Invalidate

The damn insurance.

Two weeks ago, a voicemail warned me that I'd forgotten I was going to America. I rang back, asked if I could simply have insufficient coverage for those simple two weeks of the trip.

No. That would invalidate the whole insurance. Turns out the problem is, they *know* that I would be underinsured for two weeks, and that leaves a gaping hole in their terms.

I rang back, asked if I could have 'area 3' ('world minus north america'; sounds like a Guardian headline, somehow) for the whole time, plus another policy for that fortnight; so I take out the hyped up price for the time I'm in the country with the hyped up hospitals.

They don't have the authority to do that.
I asked, gently, did they mean that one particular member of staff didn't have the authority to do that, or did that mean I wouldn't find any such arrangement from Trailfinders, ever?

The latter. No. Six months inflated price or nothing.

I pointed out that from March till September 2006, I'd be travelling through north America repeatedly, and would be requiring both flights and insurance for same. If I have to get six months pointlessly expensive insurance, then wouldn't it be cheaper to get fourteen months of it, than go back again?

No. This is 'single trip' insurance. Single trip insurance that covers all eight of the trips that count as single trip, but not the other ninth one, no. No. That would count as two trips. Two trips is 'multiple'. (has to be a man who said that)

This is getting silly.

Be clear how silly.

The extra is about fifty pounds.
I spent seventy pounds on champagne last night for friends who neither thanked nor noticed. I've been quibbling for one month about fifty pounds.