
Trip Mate Insurance Reviews
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About Trip Mate Insurance
Trip Mate provides travel insurance services for individuals and travel companies. Specializing in trip cancellation, emergency assistance and medical services, the company offers customized policies. Trip Mate brings together comprehensive support and claims handling to make sure that travelers are protected during their journeys.
- Quick claims processing
- Clear communication during claims
- Frequent claim denials
- Poor customer service interactions

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Trip Mate Insurance Reviews
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Reviewed Jan. 10, 2020
After I filed a claim filing out loads of documentation, I got a letter from Trip Mate telling me that they need unreasonable addition documents! There is no way that people can comply with these demands! I have never seen a company be so unreasonable! DON'T USE THIS COMPANY FOR YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS! I will also get in touch with my travel agent to makes sure they never recommend this company.
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2020
My boyfriend and I booked a river cruise through Oat Adventure Travel, Grand Circle Foundation last spring. Since I traveled with this company before and loved all of my experiences, I trusted their recommendation for travel insurance. Two weeks before we were to depart my bf found out he had lung cancer in the 4th stage. We immediately canceled the trip and filed the proper documents. We did receive an e-mail stating they received the document. One month later they sent a letter stating that they would need additional information from Grand Circle Travel.
Since then I have called 8 times, talked to 2 people that swore they would take care of this matter. No results. More calls...people unavailable. Yesterday I called and could never get through along with trying to request a call back which did not even work! My boyfriend saved money over a lifetime for this trip. He has never traveled outside the country. He needs his money back to pay for radiation and chemo. I am going to write to the WI Insurance Commission and if that doesn’t work then get a lawyer. Perhaps we should all file a class action law suit. Feedback would be welcome.
Reviewed Jan. 5, 2020
It would take me pages to document my experience with Trip Mate so here is the condensed version. First docs faxed to number on their form. When I called told it was wrong number, resubmit and wait another 30 days. Submitted docs two more times with details from my oral surgeon. Told twice docs weren't received, resubmit & wait 30 days each time for processing. I just sent again via USPS so I can get documentation of delivery. Got insurance through Viking Cruises & never thought to vet because Viking is reputable. We are owed $8200 & after reading other reviews realize we may never see a cent.
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2020
Warning -- several other trip insurance companies also use Trip Mate for processing claims. This will be in the fine print of your contract, for example "Claims will be administered by Trip Mate, Inc..." This means that even though you didn't buy from them directly, you end up dealing with them if you have a claim. My experience with them is the same as many other reviewers here, namely: extremely long turnaround, deadlines not being met, multiple requests for documentation, and doing everything possible to avoid paying a claim. It really seemed they just try to wear you down.
Reviewed Jan. 3, 2020
Apparently this insurance doesn’t cover suicide. They weren’t willing to work with me at all to change my trip and said the reasoning “wasn’t valid.” The stigma of suicide is real and this is incredibly sad that the company does not recognize this as a true cause of death. They weren’t even sorry for my loss.
Reviewed Dec. 25, 2019
I would leave zero stars if it was possible. They didn’t reimbursed my money after I gave them all the documents they ask for. Don't waste the cost of insurance with this company, they make their money from purchase of the policy. They don't pay out on claims after you do the work to get documents they request from you. It's a waste of your time.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2019
I would leave zero stars if I could. It is my opinion that you should AVOID this company. I bought this insurance through Qantas and cancelled my policy within the 10 days stated in the trip documents. I am receiving the run-around on getting my policy refunded back. Calling the number is not helpful. Emailing is not helpful. No one will respond to me. My opinion: Do not do business with this company!
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2019
My wife and I planned a trip to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in November 2019 for 20 days. We paid everything and had Trip Mate Insurance for $1438. When the rioting started and concerns about flying into Hong Kong, Viking Ocean Cruises cancelled all Hong Kong tours and the state department put a 2 alert on travel there.
I sent in all forms necessary and they said they were issuing a voucher for future travel on Viking. I appealed and told them we were in our 70's with my wife in failing health and wanted a cash reimbursement. I saw where they were now issuing certificates for future travel which have to be used within 1 year. We may not be able to go and will lose the $14,000. I wonder how many older people and veterans(Vietnam) such as my self are cheated. They know that there is a certain percentage that may not go and they will take our money for profit. I think that we need to organize veteran and AARP and picket Kansas City offices as well as call the news media. Their systems are geared to not help you instead of helping you. They should be boycotted. Maybe we should get our congressman involved as well. Thanks for this forum to express frustration.
Reviewed Dec. 11, 2019
One phase: Find another company. We cancelled our trip to Ireland in April, 2019. First we were told that we had filled out the wrong form. They said I filled out a trip delay form, not a trip cancellation form, even though they could clearly see that the documentation indicated that we had cancelled our trip. So I sent the correct form and the documentation again. They sent me checks for a one day trip delay anyway. I called them. After an extensively long wait on the phone, I was told the tour company said we had taken the trip. So, I sent documentation that we had not taken the trip. I still have not heard anything from them. Nor is there any information on their website. Please understand that if you need to talk to a real person you will need to set aside at least a day. They put you on hold forever, and when they do answer their phone, they are not helpful. This company is a definite rip-off, and should be put out of business.
Reviewed Dec. 7, 2019
This company is HORRIBLE. I submitted my claim, they acknowledged receiving it...then 2 weeks later, they have no record of my claim. Resent the claim and since they have a 30 day processing period, asked them to backdate my claim to the original submission date. Took multiple calls for that to happen. When they finally processed the claim, they calculated it wrong (tried to pay me $53.12 when it should've been the max of $500). Asked them to fix it and they told me I have to wait another 30 days...for THEIR mistake. Bought them through Delta. Will not use Delta as long as they use TripMate.
Reviewed Dec. 6, 2019
Non Reimbursement after proving proof of cancelation. Don't waste the cost of insurance with this company, they make their money from purchase of the policy. They don't pay out on claims after you do the work to get documents they request from you. It's a waste of your time to get a reimbursement..
Reviewed Dec. 5, 2019
We purchased insurance from Trip Mate for a scheduled trip to Ireland in September. Unfortunately a death in the family forced us to cancel the trip, so we filed a claim for reimbursement per Trip Mate's directions. That was in mid-September. I patiently followed the process and the progress until I finally ran out of patience today (5 December).
I called their office, and after a 5-minute tour through their phone menu I was able to speak to a human being. She was very nice, but was unable to provide any satisfaction. "Your claim was approved, called back, approved again and the check printed on 26 November. However the check still hasn't been mailed to you, and I can't say when it will go out." This sounds to me like a typical second-rate insurance company dodge. They like to withhold payment for as long as possible. I will inform our tour company of the shoddy and unprofessional treatment we've received from Trip Mate. Perhaps they will suggest a different insurance firm for their loyal customers.
Reviewed Nov. 25, 2019
Called to inform the company of the issue on May 10th and started the claim in July when my son (who is disabled) was able to get the paperwork back to me. They owe us over $1000 for an airline rebooking - ONLY ONE RECEIPT - NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. Still waiting on payment (it is November 25th). Every time I call, I get a different story. I have NEVER had a trip insurance company work me over like this. I bought it through CheapOAir (which we had our own issues with and will NEVER be using again). I am still trying to get my money from TripMate. I will file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau and, if I do not get confirmation that a check has been sent out by the end of the month, I will be filing in small claims court.
Reviewed Nov. 24, 2019
Trip Mate requires all documents before you make a claim. It's not that clear when you buy it, but if you don't have doctor's letter and all receipts, waste of money. They are not allowed to make any judgement calls, so it's not user friendly. I would save my money. They are useless. Don't bother.
Reviewed Nov. 13, 2019
We had to cancel a booking with Viking Cruises because of a personal issue that was not covered by the insurance. We knew that, but we had cancel for any reason insurance. I immediately filed the claim, they assured me they received everything they needed. Then the waiting started. They have issued vouchers 3 times now and canceled them each time. When I call to find out why, I can only speak to the customer service agent. They refuse to let me talk to a supervisor. I have called every day for the past 30 days. I don't know why they keep creating a voucher and then canceling it. I'm past due on paying for the rescheduled cruise. Worst company I have ever dealt with.
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2019
While I was 2 days into a 21 day tour, my husband had a stroke. I returned home immediately, and have been his caregiver 24/7 since August 8, 2019. My husband refused medical treatment, as he had for over 30 years. I finally got him to go to the emergency room after it a really happened, and confirmed that he did have a stroke. I've purchased this insurance 26 times, but they failed to even speak with me about my claim. Also, dragged process out until November 11, 2019 to decline any payment to me.
Reviewed Nov. 9, 2019
Booked a trip to Italy in January 2019 for travel in September thru great value vacation. Had to cancel in August due to my wife having blood clots in her leg could not walk long distance, filled out all the forms. Doctor filled out his form. Thirty days later they denied the claim. I will appeal for all the good it will do. When I purchased the trip I GOT THE INSURANCE thru the booking. After being denied I checked out the company, too late then. After reading the reviews I believe the company has no intention to pay claims.
Reviewed Nov. 8, 2019
They are a real scammer, no customer service, you can not reach them, super slow when responding and making all gimmicks not to pay you the travel insurance, read all reviews, and you will understand they are here to get your money and when it is really the case to support, they are not there. Their staff are untrained, after couple of hours when you get a chance to talk to them, they give your wrong information and directions.
Reviewed Nov. 6, 2019
Trip Mate is the most unethical insurance company I have ever encountered. They make up lies to justify not paying claims. Their service is slow and arbitrary. They have no intention of paying claims. We paid twice for our trip insurance and did not collect both times. Our trip was interrupted by American Airlines flight cancellation which caused us to miss our guided adventure with Backroads Travel company. Trip Mate created a story that the flight cancellation was caused by something called "crew unavailable." This we know was a complete lie since we happened to be waiting at the terminal with the pilot who was to fly our plane. This pilot told us an equipment problem was the cause of the cancellation. Trip Mate is a very unethical insurer and should not be allowed to be in business. Very unhappy customers, Gary and Bobbie
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2019
Started claim on September 9th. They owe us over $10,300 for a trip we had to cancel due to my back surgery. Still waiting on payment (it is October 29th). They keep requesting more paperwork at the end of the 30 day clock - and then re-starting the clock. I contacted Overseas Adventure Travel and they told me that they cancelled their contract with TripMate because of the large number of complaints. I am still trying to get my money from TripMate. I filed a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau. (Overseas Adventure Travel paid me their portion promptly.)
Reviewed Oct. 17, 2019
As stated in previous reviews, this company's goal is to wear you down. After purchasing a policy for over $1000 (non refundable) We were not able to take our river cruise. The policy I took was cancel for any reason. In small print it stated it would be at their discretion as to whether it would be for a cash refund or a credit toward a later cruise (obviously at 73 a credit was not what I was expecting). I filed a claim in July, and after months of back and forth for various reasons, they read the form wrong, they didn't see the signature of the doctor, etc. They decided on Oct 4 I was not eligible for a refund. Save yourself lots of money and aggravation. Not only would I not receive the $1779.20 I thought I would receive I was also out the $1038 for this bogus insurance policy. All in all I lost $2779.20.
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2019
I got sick and ended up in the hospital in Sydney, Australia and we had to end our trip. The people who took care of rebooking our flight did a nice job and arranged a wheelchair for me making the flight home better. We do have other complaints, however: The forms are very cumbersome to complete. We expected that we would be reimbursed for the parts of our trip that we did not get to experience. They did not reimburse us for our flight to Fiji, transportation to and from the airport that we already paid for. We missed the last dinner which I am sure was pretty pricey including free wine. They divided the entire trip by the number of days and gave us a flat rate.
When we appealed to be reimbursed for airfare, they finally agreed but then said they had overpaid us the first time and we got a minute amount back. They only reimburse up to $150 per night for the extra nights in the hotel. It was more than that. We felt we should have been reimbursed for the entire cost since my husband and I both carried the insurance but they only gave us $150, The process took very long. I spent many hours putting together detailed claims with all of the paperwork from the medical bills and had them very clear. They told me I was missing information and I was not.
My insurance paid 80% of the cost so it should have been very simple, but it took months to receive our reimbursement. We had to pay everything up front, I was told by a travel agent not all plans require you to do so. We will not use Trip Mate again. There are many other options. In the end we got most of our money back-not as much as we felt we had coming but it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get there.
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2019
I have submitted all documents and been back to my doctor 2 times (2 copays) to try and satisfy them with the never ending non sense they “need”, which really only gives them the excuse to keep your file open for 30 more days to reply and then ask you to have your doctor put a period at the end of a sentence basically. SCAM company for sure! I have been emailing them for 3 months about my claim in July. Don’t even try and call them because you will never get someone to answer the phone.
Reviewed Oct. 8, 2019
It is a real waste of money and time, Do NOT ever purchase travel insurance with them, I had a travel insurance with them with plan number 540A, I called them 36 hour before the flight and informed them that my visa issuance got delayed based on email from embassy, so I will not be able to fly in next 36 hours (which is my flight time), their super untrained agent, (or maybe deliberately) simply told me that it is OK and I just need to file a claim (Please note that 36 hours before flight you still have chance to pay fee and reschedule your flight), I did as the agent told me, and after a month (when I lost the window I had chance to change or reschedule my flight with a fee) they got back to me, and said that non-issuance of visa is not covered in their plan so no reimbursement. I filed a claim against that.
I have spoken with your agents prior to flight and they could have told me that because I had explained them the situation, they wasted my time by asking me to provide them with time and date that I spoke with their agent, I provided those data, they accept that their rep has spoken with me but still simply say it is your fault and not their staff's lack of trainings. The whole process has been taking 6 month so far finally telling me that it is what it is, SO you are dealing with people who are there to get your money, check their reviews and never ever trust them.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2019
They don't even deserve a star, the website makes you select one to submit. I rate them 0/5. We booked a family vacation to Mexico in May 2019 through CheapCaribbean.com and purchased the Enhanced Level - "Cancel for Any Reason" Insurance through Trip Mate. In July 2019, I found out I was expecting our second child. Upon consultation with my doctor, I was advised that it was medically unsafe for me to travel as planned for two reasons 1.) ongoing Zika virus concerns and 2.) I would be beyond 24 weeks gestation during the trip, and international travel is not allowed by my doctor after 24 weeks.
I immediately canceled through Cheap Caribbean and began the long and difficult process of filing a claim with Trip Mate online. I submitted my claim and all supporting documentation on 7/29/2019 and noticed that my claim status online as of 10/4/2019 (note, 2.5 month wait time!! even though I was quoted 25 day review period) that my claim was DENIED due to pregnancy (since I am not high risk), meaning we would be refunded $0, which is contradictory to the cancel for any reason clause of 75% refundable.
I am now arguing that if the claim was denied for medical "pre-existing" condition (insert eye roll here, I wasn't pregnant when I booked), even though we provided adequate medical documentation certified by my physician, that the Enhanced plan should be considered for cancel for any reason. Ok Fine Tripmate, you don't consider my pregnancy to be "medically valid reason to not travel"... I don't want to go because it would put my unborn child at risk and my doctor told me not to... therefore, it should be eligible for "Cancel for Any Reason" at 75%.
I am beyond disgusted and will NEVER do business with Trip Mate and/or Cheap Caribbean ever again. We travel A LOT and this is the first company that we've ever had any cancellation issues with. If this issue is not resolved, I will be contacting the Attorney General's office, filing a discrimination complaint against BOTH companies with the Better Business Bureau, and will be hiring an attorney. I've scoured the policy documentation and there is nothing that states that "I do not want to go" is not an invalid reason under "Cancel for Any Reason" clause, that we paid extra for!
Reviewed Sept. 27, 2019
Awful Company, Painful to deal with their service company. My nephew had Trip Mate travel insurance and drowned at a resort in Mexico. His insurance was supposed to cover the return of his remains. The travel insurance service company handling the policy was unresponsive and rarely called back. It has been 28 days since he died and even though Trip Mate has plenty of documents, including the death certificate, they keep asking for more and have not paid the local funeral home for the cremation and repatriation of his remains. My nephew's body has been sitting in a morgue for 28 days. 28 days!
Reviewed Sept. 24, 2019
Booked a trip to Paris/London/Ireland - walking tour with Globus, Tripmate was our insurance. My husband developed plantar fasciitis and unable to make the walking tours. I cancelled my trip, submitted a claim, doctor completed their portion, then 40 days later was requested more documents. The info on file does not provide treatment date at the time of cancellation. Went back to the doctor, called many time and on hold FOREVER, claim was closed with no settlement. This company sucks!! I lost over $1000.
Reviewed Sept. 20, 2019
Don't let this company fool you. They say a lot about how they will provide great service if you need a refund but it is not true. They make the refund process as long as possible and drag it out longer than the 25 days. Not only that, we canceled because there was a Dengue outbreak at our destination. The CDC issued a warning against pregnant women going and we even sent a doctor's note dating sites. I claim for a full refund. Was denied, and we only received 75% of the refund. When I checked this website to see reviews I noticed that the first four or five reviews are five star. I believe they are made up lies to make this company look better, the one star reviews tell a story similar to the one I had. Please go with another company and check their reputation before you lose your money like we did.
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2019
No refund check yet. I paid for a trip for me and my grandson, bought Trip Mate insurance just in case. Turned in documents as required and still no refund. It's been 2 months. When can I expect my refund check? Yahweh **
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2019
See above. They make the reimbursement process as slow and convoluted as possible with the goal of rejecting claims. I was told over the phone that I would qualify for multiple kinds of medical reimbursement, that were ultimately denied due to a willful misinterpretation of the evidence they required from me.
