UKC

AAC insurance cover

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 tingle 09 Aug 2016
what other forms of insurance do you get to compliment AAC insurance as it is only rescue insurance and not medical? As regular travel insurers don't cover mountaineering medical expenses, thanks !
 ianstevens 09 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:

In Europe - EHIC card.

Outside of Europe: https://www.sportscoverdirect.com/activity-topup-insurance/ (although I've never had to claim)
OP tingle 09 Aug 2016
In reply to ianstevens:

Great stuff i was dubious of the EHIC card at first thanks
 Jenny C 09 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:

I also take out a bog standard off-the-shelf travel policy (usually post office) for medical expenses not covered by the EHIC and repatriation.
 jonnie3430 09 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:

> what other forms of insurance do you get to compliment AAC insurance as it is only rescue insurance and not medical?

Have you checked that? Not sure you're right and can't download the aac PDF to check.
OP tingle 09 Aug 2016
In reply to jonnie3430:

Well me and a friend both have memberships, and he rang up to make sure he will be covered straight after joining and was told he should have extra insurance for medical expenses, so it is second hand information but seems entirely plausible.
OP tingle 09 Aug 2016
In reply to Jenny C:
and having this dosent effect your claim on both AAC and EHIC?
Post edited at 12:30
 jonnie3430 09 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:

> Well me and a friend both have memberships, and he rang up to make sure he will be covered straight after joining and was told he should have extra insurance for medical expenses, so it is second hand information but seems entirely plausible.

It should have it in the PDF linked here http://aacuk.org.uk/p-faqs-insurance which I can't access on the phone, though see that there is a claim form for medical costs.

I usually get cheap travel insurance on top for loss of baggage and cancelled flights. Insurance to back up ehic, which doesn't cover patient contribution in some countries is also recommended.
 99ster 09 Aug 2016
In reply to Jenny C:

> I also take out a bog standard off-the-shelf travel policy (usually post office) for medical expenses not covered by the EHIC and repatriation.

You may very well find that that type of off-the-shelf travel policy specifically excludes any type of 'dangerous sport' - e.g. climbing, alpine mountaineering - so is likely worthless as an add-on for AAC cover (which includes €10,000 medical cover anyway).
 Jenny C 09 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:
Not as I understand it. Both actually recommend on their websites that additional travel insurance may be required depending on your circumstances.
 Jenny C 09 Aug 2016
In reply to 99ster:

AAC for S&R and accidents whilst walking/climbing

Standard travel insurance for car accidents or general illness. - not entirely clear how well AAC covers this stuff and having been seriously ill abroad before, A&E is not the place to be worrying about the small print.
 ianstevens 09 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:

> Great stuff i was dubious of the EHIC card at first thanks

No worries - I've had to use it and covered all medical costs (X-rays, surgery) as you would expect in the UK. You do have to pay for somethings if you spend the night in hopsital, but this is easily covered under your €10k medical with AAC.
 bigbobbyking 09 Aug 2016
In reply to ianstevens:

> No worries - I've had to use it and covered all medical costs (X-rays, surgery) as you would expect in the UK. You do have to pay for somethings if you spend the night in hopsital, but this is easily covered under your €10k medical with AAC.

It varies from country to country: you only get what citizens of that country are entitled to...
 Jim Hamilton 09 Aug 2016
In reply to Jenny C:

> Not as I understand it. Both actually recommend on their websites that additional travel insurance may be required depending on your circumstances.

I wonder whether the cover would operate in the way you suggest in the event of a claim. If you haven't had some sort of confirmation, insurers may say that if they had known you were going climbing they wouldn't have sold you their policy, regardless of whether you had separate climbing cover.
 Offwidth 09 Aug 2016
In reply to Jim Hamilton:

I often holiday in the US climbing and the BMC cover is very welcome: 10k medical is too low there and any extra cover policy you can trust is going to be expensive.
 99ster 09 Aug 2016
In reply to Jenny C:

> Not as I understand it. Both actually recommend on their websites that additional travel insurance may be required depending on your circumstances.

That would be for your general travel insurance - e.g. lost luggage, cancellation, etc...
You need to have a very careful look at the 'small print' for medical cover where you'll find a long list of exclusions for dangerous activities that you'll not be covered for!

 Jim 1003 23 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:

> what other forms of insurance do you get to compliment AAC insurance as it is only rescue insurance and not medical? As regular travel insurers don't cover mountaineering medical expenses, thanks !

AAC also covers medical.
 Martin Bennett 24 Aug 2016
In reply to tingle:

This is how I see it, and I do a lot of trips abroad. Thanks for the opportunity to list the possibilities - I'm just trying to decide which way to cover my own upcoming climbing trip to USA.

First you have the insurance which comes with AAC membership. This is limited to search and rescue (€25000) and immediate medical care thereafter plus repatriation (€10000)

If you're happy those figures (+ EHIC where appropriate) will get you off the hill, stabilised and back to UK from whatever country you find yourself in that's fine as far as "climbing insurance" goes, but you'll still need a normal travel insurance policy as well to cover the rest - illness, accident, cancellations, luggage, all the usual holiday abroad stuff. These are very cheap but obviously do not cover injuries sustained in hazardous pursuits, hence this discussion.

If you consider more cover in higher amounts is necessary for your chosen venue you have a number of options:

1) you can buy a top-up from the AAC - this gets you cover up to €500,000. Has to be done direct with their agent in Austria and the on-line form is in German but it goes OK - I've done it for Morocco trips. From memory it cost me around £60 for 2 weeks cover.

2) you can buy an additional policy from e.g. BMC or Snowcard. Many swear by them. Never been cheap for me as I already have annual travel insurance through my bank account and since BMC etc include all such cover as well as rescue etc it means I'm paying twice for the same thing. (Incidentally now I'm over 70 years old the "age loading" on these policies is prohibitive - BMC goes up by THREE times to around £400 for 18 days!!!) Snowcard yet more.

3) you can buy a hazardous activities "top-up" policy from for instance, the above mentioned Sportscover Direct. I've done this too and will probably be doing it this time since USA is reputed to have extortionate hospital bills and maybe the AAC extra to €500,000 is insufficient - Sportscover covers £10,000,000 and for my next trip is quoted at £135 for 16 days (and for me the age loading "only" doubles it). A benefit of this type of policy is that you only buy it for the days you might be exposed to risk, not travelling days at each end also.

I hope that helps a bit - it's helped me list all my options, so thanks again.

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