Travel insurance is a rip-off, a swindle, a shakedown. Do not buy it.

At least the type you buy online at the end of purchasing a flight either through Delta.com or another website. It’s worthless insurance — unassuming you don’t lose a limb on the way to the airport or need your body repatriated.

I should have learned this lesson already. My brother bought said travel insurance on his flights to Hong Kong last year. So when the trip was cancelled due to H1N1 scares (Ian will tell you, a complete overreaction btw), he calmly called the insurance people. But no, of course, they did not cover such a circumstance. If Hong Kong had been hit by a nuclear bomb, it would have been covered. But short of that, he was out of luck.

Then a trip of mine last weekend gets delayed due to a blizzard. It was tricky because I was flying out of Minneapolis where flights were going out on time, but the blizzard in Grand Forks meant I couldn’t drive to the MSP airport. Delta representative on the phone said I’d have to pay a change fee. “That’s ok,” I thought, “I bought travel insurance to prepare for just this type of mishap.”

Then I looked at the Access America small print. I was covered in the event of a family member’s death, an unannounced strike by the airline, if I was quarantined or was hijacked on the way to the airport. But, otherwise, I was basically out of luck. I called Access America and a friendly representative said as much as well. So I asked if, then, I was to drive through the blizzard and died in the process, if the flight cancellation fee would then be covered. And, in fact, it would have been! (I could have also lost a a limb, and that would be covered.) But, short of death or limb loss, my $18 travel insurance was worthless.

I ended up finding a lovely Delta person at the airport who changed things for free and even got me an exit row. But, thanks to said blizzard and me missing my ride, I did need to rent a car which was rather annoying and not exactly in the budget. But, indeed, I learned a valuable lesson: do not buy travel insurance.

Access America is crap. It’s not worth it. Save your money. After all, if your body ever needs repatriated, you won’t give a flip either way.

image by czbalazs