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2019
Had a Sandals vacation booked with my daughter for April 3. My husband of 28 years, her father, passed away on Apr. 1. All required documentation supplied on a timely manner. 5 1/2 months later Trip Mate decides no benefit payable??? And they are not communicating with me. How can this be possible - death immediate family member???
Reviewed Sept. 6, 2019
My son purchased travel insurance through Trip Mate for a trip to Thailand on 5/25/19. He could not leave on the trip that day because he had emergency appendectomy surgery. He rebooked the trip for 6/7/19 and was advised to purchase a new insurance plan. All paperwork was submitted by the end of June. The claim has been denied. The reason stated is that he made additional travel arrangements, and the old travel insurance was still in effect on the newly booked trip. This information was not shared beforehand. I would advise NEVER purchase travel insurance from Trip Mate. It appears that their policies are unclear, unfair and wrong. An appeal process is provided; however, I believe it will be a waste of my time. Even though the staff is professional, the company is not to be trusted. Thank you.
Reviewed Sept. 4, 2019
We have been dealing with Trip Mate for 6 months about interruption of trip insurance and have called customer service asking to speak to supervisor. No call back. Then called 6 times to customer service with no one answering phone. Left message each time. Just want to resolve claim but no one to discuss issue. No customer service!!!!
Reviewed Aug. 14, 2019
We scheduled a Lindblad National Geographic Expedition and purchased trip insurance from Trip Mate. Subsequently, my husband received a diagnosis of leukemia, and he began chemotherapy. Sadly, we had to cancel our dream trip. On June 28, Trip Mate received a complete copy of all forms to make our claim. Fortunately, Lindblad had already refunded 50% of my trip's cost. 8 weeks since Trip Mate received my documentation and several phone calls, I am still waiting for a check from Trip Mate. They promise 25 day (5 weeks) reimbursement. After 25 days, they requested another 21 days. I want to let others know that receiving a Trip Mate reimbursement for a trip cancelled for medical reasons may be a long process. And I can't say whether they will refund the rest of my trip's cost.

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2019
Anyone who uses this service deserves what they get, which is nothing! The lying never stops. They will tell you anything to put off reimbursing you what you are entitle to. We purchased insurance to be fully reimbursed for ANY REASON and still they refuse to reimburse us. The excuses and inept support is shocking. Stay far away from this company. We have documented proof that we are legally entitled to get reimbursed should we need to cancel and NOTHING but excuses. If you use this company you deserve what you get. Don't be a fool. Lastly, I'd be shocked if they had the decency to publish this.
Reviewed Aug. 1, 2019
My complaint is that we purchased a travel protection plan to cover our vacation but chose the wrong travel insurance company. It’s the wrong choice for anyone because they care more about making excuses not to pay a claim versus paying a claim. We sent a claim to Trip Mate to reimburse us for having to rebook our flight and a change fee incurred but all our requests have been denied (received 3 different response from Trip Mate as to why they wouldn’t pay our claim). Three systems were in the Atlantic at the time of our travel, Hurricane Isaac being the main one of concern being St. Lucia was its projected path as per the National Emergency Management Organization. Multiple warnings indicated that St. Lucia was in the path of Hurricane Isaac.
How would you have handled this situation? Why do we purchase travel insurance? Emergency preparedness plans on St. Lucia were being advised, not to mention heavy rain, flooding wind shear & rip tide warnings. Based on the current forecasted tracks, Dominica, Martinique & St. Lucia were at the highest risk for a direct hit form Hurricane Isaac. I will definitely share my experience with everyone and let them know what travel insurance they should not use in the present and/or future.
Reviewed July 29, 2019
I booked a vacation trip to Europe with Overseas Adventure Travel which recommended that I get travel insurance with Trip Mate. Unfortunately I was unable to travel because of an injury. I met all of the requirements of providing a medical excuse that Trip Mate said was adequate. I called multiple times when the check didn’t arrive. Trip Mate said that they mailed a check which still had not arrived in over twenty days. Their response was to tell me to wait longer, in fact, an additional thirty days. Every attempt I made to get my check was met with delaying tactics on the part of Trip Mate. If you are looking to get travel insurance, get another company.
Reviewed July 22, 2019
This is a horrible company!!!! Do not purchase insurance through them. Whatever you do do not use them!!!! I'm currently 21 weeks pregnant and sent my claim in the beginning of June. I am just now hearing back and my claim was denied because it's a normal pregnancy. I'm due 12/2 and the trip was for 12/3. What do they expect. For me to give birth on the flight to dr???? They are a fraud company that steals from you!!!! Whatever you do do not use them!! They will steal your money.
Reviewed July 19, 2019
I purchased trip insurance from Trip Mate, based in Kansas City, Missouri, when I booked my cruise. My cruise was interrupted due to an illness and we had to travel back home after two days. I have since filed a claim with Trip Mate to get money back that I spent over a year ago for the travel. I sent in all the forms that were requested and the company tells you to wait 25 days before knowing the status of the information. They continue to ask for more documentation, then the clock starts over with 25 more days. I am wondering if this is their plan to try and wear you down, so you get tired of trying to get reimbursement. I hope they will actually review all the information I have sent and see that I have a valid reason for filing a claim. Why would anyone buy from Trip Mate if they don’t honor what is printed in the Travel Protection Plan?
Reviewed July 13, 2019
For the first time in my 44 years. I decided to buy Trip Protection on 2 flights to New Bedford Mass. I purchased a car for my son and we planned on flying out and driving back the 15 Hours together. Make sure you read the fine print as everything is not covered. Unfortunately the day we were flying out the Auction called and stated that there was an issue with the car and we would not be able to pick up the vehicle until it was repaired after the 4th of July week. Which would take a week. Got the car issue resolved only to find out that it would not be covered. I thought it would be an easy change of flight dates considering that I had purchased the flight protection. There is no protection and from the looks of the other reviews I think businesses like this are using unfair and deceptive practices and should be forced out of business!!
Reviewed July 7, 2019
I booked a trip for my parents to Europe as they are getting older. I was worried they may not be able to make the trip 8 mos. from when I booked it. I bought the insurance and made a deposit. I cancelled within a few months after I booked because they both had major health problems with notes from their doctors saying they could not travel. Trip Mate took both my insurance and deposit with no refund. If you do business with this company after seeing all the negative reviews online, you are making a severe mistake. Most unethical company I have ever engaged.
Reviewed July 1, 2019
We were halfway through our trip when my mother passed away. We had purchased Trip Mate Insurance. I filled out all of the claim forms and submitted them. I followed up with a call to see how long their process took. I was told they are handled on a first come basis and would be done in 30 days. I was pretty much told not to call before the 30 days because it would not be done. After 30 days I called and was told my claim was being worked on and call in 7 to 10 days. After that time frame my status was moved to client paid. That was a week ago. I have not been paid so I certainly don’t understand their paid status.
I called again and they stated my claim has been approved and is in accounting and they will get to it accordingly. Again, I was told to wait 7 to 10 days. Their process is extremely slow and their customer service people are giving the same answers to respond with all questions. When asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told she had no better answers. I then asked whom I could speak with and they said there was no one to speak with. I was in customer service for many many years. This certainly is not considered good customer service. Still have not received my check. However, I am still in a client paid status. How do you do that?
Reviewed June 28, 2019
My husband and I had planned a trip to Thailand through Student Universe and bought Trip Mate Insurance because I've always liked to be prepared. We've bought it once before but did not end up needing it. Two weeks before we were supposed to leave for the trip my husband's father was in a car accident, he went into a medically induced coma, and passed away all within the two weeks before our departure date. I called and cancelled our trip a week before we were supposed to leave, so I was well within the limit of cancellation.
I filed a claim to receive the rest of the money from our flights that Student Universe would not refund. I filed the claim on February 1st and it is now almost July 1st, 5 months! We have received no progress on our claim. Initially, they requested that they get a "Release of Medical Info" signed by my father-in-law to accept his medical information. No one seemed to understand that he was in a coma and couldn't sign anything! At first our claim was denied because they told us Student Universe reported to them I had cancelled the trip in November of 2018 and my father-in-law passed away in February 2019, which made the claim invalid. Obviously this was wrong and I provided a letter of my cancellation from Student Universe stating I cancelled in February of 2019. Trip Mate then told us they had to get the proof from Student Universe themselves and that was 3 months ago.
This is the most ridiculous process and should have taken no more than 30 days to complete. An immediate family member died, it's simple. I have provided every possible bit of medical info I can to them and they still tell me it's in "progress." Every time I call no one answers and you have to select the "call back" option. When I do get a callback, they tell me there is no manager/supervisor I can speak to. I will never be buying this again.
Reviewed June 27, 2019
When I booked a trip through Cheapcarribean, I opted to take the insurance thru Trip Mate and I picked the "cancel for any reason" plan. I had problems with my passport and 5days prior to leaving decided to cancel my trip as to not lose my money. I've been waiting 40 days since now when they say claims can take up to 30days. I noticed a few weeks ago looking thru the activity log that my claim was re-opened, meaning someone closed it with not notifying me of why and what else was needed... I'm concerned now was this has been dragging on.... Just beware when selecting this trip coverage. This process is slow and not what it claims to be. Because of this I will think twice with choosing Cheapcarribean next time.
Reviewed June 26, 2019
I became violently ill the first night I spent in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in late January 2019. Since I couldn't trust that I wouldn't get food poisoning/contaminated water again from the hotel restaurant, I informed Trip Mate that my husband and I left DR after 3 days to return to the US. When I was able to contact Trip Mate they immediately denied my claim stating that since I didn't see a doctor immediately, there was no proof that I was sick. I explained to them that the only doctor available charged $250 cash to come to the hotel room.
Although I carried cash with me on this trip, I didn't have enough money to pay the doctor since he wouldn't accept a credit card or check from me. They are in my opinion, only interested in receiving our payment, but not in reimbursing for incidences that can occur before or during our trip. Eventually I received $1200 which pretty much paid for the cost of their travel insurance. However, our trip probably cost approximately $3000 total. They require endless paperwork, they tend to immediately deny the claim, and I believe their company is not honest or care at all about their customers.
Reviewed June 25, 2019
First you need to know all communications are electronic including filing your claim, your documentation and any reimbursement checks they may be issuing. You are expected to scan any claim documents to Trip Mate and watch their website for progress. If you need to speak with a person it takes a long time to navigate their phone system. I opted to leave my name and number for a call back rather than wait on hold. Alyssa (Nevada) called me back and seemed disinterested and bothered with my questions and need to change an email. I could not find a place on their website to edit our contact information. Our reimbursement is not fully explained either. I called back and this time Jeremy (Kansas City) was friendly and clearly answered my questions and I am confident the email is accurate and know when to expect a reimbursement. I will not do business with them again.
Reviewed June 18, 2019
I booked with an Airline that offered insurance, so I purchased Trip Mate Insurance. What a nightmare they put me through. They issued e-checks through the e-mail except I filed a claim due to a death of my traveling companion. They issued a check to her. I paid for the airline tickets with my credit card which I thought would be reimbursed to me. After I went through with all their paperwork even providing a death certificate. At first they were no problem, "We will straighten that out. Sorry for your loss." And they still would not issue the check back to me. I did try to get it straighten out with them. Then I told them to argue with American Express my credit card company. What a horrible company to put me through this over and over again. Stay away. Do not purchase. They are not an honorable company. That's why I gave them ONE STAR for a rating. They don't deserve that but the survey requires to give one.
Reviewed June 9, 2019
I purchased travel insurance because we booked our trip almost 8 months in advance. We later found out that my husband and I are expecting our first child. My doctor advised me that he did not want me traveling out of the country because it is so close to my due date. I filed a claim, waited a month to only be told that it was denied. They said that they just needed a letter from my doctor stating that I could not travel. The doctor sent them an email. I then received a letter in the mail denying my claim again.
Now they have said that a doctor's letter stating that I am unable to fly is not covered under complications due to pregnancy. I called them back and now am told that being unable to fly as stated by my doctor is not a "complication due to pregnancy." We would love to take this vacation planned but are not able to. Zoey, an employee, was very rude, not understanding or helpful in any way. I am very frustrated and disappointed in this travel protection. I will never use them again.
Reviewed May 24, 2019
Well, having read the earlier reviews, was concerned. But...Tripmate has recently been acquired by a highly regarded major insurance company. Had to cancel a trip we had booked with Pleasant Holidays. We purchased cancel for any reason trip insurance. Wife got sick before the trip began, so we cancelled. Went onto Tripmate.com to begin the process of filing. They provide you with very specific information they need and all of the instructions for filing the claim. Was a piece of cake. Filled out the forms online, then printed them off. Also printed the doctor's form. Had doctor complete the form. Then scanned all of the forms, and the rest of the trip documentation Tripmate needed (all of the usual stuff everyone should have when they book a trip) and emailed the info to Tripmate.
Received notification of receipt by Tripmate 2 days later with a link to follow status of claim. 6 days later they had completed their review of my claim (no further information was needed) with "payment pending approval" posted in claim status. 5 days later "payment processing--Echeck pending" posted to claim status. 9 days later I received the echecks (full payment) via email. I printed them and then immediately scanned them in with my mobile bank deposit app, and the next day the checks had cleared and were officially in my bank account. Whole process (from filing the info to getting the echecks) took a total of 23 days. All I can say is... bravo to Tripmate....can't imagine any other trip insurance company handling a claim so expeditiously and with no additional requests for more information.
Reviewed May 13, 2019
I decided that I want to cancel my policy because I had to cancel the flight for a reason that was not covered by the policy. I politely asked for cancellation and she stated that it is NOT REFUNDABLE and telling me that I am not understanding what she is saying and treating me like I am stupid. Then I politely asked to talk with someone else. She told me that no one will be able to help me with this. She was very rude and mean and I really don't recommend Trip Mate for travel insurance. What if someone just buys it by mistake or find it not suitable for any reason. That's it!!!! Customer satisfaction and courtesy is something they need to learn from the beginning.
Reviewed May 11, 2019
I have to give 1 star because I could not give a negative score. They will auto reject your trip insurance claim. - Sent in a doctor note and they still denied my claims. They also take a long time to "review" your claim wearing you down. Stay away from Trip Mate. They only try to make a quick buck with your money.
Reviewed May 10, 2019
My family and I went on vacation in March 2018 from DTW airport to PUJ Dominican Republic. We were there on vacation. On our return home our flight had an emergency landing. As a result we were separated from our luggage. As a result we reported as missing as it went all over the United States. Finally after relentless pursuit of our luggage we did receive it. It was brutally damaged, clothing inside suitcases, everything as we do have photos. We sent all the information to Trip Mate and to this day almost 1 year later we still have not received any funding for a damaged Luggage.
We purchased insurance for it this and it takes forever to get in contact somebody and for someone to contact us. They never have any information on our claim. It has gone through the appeal process already two times. They keep denying it. We purchased the insurance and we should get reimbursement for something to help cover what we lost on our family vacation. After a year of battling with them they now request luggage appraisals for repair receipts and photos and appraisal amounts to cover the damaged items. I decided to call a lawyer. DO NOT CHOOSE THIS COMPANY FOR INSURANCE! They are horrible.
Reviewed May 8, 2019
I filed a claim for the full cost of a 2 week trip to Europe for 2 people ($6,800). 2 months before departure I discovered a tumor in my colon that required extensive surgery and hospitalization. My doctor discouraged me from traveling so we canceled the trip. I filed my claim online April 25th. Emailed the doctors form to my surgeon who emailed it to Trip Mate. On May 7th I was approved for a full refund for me and my daughter. The entire process was simple, though it did require pulling together several proof documents. In this day and age of insurance fraud you cannot blame a company for verifying everything. I fully expected to have to fight for my refund based on my general experience with insurance companies, but Trip Mate made it clear what documentation they needed, I provided it and they approved. It was just that smooth and professional. I will use them again in the future.
Reviewed April 27, 2019
When I purchased my travel insurance it was through World Nomad. I didnt know that Tripmate is the processing company. After I looked at the review here I was afraid that they won't reimburse my cancellation trip. Before I filed my cancellation trip prior to departure I called World Nomad and they advised me to gather all documents and upload when ready to submit. Which I followed the instruction and had to go back to my physician as a different form is needed. I submitted everything at once on April 1. April 3rd I received my confirmation that the application has been received and they are processing it. April 18 I received from the company that they have approved my claim but it was partial which it was fine because it was off by 50 dollars. Today I received my 1800 dollar check. Can't complain. It takes time but everything was done within 30 days. I would certainly purchase through them again.
Reviewed April 26, 2019
Don’t waste your money and your time. I learned you can buy trip insurance on your own. You don’t have to use a company tied to your transportation or tour provider. Trip Mate denied our claim, so Amtrak gets to keep the refund readily offered by the hotel. We lost one night’s lodging. 737’s were grounded, so we were moved to a flight that was ten hours earlier. We had to get to Calgary the night before and pay for a hotel in order to make the flight. Trip Mate asked for TONS of documentation and did not notify me the claim was denied. They only put information online.
Reviewed April 25, 2019
We bought this travel insurance thru CheapOair. I think they are partners in ripping off by offering this insurance. I am traveling with my 85 years old mother & she suddenly felt that she’s not feeling well to travel. They denied the claim, too many excuses.
