Have you ever purchased the RS Trip Protection Plan?

Only once. Otherwise I buy through a third party like insuremytrip.com. I think it is always a bad idea to purchase through an airline, trip provider, etc. as the policies are always designed to benefit them not you. Note, among other things, that the RS policies do not cover reimbursement of airline redeposit fees if you were traveling on a FF plan award ticket on a trip that you or RS cancel.

Another reason not to buy through Road Scholar but through a site like insuremytrip.com is that the RS insurer grossly overcharges. It's foolish to insure more than you stand to lose, but that is happens when some trips are insured through the RS insurer. For instance, on the RS domestic trips I have taken you can cancel up until the day of departure and still get 50% of your money back from RS. Only if you don't notify them do you not get anything back. Yet if you click the link RS sends you when you book the insurer automatically insures you for the full amount of the trip; you don't have any choice, which is ludicrous. When you buy insurance through a third party, you CHOOSE the amount of your coverage, which presumably would be no more than you stand to lose if you have to cancel at the last minute.

I have always purchased and have used it once.

Once when the US government shut down and we were on tour on National Parks. RS went above and beyond. They paid for difference in cost for new flights, not just change fees. RS paid transportation to to Las Vegas, overnight hotel for flights next day and all meals and refunded the cost of the travel insurance. Usual circumstances and well handled. We did have phone conversations and it was a tense time but worked out in the end. I think they may have restructured the insurance since that incident.

The government shutdown is why I now plan trips not around the time of budget voting sessions. One less thing to worry about.

Also recently I was alerted while in Hawaii that the Northeast was expecting a storm and airline advised to change flights. I was traveling on an award ticket and the airline allowed me to change second leg of trip so I could at least get back to the mainland and then worry about getting home with no change fees. RS insurance paid for my hotel after I provided copy of the text message the airline sent me advising flight change. I was able to get flight next day.

I have always purchased and have used it once.

Once when the US government shut down and we were on tour on National Parks. RS went above and beyond. They paid for difference in cost for new flights, not just change fees. RS paid transportation to to Las Vegas, overnight hotel for flights next day and all meals and refunded the cost of the travel insurance. Usual circumstances and well handled. We did have phone conversations and it was a tense time but worked out in the end. I think they may have restructured the insurance since that incident.

The government shutdown is why I now plan trips not around the time of budget voting sessions. One less thing to worry about.

Also recently I was alerted while in Hawaii that the Northeast was expecting a storm and airline advised to change flights. I was traveling on an award ticket and the airline allowed me to change second leg of trip so I could at least get back to the mainland and then worry about getting home with no change fees. RS insurance paid for my hotel after I provided copy of the text message the airline sent me advising flight change. I was able to get flight next day.