Top common mistakes when purchasing visitors insurance

Millions of people travel to the USA every year for tourism or for visiting their family. While the visitor may not be aware of just how high healthcare costs are in the USA, their inviting host is quite concerned about necessary treatment in case of sickness or injuries and incurring costly medical bills, which is why they purchase visitors insurance on their visitors behalf.

Even though completing a visitors insurance application is comparatively easier than other types of insurance applications, such as life insurance, there are some common mistakes that many buyers make. Reviewing the following list will help you to avoiding the same mistakes when you complete your application.

Birthdate Format

Use "MM/DD/YYYY" in the application.

When someone is buying visitors insurance for their relatives visiting USA, they typically look at the passport copy of their parents. While the date format in India, Europe and many other countries is in DD/MM/YYYY, the date format in the USA is in MM/DD/YYYY. Many buyers simply enter the date of birth as specified in the passport, which most likely is in DD/MM/YYYY format. Please keep this date format difference in mind when entering the dates in a visitor's insurance application.

Incomplete Address

Add your complete mailing address, including apartment number or other necessary details.

It is very important to provide an accurate mailing address so that you can receive the physical insurance card in a timely manner, provided the insurance plan you purchased sends one. For your convenience, we have integrated the United States Postal Service API that automatically validates the U.S. address you enter and advises you whether it is valid or not.

Even with the USPS address validation, people may accidentally omit pertinent details and add the wrong address but still confirm that the wrong or insufficient address is indeed the right or complete address; however, it is very important to pay attention to the mailing address you enter.

Please note that in the U.S., addresses are very simple with a standard format that is easy to follow. If you would like to review in more detail, USPS provides details for every type of standard address format on their website.

Coverage Type

There are two types of visitors insurance plans: Fixed coverage plans provide a limited coverage and are cheaper, while comprehensive coverage plans provide better coverage but cost more.

By not being aware of the different plans, you may think that all $50,000 policy maximum insurance plans provide the same coverage overall and end up purchasing a fixed coverage plan because the premium costs less. Even though all the information is given very clearly on this website, many buyers overlook the limited coverage provided by fixed coverage plans and find out the hard way at the time of a claim.

Waiting Too Long

Buy coverage before you need it.

Many buyers start researching for visitors insurance well in advance of their relative's visit to USA, but once they learn the purchase is instant and can start as early as the next day, some choose to postpone purchasing coverage because they mistakenly think that if something happens to their parents, they will buy insurance then and be covered instantly at that time. Unfortunately, waiting until something happens is too late, and the insurance company will not cover the problem that already existed or started before the effective date of the policy. Such claims would obviously be rejected.

Insufficient Policy Maximum

Many buyers are aware that healthcare is very expensive in the US. However, they don't have an exact idea of what that means - in other words, how much more expensive it is compared to other countries. Many may think that a $50,000 policy maximum should be sufficient. Of course, $50,000 is a lot of money; however, in case of a serious health issue or a severe accident, $50,000 is a very small amount for medical treatment in U.S. healthcare. For this reason, we recommend that you purchase a minimum policy maximum of at least $100,000, but preferably $500,000 if it is available for a given age (otherwise, please purchase at least $250,000 policy maximum for older ages).

Random Online Shopping

Buyer beware. The internet provides a lot of flexibility with online shopping. There are many online insurance brokers that provide visitors insurance plans. Most brokers provide the same insurance plans from a handful insurance companies and the prices are the same for the same plan with the same parameters. However, online insurance companies are not all the same in terms of experience, expertise or service.

Buyers typically open many websites at the same time to research different plans. Sometimes, they end up purchasing from a random agent or they purchase from someone else thinking they are buying from us. They may also end up buying one policy from us (say for father) and another one from someone else (say for mother), whoever shows up first in search results. Such careless mistakes can turn out to be very expensive and frustrating in a long run.

Always ensure that you are completing your purchase from a reputed visitors insurance broker who has the experience and is known to provide excellent customer service, before purchase and more importantly, after purchase.

Conclusion

We hope that the above list of common mistakes helps you to complete a mistake free visitors insurance application without the hassle of requesting corrections or having documents resent. In case you need help or have questions, please feel free to contact us at any time during our regular business hours, our licensed insurance agents are waiting for your call and are more than happy to help you with your needs.

Did you know?

Prices are regulated by law.

You cannot find a lower price anywhere for the same product.

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Why purchase insurance from Insubuy®?

Same Price. Better Service.®

There are many advantages in purchasing from Insubuy® and no disadvantages.

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Visiting USA?

Healthcare costs are very high in the U.S.

Buy U.S. based visitors insurance and enjoy your trip.

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Traveling abroad?

Did you know that your insurance may not cover you abroad or that it may only provide limited coverage?

Purchase travel medical insurance that includes emergency medical evacuation.

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New immigrant to USA?

You are not eligible to enroll in Medicare for the first 5 years.

Purchase new immigrant medical insurance to bridge the gap.

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Going on a vacation?

You could lose your non-refundable trip costs if you had to cancel your trip.

Buy a trip cancellation insurance package plan and be worry-free.

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Are you an exchange visitor to USA?

The U.S. Department of State requires all J visa holders to purchase compliant insurance.

Buy J visa medical insurance to meet your requirements.

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Traveling to Europe?

Schengen countries require most non-US citizens to purchase Schengen visa insurance.

Make an instant purchase online and get instant visa letter.

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Traveling frequently throughout the year?

You don't need to purchase travel insurance for every trip.

Purchase annual multi trip travel insurance for your travels.

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International student in the U.S.?

Most schools require international students to purchase health insurance.

Purchase international student health insurance that meets most school requirements.

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