Reviewed April 22, 2019
We went on a family vacation in early March of 2019. We traveled by Norwegian Air on an overseas trip. Midway through our trip, every country grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 airliners. Our return trip was to be on one of those jets and so our return flight was altered. Two of our group were rerouted to fly out of London rather than Edinburgh and were to fly into JFK rather that Stewart (where our car was parked). Two were only rerouted to JFK. (Same problem) Although the airline agreed to provide vouchers for hotel and food, they did not provide the ground transportation to London from Edinburgh nor did they provide the transportation necessary to get from JFK to Stewart to retrieve our cars.
We submitted documentation to Trip Mate for those expenses and were told that this trip interruption was not a covered expense. If not this, what WOULD be a covered expense?! Well, things like hijackings, medical emergencies, ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! The things that they DO cover are so unlikely as to be ridiculous. Never again for us!
Reviewed April 11, 2019
I am planning a trip to Patagonia with BackRoads Travel Company and unfortunately, they work together with Trip Mate for Travel Insurance. The reason I am VERY skeptical to use Trip Mate again, is because in July of 2015, I was invited by family on a Viking Cruise. Our tickets were purchased, along with a Travel Insurance with Trip Mate. However, my back was injured at work and I could not go on the Viking Cruise. I sent all the necessary documents that were required and after 4 months, they denied me $400.00 that were due me. I was livid and swore to myself, I would never use Trip Mate again. I am shocked and disappointed that BackRoads recommends them.
Reviewed April 10, 2019
Worth every penny. Filed claim forms online, received the refund in less than 30 days. I see lots of bad reviews, but my experience was a good one. Just fill out the forms completely and submit. It's easy to monitor the progress of the claim online.
Reviewed April 10, 2019
We had to cancel our Globus tour to France this month due to a traveling companion's illness and had to process our Trip Mate claim. I made sure I included all the documentation required. I did follow up with them via phone, using their call back service. The called back within an hour or so. I had read all of these horrendous reviews and figured we'd never get our money back. Wow, was I was surprised! We received a full refund within 30 days of filing the claim! Pleased and relieved.
Reviewed April 5, 2019
Their eventual response was to ask me to file with my healthcare provider at home. But if you had Medicare or TriCare, then they wanted Contact information. I sent that, and they still wanted me to file with my healthcare provider (I have a Senior Medicare Advantage Plan).
So I called my SMAP, went ahead and filed, and actually got paid in about two weeks or so, minus a $50.20 Co-Pay. I provided all this info to TripMate, so am still waiting for them to cough up this small amount. You really only need Emergency Healthcare overseas and you will always pay out of your own pocket in advance. So whether TripMate provides a real service or not is hard to judge. The jury is still out, as far as I'm concerned.
Reviewed March 26, 2019
Go with another company. I snapped my ACL first day on a 7-day Indonesian island boat tour. No reimbursement of the trip in any way. Excuses Excuses Excuses... It's a waste of money. They don't provide any service except to collect your money. If I could give negative stars I would.
Reviewed March 26, 2019
Never buy anything from this company. They are bunch of liars, non professionals, I don’t know how they are in business. I always buy trip insurance but never used it, until now and this is worst nightmare, so I purchased ticket for my mother and I bought insurance just in case, she went to our for vacation. Everything was fine, she was fine and healthy. But one day she went to the doctor for regular check up because it’s very cheaper compare to the USA, so she got diagnosed thyroid cancer and she needed a s surgery ASAP. So we rescheduled the flight. After everything finished and my mother returned in usa we filed claim to get something from them, since it was flight interaction and we had serious reasons for it. We provided everything possible every documentation, OMG how much documentation they asked it was crazy but we did. It’s been 7 months and they still reviewing our case. THIS COMPANY IS TRASH. Never buy anything!
Reviewed March 23, 2019
In January of this year we had to cancel a July Paris cruise due to health reasons. We submitted our Claim mid January and the Dr. submitted on Jan. 25th. Our Claim was well documented and complete, we received no requests for additional information. Our payments arrived on March 16th and 18th. While responses to my email questions were not same day, we were more than delighted to receive our checks in 2 months. We would recommend this company!
Reviewed March 13, 2019
I purchased travel insurance from them and my trip got delayed and got my suitcase damaged. They are very slow, and requested me same document over and over again. My travel was last summer but now in March, they still requesting me to submit same supporting documents! Not solved yet! It is wasting money and time. I strongly recommend not to buy this company's insurance.
Reviewed March 12, 2019
Their default position seems to be to deny every claim that comes in and then avoid any call to question this. They have zero interest in dealing with customers or actually providing any actual services. They have zero accountability, zero follow-up/through, and zero class.
Reviewed March 12, 2019
I had a very simple claim, lost nights at a pre-paid hotel (Sandals) due to an emergency evacuation caused by weather. Trip Mate would not pay! I had countless follow-ups over a nine-month period. Finally, I had enough, and I asked my state insurance commissioner to intervene. Then, and only then, did I get my money and an explanation. It was not pretty. Their log on claims processing had three-pages of single-spaced type on all the steps they took, including multiple failed attempts to address my concerns. They logged everything, and it reeked of gross incompetence. The log proved that my initial submission was perfectly documented and that they easily verified the loss. The only good thing I can say is I got a letter of apology, but I suspect they wrote it so the insurance commissioner would read his copy. They not want him to revoke their license, which is what I had recommended. This is HORRIBLE company! Find another one.
Reviewed March 9, 2019
DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY. The Backroads trip was excellent, but I am concerned that such a company would affiliate themselves with such a horrible partner.
Reviewed March 7, 2019
This is the absolute worst company ever. Don’t know how they sleep at night. Had a family vacation booked to Turks and Caicos with my children and parents. A few months before the trip my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The doctors started her on treatment and were hopeful she would be able to take this vacation. As the trip was approaching in December the doctors informed us her cancer had spread and she would not be able to go. Trip Mate refuses our claim because they said she should have known she couldn’t go!!! Are you kidding me? We are hiring an attorney and will pursue this claim. Please don’t ever pay for this this insurance!!!
Reviewed March 6, 2019
I purchased Trip Mate Insurance for my daughter's summer teen trip. Her trip got interrupted due to health reasons. Timely submitted claim on and provided all supporting documents in July 2018. Finally without notice, I visited the website to check the claim status and it was denied with NO notice to my family. Biggest waste of money ever! I always knew travel insurance would be a scam.
Reviewed March 2, 2019
I purchased travel insurance through this company for a 21 day cruise I took to Cuba. I went with Trip Mate because it was endorsed by the cruise line. I had never purchased insurance through them before. I shouldn't have this time. Travel insurance is expensive. I figured it would be worth it if I ever needed it. I needed it on this trip. My husband died in Cuba. His death forced me to cancel numerous non refundable reservations and cost me some medical bills.
Trip Mate has made putting in a claim nearly impossible with the amount of documentation they require and the number of things they don't cover. I lost my husband on this cruise and Trip Mate is doing everything in their power to keep from paying me what I got the insurance for in the first place. I've never dealt with a company that cares so little about customers as this company. I'm still fighting them over items I've claimed. In the market for travel insurance, I highly recommend you go somewhere else.
Reviewed March 1, 2019
This company is more concerned with getting out of covering you than they are of working to cover you in a timely matter. Never, ever, ever purchase travel insurance, and run far away if that travel insurance is through Trip Mate. This company is nothing but a racket.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2019
My mom, sisters, and I purchased this insurance for our dream vacation. Due to weather we had delays then were stuck in the wrong country for 3 days. After months of providing proof my 2 sisters and mother were awarded a portion of our missed days of our trip, paid hotels, and tours. My claim was denied! No explanation! Our trip was in July 2018, I am still fighting for some form of payment. The BBB will be getting a complaint.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2019
We missed our flight to Montego Bay Jamaica due to no fault of our own. When we arrived at Sandals Ochi we asked about the insurance because we booked through them, they told us we had to contact Trip Mate and we did. Well after a 2 month review they denied us stating that we needed to miss our flight by 3 hours minimum! That is ridiculous at best and a waste of our money! Even if it only costs you $1 save yourself the money because this insurance is worthless and not worth a penny! To add insult to injury it took them 2 months to come up with this excuse!
Reviewed Feb. 15, 2019
My granddaughter and I were to travel to London in December 2018. In mid-September, I fell and had multiple fractures in the bones of my foot and torn ligaments. My doctor would not release me to travel because I was at high risk for blood clots because my foot was immobilized. I filed my paperwork on December 7, 2018. I have followed my claim online and it was confirmed. Reserve appeared to be set aside. Then information was requested from my travel supplier again. When I called to ask AGAIN what was going on, I was told it was in review and they could not tell me what or why, nor could I talk to a reviewer.
I checked tonight. It is now denied and it shows that I was contacted this morning. No one contacted me. I am fuming. I was finally discharged from therapy on January 31, 2019. My doctor still hasn’t released me. The doctor completed their required claim form, included the MRI report and wrote a letter. What could be their possible reason? I will be contacting the Ohio Department of Insurance, the Attorney General’s office and my attorney if needed. This is insurance fraud on their part.
Reviewed Feb. 11, 2019
Purchased Trip Mate when booking a two week Viking ocean cruise. On October the 26th, on the 8th day of the cruise, my Father suffered a heart attack while on the island of Curacao. That was the first time I read the reviews online regarding Trip Mate and Was very concerned having read all the negative reviews and was ready to go to war with Viking Cruises and Trip Mate. I was asked to keep an open mind and was assured that the claim would be handled fairly and in a timely manner.
The first four days passed without any issues. All the claim forms were provided via email almost immediately and per the treating physicians advice, my father was flown back to the US in first class with a nurse that Trip Mate flew to the Island of Curacao to meet him and to accompany him the entire way. I have to add that They were also prepared to fly him via private air ambulance jet should he require that level of support prior to his condition improving on the third and fourth day. During that same time my mother incurred hotel and other trip delay costs as well. All the costs of the repatriation were paid for without any issue directly and upfront by Trip Mate. To my surprise, so far so good. I have to add that to this point all calls were answered quickly and I received polite, friendly and concerned service. I was still surprised having read all the negative reviews.
Once back in the US I reviewed carefully the claim form. I had to wait over 30 days for St. Elisabeth hospital in Curacao to provide all the final invoices and for Viking cruises to do so as well. Once I gathered all the invoices and receipts and submitted all the information to Trip Mate including the original receipts for the cruise, costs incurred by my mother for hotel stay and food and all the Medical bills and medical reports, I submitted everything online with PDF copies of all the documents. I received confirmation of the received documents via Email within 12 hours and was able to confirm this online as well via a claim portal. I also called to confirm that everything was received and again received courteous, accurate and prompt service.
After a few weeks I could see online that the trip interruption and travel delay claims were processed and that a three payments for the FULL claimed amounts were processed. Again, I have to say that I was shocked given the bad reviews. About a week later I received all three checks. As for the medical reimbursement, I was refunded 90% of the cost by my own health insurance. Trip Mate advised that once I receive an explanation of benefits from my primary insurance policy that they would then finalize the medical portion claim.
To date, I've had ZERO complaints or issues with Trip Mate. I was surprised initially that Viking Cruises would use such a "shady Company" (based on the negative reviews of course). Turns out that they are not shady at all. I cannot explain all the negative reviews but felt compelled to share my own experience. All I can say is that I did provide a very detailed claim form with every piece of information requested. Having said this, given my experience with Trip Mate so far, I would highly recommend using Trip Mate. At least with a Viking Cruise... This was one of the easiest insurance claims experiences I ever had. Zero complaints. Everything was handled professionally and quickly.
Reviewed Feb. 6, 2019
Have contacted TripMate 31 times since 11-7-2018 and it is now 3-7-2019. When I call the person answering the phone tells you that they will note your call but they cannot pick up the phone and talk to the "claims" section to find out the progress of your claim. What is happening is this company is just "shuffling" paper back and forth and hopes that you will get frustrated with the wait and "gives up". In my case this saves them $1,200.00. Viking should not deal with this company - in fact - no one should deal with this company.
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2019
Never left a review before but I figured losing out on $800 warranted one. Filed my claim weeks before I was scheduled out. Did all the paperwork. Followed up by checking the “status” everyday and even called once and they said I had to atleast give them 30 days before they could give me an update. Well over a month later, checked the website, never updated anything from the day I filed the claim and then received a random letter saying it was denied after they said a couple days prior that they couldn’t update me... Horrible. I feel like they deny everyone. Worst insurance ever!!
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2019
I submitted a claim in July 2018 and it has still not been settled. I have called the company more than a dozen times and have never been able to speak with a representative live. I always have to leave a number for a callback. When someone does call back, they have no idea what is going on with my claim. I am beyond frustrated. Do not recommend or use this company!!!
Reviewed Jan. 30, 2019
Me and my fiance were scheduled to get married in March and follow it with a honeymoon trip to Germany. I bought round trip tickets for both of us as well as the suggested trip protection on the site for the trip in the event something were to happen and it had to be cancelled. Unfortunately, my fiance and I broke up and are no longer getting married. I have submitted all the documents that were requested for claiming a D refund and has been denied by email as well as supervisor and management. They state that no one can overturn the claim and there is absolutely nothing that can be done. Tickets aren't even transferable so now I have lost out on $1400 even though I purchased the suggested trip protection just in case an event like this would occur.
Completely useless and horrible company! I am in the process of working with my attorney to see what can be done and also going to the local news stations to make a segment out of it because apparently I'm not the only one that has been burned with this company with all of the terrible reviews online for them! Enraged customer, RICHARD **.
Reviewed Jan. 29, 2019
No communication - never spoke with anyone from the company. Horrible experience. Do your research and go with another company. They send you no updates - you have to do all the legwork - wait times on the telephone is very long.
Reviewed Jan. 26, 2019
I paid $340.00 for travel insurance when I went to England in May. British Airways lost my luggage so the tour guide told me since I had insurance, I could spend up to $200 to get what I needed. I spent $97.00 on what I needed for a couple of days (socks, underwear, pj's and tee-shirts). I did get my luggage 3 days later. When I got home I put in a claim and it took 7 months of calling them constantly, asking them if they were a legitimate company and telling them that not one person had put in a good review for them. When I did get a check it was for $85.00. So, save your money, because it's not worth dealing with these people.
Reviewed Jan. 26, 2019
We were on a Viking River Cruise in China (August 2018). The first night, my husband got food poisoning. The ship's doctor treated him for the remaining 6 days on the ship. We submitted our claim to Trip Mate who has stalled, requested additional information, denied, reopened and stalled some more. We still have not been paid and it is the end of January 2019! Ridiculous! Don't EVER use this company for travel insurance when there are so many others to chose from. This is who Viking recommends but purchase your insurance elsewhere.
Reviewed Jan. 24, 2019
We recently booked a trip on Viking for an April 2020 cruise. We put down a $1000 deposit and were encouraged by Viking to get travel insurance. Another $510 each. As the trip was fast approaching $10,000 in total, it sounded like a reasonable investment. How wrong we were. Long story short: Our daughter has advised us we need to be available in the Spring of 2020 for Grandparenting duties. Family first. So we canceled the trip with Viking. We were aware that there would be a cancellation fee of $100 x 2.
Fair enough. But despite never receiving any further information about the insurance -- no policy number, nothing in writing (we got lots from Viking), we were shocked to learn that the insurance fees were 100% NON-REFUNDABLE. It apparently says so in tiny type on the second page of an invoice where there's a link to a lengthy policy statement that says so. Along with a litany of other things they won't cover or do. but no one at Viking ever bothered to point this out. We simple expected Viking to be doing business with an insurance company as reputable as they try to be. How wrong we were.
On 1/24/19 we spoke with several people at Viking including Dee **, our original Viking contact; Viking Supervisor Cynthia ** and her boss, Drew **. They advised us with increasing inflexibility that, despite recognizing that there had been miscommunications and shortcomings on their end, there was nothing they could do. And, more important, nothing that they were willing to do. Not even try. In fact, they all emphatically defended TripMate and held it up as honorable. How wrong they are. So we are as shocked by Viking as we are with their partner, TripMate. They are obviously in bed together to wring as much money out of consumers as possible. Viking... You have spent millions to convince people like us that you run a class act. Your partner is a **. Sleep well.
Reviewed Jan. 24, 2019
TripMate is fantastic - if you don't have any type of emergency or cancellation. I purchased insurance through TripMate for a month-long trip to Bhutan, India and Nepal. Just before our departure date my mother became ill and passed away. I had to cancel our trip one week before the departure date. I filed all of the required documentation with TripMate and they acknowledged receipt on 11/02/0218. It is now 01/24/2019 and I am still awaiting a refund of my money - approximately $17,000. I have called their customer service number several times and no one can explain to me what the issue is. I was told there was an "accounting problem" in December, but no one can tell me what the "problem" was.
This company is endorsed by OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) so I hold them responsible as well. This is such a misappropriation of my money and a blatantly dishonest practice. How can a company take your money in 30 seconds but it takes over three months to return it? I've filed complaints with the State's Attorney's Office as well as the Better Business Bureau, and still no refund yet. It is totally unacceptable! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!
Reviewed Jan. 20, 2019
I purchased Trip Mate insurance through Overseas Adventure Travel for a trip to Bhutan and Nepal. Unfortunately, after the Bhutan leg ended and en route to Nepal, I had a serious fall and badly injured my leg. I was unable to walk and had to come home. I filed a fully documented "travel interruption" claim, complete with doctors' reports, tour leaders' statements and all financial documents related to trip costs as soon as I returned. This was mid-October of 2018. I began calling for status updates in mid-November. Call after call, phone cut-offs, vague blather from representatives. Finally, in late January I received an e-check for approximately $1500 LESS than it should have been. My experience, and those expressed by others in the reviews, should be a cautionary tale to anyone contemplating purchasing a policy from this company.
