IMPORTANT: 15 or 21 day deadline – You will not be able to purchase a Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) travel insurance policy from the two companies we suggest or have pre-existing conditions covered if a policy is not bought within 15 or 21 days (15 days with TravelGuard or 21 days with TravelSafe/GolfSafe) of paying your initial trip deposit to us (the day you pay counts as day 1). If you pay deposits for others in your group, the clock starts ticking from the day you paid their deposit. CFAR policies must be purchased for the entire cost of your trip with Pioneer Golf in order for certain provision to be valid (including CFAR reimbursement). If you buy your policy for a certain trip cost and later that trip cost increases (e.g., you add another round), you must contact the travel insurance company to increase the coverage amount of your policy and pay the added premium within a few days of paying the extra amount to Pioneer Golf (if you don’t do this, you risk certain claims being denied).
You must insure your trip for your full Pioneer Golf package price (you do not need to include your airline tickets) – the insurance provider will deny certain claims if you underinsure your trip, even if it’s for a nominal amount (yes, even just $1). If your trip price increases after signup (adding a round of golf , a hotel night, etc.), you must increase your coverage to reflect the new amount to be considered insured.
Given these extraordinary times, we suggest you consider purchasing travel insurance. We have managed to negotiate and make available a plan that offers coverage against pandemics.
The COVID pandemic has highlighted the importance of a policy that contains a Cancel for Any Reason (“CFAR”) provision. Please note that you can purchase a CFAR policy if done so within 15 or 21 days (15 days for TravelGuard, 21 days for TravelSafe/GolfSafe) of paying your initial deposit. Day 1 is the date of payment, not the day after. If you miss this deadline, note that the insurance company will not make any exceptions whatsoever. Policies without a CFAR provision will not cover you in case of cancellation due to Covid (unless you actually can’t travel due to having Covid yourself).
If you missed the deadline to purchase a CFAR policy, we suggest that you still consider protecting your trip with a regular policy (one without a CFAR provision). These policies will generally protect you in case of illness or injury. They also include coverage for a variety of other reasons/scenarios (e.g., missed connections, lost clubs, transportation costs if your flight is late and the rest of your group has already left the airport, etc.). Unfortunately, each year we have clients cancel their trip due to injuries or an unexpected medical diagnosis. Note that payments to Pioneer Golf are non-refundable (as we make non-refundable payments to vendors) so it’s a good idea to purchase a travel insurance policy to protect yourself in case of the unexpected.
Note that in general travel insurance policies will only cover pre-existing conditions if the policy is purchased within 15 or 21 days of paying your initial deposit and you’re able to travel at the time of purchase.
For US Residents:
TravelSafe is one of the most respected travel insurance providers and offers policies underwritten by one of the most recognizable names in the insurance industry (Nationwide Mutual Insurance). Note that their “GolfSafe Secure Plus” policy includes CFAR coverage at a 75% reimbursement rate . For any specific details and questions about the plans and cover limits, please contact the TravelSafe customer service team at 800-523-8020 (you can’t purchase a policy by phone) or [email protected]. All policy details including state certificates are made available when you get a quote. The “GolfSafe Secure Plus” policy is currently not available to residents of NY and WA.
Resident of all states (other than NY and WA): To purchase a GolfSafe policy click HERE. Policies can only be purchased online. Pioneer Golf is unrelated to this insurance company (TravelSafe/GolfSafe/Pattern) and unrelated to the underwriter (Nationwide). We are merely pointing our customers to an insurance provider that offers CFAR policies. You can certainly buy a policy from any travel insurance provider or elect not to purchase a policy at all.
Residents of WA, please click HERE for a TravelSafe quote. These policies are similar to the GolfSafe policies mentioned above but exclude some golf specific coverage.
Residents of NY, please click HERE for a Travel Guard quote. Because TravelSafe/GolfSafe does not offer policies to NY residents, we suggest purchasing a policy from Travel Guard, a completely different company. Pioneer Golf is also unrelated to TravelGuard who is owned by AIG. Note that their CFAR coverage is at 50% as opposed to TravelSafe’s 75%.
