WITH no more travel
insurance options left
to cover people over
the age of 85, clients over this
age are less inclined to travel
and are even unable to apply
for certain visas.
Diners Club Travel Insurance,
the last insurance company
to offer infinite coverage,
imposed an age cap of up to
and including 85 years old on
February 1, creating the void.
While international options
are being explored, none have
been found to date. Farai
Mutiwanyuka, marketing
communications manager
for EEMEA of International
SOS, confirms that there are
no travel insurance options
available to people over the
age of 85. “It is quite sad,
really,” she says.
As a result, clients are
having to think seriously
about whether to travel or not
now that there are no travel
insurance providers that offer
cover to travellers over age 85,
says Michelle Boshoff, gm of
Central Services of Pentravel.
Clients who only have a
South African passport can
no longer get visas to visit
certain countries, such as
those in the Schengen area,
which require proof of travel
insurance as part of the
application process, points out
Ros Chimes, ITC of eTravel.
Michelle says Pentravel
currently has an 86-year-old
client in the process of making
a R200 000 booking.
She was applying for a
Diners Club card so that
she could utilise the travel
insurance benefit but stopped
the application after finding
out that there was now an
age cap in place. “The client
is investigating an overseas
company to provide medical
insurance for her, but she still
may cancel the holiday.”
Ros has observed a decline
in bookings among elderly
cruising clients.
Simmy Micheli, sales and
marketing manager of TIC,
says it is tricky for insurers
to offer infinite coverage due
to the large costs of medical
claims. “For us, 70% of the
travellers we insure are under
the age of 70, however, 70%
of the cost of medical claims
is from travellers over the age
of 70,” she says. However,
Ros argues that if the risk is
higher for elderly travellers,
insurers should simply charge
a higher price. “Or, they should
do a doctor’s assessment to
determine if they are fit to
travel like the Australians do
to get their visas,” she adds.
Anya Black, senior
consultant of Heldervue Travel,
has approached Diners Club
to ask if they will consider
reintroducing the unlimited
age option and was advised
that it is a possibility as
their policy structures are
revised annually. Agents
who would like this option
reintroduced should send
an email to Diners Club at
aigsafeedback@aig.com and
copy in saclientservices@
za.aegisglobal.com.
Lack of insurance for elderly throttles bookings
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