Faith Ventures

What Faith Ventures is

Faith Ventures is a travel insurance brand for church and ministry travel, not an insurer itself. Its about page says "Faith Ventures is a collaboration of Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company and Fly For Good Travel Company," and the legal notices page spells out who does what. Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company "does not underwrite the FV travel insurance card." The product is offered by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Services, "a licensed insurance agency subsidiary of Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company that offers the Faith Ventures travel insurance products and services." Fly For Good "Assists non-profits by providing opportunities for them to save money on travel and other professional services," and handles the discounted mission airfare sold alongside the insurance. The privacy policy places Fly For Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Brotherhood Mutual in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The underwriter is named in the plan disclosure on the site's COVID-19 page, which covers the Basic, Plus and Premium plans: "Insurance coverages are underwritten by Arch Insurance Company, NAIC #11150, under policy series LTP 2013 and amendments thereto." The same disclosure says plans "are offered and disseminated by registered travel retailers on behalf of Arch Insurance Solutions Inc., a licensed travel insurance producer," with "CA License #0I18111, TX License #1787195." The description of coverage also points to "Arch Insurance's claims process" in its claims provisions.

The about page describes the audience plainly: ministry "may take you a few miles down the road on a disaster relief project, or halfway around the world on a short-term mission trip." The homepage shows running totals of "55948 Ministries Served" and "208949 Trips Insured." It also runs a charity tie-in: "For every plan you buy, you feed a refugee child on the border of Myanmar and Thailand through our partnership with Venture."

What it covers

The homepage sums up the product as "Single and multi-trip comprehensive travel insurance plans with no deductible," and the FAQ says "This coverage will be your primary coverage while traveling." The about page's list of what the program covers includes "Accident and illness medical expenses," "Security and emergency medical evacuation," "Primary coverage with no deductible," and "24/7 emergency travel assistance," along with discounted airfare and trip management tools.

The description of coverage for the Basic plan lists the benefit areas the policy document details: "Trip Delay, Baggage & Personal Effects Loss, Baggage Delay, Passport Replacement, Medical Expense Benefit, Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation of Remains, and Accidental Death & Dismemberment," plus a "Security Assistance Services" section that "Provides a description of Political Evacuation and Natural Evacuation coverage and exclusions." The 24/7 assistance includes a "24-hour medical assistance helpline," emergency evacuation, monitoring of treatment, lost or stolen passport help, emergency cash transfer, legal referrals and language services.

Some benefits sit outside the base plans. The same page says "Faith Ventures travel insurance plans do not automatically include Liability and K&R coverage," and "Trip Cancellation coverage is optional and must be purchased separately." The COVID-19 page confirms that trip cancellation and interruption "are available only as an optional upgrade to the Basic, Plus, or Premium Plan," and "must be purchased prior to the event giving rise to cancellation."

Figures on the site are few. The COVID-19 page says "All three plans offer Medical Expense and Trip Delay coverage, but the coverage limits vary based on the plan type," and "The Premium Plan has the highest Travel Delay limit at $2,000." The compare-plans page adds a state note: "For residents of New Hampshire, the combined maximum limit is $50,000 including dental." For a COVID-19 medical claim, the illness must be "verified by a signed Attending Physician Statement or a lab report of a positive COVID-19 test administered and supervised by an accredited third party laboratory," and "Results solely from an at-home test are not acceptable." The compare-plans page shows no live premium or medical maximum for the Basic, Plus or Premium plans.

Plans, eligibility and buying

The short-term plans "are designed for travelers that will be traveling for less than 180 days at a time," and "These plans must be purchased prior to departure." The compare-plans page shows a "single trip plan up to 45 days," an "annual plan* up to 180 days per trip" and a single trip option "up to 30 days." Its footnote explains the asterisk: "For residents of Oregon and New York, the Premium Plan is a single-trip policy. For residents of all other states, the Premium Plan is a multi-trip policy." Anyone "traveling for more than 180 days consecutively" is sent to the long-term plans, the 365 and 365 Sport.

On timing, the FAQ says "You have until 24 hours before your trip to purchase coverage" and "You can purchase a policy as soon as you put your first deposit down on your trip," while "The 365 and 365Sport plans can be purchased at any time- even while traveling." Asked whether the plans have age restrictions, the FAQ answers: "No, our Faith Ventures Travel Plans are flat rate plans, so your age will not affect the price." A buyer who changes their mind has a refund window: "we will refund your plan cost within 10 days of purchase, granted you have not departed on your trip or filed a claim." The site also offers a bulk order form for group purchases.

Claims can be opened online, by phone or by email, and the site lists separate 24/7 emergency lines for the Basic, Plus and Premium plans and for the 365 and 365 Sport plans. For team leaders, the emergency response guidelines ask that "All injuries should be reported to your agent within 24 hours, if possible." The pages give no pre-existing condition rule for any plan.

Who it suits

Faith Ventures suits a church or ministry sending a team on a mission, disaster relief or volunteer trip, since the plans, the discounted humanitarian airfare and the group tools are built around that use. Flat-rate pricing with no age restrictions makes it simple to cover a mixed-age team, and the plans carry no deductible and act as primary cover while traveling. A traveler already abroad can still buy the 365 or 365 Sport plans.

It fits less well for a buyer who wants to compare medical maximums before checking out, since the site prints only the New Hampshire limit and the Premium plan's travel delay figure. Teams that need trip cancellation, liability or kidnap and ransom cover must add those separately.