Premium Protection Plan

Posted on 10/10/2017

A broken arm. A terrorist attack. A sick puppy. A hurricane. What do these have in common? They are all reasons why you might have to cancel a vacation.

Manulife has a plan that would cover you in all the above situations. The Premium Protection Plan has been devised for travellers up to the age of 69 who are travelling for 23 days or less and who are covered by a provincial health plan (OHIP for example). It must be purchased within 72 hours of booking a trip and is only available through a travel agency.

This comprehensive plan offers more coverage and is less restrictive than other plans. It covers both out of country medical up to $10,000,000 and trip cancellation and interruption. There is also a cancel for any reason component to the insurance.

Cancellation insurance usually has a long list of exclusions, but in the case of the Premium Protection Plan, there are only three reasons why you would not be covered. 1. You must not be aware of any medical condition that you have at the time of purchasing your insurance that could prevent you from starting or completing your trip. 2. You must not have a medical condition for which your doctor advised you not to travel, that you received a terminal prognosis for or that requires dialysis or home oxygen. 3. You have a loss or medical condition that was contracted in a foreign country when, before you departed for that country, the Government of Canada issued a travel advisory advising Canadians not to travel to that specific country.

Examples of what would be covered for unforeseen and unexpected events that you would receive a 100% refund for in the case of cancellation would be the change of a scheduled date for surgery, a destination wedding being cancelled or a family member or friend who becomes ill.

Examples of events that are covered under the cancel for any reason include not being able to get time off work, you don’t like the weather forecast in the country you are going to visit or you simply change your mind about travelling. If you cancel 7 days or more before departure, you will get 75% of the cost of your trip refunded. If you cancel 6 days to 24 hours prior to departure, you will get 75% up to $1500 per person.

Emergency out of country medical claims will be covered except in the following situations: 1. You have a medical condition when you knew before you left home that it would be reasonable to expect that you would need treatment while you were away. 2. You have a medical condition for which further investigation or treatment was planned before you left home. 3. You must not have a medical condition for which your doctor advised you not to travel, that you received a terminal prognosis for or that requires dialysis or home oxygen. 4. Any treatment that is not an emergency. 5. A list of adventure/high risk activities like car racing, mountain climbing and scuba diving (unless certified or accompanied by a qualified instructor). 6. A self-inflicted injury, attempted suicide or abuse of drugs or alcohol. 7. Routine prenatal care, complication due to pregnancy in the 9 weeks prior to the expected delivery or childbirth. 8. Any loss or injury sustained in a foreign country when before you left, the Government of Canada issued a travel advisory advising Canadians not to travel to that specific country.

Besides the obvious benefits of the out of country medical and trip cancellation components, the Premium Protection Plan also includes baggage loss, damage or delay insurance, travel disruption insurance and travel accident insurance.

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