Vacation Guard travel ins. for T/S worked for us

[bellesgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bellesgirl]

If anyone is wondering whether Vacation Guard annual travel insurance policy is worthwhile for timeshare owners, I wanted to share our experience.

We had a trip planned to PV for mid January and my husband had significant back problems so we had to cancel the whole trip. This was our annual snowbird trip and we were supposed to be gone for 7 weeks- all T/S. A couple of weeks we own and 5 were exchanges.

We have had VG for several years, but this was the first time we actually had to use it. The weeks we owned were easy to value, since we could redeposit them with the resort for next year and only had to pay a cancellation/redeposit fee. But I wasn't sure how VG would handle the valuation of the exchange maintenance fees since RCI gives you back a percentage of your TPUs depending on when you cancel. I assigned a value to those TPUs based on our maintenance fee and calculated the amount we lost plus the exchange fees. VG paid the full amount of my request, which was great. I provided a lot of documentation and it took about 6 weeks, but I got the check yesterday.

As far as I know, VG is the only insurance to cover timeshare maintenance and exchanges. It is an annual policy and I will be renewing it for next year when the time comes.

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

Great to know. I'm never clear on what's covered by travel insurance, so this is very helpful. Hope your DH is feeling better!

[bellesgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bellesgirl]

Just to be clear, VacationGuard is the only insurance that I know of that covers timeshares. It is their Timeshare Plus policy and it is annual coverage. And thanks wackymother, he is doing better.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

How much is the yearly fee?

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Just to be clear, VacationGuard is the only insurance that I know of that covers timeshares. It is their Timeshare Plus policy and it is annual coverage. And thanks wackymother, he is doing better.

I have this coverage as well....glad it worked for you.

Here is a PDF of the coverage.
https://www.vacationguard.com/static...0201_00000.pdf

FAQ for Timeshare Owners
https://www.vacationguard.com/learn%...timeshare.aspx


Frequently Asked Questions
1. How is the VacationGuard® Timeshare Plus Plan different?
VacationGuard created Timeshare Plus travel protection which is a plan designed to cover the real needs of timeshare and vacation owners. We customized the travel protection plan to cover maintenance dues, and exchange fees, plus much more, all in one easy plan.

2. Does this plan cover for multiple timeshare trips taken in one year?
Yes. Save yourself both money, and time! You no longer have to purchase coverage for each timeshare trip! Provided you own less than 90 days of time, VacationGuard extends coverage for your use-year. Get much more while paying, less!

3. If I take a 3 day trip now, and a 4 day trip later using my timeshare ownership, this plan still works?
Yes. We base our plans on the annual expected use of owners, while addressing the flexibility in timeshare vacation ownership. So long as you are using your annual insured timeshare ownership, meaning the use-year you insured with us for that trip, our plan protects you. To address owners taking multiple trips in an insured use-year, there are maximum plan benefit limits, but we do not limit the number of trips you may take in a given year.

4. Suppose I buy more timeshare ownership during the year while this plan is in force. Am I covered for that time?
We support the notion of more vacation. In this case, say that you moved from 10 days to 20 days of ownership. You do not have to do anything different and, so long as you traveled within the term of the plan you bought, you would remain covered because you still own less than our maximum time allows.

5. Suppose I own with 2 different timeshare companies. Are my dues, and my trips using those dues with each Developer, covered by this one plan?
As long as you are using your annual timeshare ownership for that trip and you covered that use-year with us in a protection plan, we extend coverage across your timeshare ownership, even if you own with more than one company.

6. Do you reimburse my “points” in a claim?
No. We do not replace your “points”, because we don't own or hold inventory. VacationGuard is travel protection, so we can reimburse your proportional dollar loss of maintenance fees and club dues in a covered claim, aside from other tangible protections inherent in travel protection.

7. How do I process my renewal?
Quickly and online. VacationGuard is about protecting your vacations with both ease and affordability, while giving you control of the process. Just buy VacationGuard® for the ownership use-year you wish to protect.

8. If I'm driving to my trip, are there benefits to help?
Yes. Uniquely, we built benefits for the drive-to market as well. If you get in an accident or the roads are closed preventing your passage, the protection plan will reimburse you for the unused portion of the trip you missed and additional transportation to get caught up. Trip Delay benefits, may also provide you reimbursement for food and lodging benefits until you are able to continue.

9. Should I upgrade the protection plan if I bought airfare, used frequent flier points or booked non-refundable excursions for my trip?
No. VacationGuard saves you money by eliminating upgrade fees. If you have a covered loss, we include a sub-limit towards airfare and other pre-paid, non-refundable expenses booked as a part of your timeshare trip, including fees to re-deposit your frequent flier awards.

10. What about “Bonus time”, “Getaways”, and other low-cost trips I get offered as a member?
This plan applies only to trips where your annual Timeshare usage by points or dues is allocated and used for that trip during the use-year you insured. Discount trips that you can access via your membership, yet pay extra for beyond annual dues, are not covered under our Timeshare Plus plan. You can affordably cover these discount trips and getaways under our Leisure Plan. Click here to Get a Quote.

11. Does the protection plan cover me if I Exchange outside my home resort, even for a Cruise?
Yes. The Timeshare Plus plan follows you in an Exchange, worldwide, including cruising. We even include a sub-limit towards cruise upgrade fees you may have incurred to secure the exchange, saving you from having to buy other cruise protection.

12. Can I cancel the plan after I buy?
To give complete peace of mind, you can cancel for this protection up to 21 days after you have purchased the plan for a full refund provided you haven't traveled on a Timeshare Trip or incurred a loss.

[bellesgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bellesgirl]

One major catch is the the "use-year" mentioned in the FAQs. If you use a 2013 year in 2014 and bought the insurance in 2014, you will probably not be covered for your maintenance fees. I am not sure how they would handle the exchange fee, though. It may depend on when you made the exchange. I have had the insurance for several years so it covers all my weeks regardless of when I use them and also pre-existing conditions. The cost is about $160 per year.