DVC Insurance

[condorthb]

When is the cutoff date to buy from DVC.

Our use year is October.

Have I missed the cut off date to insure our trip this summer using 2017 points?

 

[CarolMN]

As long as you buy prior to the start of your 2018 use year you will get 2017 points. However, the closer you get to that date, the less likely that DVC will have 2017 points to sell to you.

 

[Ben E N]

As long as you buy prior to the start of your 2018 use year you will get 2017 points. However, the closer you get to that date, the less likely that DVC will have 2017 points to sell to you.

I think the question was about buying insurance. I don't know the answer, which is why I am alerting you with this post. Hopefully you know more than I do about it.

 

[CarolMN]

I think the question was about buying insurance. I don't know the answer, which is why I am alerting you with this post. Hopefully you know more than I do about it.

Seems I missed the title and answered a question that wasn't asked. Oops! Thanks for the heads-up.

Sorry, I don't know much about the DVC insurance. We self-insure.

 

[MouseyMin]

You need to buy it more than 10 days before the departure date of the trip. However, you get the waiver for pre-existing conditions only if you purchase within 3 days of paying your annual dues.
From what I read, that's how I think it works.
The full policy can be found in PDF form on the DVC website.

 

[Cyberc1978]

The insurance is only good for US citizens so if any international members are thinking of buying then dont it wont cover you.

 

[Dean Marino]

And worth noting....
TRAVELEX (the actual Trip Insurance Company), changed a little detail about a year ago....

They now START UP a Policy on the 1st of your Use-Year month. For folks used to thinking in Calendar Years? This can be a little confusing....

So an example (actual experience)....
1) We travel twice per year (APR and NOV)
2) Our USE year starts in APR.
3) We USED to buy Insurance in JAN of each year... to cover both vacations.

Then one day, TRAVELEX changed our "start of Insurance" date from JAN to APR. Yup, we were confused. A call to DVC and TRAVELEX revealed the policy change.
Now, we STILL buy in JAN.... but our START DATE for each new policy is APR (our use-year month). Still good for a YEAR (expires March 31 of the NEXT year).

Now a plug.... for the cost? This is a GREAT Policy. Just remember - it only covers your DVC trips. It does not cover a weekend trip to Chicago .

 

[cmwade77]

I am curious, let's say you want to get trip insurance not through DVC, but on your own, how do you value the points? I just don't see a justification for paying yearly for trip insurance when I may not take a trip every year and also we tend to do trips that are part DVC, part other stuff, would be nice to have it all under one insurance policy.

 

[skier_pete]

I am curious, let's say you want to get trip insurance not through DVC, but on your own, how do you value the points? I just don't see a justification for paying yearly for trip insurance when I may not take a trip every year and also we tend to do trips that are part DVC, part other stuff, would be nice to have it all under one insurance policy.

I am pretty sure no independent trip insurance company will reimburse your points. That is the research that I had found anyways.

The trip insurance through Travelex I find to be very confusing though. I could not really get good confirmation what it covers. I got the same confirmation that the PP indicated in that it provides coverage from the start of the UY to the end of the UY, but what I couldn't get a straight answer on is does it cover points borrowed / banked into a UY.

For example - I bought TR this year. We had a trip in February that used our December 2017 UY points. We have a trip in August 2018 that is using a combination of 2017 UY points, and 2018 UY points. But when I called to ask about it, I got the answer that if I buy insurance for the 2018 UY, it only covers from December 2018 to November 2019, so these points aren't covered, but they couldn't answer with 100% certainty if the borrowed points would be covered with the current insurance. One person I talked to said Yes, another said No. I likely won't be using ANY of my 2018 points in my 2018 UY, so by this logic it doesn't make sense to buy insurance.

The other thing that I don't really get is that I have two contracts at two different resorts with two different UY. I assume I would have to buy insurance for BOTH contracts if I wanted it covered. The small contract is only 75 points - it doesn't seem like it makes much sense to buy insurance on those points - my MF are only like $400. I wish it was all clearer.

