For Your Health, Budget for Vaccinations Before Your Next Trip
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There are plenty of travel sites that tell you how to do things the right way — but as every traveler knows, sometimes things go wrong. In his bi-monthly travel and credit card mistake series, TPG Contributor J. Keith van Straaten invites you to learn from his mistakes — his many, many mistakes.
I like to keep my travel expenses low, and using miles and points is helping me meet that goal as I get ready for a trip to Africa this week. I booked flights from Nairobi to Johannesburg to Cairo and back to Nairobi for only 35,000 MileagePlus miles (plus $113 in taxes/fees), traveling on United's StarAlliance partners South African Airways and Ethiopian Airlines. I'm using IHG PointBreaks for a 5,000-point hotel redemption in Johannesburg, and I found a 10,000-point Hilton HHonors redemption for a 5-star hotel in Cairo. The best part is that the long-haul flights between New York-JFK and Nairobi (NBO) were a steal: $475 round-trip on Jet Airways (operated by Etihad).
I expect that something can go wrong on a trip, and I always make sure to bring a credit card that works well in other countries (like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the Amex Platinum and the Citi Prestige, all of which have chip technology and no foreign transaction fees) in case of unforeseen expenses.
But this week, as I dashed around town making final arrangements to leave, feeling pretty smart about my low-cost trip, something I wasn't expecting to impact my budget quickly escalated to a significant expense. It was something as important as a passport and easier to get than a visa:
Vaccination costs were threatening to become my latest travel mistake.
There's no good reason not to get travel vaccinations, but there is a good reason to budget for them. Vaccinations aren't always cheap – especially when you wait, as I did, until just prior to departure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a list of recommended vaccines for travelers, and some nations require proof of certain vaccinations prior to entering the country. About a week before leaving, I consulted the CDC's website for the countries I was visiting (I was particularly concerned about Kenya, where I'd be traveling outside of the metropolitan areas) and then called my doctor's office to see which of the recommended vaccines I really needed.
Armed with information, I visited my local urgent care clinic to get my needed vaccines, only to be told that they don't give yellow fever or meningitis vaccinations. (In fact, very few facilities are authorized to give yellow fever vaccines, in particular.) However, I was able to get a tetanus shot, flu shot and a prescription for anti-malaria medication. The cost of the office visit and shots: $120.
I then called a local travel-health clinic and made an appointment for my yellow fever and meningitis vaccines. The office visit: $50. The vaccines: $360!
I'd been excited that those round-trip flights from JFK-NBO were only $475, but now my vaccination tally was suddenly a whopping $530. My travel budget was blowing up ... and I hadn't even left home yet.
Could I have gotten these shots done somewhere else for less? Probably. But I was leaving soon and didn't want to risk being unprotected — I'd rather be a dumb consumer than a dead consumer. Thank goodness I'd already gotten my hepatitis A & B and typhoid vaccines taken care of prior to my trip to Nepal and India last year — otherwise, my vaccine costs for this Africa trip might have ended up eclipsing my total airfare costs!
As much as none of us like to pad our travel budget, you shouldn't be a skinflint when it comes to your health. Yes, vaccines are a pain (in the shoulder and the wallet) but contracting an illness like yellow fever would surely cost more in both money and misery than a pricey shot in the arm.
The good news is that for many of these vaccines, I'm now covered for life and won't ever have to pay for them again. Plus, I put all of the visits to the doctor office, clinics and pharmacy on a points-earning credit card, so at least I'll have a head start on my travel redemptions next year.
THE LESSONS
Make sure to consider the expense of vaccinations when planning a trip abroad. If you're fortunate, you may pay little to nothing for your treatments. If not, it's better to know before you go.
Leave enough time before you depart to take advantage of lower-cost options. For instance, a flu shot is $35 at my local urgent care clinic, $15 at Costco and free at some health fairs in my area. (Costco even has its own "Full Service Travel Immunization Program" at some locations.)
Maximize your doctor visits. If you know you've got a trip coming up and are seeing the doctor anyway, see if you can get your immunizations taken care of without having to pay for a separate office visit.
Check with your health insurance plan to find out which treatments and medications are covered. If a treatment recommended by your doctor isn't covered, you may wish to press the issue. In my case, a phone call for a “pre-authorization” from an insurance provider turned my anti-malaria prescription from a $104 bill into a $5 copay.
For more on trip-planning in advance (in order to avoid making your own travel mistakes), be sure to see:
How to Prepare for International Travel: Tips, Tricks & More
Tips For Planning a Vacation Many Months in Advance
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.