Buying Travel Insurance For Schengen Visa

Travel insurance is one of the requirements for applying for a Schengen Visa. Actually this is an easy matter, because we can buy on line. But… in my case there are some things that make me confused and complicated myself. Here’s the story.

When we register for a Schengen visa on the TLS Contact website (agent for the French embassy), we are given a list of bona fide travel insurance companies. Just choose one of these companies, buy according to the length of our trip with a minimum coverage or coverage of EUR 30,000 per person.

The following is a list of selected travel insurance companies: ACA, AIA, ACE, Chartis, AXA, Wintherthur, Harta, Sinar Mas, Assist-Card GSA, Grasia Unisarana, Zurich Insurance, Allianz Insurance, Mega Insurance, and China Taiping.

From the list, I checked several insurance company websites that I had heard of. As a result, only AXA has online purchase facility. Actually, we can buy insurance by visiting one of the company’s offices or through a large travel agent. But this lazy me is reluctant to leave my beloved chair and laptop 😀 I decided to buy on line on the AXA website. After all, we used to buy online when we went to Singapore, and there were no problems.

The problem arose when I read people’s recommendations on blogs. There are two blogs that say that for families, we should buy insurance separately, not the family package (family package), as the total coverage is less than EUR 30,000 per person. Well, rather than wrong, I followed the advice of the two blogs. I bought individual insurance for the father for $43 or the equivalent of Rp. 498,327. Online payment by credit card.

In the past, when I bought AXA insurance for a trip to Singapore (at that time, just in case there was a shipment of haze from Indonesia), after paying, I was sent a policy in the form of a pdf file via email. But, when buying insurance for Schengen, there is only an invoice sent in the body of the email, like an automatic email without any frills. And sent via gmail account. Wow, I get suspicious and nervous if I get scammed or something, or buy on the wrong website. Would a company of that size send an invoice via a gmail account? What if my $43 money goes away?

Out of trepidation, I discontinued the purchase for the family. I contact AXA via his twitter account and got confirmation that the invoice was sent via a gmail account (lhah!). At the same time, I ask whether the family insurance package can cover the Schengen visa requirements. They say coverage for families is twice the coverage for individuals. If for individuals it is USD 100,000, it means the family package is USD 200,000. Stuff like this that I didn’t find on their website. It turns out that the written rule is in the policy statement, the files must be downloaded separately.

I started asking friends on twitter if anyone had experience buying travel insurance for family. Some of the answers that came in were: “Wow, I don’t remember. It was taken care of by the office.” Duh, it’s nice to be taken care of (and paid for) by the office.

Because I was still unsure, I used the traditional method, contacting AXA agents in Surabaya via telephone. After being reassured that the family package complies with the requirements of the Schengen visa, I asked Father’s individual insurance to be upgraded to family insurance. This involves handling multiple AXA agents via email. But their service is good. All can be completed by email and payment is made by e-banking transfer. They also sent me my more pdf policy wangun than invoice from gmail account. Done without having to leave the house.

The Platinum family insurance plan (2x USD 100,000 cover) for 14 days of travel costs $68. Since I already bought the individual package for $43, all I have to do is add another $25 or IDR 288,175. Imagine how much I lost due to this misinformation. If you buy 4 individual packages, you have to spend 4x $43 = $172. In fact, you only need to pay $68. The difference is $104!

I’m sorry that I’m too good at this math.

Well, from my tortuous experience in buying this travel insurance, you can take lessons and tips. For families with a maximum of 4 members, we can buy a family package, no need to buy separate insurance. If calculated, the coverage requirement of EUR 30,000 per person is equivalent to USD 40,250. For a family of four, we need coverage equivalent to USD 161,000, while the family platinum package coverage is 2x USD 100,000. Are you still in? *smart* For families with more than 4 members, it may be necessary to buy 1 individual insurance and 1 family package. Or try asking the agent for the solution 😉

How to Buy Travel Insurance Online
1. Go to the AXA website –> http://www.axa-insurance.co.id/bhs
2. Click BUY ONLINE Smart Traveler Travel Insurance
3. Choose a one-time trip
4. Enter the departure date and return date according to the itinerary. The length of the trip determines the price.
5. Enter destination: Worldwide including Schengen countries
6. Select the application type: FAMILY. Enter the amount insured: 4 (four)
7. Choose Premium Worldwide Platinum
8. Enter the identity of each family member
9. Proceed to payment. You can use a credit card (visa/mastercard), bank transfer or pay at Alfamart.
10. Done. Check email to get an invoice/policy.

When the completeness of our insurance was checked by the officers at TLS Contact, it turned out that they did not require a statement of policy coverage and other documents. They just need our policy number that matches the name on the passport. It’s actually enough to show print invoiceno matter sent from gmail email or what, hahaha.

Anyone have other experiences when buying travel insurance? Share it in the comments 🙂

~ The Mother
Follow @travelingprecil

Read also:
#EuroTrip
Arrange Schengen Visa For Family