Reviewed Jan. 20, 2019
I planned trip to Israel. I have osteoarthritis of both hips and when I went to my dr. he said that I would not be able to do the walking that was required. So I cancelled the trip. I have been trying unsuccessfully since October to get a refund on the trip. I have provided the necessary physician’s statements and continue to call and only get customer service. Then two weeks later I received a note needing more physician’s information. These people are horrible, obviously I didn’t go on the trip as someone else took my room. I don’t understand why I can’t get my $4,000 back!!
Reviewed Jan. 17, 2019
I purchased a Trip Mate policy for my mother when she planned on attending my Daughter's wedding. She got violently ill on the day she was scheduled to depart and could not make the flight. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital and she was there for 12 hours before she was released. Trip Mate says that because she didn't stay overnight at the hospital the claim for compensation was denied. I filled out detailed paperwork and submitted her family doctors evaluation and confirmation of her illness and still she was denied. Trip Mate took two months of processing before I even got this decision. Trip Mate is a scam. Don't do business with them.
Reviewed Jan. 14, 2019
Do not buy anything from this company. I have been trying now for 8 weeks to get my money back for a canceled trip due to a medical problem that caused me to have to cancel my round trip. I have done everything they asked and still no refund. They lie and they call back at the oddest times. They tell you nothing but one excuse after another. I am going to the attorney's office. I have never seen anything like this. Do not buy insurance from these people!
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2019
My luggage was lost by Alitalia in August. I was gone almost 3 weeks and had to buy clothes, toiletries, luggage and shoes. Trip Mate paid me $238.00 for my expenses. Delta Air Lines paid me $1382.00 for my luggage and contents. I paid almost $700.00 for travel insurance and think they should pay me something. It’s been almost 5 months and I still haven’t gotten any payment.
Reviewed Jan. 10, 2019
We had booked a riverboat cruise with Viking to Germany in September 2018 for December 2018 with insurance. Due to wife's severe health issue, we had to cancel and were approved for a refund on Nov. 20. I called Trip Mate the end of December to find the status of the check. They said that processing was slow due to holidays. The call I placed January 2, I was told payment would be 'any day'. The call I placed Jan. 7, they said that maybe the check would be issued next week. There should be some regulations on this industry. I will not recommend this cruise line or insurance company.
Reviewed Jan. 9, 2019
I had pneumonia and was unable to travel. I submitted all my documentation to Tripmate and it was approved November 26, 2018. I have called weekly asking where my refund is and when I can expect it. It is now JANUARY 9, 2019, A MONTH AND A HALF after approval and I still do not have my refund. I have contacted Overseas Adventure Travel to alert them of my problem with a refund. Should I ever receive a refund I will be very leery of traveling with OAT and never use TRIPMATE for travel insurance.
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2019
I have seen other reviews with the same issues - the claim process. I've been traveling abroad for over a year. I've been traveling in countries with little infrastructure. I had damage to some electronics, which I claimed but they kept demanding documents that were impossible to obtain in the country I was in. A friend helped me translate to get a written note on company marked paper by the tech. I spent so much time calling Trip Mate and getting cut off to get them to accept this.
After 6 months I received payment. I had an accident back in September. I fixed the claim and it was paid. Apparently there is a fine print electronic contact option. I understand it was for email contact about my claim but it turns out it includes receiving claims via eCheck, which I can't use if I'm abroad!! The representative was unbelievably rude and condescending to me. I finally convinced her to reissue my checks and have them sent to the company in the US that handles my mail and check deposits. I confirmed the address with her twice and told her it's the same as my last check but it is NOT the same as the policy address. That was October 31, 2018.
The money has disappeared. My best guess is that she sent it to the policy address which is in a part of Chicago that I never had ANYTHING sent to because it gets stolen. This is not a small amount of money for medical bills! I'm so frustrated and at a loss as to what to do now. The very nature of the company is travel yet the system makes it near impossible if you are anywhere other than the "developed" world. It has for me so much time and money to deal with this company that it's not worth the so called protection it advertised.
Reviewed Jan. 6, 2019
I went on a Grand Circle Cruise, in Germany, last June. It was a riverboat cruise, and we were in a different city every day, for 2 and a half weeks. The cruise was wonderful, the staff were all helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. A few days before the cruise ended, I fell down steps on the boat, and came to surrounded by crew and passengers, who all thought I was dead -- until I opened my eyes. The captain called for an ambulance to take me to the hospital, and my brother accompanied me. I spent a few hours in one hospital, then they transferred me to another hospital, to an intensive care unit. I was monitored throughout the night, and the next morning, all my vital signs were normal. My brother and I left the hospital, to get on a train, so that we could rejoin the cruise - the boat had already moved to the next destination. The crew filed a report about the incident.
After I returned home, my primary doctor immediately ordered further tests, and I had 2 brain MRIs, had multiple cardiology exams, etc. I gathered all my information about the incident, after I had received bills from the German hospitals. Although their site says their goal is to settle claims within 30 days, it has now been almost 6 months since they received my claim. They did reimburse my brother and me, for the one night we were not on the boat. I have spoken to them numerous times, providing the same information every time, and all I get is "the claims department is working on it." At this point, I'm about ready to file a claim against them. I have paid my hospital bills, with late fees, and think Trip Mate owes me my money, with interest, for the lengthy process which has still not ended.
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2019
Unfortunately I had to cancel a trip to Spain & Portugal scheduled to depart at the end of October. I canceled the trip with Globus on 10/1/18, upon Dr. orders. I contacted Trip Mate insurance to file a claim for the land package portion the same day. As with all other reviewers' statements, it has been a never ending process of inept & frustrating phone calls & callbacks. It is true that you can never get through to a customer service agent, and must always schedule a callback. I received my refund by Globus (pre & post nights) within days, and am still waiting for Trip Mate! My documents were received on 10/22/18. And the 30 day “goal” was stated in their recording when I called for a status update.
I waited until 11/28/18 to call again, after checking the online claim site. It showed as “EOB complete, payment pending.” I was again quoted another 7-10 days, and the Hurricane excuse was brought up again. At 10 days I called again, and got another 7-10 days from representative. On 12/18/18 It was updated to “payment processing, inserted via EOB.” On 12/26/18 it updated to “payment processing E-Check pending,” so I called again. Yet another 7-10 days quoted, and they passed the buck to Deluxe. I called Deluxe, and the representative there flat out said they lied. They do nothing but provide E-Check service, but Trip Mate is solely responsible for logging in to E-sign checks and sending. Called again, was told checks are issued in batches, so it’s another 7-10 day “goal!”
Clearly the only thing they do well is stall, delay, make excuses, and pass the buck. Glassdoor reviews by actual employees of Trip Mate validate all consumer complaints and reviews. I have another trip in April to Venice, and took the insurance. I wanted to cancel it after this experience, but my agent said they would not refund the premium. If necessary, I will arrive in Venice in a wheelchair against Dr’s orders before I cancel & file a claim again. I will NEVER use Trip Mate again, and have advocated with the Globus liaison to find another insurance provider with some integrity & competence. Trip Mate is a bad faith Company, whose only concern is hoping you will give up, so they can keep your $. BTW, the President & CEO made $790,000, gave himself a $800,000 bonus, and a comp package of roughly $800,000. His name is J. Patrick Gallagher Jr. I will be contacting him shortly, in addition to my complaint filed with the BBB & here.
Reviewed Dec. 31, 2018
I purchased a policy through Trip Assure for my daughter-in-law's plane ticket to Scotland. Because she was not sure about getting off from work, I purchased "Cancel for any Reason" insurance. This is pricier than regular insurance, and it only pays 75% of the original purchase, which I understood. We knew she would not be able to go about a week before the flight so I started the claim process after calling the airline and cancelling the non-refundable flight. This was the end of June.
After 5 months of calls and getting the runaround from the insurance company, my claim was denied. They said the flight was never cancelled, and I had called the airline several times to be sure it was on record as cancelled. The airline told me numerous times that while they do not issue written cancellations, the insurance company need only call them for verification, and that all insurance companies know this. My word against the insurance company's and all they said I could do was put in an appeal. Appeal for what? Cancel For any reason! Fortunately, the airline has felt sorry for me after all I have been through dealing with this insurance company, and they worked out an acceptable arrangement with this unused ticket. As far as I am concerned, this company is fraudulent, and I will never purchase from them again.
Updated review: Jan. 5, 2019
However, I feel that my claim was handled promptly only after I made numerous complaints, including the Better Business Bureau. That is not good customer service. I will withdraw my BBB complaint after reimbursement.
Original Review: Dec. 31, 2018
First of all, as I understand it, TRIP MATE is a claim processing agency for numerous insurance companies. We purchased comprehensive travel insurance from a company called Travel Safe. When I had the misfortune to need to make a claim, I had to deal with TRIP MATE. After reading reviews here and other sites, it's very obvious that this company uses the same stall tactics and pre-determined “answers” again and again. Customer representatives are unable to tell you anything specific about a claim. Supervisors are not available. Online status notations are vague.
At this point, I am waiting for reimbursement of a nearly 10K hospital bill that I was required to pay up front. Apparently medical insurance is only valid if the customer pays first. I suppose if the bill is more than you can pay, TRIP MATE avoids liability. Kind of like if you have home insurance, your home burns, and the company refuses to pay anything until you rebuild your house and file a claim! I will update this review after the outcome. As of now, I’m waiting a month and a half with no indication that my claim is even being processed.
Reviewed Dec. 27, 2018
On September 7, 2018 I had to cancel a trip due to health problems. I had booked the flight through cheapoair.com with United Airlines. The airlines refunded part of my ticket fee and the traveler insurance I purchase through Trip Mate, Inc, Kansas City MO was to refund the rest. They received all the claim forms, billing invoice, and physician's statements needed. I have e-mails stating they have received all information. It has been about three months and they will not pay the claim, the only way to contact them is by phone and when I call, if they return, they give excuses like, "Is still in review, give it a few days," or "Is should ok by weekend." Will never use this company again.
Reviewed Dec. 21, 2018
My husband and I purchased a trip through Vermont Bicycle Tour (VBT) to Paris and Normandy leaving August 29 and returning September 14. We purchased the protection package offered through VBT when we signed up which was Trip Mate. On July 27, 2018 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Treatment needed to start quickly so the breast surgeon and oncologist advised against the trip. I emailed Jen ** at VBT who gave me the information on reporting a claim with Trip Mate. Trip Mate was contacted July 30 and claim forms requested. Claim forms were completed by me and overnighted to Trip Mate. Those forms were received by (per the Claim Status website) Trip Mate August 10, 2018. A copy of the pathology report was sent along with the claim form. There was no note or attachment for Physician Statement.
When there was no follow up from Trip Mate by the 28th of August, I phoned them and asked if any further documentation was required. The customer service person stated that from what she could tell, the underwriters had all the information necessary and would be getting back to me. On 9/12/18 I again phoned customer service to request status update. Their phone message while on hold, states that the goal for turn around on claims is 30 days. Since 30 days had passed, there should have been some word.
Customer service again told me that all documents were received for my claim. However, they were inundated with hurricane claims and backlogged. Claims were reviewed in order received. So I wasn't clear how the hurricane claims were impacting my paperwork. Then on 9/26/2018 I received notice that an Attending Physician Statement was needed to move forward with my claim. The customer service person told me that one was attached to the original email which was not true. My doctor completed the document and it was overnighted to Trip Mate. Received by them on 10/1/2018.
I phoned Customer Service again on 10/5/2018 and 10/19/2018. Received the hurricane excuse again. When I accused them of just waiting 30 days and then coming up with another item that is needed so the 30 day clock can start again, I was told, "We don't play those games." Customer service also told me that the 30 day turn around "Was just a goal." Finally, on 11/6/2018, I emailed Jen ** at VBT requesting assistance with settling my Trip Mate claim. Jen referred me to their Guest Services Manager, Mike ** who was my life saver and hero. Mike ** apparently followed up with Trip Mate because on 11/7/2018 I received a voice mail from Kyle ** at Trip Mate who stated that our claim was being resolved and the two refund checks would be issued.
Two weeks later after no checks were received, I phoned Kyle ** directly at the phone number (**) he left on my voice mail. He did not answer nor did he return my call that time or the next 3 times on 11/20 and 11/21/and 11/26 that I left him messages. So again on 11/27/2018 I phoned Trip Mate Customer Service and spoke with Victoria. She was the most helpful and "caring" person in Customer Service that had ever communicated with me. She tried calling Kyle ** but no answer. She then phoned her supervisor while I was on hold only to let me know that the checks were in the accounting office and would be issued as echecks.
"Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the checks would be delayed until end of the week." My answer was that we never should have been talking about Thanksgiving when the claim was sent in August. An email was sent by me to Mike ** at VBT to give him an update on the latest communication. Once before and again this correspondence, I encouraged Mike to have VBT partner with another travel protection package. Mike responded that he had a phone call scheduled with the Sr VP of Trip Mate for 11/28/2018 to try and understand what happened with this claim. Mike had been told by others that there were glitches with the accounting software at Trip Mate.
On 12/5/2018, I emailed Mike ** that no checks and no communication from Trip Mate had been received. He responded by 12/6/18 and said he was checking with Trip Mate to see what was going on and I could expect an apology from Trip Mate. There was a voice mail message from Debbie McCaffrey, Senior Vice President at Trip Mate on 12/6/2018 apologizing for the very long delay. They had some system issues. She would have the checks finalized "tomorrow" and send to my email address.
No checks were received by Friday the 7th of December although a Beverly did phone me on the 7th from Trip Mate to let me know that because of year end bookkeeping, the accounting office was backlogged. However, there should be echecks emailed by Monday or Tues the 10th or 11th of December. Nothing by 12/12/18 so I again emailed Mike ** at VBT who emailed Debbie McCaffrey again and copied me on the email. Both refund checks were emailed to my husband and myself that same day.
Mike ** is worth his weight in gold for helping us through this ordeal. VBT is a great tour company and I would not hesitate to used them again. However, I will seek out any other protection package than Trip Mate. In Debbie McCaffrey's email to me, she thanked me for my understanding. My response was that there was no way I understood how they could treat customers this way nor how they could remain in business.
Reviewed Dec. 19, 2018
Trip Mate is the WORST company I have ever experienced in my fifty years on this earth. They a total and complete scam. After submitting a claim, the first thing they do is tell you that you will have to wait thirty days before you can get paid. Then, they tell you that they are having "accounting" problems which are delaying payment of the claim. These "accounting" problems have been going on for over a month.
I first submitted my claim on October 18th. Today is December 19th and they keep telling me that they can't pay me due to the same "accounting" problems. The only accounting problem they have is that either they don't have any money to pay me and/or, as you can read in other reviews, they simply never intended on paying my claim in the first place. How any airline company can offer Trip Mate as a flight insurance option is bait and switch. Such companies know full and well how big of a scam Trip Mate is, but yet they still offer the insurance.
According to business law, any airline company offering Trip Mate as an insurance option has an "agency" relationship with them. Therefore, the actions of Trip Mate should be held accountable to the said airline company. In the event that anyone affiliated with my claim is reading this review, I have a newsflash - either Trip Mate pays my claim or Silently into the night I will not go. For the record, I can be loud - VERY LOUD at that.
Reviewed Dec. 19, 2018
My husband and I booked our Honeymoon in February for October and 1 paid in full (roughly $5,500) along with purchasing travel insurance. One week before our vacation my husband ended up at the hospital and urgent care a total of 3 times and once was the day we were supposed to be headed to the airport. We submitted countless document/proof and a doctor’s note on 6 different occasions because the company kept claiming they “didn’t receive it.” They say their policy is to process refunds in 30 days. Here we are 4 months later and we have still not received our money back! OUTRAGEOUS! I have spoken to over 15 different account reps and supervisors who have done nothing but given me the run around and I am told a different story each time.
When you call you can never reach anyone. You have to put your phone number in and hope you are available when they call back several hours later. I have purchased travel insurance with a few other companies and have never had to go through this nightmare of a process! I am not sure how these people are trained but it’s not consistent. I will be reporting them to the BBB and next step is unfortunately going to be a lawsuit. Outrageous and horrible service!
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2018
Worst ** service possible. First time they sent the check under the wrong name, second time they gave me the wrong email to send our document. Unfortunately there is no complaint system or rating system in place that really makes you avoid their service, but please, avoid if possible. Only wish I can give a ** star. Btw the trip was in 2015 and we are still expecting the cheque today.
Reviewed Dec. 11, 2018
Trip Mate is the WORST company I have ever dealt with. We sent in all the documentation required on 10/11/18 and it's now 12/11/18. We STILL do not have an answer from this horrible company. NEVER AGAIN will I deal with them and I will NEVER go through Viking Cruises, either, if this is the kind of company they partner with for travel insurance. I cannot get a cogent answer from anyone at Trip Mate even if I am able to reach them by phone - which is a rare occurrence. Supposedly, our vouchers were printed on 11/15/18 and mailed to us on 11/30/18. The area code for Trip Mate is in Missouri. We are in the Northeast.
