International Travel Insurer Woos Senior Citizen Travel Market

BANGKOK - Oct. 31, 2014 - PRLog -- “Now senior international travellers up to age 85 can obtain premium, zero deductible travel insurance cover at standard rates with no loading for age. And of course all policies meet the minimum requirements for issuance of Schengen Visas”

International online travel insurance portal ClickTravelCover is making a concerted play for the senior travel market by offering international travel insurance for travelers up to age 85, with no additional premium or loading based on age.

“We are aware that around the world it becomes increasingly difficult for senior citizens to arrange adequate travel insurance – and what we see are some companies not offering cover over age 65; more not offering cover over age 70; and very few offering cover above age 75. And where international travel insurance is offered to senior travelers, it often comes with a nasty sting in the tail of additional premium loadings or restricted levels of cover,” says insurance industry veteran David Christensen, who has been tasked with the development and launch of ClickTravelCover on behalf of specialist offshore medical and travel insurer Pacific Cross Insurance Company.

ClickTravelCover has taken a fundamentally different approach to this, according to Mr Christensen, by making standard rates available for applicants up to age 85 for single trip policies, and up to age 75 for annual multi-trip policies.

“We don’t see the need to restrict the age bands lower than this, or to require older clients to pay an additional fee, and we offer our standard, zero deductible single trip policies which cover travel from 1-180 days to applicants up to age 85 from more than 75% of all countries in the world, including The Americas, most of Europe, Australasia and North, East and South East Asia.

"People are living longer; enjoying better health in their retirement years; and wanting to enjoy international travel as part of this – and we don’t see good reasons why this growing segment of the population should be denied travel insurance cover, or made to pay extra for their cover.”

Mr Christensen goes on to explain the rationale behind offering standard rates to customers right through to age 85. “Practically without exception the insurance industry exempts pre-existing conditions from being covered in travel insurance, and ClickTravelCover is no exception to this. It doesn’t matter whether a client is 30 or 80 – if they suffer from an existing medical condition, that condition isn’t covered under travel insurance – this is something that is universal and it’s quite understandable otherwise insurance companies would be bankrupted in a short space of time!

“There’s a likelihood that a traveler in their 80’s is more likely to have pre-existing conditions than a younger traveler, and these existing conditions aren’t covered by the insurer and the client needs to be aware of this and also understand they must have the capability to meet costs arising from pre-existing medical conditions from their own resources,” says Mr Christensen. “So from an insurance risk perspective there’s not a lot of difference between say a 30-year-old coming down with a new medical condition or suffering an accident while traveling than an 80-year-old so the premium shouldn’t really vary that much.”

Insurance companies that refuse to offer cover for senior travelers are really just trying to eliminate some uncertainties and risks – and the public really needs to ask if they believe they should support a travel insurance company that won’t support them once they get a little older. And as for those companies that charge a loading for senior travelers – for the reasons stated earlier we don’t think that is necessary and it seems those companies are simply taking advantage of older customers, and it’s time this was brought into the open,” he says.

ClickTravelCover policies are available online by visiting http://www.clicktravelcover.com.