Guest protection is never refunded but goes into a Dreamsaver account that must be used by the end of 2021 or it is forfeited. I’m still not convinced Americans will be able to travel in 2021 on the majority of Tauck tours. So I stand to lose a lot of travel protection money on two already cancelled tours plus two more in 2021. I can’t understand why others keep booking new tours in this situation
When the trip to Italy was cancelled we were amazed that that the travel insurance money was not refunded. That is such a contradiction. It makes me wonder why anyone would purchase travel insurance going forward.
Holding on to our money for a year (or two?) is not an acceptable answer.
Well, I'm glad that I purchased travel insurance because it paid for my last-minute return flight from Jordan when I could get no satisfaction from the airline that cancelled the flights I had originally booked. I was able to apply the cost of the travel insurance for the 2 trips Tauck cancelled this year to a trip that I have booked for next year. If that trip doesn't happen, I anticipate that I will be able to roll it over to another trip.
Maryanne, if you had purchased travel insurance from another company and you'd made a claim because of the tour being canceled, would you have gotten a dime of the insurance money back or even a voucher? Reading on other travel forums the experience some are having with some insurance companies, I'm pretty happy that Tauck would have given us back everything except the guest protection and that can be used on the balance of a later tour. We kept our money with Tauck and got the $250 pm bonus. Also that even though we had purchased our airfare on our own, Tauck would have given us money to pay the change fees. Thankfully the airline ended up giving us a full refund so it wasn't needed.
Our first Tauck tour we purchased insurance thru an affiliate of USAA and it cost us more than Taucks and wouldn't have covered us as well or been as easy to deal with if we'd had to claim. Have read much more since then and will stick with Tauck.
I know it's frustrating not to get all your money back and some don't believe in travel insurance at all. Known enough stories of people who have needed it - medical problems just before or during a trip - that I'll keep buying it for prepaid tours.
No but it stays in your acct with Tauck and can be applied to another trip.
Also per my discussion with their agent it can be used for another tour's guest protection or towards your balance in general. We had a 2020 tour for Sep that was cancelled a few weeks ago. Fearing that would happen and with dates for 2021 filling rapidly, we booked the same tour for 2021 back in April paying both guest protection and deposit. The guest protection for the 2020 tour will just go toward the balance owned on 2021.
kfnknfzk
1:34PM
For the piece of mind alone, I always purchase travel insurance.
This has been discussed before, but I've never purchased travel insurance. My piece of mind is fine. Actually, my entire mind is fine. My peace of mind, too
BKMD, Do you have enough funds to cover something catastrophic, such as death or repatriation. Some countries, you have to prove you have insurance as a requirement for entry.
For us "old" folks, most medical issues aren't covered by Medicare out of the US, and if they don't pay, our secondary won't either. And, having seen people needing medevac return at many thousands of dollars, we always buy the insurance. On a trip in Eastern Europe a few years ago with a different company, one of our group fell in the shower on the first night and broke her shoulder. No coverage by Medicare and needed to return home on a specially arranged flight. That was all the confirmation we needed that the insurance is worth the "risk" of maybe not needing it!
British
August 8
BKMD, Do you have enough funds to cover something catastrophic, such as death or repatriation. Some countries, you have to prove you have insurance as a requirement for entry.
I'm talking travel insurance, not health insurance. All insurance has a negative expected value, otherwise the ins. companies wouldn't make money. I'm willing to "self-insure" for travel, but not for a medical catastrophe.
kfnknfzk - Glad to see you have a good sense of humor.
So back to the OP's original question, "Is there ever a situation where Guest Protection fee is refunded?"
The Dreamsaver account which is a Tauck good deal, is typically for cases when the traveler cancels. But what happens when Tauck cancels?
I can't find anywhere on the Tauck website where it says what happens to the Guest Protection Plan Product premium if Tauck cancels and the traveler opts for a refund. Other than forum posts and third hand info from an agent, I have not seen in print on the website where the premium goes and if it must be used within a certain time frame when Tauck cancels the trip.
