure your trips. This insurance plan covers your annual maintenance fee and potential exchange fees as well as 24-hour travel emergency service for medical assistance, last-minute flight changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice and more. Click here for frequently asked questions.

*includes a $3 service fee.

To learn more about this exciting new coverage for your Vacation Ownership, call Travel Guard at 1-866-385-4840 or visit us online.

 

[pwrshift]

Great! Another Marriott benefit that Canadians can't have! I wish Marriott would wake up to a right-on-the-doorstep market that's 10% of their domestic market.

Brian

 

[jesuis1837]

ditto!

 

[jancurious]

Dave,
How does the pricing work if say you own 4 Marriott weeks. Do you buy the 13-31 day policy for $102 & it covers all of your weeks?

It seems that way when I read through the details as the 1-12 day policy says, "up to $2,000: Trip Cancellation & Interruption
Protects your travel investment if you cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason if your travel is between 1 and 12 days total per year."

Or would those 4 weeks have to be consecutive travel?

What happens if you own 5 weeks? Have to buy one of each policy?

Jan

 

[sandytoes]

It would also be interesting to know if you own one lock off unit and you split it into two weeks and get an AC . . . do you just pay for one week (because you only own one week) or must you buy the 31 day policy? Or . . . . are the lock off and AC weeks even covered? What happens if you trade outside of the Marriott system? I may need to make a couple of phone calls. Karen

 

[ciscogizmo1]

Dave,
How does the pricing work if say you own 4 Marriott weeks. Do you buy the 13-31 day policy for $102 & it covers all of your weeks?

It seems that way when I read through the details as the 1-12 day policy says, "up to $2,000: Trip Cancellation & Interruption
Protects your travel investment if you cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason if your travel is between 1 and 12 days total per year."

Or would those 4 weeks have to be consecutive travel?

What happens if you own 5 weeks? Have to buy one of each policy?

Jan

I'm not Dave but it says in the DOC:

Schedule of Benefits
Maximum Benefit Limit
Timeshare ownership from
1-12 days per year up to $2,000 Trip Cancellation & Interruption
or
Timeshare ownership from
13-31 days per year up to $4,000 Trip Cancellation & Interruption
$ 1,750 Travel Delay ($200 maximum per day)
$ 1,000 Baggage & Personal Effects
$ 500 Baggage Delay ($100 maximum per day)
$ 1,000 Medical Expense
$ 50,000 Emergency Medical Transportation
$ 10,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment
Services
Included TRAVEL GUARD® Assist
Included LiveTravel
Included Emergency Cash Transfer Assistance
Included Roadside Assistance

Hope that helps..

 

[ciscogizmo1]

I would really compare the policy that Marriott is offering over the policies offered by insuremytrip.com

Plus, I really don't like their pre-existing condition policy. Other trip insurance I have bought said that if you bought the insurance within X days of making your 1st payment on your trip all pre-exisiting conditions are covered. You also need to think outside the box on pre-existing conditions. This includes your elderly parents pre-existing conditions. Here's Travel Guard's policy...

PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITION
EXCLUSION APPLICABLE TO ALL COVERAGES
The Insurer will not pay for loss or expense incurred as the
result of an Injury, Sickness or other condition of the
Insured, a Traveling Companion, or an Immediate Family
Member of the Insured or Traveling Companion which,
within the 60 day period before the Insured's coverage
began: (a) first manifested itself, worsened, became
acute, or had symptoms which would have prompted a
reasonable person to seek diagnosis, care or treatment;
(b) required taking prescribed drugs or medicine, unless
the condition for which the prescribed drug or medicine is
taken remains controlled without any change in the
required prescription; or (c) required treatment by a
Physician or treatment had been recommended by a
Physician.

 

[Dave M]

Or would those 4 weeks have to be consecutive travel?

As the 1-12 days policy is for total days, I would assume that the 13-31 policy is also for total days, not necessarily consecutive days.