To Do’s when Purchasing
How much to insure for?+
You should insure the entire cost of the trip when you purchase a policy. Include every dollar (don’t round down) you paid to Pioneer Golf as any less may result in a claim being completely denied. In addition, if the cost of your trip later increases (e.g., you add a round of golf after payment), you must increase the coverage amount on your policy within 10 days of making the change by contacting the insurance company, or you may risk having a future claim denied. We suggest doing this the same day as payment to avoid any issues. You can consider adding the cost of your airline tickets. It’s not mandatory and may not make sense if your airline tickets are fully-refundable. It also can be done after purchasing a policy (i.e., when you get around to purchasing your airline tickets) by calling the insurance company. It’s better to be over-insured than under-insured. Note that travel insurance policies can usually be cancelled for a full refund within 10 days of purchase (this may differ slightly by insurance company or may depend on your state of residency). Note that NY residents have the strictest cancellation terms and should clarify those with the company they chose to buy from before purchase.
What dates to use?+
If you do not have specific dates for the trip yet, include estimated dates. These dates can be updated once the trip dates are confirmed. Don’t forget to update dates as having the wrong dates may impact a claim.
For the “Deposit Date” use the date that you paid your initial deposit to Pioneer Golf. You have 15 or 21 days (depending on who you buy from) from this date to buy a CFAR policy.
Which policy to buy?+
The two policies most commonly purchased by our clients are the GolfSafe Secure and GolfSafe Secure Plus policies. The GolfSafe Secure Plus policy is more expensive because it includes a CFAR provision which allows you to cancel for any reason including Covid. Pre-existing conditions are covered under either policy but only if the policy is purchased within 21 days of paying the initial deposit.
Why is the GolfSafe Secure Plus policy listed as “not available” or not listed at all?+
GolfSafe currently does not offer CFAR policies to residents of NY or WA. If you have a second residence in a state other than these, you can use that address in order to buy the GolfSafe Secure Plus policy.
If you are a WA resident, you can instead purchase a TravelSafe CFAR policy (this is a very similar policy to the GolfSafe Plus policy, it is simply less golf specific) HERE — Make sure to select the TravelSafe Classic policy and to select “Yes” for Cancel For Any Reason under the additional options. Under this policy, trip cancelation for a non-covered reasons is covered at 75% of your trip cost.
There are very few CFAR policies available for NY residents. In fact and as far as we are aware, only TravelGuard offers true CFAR polices to NY residents. We have heard that Alliance does as well but that it is not a traditional CFAR policy. The CFAR policy through TravelGuard covers cancelation for a non-covered reason at 50% of your trip cost (as opposed to 75% for residents of other states with TravelSafe/GolfSafe) and can only be purchased within 15 days from your initial payment. Pre-existing conditions are only covered if purchased within 15 days as well. The CFAR component is an add-on to one of the Travel Guard’s Deluxe or Preferred plans. Make sure to scroll down and select NYCFAR in addition to your chosen policy. Get a quote HERE.
Note that CFAR policies are only available if bought within the 15 or 21 days of the payment of your initial deposit. Day 1 is the day payment of your initial deposit is made, not the day after. If you miss purchasing a CFAR policy within this time frame, note that the insurance company will not make any exceptions whatsoever, and a CFAR policy will not appear as available on their website. If purchasing on a cell phone browser and if only offered the regular policy, note the arrows on the right that if clicked will display the CFAR policy. Alternatively, use a desktop to purchase.
~ underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance ~
For Residents of Canada:
GolfSafe does not provide insurance to non-US residents. However, it’s parent company, TravelSafe, does offer travel insurance plans to Canadians.
TravelSafe offers a Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) plan for Canadians. TravelSafe policies are comparable to GolfSafe, simply a little less golf specific. The plan does cover sports equipment up to $1,500.
A quote can be obtained HERE — Make sure to select the TravelSafe Classic policy and to select “Yes” for Cancel For Any Reason under the additional options. Under this policy, trip cancellation for a non-covered reasons is covered at 75% of your trip cost.