When we re-booked a Tauck-cancelled trip, the Guest Protection Plan premium was rolled into the new trip, so I would think if a traveler opted for a refund instead of re-booking, the refund should include the insurance premium (instead of it being placed in the Dreamsaver) but the only info I see in the forums is third hand and says the premium is placed in the Dreamsaver like it is for people who cancel a trip.
Has anyone seen this in print on the Tauck website and can you post a link? A web search yielded this, probably from an earlier update, on another travel website:
"If Tauck cancels your journey: Guests booked on a trip where cancellation is initiated by Tauck will have all tour/cruise costs returned in the original form of payment. (Any guest protection product/cruise protection product premiums will be kept on account by Tauck for future use.) For guests with Tauck-booked air, Tauck will cover all airline change fees. For guests with non-Tauck air, Tauck will cover airline change fees up to $250 per person."
I only have what the agent told me when our Switzerland tour got canceled. Could have had a full refund LESS the guest protection. In our case we would have gotten back around 5k since we had paid towards the balance but not all of it. I was just glad that guest protection money could go to the balance in general not limited to only another guest protection fee since there was no other trip I was ready to add to our plans. Assuming our 2021 Switzerland happens, we won't have any money in voucher form.
Yes, that is what happened with the two tours we had that Tauck cancelled. Has to be used in 2021
Alan, sorry did not had time to PM you again yesterday.
Well, I guess the answer is Guest Protection premiums go into a Dreamsaver for use immediately or later for any portion of a new or existing booking, just not refunded, and there is a time limit. I wonder why it can't be refunded and why that is not specifically spelled out on the website. Something to do with Tauck's insurance underwriter?
So far we never have had a problem since we always have a trip either booked or in the queue where we can put the money.
When both my tours cancelled the Guest Protection and deposits ( in one case the full price of the tour had been paid) were applied to my 2021 tours of which I now have 3, hoping against hope we will be able to travel.
British I always read your comments regarding future travel and believe they may be true while I pray they wont.
Comments
Guest protection is never refunded but goes into a Dreamsaver account that must be used by the end of 2021 or it is forfeited. I’m still not convinced Americans will be able to travel in 2021 on the majority of Tauck tours. So I stand to lose a lot of travel protection money on two already cancelled tours plus two more in 2021. I can’t understand why others keep booking new tours in this situation
When the trip to Italy was cancelled we were amazed that that the travel insurance money was not refunded. That is such a contradiction. It makes me wonder why anyone would purchase travel insurance going forward.
Holding on to our money for a year (or two?) is not an acceptable answer.
Well, I'm glad that I purchased travel insurance because it paid for my last-minute return flight from Jordan when I could get no satisfaction from the airline that cancelled the flights I had originally booked. I was able to apply the cost of the travel insurance for the 2 trips Tauck cancelled this year to a trip that I have booked for next year. If that trip doesn't happen, I anticipate that I will be able to roll it over to another trip.
Maryanne, if you had purchased travel insurance from another company and you'd made a claim because of the tour being canceled, would you have gotten a dime of the insurance money back or even a voucher? Reading on other travel forums the experience some are having with some insurance companies, I'm pretty happy that Tauck would have given us back everything except the guest protection and that can be used on the balance of a later tour. We kept our money with Tauck and got the $250 pm bonus. Also that even though we had purchased our airfare on our own, Tauck would have given us money to pay the change fees. Thankfully the airline ended up giving us a full refund so it wasn't needed.
Our first Tauck tour we purchased insurance thru an affiliate of USAA and it cost us more than Taucks and wouldn't have covered us as well or been as easy to deal with if we'd had to claim. Have read much more since then and will stick with Tauck.
I know it's frustrating not to get all your money back and some don't believe in travel insurance at all. Known enough stories of people who have needed it - medical problems just before or during a trip - that I'll keep buying it for prepaid tours.
