Travel Insurance Reviews for Nationwide Essential

Glad I had it and glad I didn't need to use it.

Glad I did not need the insurance.

I am thankful that I did not have to file a claim. I chose nationwide because of the amount of coverage and the price. I would use InsureMyTrip for every time I go on vacation .

Bought the plan to cover a cruise. We never used the plan so I cannot comment on how responsive the company would be if a claim was filed!

Easy to sign up, and affordable. This insurance gave us the peace of mind we wanted prior to, and during our first cruise. We didn't need it in the end, but we had no worries, and we didn't worry as we played the "what if" game.

A bit too expensive for what it was, but it did cover more than other similarly priced plans.

I used Nationwide twice now for cruise trip insurance. I have not had to use it, but I am totally satisfied with the coverage they provide for the price.

I had a frustrating situation with this plan. I had purchased a plan to cover my airfare and hotel for a vacation. The hotel stay I had purchased was in the form of a certificate I had bought in a charity auction. I was going to the Bahamas with my best friends, but I wound up getting ill and being unable to make the trip. The airlines refunded me my money no problem, as it was due to illness. No need to file a claim for airfare. And to not have to bother the travel insurance company with a large claim for the hotel stay certificate, I gave it to my friends to use and they paid me back for it. The only caveat was that they needed the hard copy of the certificate to be able to check in, which means I needed to FedEx it overnight to the Bahamas at a cost of $52. So I did not need to file a claim for the airfare or hotel portion of my trip.

HOWEVER - I did ask if I could file a claim for the $52 that it cost me to FedEx the certificate for use. The insurance company, though, refused to cover this cost when I called and asked about filing a claim, which is perplexing, and quite honestly, horrible customer service.

By my contacting the airline directly, as well as making sure the hotel certificate went used by my friends, I SAVED the insurance company money on having to reimburse me for a nearly $1,000 claim due to not being able to take my trip. Rather than saying "Hey, we should approve this measly $52 claim for our customer - who incurred this cost as a result of illness that prevented him from traveling," they're looking past the fact that I did not submit a claim for the larger stuff.

The company is being penny-wise and dollar foolish, and, like most insurance companies - looks for every tiny loophole in policy not to pay their customers what they deserve. I would not recommend them to anyone.

When choosing an insurance company, you want one that has empathy for its customers - some "beside manner," that assumes positive intent and doesn't make them jump through hoops when issues arise. The company's telling me that submitting a $52 claim would be denied as the tangential cost of FedExing the certificate is not covered really gets my goat.

I insure all my trips but I have not had to file a claim yet.