First of all, why did it take 15 days to mail printed vouchers? Second of all, we were told, SPECIFICALLY, that we would have them early this week since they were mailed on 11/30/18 (15 days after they were printed!). I still DO NOT have the vouchers in hand. On top of that, I found out the amount of the vouchers from Viking Cruises. Trip Mate DID NOT give us the full amount we were due. Fool me once, shame on me. You won't fool me twice. I will NEVER, EVER, EVER do business with Trip Mate OR Viking Cruises again. Don't be a fool and do business with either of these companies, either.
Reviewed Dec. 3, 2018
We were hit by hurricane Michael so could not fly, this worthless company gave me the runaround for 7 weeks before denying my claim. You can never speak to anyone directly, it’s always a call back the next day by an agent who is powerless to do anything - their words! All they do is say they will expedite the claim and that starts the whole process over again. I contacted the flight site that I regularly use to say that I will never book another flight through them if they continue to offer this insurance company as an option. May not have any effect, but the more that do so, the better the chance this fraudulent entity ceases to exist.
Reviewed Nov. 27, 2018
Due to illness, we could not fly. So we called and called for months and never got ahold of a manager at Trip Mate. A claim was opened but the claim was stalled, and we never could anywhere with this company for a refund. It was extremely frustrating. In the end, their lawyers just find loopholes to not refund your money. 2 of us flyers are retired, so this just makes it harder on us financially. Trip Mate is nothing, the company does not actually provide any insurance on your airline flight, as they find whatever spurious reason they can to decline providing you insurance. You might as well not get insurance if you have to buy insurance with this company.
Reviewed Nov. 26, 2018
Planned a trip to Punta Cana for my 50th birthday celebration with family and friends back in October 2018. One of my guest was denied a passport after the deposit was paid back in February. Have been trying since June to get the insurance claim resolved!! Will never use this company again!!!
Reviewed Nov. 23, 2018
I had a terrible experience going back to the Philippines a couple years ago so I got insurance for a trip in Dec. I had to cancel my trip to go to court in Jan. and Trip Mate refuses to reimburse my expenses. One person I talked to on the phone said, "this company can think of a thousand reasons to deny a claim." This same guy told me my claim had been kicked up to a supervisor and I should get a status result within a week. After not receiving any info for 10 days I called again and was told there was no information and if I didn't hear from Trip Mate in the next 2 weeks call back again. This lasted for a month and a half. Today I found out online that my claim was denied with no explanation. Seems like a scam company to me that can say they are insuring your trip, take your money and then deny any claim submitted.
Reviewed Nov. 21, 2018
I have read many poor reviews related to this company and I have come to the conclusion that many are lacking credibility. This company is forthcoming in every aspect. If you submit a legitimate claim you will have no problem. My claim was resolved in less then a month. Shame on all of those who write bad reviews when the problem lies with themselves.
Reviewed Nov. 21, 2018
We purchased insurance to cover our Grade 8 class' trip from Toronto to Boston. One child was ill and required hospitalization. We have completed the claims process, and the claim was approved on August 28th. Now it is November 21, and we are still getting the runaround on when the cheque will be written. This in spite of repeated claims on their voice recording that all claims will be processed within 90 days of receipt of all documentation. I agree with the other poster, buy your travel insurance from a reputable company - not this one!
Reviewed Nov. 18, 2018
I have two clients to cancel their trip due to personal circumstances. This cancellation started June 29, 2018. They have not resolved anything. I've been calling for months. I was even told that I had sent the claim information to the wrong company. Then I realize that I would have not known where to file if I wasnt instructed to do so. It has been a runaround with no answer since I started the claim. So I filing the review and then Im filing a report with the BBB as well. This claim should have closed a long time ago.
Reviewed Nov. 15, 2018
We had to cancel a cruise to Iceland in August. I submitted all my forms to them on August 8th and got a confirmed email. The claim was approved. It is now 3 and a half months later and they have still not issued a check. You cannot get through to a live person without waiting on hold for about an hour then they say that you have to leave your number for a call back. They are the most unprofessional company I have ever dealt with. I will never sail on Windstar again if this is the only option for insurance.
Reviewed Nov. 14, 2018
Bought World Nomad travel insurance and went to Asia. Had an accident and broke my arm. Surgery was required along with many nights in hospital, scans, medication etc. I paid the bill myself assured the whole time that I would of course be reimbursed as I was 'insured'. Later I find that TripMate underwrites the insurance. Long story short, after 10 months I still have received exactly ZERO for my medical bills. I have not been told outright that it is denied nor that it is approved. They play every game in the book to wear you out. The communication with them is a nightmare. Look, this is absolute budget travel insurance from a dishonest company. Avoid it. Buy real insurance from a major provider. There is a reason 160+ reviewers here have given them a rating of 1.2 out of 5!
Reviewed Nov. 12, 2018
I like many of you bought Trip Mate travel insurance, submitted all of my requirement documents on October 4, 2018! After the big runaround many time, I went and looked at the BBB - many claimed reported, funny thing once you report them to the BBB it showed (or they said it was paid in a few days). I reported them on Friday, November 9 2018 after many hassles and calls etc. Now today November 12, 2018 they called us to say our claim was going to be paid! Report them! There are 692 reports on the BBB site! Want to move your claim and tell about any issues - go online and make a complaint!
Reviewed Nov. 12, 2018
This insurance is total crap. DO NOT BUY. We are owed close to 7K since 10/25/2018 and as of 11/12/18 Still have not received any money. This company should be out of business. They are the worst payout of any co. I've ever done business with.
Reviewed Nov. 12, 2018
In August, while on a Viking river cruise in Russia, I fell and fractured my wrist. I had emergency surgery in St. Petersburg, spent two days in the hospital and then returned to the ship. Upon returning home we filed a claim with Trip Mate. As of today we still have not received reimbursement and constantly get the "runaround". I am on Medicare and Tricare for Life which does not cover medical expenses outside the US. We have sent information to Trip Mate three different times regarding our primary care physician's information.
Today I received notice that if Trip Mate does not receive information within 21 days on our primary care physician or any additional insurance coverage they will cancel the claim. Poorly run company and I certainly would not recommend signing up for their coverage. We have two more Viking cruises booked and are seriously looking to obtain travel insurance from a different provider. Viking can, and should, do better... Trip Mate is definitely up to the high Viking standards!!!
Reviewed Oct. 31, 2018
Claim still not paid after ALL documentation confirmed received on 8/30. Reps cannot tell you anything except my claim was approved...3 weeks ago and an e check is pending…now 2 weeks and counting. Not one rep I spoke with can give me any explanation except it should be processed soon. I will never use any travel agency who used Trip Mate and will begin a formal complaint to the BBB and Consumer Affairs. Feel bad for reps fielding these calls. Trip Mate is obviously a VERY poorly run company!
Reviewed Oct. 30, 2018
I had a trip planned to England and Ireland and took out travel insurance with my travel agent. I did not question the reputation of the insurance carrier. Prior to the trip I had a health concern that resulted in me cancelling the trip. I have heart issues in the past, but have developed a new problem not related to my previous problem. I have never seen a worse run company that Trip Mate. They denied my claim based upon prior existing conditions after 10 weeks. During that time I repeated try to contact someone in the company and was never given anyone to talk to that could answer my questions. They never once contacted me or asked for additional information. I would warn anyone thinking of insuring their travel with this company to think twice about it. Find another more reputable company. They will look for anything they can to deny a claim.
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2018
My wife and I were scheduled to take the Viking River Cruise on the Danube. All the needed preparations had been made. Unexpectedly 2 days before the trip I had a very severe arthritic attack making it impossible for me to take the trip and tour. I have to cancel. Fortunately, included in the tour package is the travel insurance with Trip Mate, Inc. Obtaining the refund was no problem. Without any reservation I can recommend Trip Mate Inc as a dependable travel insurance to friends.
Reviewed Oct. 24, 2018
I purchased travel insurance for a trip to Europe last summer (not their basic or gold plans, but their top of the line platinum protection for $199). We've had to file a small claim to be reimbursed for medical expenses incurred in Europe (just over $100). I submitted EVERYTHING to them that they asked for. They know I paid for the plan and that I have legitimate receipts, and it's been several months, and I keep getting the runaround. Every time I call, I get the same recorded message about high call volume, etc. When I request a callback and someone calls me back, they assure me that my claim is being expedited, but I seriously doubt that.
Also, what they don't tell you is that they won't even consider your claim unless you go through your primary medical insurance first. If your primary provider declines to pay and sends you and Explanation of Benefits regarding their decision, they ask you to send that EOB to them and then they will reconsider the claim. I am extremely frustrated with this entire process. Please, if you're reading this, do not use them for trip insurance -- it will be a total waste of your money.
Reviewed Oct. 22, 2018
My husband had emergency surgery. I sent very detailed documentation using their protocol. It's 2 months since I sent in the material and I cannot get a decent answer from the people who answer the phone as to what the delay is. I suspect because it was an expensive trip they just don’t want to pay. Next step is I will ask our attorney to get involved.
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2018
Our return tickets were unusable. Trip Mate refused to refund our money. I wish I had read the reviews before buying from Trip Mate. The policy was useless. We paid our money for a worthless policy. I will never buy a policy from Trip Mate again. I strongly advise others to look elsewhere for travel insurance. Next time I will look at a company's reviews. Not being an experienced traveler, I did not think to do that. Very disgusted and upset with Trip Mate Insurance Company, which is underwritten by Arch Insurance Company. I will be sure not to buy anything from those two companies. Never, ever, ever.
Reviewed Oct. 17, 2018
This company kept my money for my flight after I cancelled within the time frame and submitted my son's death certificate in May 2018 (it's almost November now) and spoke with numerous customer service reps and I requested a supervisor to contact me regarding the refund since I had not heard anything in months. Every time I spoke with a representative I was told that they did not know why the claim was taking so long and that they would request for it to be expedited. I only received a letter denying my refund after I filed a BBB complaint. Beware, you do NOT need to purchase ANYTHING from Trip Mate! You might as well throw your money out of your car window if you use this company!
Reviewed Oct. 12, 2018
I purchased Trip Insurance for my 15 year wedding anniversary in June 2018. The insurance cost me $190 dollars. For a nearly $16,000, 7-night trip, I thought this was well worth it. Due to weather delays and flight cancellations we were unable to arrive at our resort on 6/18/2018, so we lost 1 day of our travel. No worries I have insurance... or so I thought.
I submitted a claim to Trip Mate on 7/4/18. Complete with Receipts, Itinerary, and all necessary documents, I asked Trip Mate to reimburse 1,852.31 of my expenses. I received a written request for additional information on 8/13/18. What they asked for was exactly what I sent the first time but somehow they wanted it again. I submitted and followed up on email on 8/14/18.
Still, no calls or communication from Tripmate other than the letter on 8/13/18 asking for more information, which is interesting since their own website says “if there is any problem with your claim, we will call you personally to discuss our concerns.” No one has ever called me personally, and when I did call I sat on hold for 15 minutes each time until the automated system took my number and asked for a time zone, then hung up.
Very interesting since the website also claims “customer service representatives will be available around the clock with average telephone hold times of less than one minute...” and as for the around the clock, that’s also a lie. If you call their number 800 number you will be told the times of their customer service. Also a lie is their phone automated system will tell you “Our goal processing time is 30-days since receipt”. As it has been 3 months since my initial claim and 2 months since my follow up claim, please do not be fooled by their timeline.
On 10/10/18 I reached out to my travel agent for assistance as I had still not heard anything. On 10/11/18 I missed the first ever call from TripMate. On 10/12/18, I finally received a call from Ryan **. Ryan informed me that my claim check was cut today for just over $300. I clarified with him and he informed me the number again. This was well below the $1,852.31 that I claimed. Ryan provided no reason for the $1,500 discrepancy. He did say it looks like they “forgot to add my Wife” to the claim. Odd since the paperwork sent in and on file in the claims status clearly shows my wife. Even so, if you double the check, there is still over $1,000 not covered.
When I asked if Ryan could confirm why there was a gap, he could not provide a line item breakdown of the payment. I then asked if I could resend him the same info from 8/14 for us to review together, which I did. I agreed there was a large difference in the dollar amount spent per day, and he offered to re-open a claim which could be reviewed in 2 weeks. I mentioned this was unacceptable and asked to speak to a supervisor. He then said there is no policy for supervisors to take phone calls from customers.
I then asked for the correct spelling of his name and his supervisor’s name so I could write my review, he all of the sudden said “let me see if I can get my supervisor.” Funny since 1 minute earlier there was no supervisor according to their policy. He put me on hold and proceeded to try and find Ashley ** who is the Customer Service Supervisor. Shockingly enough, Ashley was unavailable, but I have been told I will receive a call in 24-48 hours. In the meantime, according to Ryan, I am back in a 2 week holding pattern for TripMate to review the SAME INFORMATION that was sent in July, then again in August of this year.
This is completely unacceptable and does not reflect TripMate's Online Philosophy of “We value our relationships with our many partners: the insurance carriers that we represent, the travel organizations who distribute our products, and, most importantly, the individuals for whom we provide benefits and services.” I can assure you I do not feel valued.
I can’t stress enough that if you are searching for insurance for your next trip, please DO NOT CONSIDER TRIP MATE. You will regret your decision, as we do. PS… My call was fully recorded, including Ryan ** letting me know that he could not find any communication to us over the past few months even though they claim a 30 day response, so if there is any question about the above statements, I challenge Trip Mate to release the recording for review.
Reviewed Oct. 8, 2018
Had a claim on 07/23/2018. Still cannot get it settled! Get a runaround every time I call for a update. It has been in the review hands for Two months? Trying to get this resolved with 14 calls to the company.
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2018
I submitted the all documents, receipts by mail on 7/30, I didn't get any response for 1.5 month, then they send me email they need all my receipts again. This is awful company, I wish I review the consumers complaints before, they just don't want to pay you, unless you hire your attorney.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2018
I always purchase travel insurance for long overseas trips and feel good about doing it. So I felt confident when, in June 2018, I had to cancel a trip to Africa due to illness. About a week before the scheduled departure, I filed a claim with Trip Mate. I don't mind the paperwork they require and was able to provide everything. My doctor sent a letter even before I could get my documents together, so no delay there. TM has what looks like a pretty efficient online claim site where you can see all activity so I could track receipt of all documents and communications and progress of the claim. After an initial flurry of entries, all activity ceased. No one ever answered the phone when I called - just a recording which explains that they were experiencing a high volume of claims and refers caller to the website.
I was willing to be patient, checking the website daily, but after 3 months, still unable to get a real person on the phone, I requested a call back from them. And I got one! The person I spoke with seemed surprised I hadn't received a check. He said it got stuck in the process and he would move it along and I should have a check by the end of the month. That was September. It is now October and still no check, although I can see it has been approved for payment. So at least I am hopeful that I may see a check eventually. I can't figure out if these people are dishonest or incompetent. They appear to drag their feet. I also am not sure, with all the bad experiences reported by customers, why the travel companies continue to use them. My advice, if you have filed a claim, is to be patient but persistent.
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2018
While in the initial stages of filing a claim with Trip Mate, and based on the reviews I had read here, I was very concerned that we'd never see any of our money returned. In August of this year, my husband and I had to cancel a trip with Viking Cruises due to his sudden illness. We called Viking on the day we were supposed to depart for the trip, and I downloaded the claim forms from Trip Mate on the same day. My husband had seen the doctor about ten days prior to our departure date and was still not fit for travel. I read the insurance policy very carefully and followed all of the instructions to a tee. It took about two weeks to get all the documents together and signed by our physician. I kept copies of everything I submitted. I MAILED all documents (certified mail with return receipt service). Because of this, I was able to see exactly when Trip Mate received my documents and who signed for them.
I checked Trip Mate's website and it showed that they updated the claim status to reflect receipt of the documents, on the same day that the return receipt stated that they had been delivered. I continued checking the claim status online every few days, and after about two weeks, I called Trip Mate to inquire how much longer our refund might take. The rep informed me that the claim had been approved and sent to the accounting department. She told me to allow 5-10 business days for them to send me an electronic check. About 12 days after this, (and exactly 30 days after they received all my documents), I called to ask about the check. I experienced very long hold times (in excess of 15 minutes), but I selected a prompt to ask for an automatic return call. Literally 5 minutes after that, and without actually talking to a real live person, I received one of our checks in my email.
When I called immediately afterward to inquire about the whereabouts of the second check, I again experienced long hold times, but again requested a return call. Within ten minutes of that, I got a call back from a rep who explained that the second check went to my husband's email. Sure enough, there it was in his email. We deposited both checks with no problems, as a full reimbursement of our trip payment. From the beginning, Trip Mate stated HOW and WHEN everything would happen with our refund, and I must say, they followed through on their statements. My best advice is to read your policy very well, follow every single instruction, and keep a good document trail. I would have given five stars for our Trip Mate experience, but the month-long wait for the return of our money was a bit anxiety-provoking. Overall, I am very relieved and satisfied with our experience.
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2018
I took Trip Mate to cover a car rental on a trip to Barbados in July 2018 and unfortunately I had an accident that cost me US$5400.00. I immediately filed a claim with Trip Mate and to this date October 10th, 2018 I have had no resolution to the matter. Everytime I call the agent says give them another week. Yesterday they said give them two weeks. They promise a 30 day turnaround time but it is now almost 90 days. They never contact you to update you on the progress but tout their service like it's the best. I believe that it is a sham and I plan on filing a complaint with the American insurance regulators and then a lawsuit against Trip Mate and Fareportal if my claim is not settled by end of October 2018.
