Travel Insurance Reviews for AXA Assistance USA

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for any difficulties you may have experienced with the cancelation of your trip. AXA's customer service center is available to you every day of the week from 9am – 8pm ET to answer any questions you might have regarding your trip cancellation benefits. You can reach them at 1-855-327-1441.

Thank you very much for taking time to submit your review to share with your fellow travelers. As an online platform, our “Ratings and Reviews” allows our customers to share their personal experiences with our insurance providers, but it also offers our providers an opportunity to better explain their policies. In reply to your comments, AXA Assistance USA reviewed your calls. At the time of your call, the Hawaiian State government had not yet declared the devastating floods a natural disaster. You had also indicated that your flights were not impacted and your resort was open and operational. You expressed concern that you would be spending your vacation in your hotel room instead of traveling around the island, so you wanted to explore canceling your trip under Trip Cancellation.

In any travel insurance plan, Trip Cancellation reimburses only if it’s a covered reason as listed in the policy. Covered Reasons vary from plan to plan. With respect to natural disasters, your Trip Cancellation coverage was limited to the following covered reasons:

“...(b) Inclement weather, Natural Disasters, Terrorist Attacks, or mechanical breakdown of the common carrier which results in the complete cessation of travel services at the point of departure or destination for at least 24 consecutive hours.

(c) Natural Disaster or documented man-made disaster at the point of departure or Your destination which renders Your primary residence or the accommodations at Your destination uninhabitable...”

Since you called the company 3 days prior to your departure date when your flights were still flying and your resort was still open, there was no basis for a Trip Cancellation claim. We understand that this is never what a customer wants to hear, so the representatives went through the plan to explain the reasons that might apply if your flights were canceled or the resort closed as you got closer to your departure date.

In the future, you may wish to call us for assistance prior to purchasing a policy. You could have purchased Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) which is an optional benefit offering the opportunity to cancel your travel plans for reasons other than those listed as “covered reasons” on a policy. CFAR gives you greater flexibility and freedom when making decisions about your travel reservations. CFAR is offered as an add-on benefit if you meet certain criteria. Under an AXA Platinum plan, CFAR would reimburse you for 75% of your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses as long as you met the coverage conditions.

We are sorry to hear that your interaction with AXA was not what you were expecting, but it's important for travelers to understand the importance of the covered reasons listed in all travel insurance plans. Perhaps you will give us an opportunity in the future to insure your trips.