IMPORTANT:15/21 day deadline – You will not be able to purchase a Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance policy from the two companies we recommend or have pre-existing conditions covered if a policy is not bought within 21 days (15 for NY residents) of paying your initial deposit (the day you pay counts as day 1). If you pay deposits for others in your group, their 21 day clock starts ticking from the day you paid. CFAR polcies 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 call or email the travel insurance company to increase the coverage amount of your policy and pay the added premium within a few day of paying the extra amount to Pioneer Golf.
You must insure your trip for your full Pioneer Golf package price – the insurance provider will deny your claim if you underinsure your trip, even if it’s for a nominal amount. If your trip price increases after signup (adding a round of golf or 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 the current and future 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 21 days (15 days for NY residents) 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 (without a CFAR provision). These policies will generally protect you in case of illness or injury, and include coverage that will cover the expense of having to extend your stay abroad in case you test positive for Covid while on your trip and need to self-isolate. They 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.)
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 75% . For any specific details and questions about the plans and cover limits, please contact the TravelSafe customer service team at 844-673-7050 (you can’t purchase a policy by phone) or [email protected]. All policy details including state certificates iare made available when you get a quote. GolfSafe Secure Plus is currently not available to residents of NY and WA.
Resident of all states (other than WA and NY): To purchase a GolfSafe policy click HERE. Policies can only be purchased online. Pioneer Golf is unrelated to this insurance agent (TravelSafe/GolfSafe/Trawick) 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.
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 recommend purchasing a policy from Travel Guard. 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. 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 within 10 days of purchasing a policy, you can cancel it for a full refund.
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 21 days (15 for NY residents) from this date to buy a CFAR policy.
Which policy to buy?+
TravelSafe offers two policies: GolfSafe Secure and GolfSafe Secure Plus. 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 (15 for NY residents) of paying the initial deposit.
Why is the GolfSafe Secure Plus policy listed as “not available” or not listed?+
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 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. We have found a CFAR policy that covers cancelation for a non-covered reason at 50% of your trip cost through Travel Guard, this policy can only be purchased within 15 days from your initial payment. The CFAR component is an add-on to one of the Travel Guard’s plans. Make sure to scroll down and select NYCFAR in addition to your chosen policy. Get a quote HERE.
CFAR policies are only available if bought within 21 days (15 days for NY residents) 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 these 21 days, 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.
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.
A General Introduction to Travel insurance and CFAR
In general, travel protection policies offer protection/reimbursement for a myriad of reasons. Coverage and cost depends on how comprehensive the policy is. Specifically with regard to cancellation protection, most policies will offer 100% coverage for cancellation due to “covered reasons”. A medical issue or injury is usually a covered reason as are plenty of other reasons. Reasons such as your pet’s passing or a pandemic are not usually “covered reasons”. Policies with a CFAR provision are more comprehensive than basic policies as they will add coverage for cancelation due to reasons that are not “covered reasons” such as Covid.
Traditionally CFAR coverage for non-covered reasons has been at 75% of the trip cost; however and due to the mass disruptions and unknown future of Covid, many travel insurance providers have completely discontinued offering policies with a CFAR provision. Others have lowered their CFAR coverage from the traditional 75% down to 50% of the trip cost (note that cancellation due to “covered reasons” are still at 100%). Our terms and conditions stipulate that all deposits and final balance payments are non-refundable so we suggest you protect yourself by purchasing a travel insurance policy with a CFAR provision with the highest percentage of coverage possible. One company, TravelSafe (underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance) still offers a policy with CFAR at 75%.
Some supplemental coverages are only available if a policy is purchased within a certain time frame. In particular, if you would like to have CFAR coverage in order to “Cancel For Any Reason”, you must purchase your policy within 21 days (15 for NY residents) from the day you pay your initial trip deposit. Cancellation due to a pre-existing condition is only covered if the policy was purchased within 21 days (15 for NY residents) of the initial deposit date. Please review all policy details carefully before making a decision.
Travel insurance is offered by many independent third parties with terms and conditions of their own that can be explained by their representatives. Pioneer Golf does not require the purchase of a policy and makes no representations on what different policies cover.
Travel protection can protect you in case of (policy dependent):
Trip Cancellation for Covered Reasons, Business Reasons, and with some policies for any reason (including Covid-19)
Trip Interruption and Trip Delay
Missed Connections and Baggage Delay
Accident and Sickness Expenses
Lost or Damaged Baggage or Golf Clubs
Emergency Medical Evacuation Expenses
Vehicle Rental Accidents
Air Flight Accident
Travel Accident
Identity Theft
Pre-Existing Conditions
Supplier Bankruptcy or Default
Top 6 Travel Insurance Claims by Pioneer Golf clients:
Trip cancellation due to Covid-19 (only policies with a CFAR provision provided coverage)
Trip cancellation for injuries or medical emergencies.
Extra transportation costs in order to “catch up” to the rest of the group if your flight is delayed or you miss a connection (a taxi from Edinburgh airport to St. Andrews can cost $230).
Reimbursement of arrival day green fees or hotels if a flight is delayed or a connection missed due to an external factor.
A canceled trip due to family member sickness.
Reimbursement for rental clubs due to lost or delayed baggage.
* Pioneer Golf is not a licensed insurer, an insurance provider, nor an insurance expert. To evaluate or interpret the technical terms, benefits, and conditions of any travel insurance coverage, you must contact the insurance company directly. Some policies are only available to residents of the US and some are not available in certain states. Travel insurance is available to anyone no matter where you reside (but not from all companies). The purchase of travel insurance is not required.