Reviewed Oct. 2, 2018
Wish I could give less than 1! The whole premise of TripMate's Insurance is that you are a liar, you are trying to extort money from them, and that you will finally give up on their "process" and just say forget it! Trip to Europe with my family (10 people). Flight delayed due to weather, had to stay overnight in Atlanta since we missed our connection to London. Lost our prepaid hotel, transfers, and train from London to Paris. Had to pay for a hotel in Atlanta and extra night in Paris. Upon returning home, started the claim "process". They want you to prove EVERYTHING beyond a reasonable doubt! You can't just send your receipts and original itinerary. They want to know the date you purchased their insurance policy! Really?!!
You also have to send your credit card statement showing you were actually charged for your expenses, in addition to all your receipts. And you need a letter from the airline showing how, when, and why you missed your connecting flights and how, when, and where you were rerouted including flight numbers and seat assignments. They say it takes 30 days after they receive ALL your documents, even if you already sent them and they send you a letter stating you have to resend them, which then restarts the 30 day clock. So far it has been 92 days since I started this process and still no check. This "process" has cost me 74 hours of my life I will never get back, including phone calls, collecting documents, completing their ridiculous forms, emails, re-sending documents I already sent. DO NOT use this company!!!
Reviewed Oct. 2, 2018
After waiting 4 months they send me a letter saying "that because I live less than 50 miles from the airport they won't reimburse me". My flight was canceled. I am single with no family and the person that dropped me at the airport was a friend and he lives 1 hour away from the airport. So, I thought staying at the hotel I'll get reimburse however, after all documentation nothing happened. This company should be sue in a class suit. They are scammers. Don't waste your money. They won't reimburse you.
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2018
My experience seems to be very different from all the other reviews I see on this site. My attorney drafted a letter and sent my collected documentation and within 30 days, my claim was paid. This was a canceled plane ticket from Michigan to Dallas due to a grave illness and hospitalization of my mother. I was sure to provide my attorney all the information requested for the illness and hospital stay. I take my rather infrequent travel plans very seriously and was very disappointed that I had to cancel at all but I was pleased that my claim was considered and reviewed so quickly.
Reviewed Sept. 29, 2018
We booked a vacation package with a Sandals resort and of course they "strongly encourage" you to purchase travel insurance to "protect your investment." So we purchased travel insurance with Trip Mate and we were originally scheduled to travel 7/20/18 - 7/25/18 then I unfortunately, I was hospitalized on 7/13/18 – 7/26/18, therefore we had to cancel the original trip. We notified Sandals immediately, and were informed that we would not be refunded any fees we had paid on the room, so the only option they offered was to rebook the room, for which there was a room penalty fee of $185.00, of which we rebooked for 9/17/18 and paid the rebooking fee.
However, they informed us that the flights had to be cancelled and we had to re-book. They only refunded a portion of the monies we originally paid on the flights but we lost a portion of those monies on those flights that was booked for July 2018. We had to rebook flights, through Sandals and the costs for those flights was significantly higher. We have pleaded with Trip Mate and have complied with all of the documentation they've requested along with a copy of my physician's statement, to reimburse the amount of the room re-booking fees and the monies that we lost on the flights, without success. This company seems like a fraud!!
Reviewed Sept. 24, 2018
We canceled our Hawaiian trip due to Kilauea volcano (a natural disaster). They denied our claim after 4 months stating that we would have to live in the uninhabitable conditions. Not mentioning breathing toxic fumes, vog and other contaminants. National Volcanoes Park was actually destroyed and closed. They are thieves to take our money and deny our claim. The phone lines are always busy, the callbacks are ridiculous and the agents pass the buck. Do not buy travel insurance from them. It's a SCAM.
Reviewed Sept. 24, 2018
My husband and I purchased travel insurance for our July 2018 trip to Sandals in Jamaica back in July 2017. Right before our trip, unfortunately, my father passed away. The representatives I spoke to were always helpful and guided me on exactly what to submit. I recently read many bad reviews on this company, however, we had E Checks in our email about 6 weeks from when we first submitted the claim. We received the total amount (minus the trip insurance cost of course) we paid for our trip. Even though the time the process took seemed a bit long, we are very pleased with the way in which everything was handled. Every single person I spoke to on the phone offered their condolences which meant a lot. My tip for others is to make sure you keep good records and have all of your statements showing the trip costs.
Reviewed Sept. 21, 2018
The claim that I made with TripMate insurance is finally settled - The TripMate e-check arrived online in the full amount (of the limit) of the claim. I am now a happy camper and would have given TripMate 5 stars, but gave 4 instead because of the following: 1) Documentation required for claim is excessive. You must save EVERYTHING about your trip, your expenses, plane tickets, hotel/places stayed, police reports, hospital reports, witnesses, etc. This took me the better part of a day to collect, scan, and submit these records to the TripMate online claim form.
2) Claim I.D. number changes excessively. You start your claim with your Plan # and your Trip Insurance #, then receive a claim # WHICH CHANGES as they email you or when you check the status of the claim online. My claim number changed 3 times. 3) Wait time excessive for claim e-check payment. After all of my required documentation was received by TripMate, I still has an almost 2 month wait for the e-check. My insurance agent guy does not understand the wait time that TripMate uses to pay a claim. His company settles well-documented claims within weeks, not months.
Will I use TripMate insurance again on a future trip? Definitely yes. TripMate insurance is an excellent value. They cover things that other trip companies do not at a very reasonable price. Now that I know the rules of the TripMate claim process, I will be better prepared if I require it again. Knowing how the "claim-game" is played by TripMate gives me a better understanding of the process, and yes, patience is a virtue.
Reviewed Sept. 19, 2018
As many of you I wish I had read these reviews before. As soon as I arrived to US I completed the claim (May 14, 2018) and until now I have NO RESPONSE. Every time I call they say something new. The status of the claim on the system is not helpful at all and I always find myself calling them. I had to complete a claim form with another insurance company at the beginning of the year and I received the refund within 2 weeks. Now, this experience has become a nightmare!!
Reviewed Sept. 19, 2018
We purchased Trip Mate travel insurance for myself and my wife's vacation through the Delta Airlines travel representative. We explained to the representative that our 14 year old son was in residential treatment for Autism and Schizophrenia and we were worried that something could happen that would affect our vacation. Well, our son had to be transferred by ambulance from Virginia to another facility in Atlanta and of course we cancelled our trip to meet him upon his arrival in Atlanta. Trip Mate determined he had a pre-existing condition and our presence wasn't necessary and therefore denied our claim. CBS also recently reported on them and their failure to pay on thousands of claims based on abstract policy. Don't waste your money. They are criminal and your recourse is limited, costly, and time consuming.
Reviewed Sept. 18, 2018
We purchased Trip Mate insurance for our Viking cruise in April 2018. As we were checking in at the airport, the airline went on strike. I called Viking rep and Trip Mate right away, spent 3 hours on the phone between them. Viking rep suggested us to take the next morning flight then either take a cab or a three hours train to catch the boat next Port. We decided to cancel the trip due to security and inconvenience concerns. The next day we filed a claim online with no response from Trip Mate till a week after.
After a couple of weeks, they wanted a document from the airline indicating what happened that day. After many requests with the airline (Lufthansa) for a document, no responses. I'm sure our case is not the first for Trip Mate as they have been in business for a while. What we got from Trip Mate is a dishonest business who does not meet their commitment. A company which does everything to deny their responsibility. After a few months of frustration and disappointment we got a lawyer. This company should not be in business. They are dishonest. No need to say that Viking also lost customers. We need to spread the words around to make other aware of this outfit.
Reviewed Sept. 17, 2018
I purchased insurance for my trip and paid the 1st payment of $699 including the insurance up front. I had to cancel and did so before Jan 2019 when the rest was due. A friend tried to get my spot and it was already filled so why was my claim denied. They did not lose money but I sure did. I was ripped off. This Trip Mate should be investigated for fraud.
Reviewed Sept. 13, 2018
My husband and I purchased TripMate travel insurance for our May 2018 trip on a Viking River Cruise. Our trip was interrupted when my husband had a medical emergency. We called Viking rep right away and the incident was filed. Then our nightmare began working with TripMate which is still ongoing. Over time the correct documents were sent upon their request. We are seeking reimbursement for the unused portion of our trip. You call and a recording defers you to someone calling you back within 24 hours. This could be in the middle of the night depending on the time zone. Each time you talk to a rep you cannot get an answer on the status of your claim. Our claim was entered on May 5, 2018 and to date no information from TripMate.
Reviewed Sept. 12, 2018
On May 5th we had to cut short our vacation by 6 days due to family medical emergency. On May 7th 2018 AAA started my claim. On 5/30/18 Trip Mate received forms. 6/6/18 sent forms again with no response. On July 3rd they acknowledged receiving forms. On 7/17/18 I sent them a Notice of intent to seek relief with the California Department of Insurance, Consumer Complaint Center for failure to comply with California Fair Claims Settlement Practices. On 7/23/18 they processed payment but it was $429.51 short of actual loss. Trip Mate's breakout looks like you overstated airline fees from United of $1,137.80 when I called the quote was $1048.46 including all fees and taxes shorting me $89.34. I’m sure the Travel agency gets a better price than me on this so it could be more compensation to me.
It also looks as you understated the hotel fees of $302.415 ($1,814.49) a night when I was quoted $426.02 ($2,556.12) a difference of $741.63. Like all insurance companies they want your money but don't want to pay out what they owe. So I'm out the balance unless I want to take them to court. Also a big disclaimer that is hidden is that there is a $2000 max payout clause.
Reviewed Sept. 10, 2018
While we were on a boat, towards the end of March 2018, a huge wave came over the boat and totally soaked us. My camera and both lenses had extensive damage as this was salt water. I obtained the necessary documents and filed a claim in April. They made a partial payment in June. Since then, I have called several times to request the rest of the payment and every time I call, I am assured that they have "expedited" the request. It is now September 10, and this "expedited" claim has not been paid.
Reviewed Sept. 7, 2018
I booked tickets with CheapOair and they strongly encouraged my purchasing trip protection insurance. They even called me after my purchase to try to convince me to buy it. Normally I don't buy this insurance, but as the person whom I was visiting fell ill, I ended up purchasing the insurance just in case. The person I intended to visit then passed away, so I called to cancel my trip and get a refund and Trip Mate said they wouldn't cover it. CheapOair stressed the importance of buying this insurance for just this type of situation, and if they don't cover situations where the person whom someone is visiting dies, then it's difficult to imagine that they will pay out their customers in many other situations.
This is completely immoral on both the part of CheapOair and Trip Mate and I would encourage shoppers to absolutely not buy insurance from Trip Mate and consider using a different flight search engine to make their purchase. It is the job of the search engines to connect their customers to quality services. I have heard of other travelers buying different insurance from different search sites and receiving refunds simply because they decided they didn't want to go anymore.
Reviewed Sept. 4, 2018
I booked a party of 6 people through CheapOair.com in 2017 to fly from Cleveland, OH to New Orleans. We were heading for our cruise honeymoon with our adult children. CheapOair strongly urged my purchasing the travel insurance indicating it would pay for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING if for any reasons our trip was disrupted or cancelled.
The day before our departure, our airport was shut down due to a severe snow storm. Frantically, I tried all sources trying to get to New Orleans or we would have to cancel our cruise trip. One of our children and her spouse were already in New Orleans- AA (the flight that was our departure airline) kept cancelling our flights over the next 36 hours and we finally got overblown prices of airfares (for 6 people) to fly out of Columbus, Ohio (surprise!! AA ticketing agent indicated there weren't any flight in my state or nearby airport); Columbus airport is approx 2 hours away from Cleveland Hopkins.
We made the trip but the additional costs of airline tickets and layover sleeping in the airport overnight cost us 3x of the original airfare. I filed the claim with Trip Mate - assuming they would respond right away. After 15 days I didn't hear anything, I called. They told me, "O, your claim could not be processed because the reason code was not correct". Ok, so I refiled the claim with their customer services rep 15 days later. They also confirmed all things (forms, back documents) are in order.
Now the fun began. I didn't hear from them a couple of weeks, I called and was informed it would take about 30 days to finalize. 30 days later, I called, emailed, asking for status. They put me on hold for more than 45 days later. Then told me there were some receipts they would need. I told them EVERYTHING was emailed in with confirmation from Trip Mate that all information was in order. Now I was beginning to feel they were jerking my around. I called and was stone-walled by their customer service reps every single time. NOBODY EVER KNOWS what my claim status, nor could I speak with the person who would be processing it. This was March of 2018.
I went online to view their Facebook Page and personally messaged several complaints posted by people hosed by Trip Mate. This is their tactic - they make it so frustrated so you give up. After posting my complaint on their FB page, Jacklyn (no last name) called and we chatted. She said she was looking for a receipt for a hotel stay (she even said the amount) but she couldn't see it??? What she was looking at WAS the receipt. I re-sent the package of documents that I originally emailed to their email address. I called in again to check on the status, the customer service rep said they didn't receive anything and he said sometimes they had a little problems with transmission of data. Days later in August, I received a letter in mail from Trip Mate indicating they denied my claim!! A few days after that, Jacklyn called and left me a VM saying that my claim was now in the final review with their claim examiner.
I am saying this company is a thief!! I tried reaching out to CheapOair to see if they could help since they have recommended this garbage to all their customers. COA at first told me they could not do anything since it was a third party and not part of COA. After all the months of frustrations trying to resolve this with Trip Mate, I told COA they had moral obligation to look into the insurance company they had so urgently encouraging their customers to purchase. They told me they had tried reaching out to Trip Mate but Trip Mate wouldn't talk to them. O Yeah? How do you think your customers feel? They wouldn't talk to me either. Thanks for the heads-up on this!!
This is a sad thing for both companies, I must say. I have in the past booked expensive tickets through COA and I will no longer to do so. I am now just on the mission to tell my circles of friends and families who are frequent travelers not to purchase Trip Mate as Travel Insurance if they need it. I will also make sure I post my story on the any travel sites I can find. If you wish to go through CheapOair for ticketing, and purchase their travel insurance, make sure you inquire enough information as to who their travel insurance company is. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY.
Reviewed Sept. 3, 2018
This is insurance company is a scam. I sent them pages of information with travel warnings from the US Embassy and from nationwide news and headlines that issues warnings for tourists in Mexico due to growing violence toward tourists in Mexico. The cartel and drug wars have been on the rise over the year. There were ferry bombings and tourist being shot. They have yet to refund my payments. It has been several months and still no payment. Stay away from this company!
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2018
Dealing with this company has been a nightmare - they took over 11 weeks to complete the claim and issued the check in name of a wrong person, then it has been 5 weeks already and they have not corrected the mistake. I am not sure how are they still in business. Customer service never knows anything and is never of any help. Most of them sound arrogant and insensitive. I will try to avoid them in the future at all costs!
Reviewed Aug. 30, 2018
I brought my Mom along on my vacation. She flew from Jakarta, Indonesia to the Philippines, Manila and I flew from the States and we all met there and took off to another islands in the Philippines. Bought Trip Mate insurance for my Mom because it is recommended by CheapOair website. Due to Network Alignment by AirAsia (I don’t even know what it means), the Airline cancelled my Mom's flight and offer to fly her several days later. There is no way I am going to leave my Mom in a country (she does not speak English nor Tagalog). It will be heartless of me to do so... Therefore, I bought another ticket for her to fly back to Indonesia. When I submit the claims to Trip Mate it was denied and was told it was not covered... So what kind of travel insurance are they selling then? Please DO NOT Buy Trip Mate insurance and if you do have to buy please make sure you know what you are buying... This is just Terrible!
Reviewed Aug. 23, 2018
I purchased travel insurance when I booked a flight from Los Angeles, CA to Sydney, AUS. I was only given one and only one option as to the type of travel insurance I could purchase. That was back on 12/11/17. Shortly thereafter, I was advised by my doctor that flying for such a long period of time was not the best idea for me then, so I filed a claim, completed it as requested and Trip Mate received the claim in January of this year. After making what seems like thousands of phone calls to check on the status of my claim, I checked online yesterday (08/22/18) only to see that my claim had been denied. Upon calling Trip Mate, I learned that it was declined because I had not been hospitalized within the time period they saw for my medical condition.
When I see other complaints about being “stonewalled” only to be denied, I agree 100%. I waited the greater part of a year and spent far too much time talking to these awful people to get the denial stamp from their examiner. Like I mentioned before, I wasn’t given a choice of coverage when purchasing the insurance through the airline ticket provider, but suspiciously enough, when looking at the website for Trip Mate, you are not allowed to click on the different “plans”. Hmm. Do not use this service. Ever. I have since filed complaints with the BBB, Consumer Affairs in Missouri, the Insurance Commissioners Office of CA, have sought legal advice and will appeal their decision once I receive the official letter of denial from Trip Mate.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2018
I purchased this TripMate insurance for a trip to Brazil for myself and my spouse. Then the travel department issued a warning that there was an outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil. My doctor said don’t go. I purchased this insurance from the carrier: Fareportal, Inc. & its affiliates (dba. CheapOair). They did a small refund and transferred and stayed on the telephone with me to check the status. When I started to take issue with TripMate customer service the CheapOair really got irate with me. So I had to upload my claim in April on their site. In July I got a letter requesting I mail a paper claim, because what I uploaded was too small to read. Yesterday August 20th, I checked online. Nothing had been done since July. I will never book a trip on CheapOair and never purchase TripMate or its affiliates insurance ever again.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2018
I opened my claim in August 2017. I was to take a trip to Peru with my 80 yr old parents. They insisted on buying my travel insurance on 7/20/17 - just 5 days before our trip. Well I woke up on 7/23/17 with my sciatica nerve pinched so bad, not only did I miss the trip, I spent 3 months in physical therapy and intense pain. Trip Mate initially denied the claim in November because they said I saw my doctor the same day the trip to Peru started. I submitted hospital paperwork and a statement from my doctor saying I originally seemed medical help on 7/23/17. I knew they were concerned the injury happened so close to purchasing the trip insurance, however I had the paperwork to prove my case.