 

[Firepath]

I just reviewed the copy of the policy currently on the DVC website and compared to one I had printed out a few years ago. There are some minor changes, mostly clarification of coverages. The previous version was very vague about what trips were covered. It referred to exchange fees and didn't specifically say the coverage was only for trips booked with DVC points. I would have to study it more, but it's still not entirely clear on some things. It says the trip has to be "tracked, paid for and/or managed by the Property Management Company." I think that means trips for which you used points to exchange out (cruises, ABD, etc.) would be covered but not exchanges in such as from RCI, although those might be "tracked by" DVC. I didn't see anything that made me think you'd need more than one policy for each contract, but it is now very clear that each UY needs its own policy and a trip using multiple UY points would require separate coverage for each UY. Strangely, I couldn't find any time limitations for purchase to receive coverage for weather-related cancellations or delays. I must just be missing it. If not, it's better coverage than I thought possible.

 

[cmwade77]

The insurance is only good for US citizens so if any international members are thinking of buying then dont it wont cover you.

Actually, I just read it at Travelex site and some other countries are available. You need to look for yourself.

 

[cmwade77]

I just reviewed the copy of the policy currently on the DVC website and compared to one I had printed out a few years ago. There are some minor changes, mostly clarification of coverages. The previous version was very vague about what trips were covered. It referred to exchange fees and didn't specifically say the coverage was only for trips booked with DVC points. I would have to study it more, but it's still not entirely clear on some things. It says the trip has to be "tracked, paid for and/or managed by the Property Management Company." I think that means trips for which you used points to exchange out (cruises, ABD, etc.) would be covered but not exchanges in such as from RCI, although those might be "tracked by" DVC. I didn't see anything that made me think you'd need more than one policy for each contract, but it is now very clear that each UY needs its own policy and a trip using multiple UY points would require separate coverage for each UY. Strangely, I couldn't find any time limitations for purchase to receive coverage for weather-related cancellations or delays. I must just be missing it. If not, it's better coverage than I thought possible.

Once you click through to the Travelex site you find that different states have different rules, California says that a network, for example RCI would be one that handles exchanges of timeshare interests would be covered while booking cruises with a third party would not.

 

[cmwade77]

Now, what I am confused about is what you actually get reimbursed for, is it just maintenance dues to does it cover airfare, etc.? And if it does cover airfare does it have to be booked through Disney?

 

[Firepath]

That would really be great if my DVC trips booked through RCI were covered too, but not worth moving back to CA for! I hadn't thought about different rules for different states but that makes sense. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[cmwade77]

That would really be great if my DVC trips booked through RCI were covered too, but not worth moving back to CA for! I hadn't thought about different rules for different states but that makes sense. Thanks for pointing that out.

I would also make sure you are downloading the pdf for your state from the travelex site and just call and ask.

 

[Tigg and Eeyore]

Countries other than the US can purchase DVC travel insurance. I'm from Canada and I've purchased it several times. I also had to make a small claim once and it went very smoothly. However, not all provinces are eligible to purchase it. I know that Quebec cannot. I'm not sure why though.

 

[maburke]

I believe that you have to pay for each UY, so you pay twice for current and banked points. You do not pay for each contract, though. I have 11 subcontracts, and it’s a great deal for me.

 

[E2ME2]

I have purchased this a few times, and fortunately purchased it prior to booking Aulani in 2015
The DW became ill 2 days before the trip, and Travelex covered the airfare, hotel cancellation in Seattle, and DVC MFs,
Amazingly, when I called DVC Member Services to explain, they also did a "one time" re-allocation of my points.
We missed out on Aulani, but we didn't lose any money in the process, It was well worth the cost.
My only concern now is the Preexisting Condition Clause, as the ailment that hit my DW is now chronic for her.

 

[MouseyMin]

I have purchased this a few times, and fortunately purchased it prior to booking Aulani in 2015
My only concern now is the Preexisting Condition Clause, as the ailment that hit my DW is now chronic for her.

I believe that the Preexisting Condition Clause is waived if you purchase the insurance within a few days of paying your annual dues.

 

[maburke]

I believe that the Preexisting Condition Clause is waived if you purchase the insurance within a few days of paying your annual dues.

That’s correct. I buy it every year at the same time I pay my dues, because we have pre-existing conditions all over the place.