What happens if you own 5 weeks? Have to buy one of each policy?

I think you'll have to call the contact number. All I know is what's in the e-mail message and the FAQs.

 

[luvmypt]

Has anybody used this travel insurance yet and is it worth the $62?

Don

 

[Dave M]

The program was just announced last week, so it will be a while before anyone can report on whether they used the coverage.

 

[luvmypt]

Thanks Dave, I guess I should have put two and two together before I asked the question.

Don

 

[JimC]

I second the concern over the pre-existing condition limitation. That practically makes the policy worthless, in my view. As I read it anyone with a chronic condition is out of luck period.

There must be better policies for timeshare owners.

 

[pwrshift]

I have been buying the travel insurance from II on 'exchanged' weeks. Last year I had to claim the insurance due to a gallbladder attack in Sept (had it out in Dec). I believe II uses Travel Guard as well. After putting me (and my doctor) through hoops getting info on my past health records they did pay me $1000 US. My doctors records for 90 days prior to buying the insurance were submitted that did not show any 'gallbladder' diagnosis so it was not deemed 'pre-existing'.

It would appear that any ailment you've had for some time would exclude you, unless the problem you had was something different and not related.

Because we all book our timeshare weeks so many months ahead of use, I think insurance is a good idea, but Marriott has chosen to not let Canadians share in this benefit. I hope that is a temporary restriction.

Brian

 

[Dave M]

Are there better policies? There are other policies for timeshare owners.

Some standard travel policies (see this link in the Travel forum as a starting point) cover pre-existing conditions. Also, Vacation Guard, which is a timeshare travel policy, is an annual timeshare travel insurance product which waives the pre-existing condition after the first 12 months of coverage.

Whether such products are better than the Marriott product depends on the individual.

 

[icydog]

I have been buying the travel insurance from II on 'exchanged' weeks. Last year I had to claim the insurance due to a gallbladder attack in Sept (had it out in Dec). I believe II uses Travel Guard as well. After putting me (and my doctor) through hoops getting info on my past health records they did pay me $1000 US. My doctors records for 90 days prior to buying the insurance were submitted that did not show any 'gallbladder' diagnosis so it was not deemed 'pre-existing'.

It would appear that any ailment you've had for some time would exclude you, unless the problem you had was something different and not related.

Because we all book our timeshare weeks so many months ahead of use, I think insurance is a good idea, but Marriott has chosen to not let Canadians share in this benefit. I hope that is a temporary restriction.
Brian

My concern is I've already paid $69 to II for their insurance and I'm worried I won't be to get that money back. I have three weeks planned and one taken last week all with the $69 included. Can I get that money back from II and how long does it take to get covered under the Marriott policy.

I used Travel Guard for a sky auction vacation I couldn't go on. I had a flare up of my arthritis and they paid me the $700 I layed out, minus some fees amounting to around $50, as soon as they received a letter from my doctor along with the proper form. It didn't take any run around at all. I guess I was lucky after reading your post. Now how do I get out of the II insurance and into the Marriott Insurance??

 

[pwrshift]

I suspect you can't get out of the II purchases, but you're not talking a huge amount of money here for that protection...just delay getting the Marriott insurance until your next batch of trips. It would appear that Travel Guard didn't look upon your reoccurance of arthritis as a pre-existing condition which surprises me as insurance companies will do anything they can to get out of paying out benefits.

Brian

 

[icydog]

I suspect you can't get out of the II purchases, but you're not talking a huge amount of money here for that protection...just delay getting the Marriott insurance until your next batch of trips. It would appear that Travel Guard didn't look upon your reoccurance of arthritis as a pre-existing condition which surprises me as insurance companies will do anything they can to get out of paying out benefits.

Brian

I don't think the Doc wrote reoccurance. I think he said simply that I had an attack of arthritis and that it made it impossible for me to travel at that time. But then again, I really don't remember what he said that made it all better. I was just glad I got out of that Sky Auction Vacation to the AC Fairfield