Since then it’s been one delay-or as my attorney stated - stonewalling - so they don’t have to pay the claim. A demand letter was sent and received by them on 8/21/18. I have also opened up a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs in Missouri - as well as a complaint with the Missouri Insurance Board. I encourage anyone who is having a hard time with them - do the same. They are anything BUT a professional organization.
Reviewed Aug. 18, 2018
Denied claim after months of waiting. Even with military documentation requested. They will tell you to call back every few weeks, as they research how to deny you. Military: Stay Away!!!! Trip Mate insurance is a scam. Go see legal if denied!
Reviewed Aug. 15, 2018
I have been a travel agent for many years. Never have I seen a company this poor. Clients have filed claim in March and have not been paid out on what should have been a very simple claim. They have submitted all supporting documents on more than one occasion and continue to be told it wasn't submitted, the doctor didn't sign etc. I always recommend trip insurance for my clients. I will NEVER, EVER recommend Trip Mate should one of my travel suppliers use them. I will ONLY offer Allianz insurance or other alternatives. As far as I am concerned Trip Mate stole my client's money. Why should I continue to promote travel protection when they do nothing to protect the client. I will do everything in my power to make sure my clients get paid and that Trip Mate will not do this to another consumer.
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018
We purchased a ticket from CHEAPOAIR (1st mistake) for my active duty husband to return for a year deployment. His orders changed and he had to go to school. I called weeks before the flight and they told me I had to start a claim and send his orders. This was in May. It's now August and I got online to check the status and it was DENIED because Military clauses are not in the handbook. Great Way to thank a soldier!
Reviewed Aug. 4, 2018
I booked a trip on the Rhine River with my daughter. I bought the insurance thru Viking Cruises with "Cancel For Any Reason". Before the trip, my Mother In Law was put on Palliative Care and we were told she would die. I canceled the trip to be there for her and was assured by Viking that "of course, TripMate will totally reimburse you." That was April 2. Today is August 4. They will not answer any calls directly. All calls go thru a Call Center who have told me they know nothing. I wait forever to get thru "due to high volume" and when they do call back, often it is at 6:00 a.m. or 9:00 p.m. And... it is the call center. I called Viking and they will take no responsibility. This after many cruises I have taken with them. Never again. The Insurance Company is a fraud and Viking will not back you up. You lose your money all the way around.
Reviewed Aug. 3, 2018
CheapOair sold me a trip policy with these people - they told me if one of our party was unable to travel this company would reimburse me for travel charges. All I needed was a plane ticket reimbursed TEN DAYS before our travel date - and they wouldn't do it. We were unable to get one of the passport documents for one of our travelers, and said, "Sorry, you should have had that together before you booked with us." DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY FOR TRIP INSURANCE.
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2018
We had a trip scheduled to Turks and Caicos and were departing on Memorial Day. I woke up with the stomach bug but still ventured to the airport with my children in hopes that I could at least get on the plane and sleep. Once we got to the airport, we checked in. My husband and I both had passport books but we had opted to get passport cards (which require the exact same identification to apply as passport books) for our kids since theirs had both just expired and they were just shy of being 16 where the passport books would last ten years. Unfortunately, we found out at check in that passport cards were not anything but a second form of identification. They weren't even valid for air travel.
I got on the phone immediately with TripMate but due to the early hours and it being Memorial Day, our call was received by an answering service. I explained both my illness and the passport situation and was told that I would have to call back. I was so sick that I just went home and went to bed. The following morning, I got on the phone with a TripMate advisor who was super friendly. I explained both of our mishaps and he told me that I should fill out a claim under the category of Cancel for Any Reason. Unfortunately, I was NOT told on my initial call that I should go straight to the doctor to get a note to qualify for medical coverage. And who really wants to go see a doctor when they are vomiting with diarrhea.
I just wanted to go home and go to bed since we obviously weren't getting on the plane. The service and communication were slow but we did just receive a letter that said that our claim was denied. Apparently, "Cancel for Any Reason", really means that you must qualify for one of their extreme non-medical causes which are as likely to occur as an airplane crash or shark attack. And, all we wanted was the penalty fees and change fees for a new date to be covered which was only a small percentage of our entire trip. Denied! Please, what's the point of having trip insurance if you have to fall into a few select categories to get covered. I would NEVER use this company!!! This coverage is a joke! And if you do use ANY travel insurance, get a list of what reasons are actually covered. It may not be worth the extra money.
Reviewed Aug. 1, 2018
This company "MUST" be closed down. After many attempts to resolve our claim we came to the conclusion that The Trip Mate, Inc. located at 9225 Ward Parkway. Ste. 200, Kansas City, MO., is a FRAUDULENT COMPANY. After providing them with everything that they have asked for and many months of sending letters and calling both Trip Mate and Metro Rail Company in Athens, Greece, we have yet to resolve our claim. This has to be "illegal" to allow a company to take advantage of trusting consumers this way. Warning... Warning... Do not use this company or any company that would used or recommend this company as your travel insurance provider. After eleven attempts... I am now reaching out for help. Consumer Affairs I hope that your company will truly investigate and put a stop this fraudulent company that has taken advantage of so many consumers.
Reviewed July 26, 2018
Terrible experience. Many phone calls, ridiculously long hold times and my valid claim was denied. The sales process is fraudulent. At the time of purchasing tickets, I told the Expedia agent that I was not yet sure of the date my son would have to report to the Cadet program and was assured that if I bought the insurance and he had to report during the dates of the trip, the cancellation would be covered. It was not covered and after filing a claim (which they don't make easy) and spending over 2 hours on the phone with them today, I was told there is nothing they can do -- that the policy doesn't cover what the Expedia agent promised it would. So I'm out the $86 I paid for the insurance and the $1200 cost of the tickets. This insurance is a SCAM and sold as a NECESSITY. That's fraud and taking advantage of consumers. DO NOT BUY THEIR CRAPPY INSURANCE THAT DOESN'T INSURE ANY REAL LIFE SITUATIONS.
Reviewed July 26, 2018
My mom purchased Trip Mate travel insurance for a Globus tour. She is 87 years old and wanted to be covered in case she got sick or had an accident. The first day of the trip she fell and broke her hip. Fortunately, she was traveling with her daughters. One of her daughters stayed with her since it would have been very traumatic to leave her alone in a hospital in a foreign country. It also was necessary to have an advocate there to help with medical decisions while she was taking pain meds due to the injury and surgery. We contacted Trip Mate Insurance several times before finally reaching someone and were told that insurance would not cover expenses for an advocate to stay with her. She should have been able to take care of herself, call the insurance and deal with all of the paperwork on her own despite having had a traumatic injury and surgery as well as all of the complications accompanying it.
Considering it has been a lot of work for a healthy person to deal with, I can't imagine what would have happened had she been traveling alone. My sister dealing with the representatives has been very upset by their condescending attitude and way that she has been treated. At this point in the game, my mom is waiting to travel back home, but it will take a nurse 3 days to travel to the country she is in and an additional day of rest before she can travel with my mom. I am not sure why they don't have local nurses in each country they insure so that patients don't have to wait an extra 4 days after all the paperwork is filled out, approved, etc just to get home. This has been a very frustrating and eye-opening experience. I will ask a lot of questions if I ever purchase travel insurance in the future.
Reviewed July 22, 2018
I planned a family trip to Cabo San Lucas for Thanksgiving week 2017. Included was my 14 yr old great niece. At the time of applying for passports, I learned that she would need written consent from her mother for my nephew to take her out of the country. Parents are divorced with shared custody and, when planning the trip initially, the mother had no problem giving consent. I provided her with a form with detailed instructions attached but she kept stalling and I had to cancel the trip before cancellation date. I had paid $8,279 in airfare for 7 people. Not wanting to disappoint the family, I booked a cruise instead. The Mexico trip was booked through Pleasant Holidays which also included trip insurance.
On June 1, 2018 I filed a claim with Trip Mate. On July 2, 2018 I received a letter of denial due to not meeting the 15 reasons under the "Cancellation Penalty Waiver" which has no provisions for domestic issues. However, because I am "eligible for benefits under the travel supplier's Enhanced Cancel for any Reason Penalty Waiver" I was sent 7 certificates in the amount of $888.00 to each traveler. Since I paid for the trip, I included a waiver from the 6 family members certifying they had to claim to any refund. Additionally, the certificates can only be used for bookings through Pleasant holidays, are not redeemable for cash and not transferable with a use by date limit. I intend to contact the Missouri Insurance Commissioner and am considering filing a class action suit.
Reviewed July 19, 2018
I booked a trip through CheapOair, on 4/3/2018. My husband was killed in a construction accident 10 hours after booking. I filed a claim and sent an original death certificate. 70 Days later and after numerous calls (due to high call volume we cannot take your call and we will call back), I was denied the claim. I will be hiring a lawyer to resolve this issue.
Reviewed July 17, 2018
After filing a claim in April 25th with their normal processing time 50-60 days I haven't got my refund back. Today is July 17th, I call every two weeks and get nothing but a fake lousy promises. Asia promised for my claim to be next in line and the check to be send next week (that call was made on May 15th). No check! Bunch of liars. Need to give everybody's money back and close their little scam firm.
Reviewed July 12, 2018
Worst insurance ever. I bought their travel insurance several times and I never had to use it, finally I got sick and I had to pay for doctors. I sent a claim in April and several times they sent me emails that they would not cover it because it was medical and I had to use my insurance. I am self employed and I do not have insurance. I told them that and still do not want to pay. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY WITH THIS COMPANY!
Reviewed July 12, 2018
My parents purchased travel insurance as my mother had been treated for cancer and since then, had worried about getting sick again. 2 weeks before the trip, she developed terrible back pain and was diagnosed with a fracture of her vertebrae. She canceled the trip because she was unable to move due to the fracture and the pain. She then filed a claim with TRIP MATE as their trip cost $7000. We filled out all the paperwork, and her doctors filled out their forms as well. She was denied after a good 2 months of waiting because they said it was a pre-existing condition. It was later determined to be Mets to her spine which caused the fracture. Claim Denied. Unbelievable!
Apparently, the fine print tells you they cover pretty much nothing! I imagine a heart attack would be considered a pre-existing condition because the person had high cholesterol??? It’s just shameful to me, that a company can take such advantage of people. There is no phone communication at all and I wonder if they even have a staff??? Disgusting business and I believe it to be a sham operation. Are there any lawyers wanting to take on a class action lawsuit against this company and the industry as a whole? I think TRIP MATE should pay up. My mom passed away a month ago and my dad is out $7000. It is so sad to me that Trip Mate gets away with this...
Reviewed July 11, 2018
Last September my daughter got a Traumatic Brain Injury and was in a coma for over 2 weeks. We were scheduled to go to Laos to my other daughter's wedding in December. My injured daughter needed long term care and it became clear I would have to miss my daughter's wedding. I'd sent my claim in on Dec. 17th with all supporting medical and air travel documentation. I spent $1,132.96 on the ticket. They sent me an email check today 7/10/2018 for $383.05. This # is random and doesn't correspond to the price of anything. The claims examiner's name is A. **. The customer service woman "Victoria" suggested I send an appeal resubmitting the documentation despite her confirmation that she was looking at it right now and saw the amount being claimed. So this I will do.
Reviewed July 7, 2018
My wife and I were planning a trip to Cancun, Mexico in May. Unfortunately, my wife passed away on March 10. I contacted Trip Mate a week after her death and filed a claim. Once I received the death certificate I sent it to the claims rep. Three months and MANY phone calls later, I’ve yet to receive a refund. This company is a complete joke! Do NOT buy travel insurance from this place! You’re better off taking your chances.
Reviewed July 3, 2018
My daughter was to travel to Japan with her school for March break. The school Board cancelled the trip due to North Korea and its proximity to Japan. I filed the paperwork the end of November 2017. I finally got my money the end of June 2018. 7 months to get a refund!!! The most inefficient company I have ever dealt with. They kept telling me that there was a computer error and that it closed my claim, not once, but twice!!! Horrible company to deal with!!!
Reviewed July 2, 2018
The company Trip Mate is a true customer nightmare, provide false information and the most frustrating experience I ever had with a travel insurance company. It was offer to me via CheapOair as a reliable travel insurance. But three months past the incident I still haven't received my payment. Trip Mate uses strategies such as losing emails and claiming of non-receipt to a secondary email address plus suddenly sending postal communication to delay the process, not pay and drive the customer nuts.
Within the process, they contradict themselves, stating over the phone they did receive the documents months ago and simply need more time to process. They also claim to put in a rush order and respond ASAP which then does not happen. Their hotlines claims for the past 3 months "it is experiencing an unusual high call volume". Then they pretend they will call you back. But these calls are set up to remain silent, meaning you will miss them but they appear on your missed call list. Over the phone they make false statements and contradict themselves. CheapOair should not be offering any further insurances with them, as they clearly attempt to fraud the customer by providing false information and delaying payment.
Reviewed June 28, 2018
I must say that I wish I had read all of these reviews when booking my trip! I am in the same boat as everyone you see here. I created a Consumer Affairs account just so I can write this review! My husband and I booked a trip to the Atlantis in the Bahamas, it was booked right from the Atlantis website and Trip Mate was offered right there. Having two kids and booking as far in advance as we did, we chose to go with the insurance. We were celebrating 20 years of marriage and our son's impending high school graduation. The week finally arrived for my family of 4 to go on this awaited trip and what happens? A huge snow storm! It was set to arrive the day we were set to leave.
Originally we were supposed to leave on a Wednesday. The Monday prior, our airlines cancelled our flight...we then got on a flight for Tuesday (having to book an additional night at the Atlantis). Tuesday morning arrives, our flight was cancelled again...only to now be booked on a Thursday flight. Now our missing TWO NIGHTS at the Atlantis, that's over 1K loss. Upon returning home, I filed a claim with Trip Mate on March 31, 2018. Today is June 28, 2018 and I am STILL waiting! I have called several times, always being told that my claim is still being looked into. The last time I was told that part of my claim was denied, but they should be making a decision within days for the other part, that was May 20, 2018.
I called again last night (always getting put on a call back list), today they call back and while they are nice, I was put on hold for over 10 minutes so she can find out what was going on...only to be disconnected. I am now on another call back list. This is 3 months now! I fall within the guidelines...we had a major snowstorm here in Jersey in the middle of March, it was out of our control. I will NEVER use Trip Mate again and may never even bother with insurance again for that matter!
Reviewed June 23, 2018
Sent a fax in May for voucher refund with a cover letter indicating sending only 2 pages per instructions given. A month later no correspondence & told when I called that I had not sent all the information. The saga continues with no voucher which is needed by June 25th for final payment for trip in September. Have made numerous calls & latest called back was to happen on June 20th. No callback. Very frustrated.
Reviewed June 22, 2018
We paid for the premium Trip Mate insurance recommended by Viking in their travel brochure to protect our investment in a Viking Cruise of the Caribbean in January 2018. We were unable to make the cruise through no fault of our own as we were stranded in Newark due to plane delays and were unable to board the cruise at San Juan, Puerto Rico. We submitted the extensive documentation required to validate the claim and waited 6 months for their final response. They paid only $6000 on a $13,943 claim that was the fully documented price for the cruise and air travel. Trip Mate reimbursement was based on the wholesale room rate of $600/night for 10 nights. What kind of insurance is that! Of course Viking has provided no support at any phase of this fiasco. Save your money and invest in a quality vacation provider - not Viking and certainly never use Trip Mate.
Reviewed June 18, 2018
My wife and traveled to Italy with a tour company. We purchased travel insurance from Trip Mate $998.00. When returning home from Italy there was a pilot strike in Paris. We were stuck in Paris for three days. I submitted a travel request online April 19, 2018. On their website the claim shows it was received as of April 19, 2018. I called Trip Mate on June 5, 2018 to check the status of my claim. I was on hold for a long time so I decided to request the automatic call back. I received a callback. I was told that they were behind in processing claims and to call back in two weeks. I called June 18, 2018. Again I was on hold a long time and requested a callback. I received a callback and was told all of my claim was in order but it still could take 2 to 3 more weeks! That will make it almost 3 months! Do not use Trip Mate for travel insurance!
Reviewed June 17, 2018
After several months of hard work, we finally received our vouchers from TripMate for a Viking cruise we could not take due to my sister's sudden death. Why Viking are linked with such an organization is beyond me. If we hadn't assiduously called TripMate every day and questioned their every move, we would still be waiting for our FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. My advice to anyone working with Viking is (a) book your own travel insurance and (b) make a thorough nuisance of yourself until you get paid. TripMate gave false information to us so many times that we were getting ready to go and sit in their offices in Missouri until the vouchers were produced. Viking were no help whatsoever and said they could do nothing. As it was, the vouchers were 'printed' on May 16 and finally arrived in our mailbox on June 12. Really?
