Positive on vacation, here's how (free) insurance "saved" an Italian family in Lapland
The news of a pair of Italian tourists stranded for hours in the toilets of [...]
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The news of a Italian tourist couple stranded for hours in an airport bathroom in Finland, because they were discovered positive when boarding the flight that was supposed to take them back to Italy.
Today a TFC reader contacted us to tell us about his experience: is stranded in Rovaniemi after his wife tested positive for the Covid-test required by Italian regulations for all passengers bound for our country.
We have said this many times in many of our articles. The pandemic has taught us that if you want to get back on the road., even for a weekend trip to the beach, but especially if you are traveling abroad, One must be protected from any inconvenience. The risk of being in trouble and with out-of-control costs is too high.
The journey
"This vacation," Federico explains, "was planned last year, we had booked flights with Finnair using the points, but then we all know how 2020 ended. So this year we tried again, I also took advantage of EasyJet's new direct flight to Rovaniemi, so I left the miles on the Finnair account For a different use."
The vacation planned by Frederick's family went smoothly until the last day, when one of the components tested positive on the rapid swab.
"I like to anticipate rather than find myself in trouble. So I had already asked our AirBnB host if in case we were unable to leave we could extend our stay. Just as I had already talked to American Express to learn, in detail, about all the coverages provided by the insurance Of the card in case of positivity."
Frederick's choice was to Travel with peace of mind thanks to the insurance coverage included in the annual fee of the American Express Platinum card, saving money on taking out an ad hoc travel policy.
Unfortunately for our reader, the swab taken at the test center in Rovaniemi came back positive, and this is where Amex took charge.
The covers
"As soon as I received the result of the swab, I contacted the host of our apartment and activated the insurance coverage."
If in the pre-Covid world one could travel light-heartedly throughout Europe, today even for a vacation in one of the EU states it is better to protect oneself through insurance coverage that includes, of course, Covid-related issues, including insulation.
"The insurance people have been looking for accommodation, but unfortunately it is impossible to find a hotel here in Finland that welcomes positive people," explains Frederick, "So I notified my host and asked them to extend my stay.
To date, our reader told us, Amex has him authorized to spend €200 per day for up to 10 days on room and board. In addition, all expenses for the family's swabs will be reimbursed, and the insurance company will also cover the cost of travel back to Italy once everyone is negative.
"They asked us if the company protects us in any way with our tickets, the problem," Federico continued, "is that EasyJet's flight was only for the Christmas period and therefore there are no more flights scheduled for January 10 when, if all goes well, we can return to Italy. So the Amex staff told me to contact them when we are ready to leave and they will take care of finding us a return flight."
Our reader's entire family was re-swabbed today, and in case of any more positives, the per diem will increase depending on the number of positives, obviously lengthening the time to return to Italy.
"This is not our first trip in pandemic time, this is a risk you have to take into account if you want to live and travel again. Fortunately, unlike the guys imprisoned in the airport bathroom, we were sure we were protected and that we would not end up in a covid hotel or worse."
Travel policy included in annual fee for American Express Platinum card is one of the most comprehensive on the market today and protects not only the cardholder but the entire household. The covers cover any unforeseen event such as delayed flight, loss of luggage and of course more or less serious medical inconveniences.
- 300 € cashback at over 1400 restaurants
- Free membership in the Prestige level of the Priority Pass Program
- Membership in hotel and car rental chain loyalty programs
- Travel voucher: €150 for your travels each year
- Dedicated travel service
- Global travel insurance
- Presales for advance purchase of tickets to top concerts
- Purchase Protection: protection for 90 days up to €6,000 on purchases made with Card