I got stung big time by the post office, I came back to UK for a short visit, after being out of the country for 2.5 yrs. I rang them, and asked, if I bought a 3 month policy for example, and I decide to stay abroad for another couple of months, could I extend whilst away?

They said yes, and the policy documents confirmed this. When I did decide to stay on in new zealand, I rang up to extend, and was told that I couldn't extend without returning to the UK and buying a new policy. This was because they had changed underwriters and the new underwriters did not allow this. GRRRR!!! So no coverage now. Post office did not contact me to say the policy had changed, and even when purchasing the policy, it took several phone calls to get the docs emailed through, and their online portal never really worked properly.

No, it is not simple.
It relates to the "moral hazard" of all such insurance.

One aspect is that insurance should cover only what is not likely to occur, thereby the underwriters will make a handsome profit and the share/stock holders will be content.

Another aspect is that once individuals are contracted into insurance cover which makes them "comfortable" in their own minds then those same individuals are inclined to take greater risks; thus by providing a particular form of insurance the industry itself has increased its' exposure to making a loss. Their statistical basis for deciding on an appropriate premium will be based on the general population whereas we want to be insured against our own follies while undertaking hazardous activity; so why would anyone take on a very high risk of losing money?

Naturally, this is a first world approach and way of thinking that would not occur to many others on this planet.

From your description, the policy did not change, it expired at the end of the period.
Nor would it change as an extant contract between you and the underwriter providing the cover, via the PO acting as the broker.

I rang up to extend before it expired.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

At which point they informed you that they had changed their underwriter; that happens frequently with the middle men/brokers.
It's just business practice.

To obtain the "same policy" you would need to establish who is still brokering for your original underwriter; someone will be unless that insurance company went out of business completely.

Some brokers handle a number of underwriters, perhaps depending on their scale of business.

In any case, I can't see how the PO "stung you big time".

Broker choices
 

Anyone tried these folks for a quote?

Motorcycle Travel Insurance from Holidaysafe

Or these?
Travel Insurance Online : low cost, comprehensive travel insurance for all

Perseverance pays !
 

Well, after basically checking loads of insurance companies, and going down the "backpacker insurance" route, I found a 12 month policy, (WW excl USA & Canada) that includes motorcycles of any capacity....

Alpha 250 Longstay GC Policy - £143 for a full year.

Maybe the benefits aren't the best out there, but they got good reviews on Trustpilot, will pay up to £10 million in medical, and repatriate me if deemed necessary.
:clap:

Just to update re the Post Office (UK): I just checked with them as I need insurance for an upcoming trip; while they still cover bikes up to 1100 or so cc, they do not cover unpaved roads (I asked about this specifically). So, I checked with Navigator Insurance. They have no limit on cc and ALL official roads are covered. Their definition of a road was one on which a normal car could travel, paved or otherwise. Hell of a lot cheaper than the Post Office as well.

Waterlilly
 

it's not 60, it's 70, and after that they assess you on a case by case basis.

World Nomads
 

i just did a claim with them for non motorcycle related medical emergency in US when travelling for a couple of months (I am Australia) and they paid out quickly and with minimal pain ...

Much better than an experience I had with Cover More in Oz a few years back ...

It is a caveat emptor moment.

BTW I got home last year having not needed my insurance to discover the 125cc max clause had been there all the time and I have done 25,000kms un insured on a 1200cc BMW! There but for the Grace of God! :oops2:

Read the small print!

Peter :mchappy:

Read the fine print.
I have read of someone who was injured and assessed as requiring medical treatment. But the assessment was that air transport would be risky - treatment should be made locally. The insurance company assessed it as requiring repatriation - on a normal commercial flight .. the cost of that to them was far lass than the medical costs and one repatriated the medical liability for them ceased.

Who does the assessment of repatriation vs local medical treatment and who is liable for the costs?
And who assesses how the repatriation is to be done?

With luck you and I will never find out.

Global Rescue will do 365 days/year to age 85. Up to 75, it's $639/year. I'm just now renewing for my third consecutive year and spend 90% of the time in Asia.

Insurance companies sell different policies tailored to particular markets. They do this largely because they're legally bound to do so. For example, any insurance product sold to me is constrained by the laws of my country (USA) and state (Washington).

That means the policy I'm offered when I click on a World Nomads, Global Rescue, or any other ad is likely to be very different from the one you see. This in turn means that my specific experience is probably not relevant to anyone who doesn't live where I live. The value of posts like the one above which declare confidently what Global Rescue or any other company will provide, and for what price, is pretty minimal.

It's also true that most of the specific insurance brands described in this thread are not insurers at all, but rather agents who sell a variety of insurance products offered by various insurers. This follows from the point above--agents have to sell products which are locally approved, and they can't possibly secure local approvals in all the different markets around the world.

And it's certainly true that insurers and agents often believe themselves in the business of selling you their products, not providing you with services. They may know--or not--that they're not covering you and your overland bike, but in the end many of them are not terribly concerned with what happens to you on the road. Therefore: read the fine print carefully before signing a contract (and offering your credit card). Your agent is not your friend, and he/she is not necessarily on your side.

Lastly, for my purposes as a resident of Washington State in the USA, I've found the most appropriate, most complete, and cheapest travel and medieval insurance at DAN, which is a diving organization. You can google them and see what they offer wherever you live--I don't know whether they sell internationally, or how this might apply.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

after a long research I want to share, maybe it helps to someone.

Forget UK and US citizens. They have a whole world of rules. They dont apply the rest of us.

Navigator: Forget it. Only for UK

World Nomads: accepted bikes. Bad part : they have and excess of 100 USD EVERY TIME YOU GET A DOCTOR.
https://helpdesk.worldnomads.com/cus...ike-or-scooter

IMG: Globe hooper single trip product. seems to be the right option.
Only one excess per policy
I can choose amount of excess
Europe policy cover the Stans
Adventure Sports policy covers travelling in motorcycle
Price seems ok
Renew overseas

I would like to hear is someone used it and their experience.

Thanks

I recently bought insurance from IMGlobal. Can't comment much about the company since i did not and hope not to make a claim.

I called them and they told me that they cover only riding motorcycle on paved road.

If you plan to buy your insurance from them, have a quote from Motorcycle Express: They have better plans than on the IMG website.

Patrick