Reviewed June 15, 2018
I bought airline tickets and hotel for a trip to Puerto Rico in August 2017 for a travel date of Dec 2017. Got travel insurance in Sept 2017. In Oct 2017 after Hurricane Maria the hotel contacted me and told me they could not honor the reservation because of damage. I put in a claim for the airline tickets. Trip Mate said, the insurance is for 24 hours from travel date. They will not pay the claim. So no insurance. If they know there is a hurricane and you can't go, why sell me the policy in the first place. I don't know if there is a better company but don't use this one. They won't pay.
Reviewed June 12, 2018
I was unable to travel due to an illness. I completed all the required documentation and saw my doctor who did the same. It has been 6 weeks since a claim was filed with Trip Mate and they have no information online about my claim!!!
Reviewed June 11, 2018
A flight reservation was made, on April 18, through my debit card, in where this travel insurance was also purchased. Paid 236.86 plus 14.95 for the insurance. Canceled on May 2nd, due to her needing emergency room assistance. Sent paperwork. Afterward also sent a court paper that had come in during this time where she would have to attend another court appearance we had not been aware of. All of these things were sent and I called on 05/25/18 to check status. I was told it was still being reviewed. I have called several times since, as I have heard nothing.
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Reviewed June 11, 2018
It's been 3 months and still I am not able to talk to any of the representatives. Makes me to wait for 30 minutes, then disconnects and informs of a callback. They will do a voice mail, for which when we call back it will loop back to same scenario of waiting 30 minutes and information about callback. Even after submitting all the documentations they are hiding somewhere to avoid refunding. I WILL NEVER EVER GO WITH THESE GUYS IN FUTURE.
Reviewed June 10, 2018
Paid Trip Mate Insurance OVER $1,400 for cruise protection plan. Due to unexpected financial responsibilities which will extend over an undetermined period of time, we are not going to do the cruise. Trip Mate will NOT refund any of this payment (even after calling and explaining this problem... Many!!! Times.) Please!!! Find another company for your travel protection...
Reviewed June 9, 2018
The flight for my wife and I to the Philippines was cancelled in September 17 due to hurricane Irma. In addition my return flight had to be cancelled as I fell down a flight of stairs and broke two ribs and a collapsed lung and had to rehab prior to returning to the states. Filed initial claim with Trip Mate in September and second in October. It is now June and operators can only say it is under review and they would expedite processing. 9 MONTHS! Unbelievable. When I call I only get excuses... I want my money...I paid for the insurance!
Reviewed June 8, 2018
2016 I booked a trip with Vantage Travel and Trip Mate. Due to broken arm had to cancel trip. Vantage Travel returned my money. Tripmate did not. I have tried for 2 years to receive my money no response. Don't answer phones, reply to emails is always working on it, Replies to correspondence is always working on it. I have submitted 2 medical Drs reports and many letters from me simply telling them how easy it is to pay my refund. No response and no money. How come Vantage Travel can refund very quickly and Trip Mate cannot and keeps our money?
Reviewed June 4, 2018
My 94 yo Dad wanted to go to Germany on a river cruise with Grand Circle Tours. We booked a year in advance. That year he was ill and then continued to have breathing issues that we were continually going to the Dr for. We cancelled our trip in Nov, prior to the Dec 2 departure. Given his declining health and I was the only caregiver, I did not process the refund request until Feb. I was asked to provide Dr info/form, even tho we were told that you could literally cancel for ANY reason, even if you just change your mind.
I never heard from anyone and I wrote and called threatening legal action. I received a call/email telling me that it was in process. I just received yet another request for another Dr form. I pulled up these complaints with people providing several documents and still not receiving their refunds. THIS IS RIDULOUS. We are owed over $7,000! How does this continue to happen to people. I will be contacting the Attorney General, but I should not have to go to these lengths, given the many, many complaints! This is a fraudulent company!!! As I've read - RUN, DON'T WALK AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY - and Grand Circle Tours, if they are OK with this treatment of their customers!!!!
Reviewed June 2, 2018
When Harvey hit Houston last year, my vehicle was parked at Houston International Airport in a parking garage. All fights were cancelled in and out of Houston. We had reached our final destination in Canada thru Cosmos Tours. My friend, Billie ** and I had started receiving notices of our flights being cancelled. We tried and tried to reach Tripmate to no avail. We found and booked a flight from Seattle to Dallas and had a friend pick us up. Paid for a shuttle to Seattle and everything else involved.
After almost a year of calling, writing, complaining, and receiving a notice from American that our ticket had been refunded to them for $288. I never received the refund or my additional expenses. This company and the people that represent them are of the lowest, uneducated and just plain dumb personnel I have ever encountered. Received a check for $144 with no explanation for a $700 claim, plus reimbursement by the airline. DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS COMPANY.
Reviewed June 1, 2018
Filed original claim on 1/21/18. Fell & injured my left knee before leaving to head down to the airport for my trip to Costa Rica. This was a travel purchase through Overseas Adventure Travels (OAT). They were of no help at all. Sent ER information regarding my injury on 1/21/18 . On 2/5/18 went to get MRI as suggested by my doctor and it was determined I had a fractured tibia. Numerous communications with the last being from Erick at Trip Mate @ 7:48 PM Pacific time on 5/16/18 indicating he would take care of this & get claim processed and to send MRI results. Obtained & sent to TM on 5/18/18. Today 6/1/18 no additional injury information except additional MRI information sent on 5/18/18 as requested from Eric at Trip Mate showing I had a fractured tibia. Almost as if this was the original injury information. Am now going on 5 months. On Hold with no answer for well over 1 hour.
Reviewed May 27, 2018
My trip was the middle of March. There were significant delays that cost me over $1,000 out of pocket on the trip. I had TripMate Travel Insurance. The claim was filed and processed by them April 2. Here I am May 27 and still no check from them. My travel agent has also tried to get the check sent. They are the worst! I will never use them again and will advise my friends who travel to not use them. I have left messages on their voice mail (could not get anyone to answer phone) and have no response from them. I have also emailed and still no response. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!
Reviewed May 26, 2018
I would give this no stars... I'm trying to get my insurance money back from this so-called insurance company!! My son was in a coma. Not nothing how long I needed to stay, I took their insurance. I gave them all the documentation, trip cancellation claim forms and doctor's letter. My son die over a week later, after my schedule return flight. THAT was 4 months ago. And now I have been denied. WHAT? Are you kidding me. Why would I have taken this insurance, if couldn't get my money back. Poor consumer service!!!!
Reviewed May 17, 2018
I needed medical assistance in a foreign country. I obtained all receipts and the travel coordinator opened the claim while still in the country. All receipts submitted timely. This was March of 2018. You cannot call and speak to a Trip Mate representative as you have to leave your contact info and wait for a return call hours later. Trip Mate confirmed they received all necessary paperwork for the claim and advised me that they are delayed with processing claims due to all the current disasters across the world. They instructed me to check on my claim online. After over 2 months my status has not changed. I called again and waited hours for my return call. Please note, if you miss your ONE time return call you have to call back and request another call back.
The Trip Mate representative told me that she did not know what happened with my claim but assured me she was marking it "high priority" as my claim has just been sitting in limbo. She could/would not tell me when to expect reimbursement. Based on their pattern with delayed claim reimbursement I feel as though I will have to stay on top of this company for several more months. As an fyi, their website does not work properly for completing/submitting forms or providing additional info. It's poorly done with low budget functionality. I will not purchase insurance from this company again. Sorry, we are all in this situation. Good Luck.
Reviewed May 14, 2018
We had a flight cancelled by Sun Country Airlines around midnight Friday February 2, 2018 due to mechanical problems/sick crew member. Basically abandoned and got home on my own dime over 24 hours later as no alternative was provided. I had Trip Mate Insurance through Sun Country to cover our expenses for just this situation. This is now the 13th of May and we have never received a dime. I don't believe Trip Mate has even reviewed our claim. Telephone operators cannot do anything. Obviously Trip Mate has problems. I would not be surprised if Trip Mate files bankruptcy and leaves a ton of people holding worthless IOU notes. Trip Mate has no intention of making your problem their problem.
Updated on 06/09/2018: Airline insurance coverage. I had similar experiences trying to get paid from Trip Mate as the other 297 reviews. After two months, I contacted the Attorney General of MO, Consumer Protection Division. They contacted Lorraine **, Claims Supervisor, Communications and Compliance for Trip Mate, Inc., tel **. Thanks to the Attorney General's involvement I got reimbursed. Capra ** is the Assistance Claims Adjuster who might do the paperwork, telephone **. I am sure they would love to hear about any problems you are having. I believe Arch Insurance Company is the owner.
Reviewed May 13, 2018
Denied Claim After 5 Months - What a waste of money & time. If you book a cruise thru Windstar, you better plan on going and do not count on purchase of any travel insurance by TripMate to protect your trip. As other review, they dodge, stall, dodge, stall and deny. Paid over $600 for deluxe insurance and due to weather conditions, I was unable to get to the departure port and make the Tahiti cruise. I provided 28 pages of documentation and I have received the runaround. The airline's insurance paid out their part of the shenanigans, but not TripMate. Filed claim with BBB and will continue to proliferate the internet. Shame on Windstar for supporting such an irresponsible insurance carrier.
Reviewed May 12, 2018
We: me, my wife and daughter and her significant other were looking forward to seeing Cuba via Viking Cruise Line. We were told by our travel agent that none of the top rated insurance companies would cover trips to Cuba so we ended up with Trip Mate. We had to cancel the trip due to wife’s injury. Since filing the claim, we have gotten every dodge that is possible.
Reviewed May 9, 2018
5 years ago, they would pay benefits within a reasonable time frame. Now, I have to parrot the 1 stars that everyone else is giving. I'm thinking they are having financial troubles and would avoid them at all costs. If they do go out of business, you are stuck with no money back on your claim. We are still waiting to be paid on a claim from January of this year. They agreed that our claim was valid and the "check is in the mail". That was two weeks ago. I'm skeptical. The representative is always no help - all they can say is the claim is on the adjuster's desk. The call-back feature is the same as never calling you back. Letters to BBB don't help. Run-don't-walk from this company!
Reviewed May 8, 2018
We booked a Viking Cruise in 2017 for a trip that was to take place in August of this year (2018). We were told when we bought this travel insurance that we could Cancel For Any Reason if we did it by at least 121 days out. Well we had to cancel due to one of us having to get unexpected surgery and would now have to cancel our trip. We did so in March. Almost 6 months in advance. We have written Trip Mate and filled out all their paperwork and we have called them numerous times and now they are denying our claim I think because we are Senior Citizens they are taking advantage of us. This is the worst SCAM ever.
Reviewed May 7, 2018
Going to be discrete as I would like my information to remain anonymous since I have yet to receive a payment on my claim. I think the confusing thing about dealing with Trip Mate is that you follow their guidelines. It is their policy for cancellation. I didn't write nor did I alter their policy. And with that being said, I am still waiting on payment on my claim! The policy is clear and I fall within their guidelines to cancel my trip. What is the reason for the delay? Did anyone check to see if they have recently been sued or have a judgement against them? Maybe they don't have the money to pay out the amount of claims they are receiving so they make excuses and delay the process (not trying to justify on their behalf).
I have several individuals writing and calling different vendors that we have worked with that use Trip Mate and complain about the service being received. A different travel company needs to be used. I encourage everyone that has had a bad experience to write in to the company that they booked through and complain. Even threaten never to use them anymore. The more people that complain, eventually they will act when they see they are losing money due to the service being received by Trip Mate.
Reviewed April 30, 2018
While on vacation at Couples Negril I became very ill & required medical attention which cost $870.00. When we returned home I completed and sent in the documentation to Trip Mate which they received on March 12 2018. I have called numerous times & am told the same thing that they are taking a long time to process claims. I have also contacted Couples and informed them of the terrible service this company has extended to me. This company is terrible, Do not book insurance thru them!!! Couples has lost a 4-time returning customer as a result of this!!! Today it is 7 weeks since Trip Mate received my paperwork!!!
Reviewed April 28, 2018
We filed the claim Dec 7, 2017. Our traveling companions filed their claim after us and received reimbursement in Mar 2018. Our calls to Trip Mate were often disconnected by the system or we could not get information from staff. We finally received reimbursement on Apr 26, 2018, but only with the help of the cruise line agent.
Reviewed April 27, 2018
Purchased Trip Mate travel insurance for a trip to Hawaii in Feb 2018 booked through All About Hawaii. There were travel delays related to weather which resulted in additional expenses as well as a lost day. Filed claim, submitted all of the requested document in, which had to be sent through the mail as I was informed by Trip Mate although they say you can file electronically, in actuality you can not. This company manipulates the claim documentation online to misrepresent contact between Trip Mate and the client. Every time I call them, they have never initiated a call to me, they record as though Trip Mate staff initiated the call. The online claim log is falsified to look as though phone contact has been initiated by Trip Mate staff when I have been initiating the calls and waiting in a phone queue and they continue to do so even after I called them out in it.
Their goal is to process claims within 30 days and when that mark is missed it is because they are experiencing unusually high claim volumes. Even the phone recording alludes to the high volume. The individuals that answer calls have been pleasant but have no real information, they just parrot the company line and keep asking for patience. Asking for you to give them a few more weeks. I'm currently waiting for a supervisor to contact me per my request. Of course I need to wait an additional 2-3 business days so they have time to look at the claim so they can "explain" the process to me.
Here is what I know, I purchased this coverage in good faith, paid the premium 5 months ahead of time and when I have a legitimate claim they are evasive and I have absolutely no guarantee they will honor the contract and pay my claim. I would have preferred everything go smoothly with this trip and not be spending hours on the phone with this company for a claim that is less than 500.00 dollars. Do not work with this company. Shame on All About Hawaii travel for not vetting this company before partnering and leaving their clients shortchanged.
Reviewed April 27, 2018
I purchased travel insurance for an overseas trip (cost in excess of $5000) via Trip Mate. When my mother fell and broke her hip, requiring that I cancel my trip so I could help my mother, I filed all the claim information required (which was pages and pages and required signatures of doctors, codes for surgery, etc.). This was sent in and then I waited... and waited... and waited. I finally contacted the company about 6 wks after the forms were sent in, and was told it was "being processed" but I should get it by early April. Nothing came and no contact from Trip Mate. I just called back (end of April) and was told that the check "should have been issued" but nothing was in the system. Now I'm told the check will be issued "soon." This is ridiculous and really poor customer service. I won't use this company again.
Reviewed April 23, 2018
I purchased "Cancel For Any Reason" travel insurance from Trip Mate for a mission trip to Kenya. The trip was cancelled due to Political Unrest by the receiving organization in Kenya. Immediately, I applied sent in my request to get cost of plane ticket back in September 2017. They asked for more receipts, proof on cancellation, etc. which I provided. They took weeks for each transaction to reply. In January they sent a denial letter, using all the information they asked for against me. I appealed, requesting only the 75% reimbursement for the plane ticket. My claim was still denied, even though I purchased the "cancel for any reason" benefit. This company should NOT be allowed to do business with anyone. Do Not Use TripMate Travel Insurance.
Reviewed April 22, 2018
Our Experience has been dreadful. We had insurance, as my father-in-law was ill and we needed to travel. The doctors said it should be OK. Sadly he died while we were away and we had to buy emergency tickets back home. The only tickets were business class at a great expense. We sent all the information requested including death certificate and invoices. After 5 months we found a notice "Closed due to lack of Information." NO contact requesting extra information, no response at all. SO we are left with nowhere to go except expressing our deep dissatisfaction with this company. KEEP AWAY. They are not efficient and I would also query how they treat people in difficult circumstances and possibly looking for ways to avoid valid payments.
Reviewed April 20, 2018
I planning a great value vacations in April for August and paid in full, so was eligible for Pre-existing Condition status. I have had osteoarthritis in left knee for years but never canceled due to it. In late July, my doctor identified "acute osteoarthritis patella femora" and advised not to travel. Trip Mate would not accept the difference. All paperwork was in in a week and all the delay tactics mentioned by others occurred. After additional letters from my doctor and my filing a complaint with the Missouri Department of Insurance three months ago, I received notice from Trip Mate that they would be paying my claim of $1733.00, almost nine months since filing.
Without the tenacity needed to fight this extremely poor travel company and the reporting to the Missouri State Dept. of Insurance. I might still be waiting. My next move was to file a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General and they knew it. I wrote letters to the President/CEO of each company and got the same ** - from Trip Mate and never heard back from Great Value Vacations. The latter was almost as responsible as they assigned my insurance to Trip Mate. Advice - always check the internet on the insurance company before accepting their policy. I will next time.
Reviewed April 20, 2018
While vacationing in Georgia I cracked my tooth resulting in root canal and had to change my flight back to Montana. I immediately contacted Trip Mate and was told not to worry, "You are covered until you get home" and gave me a claim number. I sent in all my receipts, Delta flight change receipt, etc. Trip Mate denied the claim, now saying, I was not covered, but for only 5 days after my original return date home. Trip Mate just makes this stuff up!!! I called Trip Mate and demanded the recordings of my voice and the Trip Mate employee's voice who told me I would be covered. Trip Mate, of course, cannot find any such recording. They are so incompetent that they tried to say I completed my dental work in Montana!! Boldface lie!!!
Trip Mate Insurance Company Information
- Company Name:
- Trip Mate Insurance
- Address:
- Trip Mate, Inc. 9225 Ward Parkway
- City:
- Kansas City
- State/Province:
- MO
- Postal Code:
- 64114
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.tripmate.com