Is the Guest Protection refunded if your trip is cancelled by Tauck. since technically you had no control.
No but it stays in your acct with Tauck and can be applied to another trip.
Also per my discussion with their agent it can be used for another tour's guest protection or towards your balance in general. We had a 2020 tour for Sep that was cancelled a few weeks ago. Fearing that would happen and with dates for 2021 filling rapidly, we booked the same tour for 2021 back in April paying both guest protection and deposit. The guest protection for the 2020 tour will just go toward the balance owned on 2021.
This has been discussed before, but I've never purchased travel insurance. My piece of mind is fine. Actually, my entire mind is fine. My peace of mind, too
BKMD, Do you have enough funds to cover something catastrophic, such as death or repatriation. Some countries, you have to prove you have insurance as a requirement for entry.
For us "old" folks, most medical issues aren't covered by Medicare out of the US, and if they don't pay, our secondary won't either. And, having seen people needing medevac return at many thousands of dollars, we always buy the insurance. On a trip in Eastern Europe a few years ago with a different company, one of our group fell in the shower on the first night and broke her shoulder. No coverage by Medicare and needed to return home on a specially arranged flight. That was all the confirmation we needed that the insurance is worth the "risk" of maybe not needing it!
I'm talking travel insurance, not health insurance. All insurance has a negative expected value, otherwise the ins. companies wouldn't make money. I'm willing to "self-insure" for travel, but not for a medical catastrophe.
kfnknfzk - Glad to see you have a good sense of humor.
So back to the OP's original question, "Is there ever a situation where Guest Protection fee is refunded?"
The Dreamsaver account which is a Tauck good deal, is typically for cases when the traveler cancels. But what happens when Tauck cancels?
I can't find anywhere on the Tauck website where it says what happens to the Guest Protection Plan Product premium if Tauck cancels and the traveler opts for a refund. Other than forum posts and third hand info from an agent, I have not seen in print on the website where the premium goes and if it must be used within a certain time frame when Tauck cancels the trip.
When we re-booked a Tauck-cancelled trip, the Guest Protection Plan premium was rolled into the new trip, so I would think if a traveler opted for a refund instead of re-booking, the refund should include the insurance premium (instead of it being placed in the Dreamsaver) but the only info I see in the forums is third hand and says the premium is placed in the Dreamsaver like it is for people who cancel a trip.
Has anyone seen this in print on the Tauck website and can you post a link? A web search yielded this, probably from an earlier update, on another travel website:
"If Tauck cancels your journey: Guests booked on a trip where cancellation is initiated by Tauck will have all tour/cruise costs returned in the original form of payment. (Any guest protection product/cruise protection product premiums will be kept on account by Tauck for future use.) For guests with Tauck-booked air, Tauck will cover all airline change fees. For guests with non-Tauck air, Tauck will cover airline change fees up to $250 per person."
I only have what the agent told me when our Switzerland tour got canceled. Could have had a full refund LESS the guest protection. In our case we would have gotten back around 5k since we had paid towards the balance but not all of it. I was just glad that guest protection money could go to the balance in general not limited to only another guest protection fee since there was no other trip I was ready to add to our plans. Assuming our 2021 Switzerland happens, we won't have any money in voucher form.
Yes, that is what happened with the two tours we had that Tauck cancelled. Has to be used in 2021
Alan, sorry did not had time to PM you again yesterday.
Well, I guess the answer is Guest Protection premiums go into a Dreamsaver for use immediately or later for any portion of a new or existing booking, just not refunded, and there is a time limit. I wonder why it can't be refunded and why that is not specifically spelled out on the website. Something to do with Tauck's insurance underwriter?
So far we never have had a problem since we always have a trip either booked or in the queue where we can put the money.
When both my tours cancelled the Guest Protection and deposits ( in one case the full price of the tour had been paid) were applied to my 2021 tours of which I now have 3, hoping against hope we will be able to travel.
British I always read your comments regarding future travel and believe they may be true while I pray they wont.