The best travel insurance policies and providers

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

It’s easy to dismiss the value of travel insurance until you need it. And many travelers have strong opinions on whether you should buy travel insurance. However, the purpose of this post isn’t to determine whether you should purchase travel insurance. Instead, in this post, I’ll describe some of the top travel insurance providers and policies.

Of course, in the age of coronavirus, a primary question is whether travel insurance covers pandemics. Some policies will cover you if you’re diagnosed with COVID-19 and have proof of illness from a doctor. And some policies may even cover other types of pandemic-related expenses and cancellations. But every policy will have exclusions and restrictions that may limit coverage. For example, fear of travel is generally not a covered reason for invoking trip cancellation or interruption coverage, while specific stipulations may apply to elevated CDC travel warnings.

Interested in travel insurance? Visit InsureMyTrip.com to shop for plans that may fit your travel needs.

So before buying a specific policy, you must understand the full terms and any special notices the insurer has about COVID-19. You may even want to buy the optional cancel for any reason (CFAR) add-on that’s available for some comprehensive policies. While you’ll pay more for that sort of protection, it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason and still get some of your trip costs back — though this benefit is time-sensitive and has other eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

In this guide, I’ll introduce several policies from top travel insurance providers. However, I can’t tell you which policy or provider is the absolute best since that depends on your wants and needs (and available insurance options) for a particular trip.

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The best travel insurance providers

For this guide, I selected providers that generally receive a positive rating from TPG Lounge members, provide adequate details about their policies and claims process online, are usually well-rated online and offer policies to residents of most U.S. states. You can also search for options from these (and other) providers through an insurance comparison site like InsureMyTrip.

Here’s a table with an overview of some of the best travel insurance providers:

Now, let’s take a look at each of the providers in more detail. I priced out a single-trip policy for each provider for a $2,000, one-week vacation to Istanbul, Turkey. If the provider offers multi-trip annual plans, I also priced out an annual plan. I used my actual age (35) and state of residence (Florida) when obtaining quotes. So you may see a different price — or even additional policies, because regulations for travel insurance vary from state to state — when getting a quote.

AIG Travel Guard

AIG Travel Guard receives many positive reviews from readers in the TPG Lounge who have filed claims with the company. AIG offers three plans online, which you can compare side-by-side and examine sample policies. Here are three plans for my sample trip to Turkey:

AIG Travel Guard also offers an annual travel plan. This plan is priced at $259 per year for one Florida resident. Plus, AIG Travel Guard offers several other policies, including a single-trip policy without trip cancellation protection. See AIG Travel Guard’s COVID-19 notification and COVID-19 advisory for current details regarding COVID-19 coverage.

Preexisting conditions

Typically, AIG Travel Guard wouldn’t cover you for any loss or expense due to a preexisting medical condition that existed within 180 days of the coverage effective date. However, Travel Guard may waive the preexisting medical condition exclusion on some plans if you meet the following conditions:

1. You purchase the plan within 15 days of your initial trip payment.
2. The amount of coverage you purchase equals all trip costs at the time of purchase. You must update your coverage to insure the costs of any subsequent arrangements that you add to your trip within 15 days of paying the travel supplier for these additional arrangements.
3. You must be medically able to travel when you purchase your plan.

Standout features

• The Deluxe and Preferred plans allow you to purchase an upgrade that lets you cancel your trip for any reason. However, reimbursement under this coverage will not exceed 50% or 75% of your covered trip cost.
• You can include one child age 17 and under for no additional cost with each paying adult on most single-trip plans.
• Other optional upgrades are available on some policies, including an adventure sports bundle, baggage bundle, inconvenience bundle, pet bundle, security bundle and wedding bundle. So, an AIG Travel Guard plan may be a good choice if you know you want extra coverage in specific areas.

Purchase your policy here: AIG Travel Guard

Allianz Travel Insurance

Allianz is one of the best-regarded providers in the TPG Lounge, and many readers found the claim process reasonable. Allianz offers many plans, including the following single-trip plans for my sample trip to Turkey:

If you travel frequently, it may make sense to purchase an annual, multi-trip policy. For this plan, all of the maximum coverage amounts in the table below are per trip (except for the trip cancellation and trip interruption amounts, which are an aggregate limit per policy). Trips typically must be 45 days or less, although some plans may cover trips of up to 90 days.

See Allianz’s coverage alert for current information on COVID-19 coverage.

Preexisting conditions

Most Allianz travel insurance plans may cover preexisting medical conditions if you meet particular requirements. For the OneTrip Premier, Prime and Basic plans, these requirements are as follows:

1. You purchased the policy within 14 days of the date of the first trip payment or deposit.
2. You were a U.S. resident when you purchased the policy.
3. You were medically able to travel when you purchased the policy.
4. On the policy purchase date, you insured the total, nonrefundable cost of your trip (including arrangements that will become nonrefundable or subject to cancellation penalties before your departure date). If you incur additional nonrefundable trip expenses after purchasing this policy, you must insure them within 14 days of their purchase.

Standout features

• Allianz offers reasonably-priced annual policies for independent travelers and families that take multiple trips of 45 days (90 days for select plans) or less per year.
• Some Allianz plans provide the option to receive a flat amount of reimbursement without receipts for trip delay and baggage delay claims. Of course, you can also submit receipts to get up to the maximum refund.
• For emergency transportation coverage, you or someone on your behalf must contact Allianz, and Allianz must then make all transportation arrangements in advance. However, most Allianz policies provide an option if you cannot contact Allianz: Allianz will pay up to what it would have paid if it had made the arrangements.

Purchase your policy here: Allianz Travel Insurance

American Express Travel Insurance

American Express Travel Insurance offers four different package plans as well as a build-your-own coverage option. You don’t have to be an American Express cardholder to purchase this insurance. Here are the four package options for my sample, week-long trip to Turkey — though note that, unlike some other providers, Amex won’t ask for your travel destination on the initial quote (but will when you purchase the plan).

Amex’s build-your-own coverage plan is unique in that you can purchase just the coverage you need. For most types of protection, you can even select the coverage amount that works best for you.

The prices for the packages and the build-your-own plan don’t increase for longer trips — as long as the trip cost remains constant. However, the emergency medical and dental benefit only covers your first 60 days of travel.

Preexisting conditions

Typically, Amex won’t cover any loss you incur because of a preexisting medical condition that existed within 90 days of the coverage effective date. However, Amex may waive its preexisting-condition exclusion if you meet both of the following requirements:

1. You must be medically able to travel at the time you pay the policy premium.
2. You pay the policy premium within 14 days of making the first covered trip deposit.

Standout features

• Amex’s build-your-own coverage option allows you to purchase — and pay for — only the coverage you need.
• Coverage on long trips doesn’t cost more than short trips, making this policy ideal for extended trips. However, the emergency medical and dental benefit only covers your first 60 days of travel.
• American Express Travel Insurance can protect travel expenses paid for with Amex Membership Rewards points in the Pay with Points program (as well as travel expenses paid for with cash, debit or credit). However, travel expenses paid for with other types of points and miles aren’t covered.

Purchase your policy here: American Express Travel Insurance

GeoBlue

GeoBlue is different from most other providers described in this piece because it only provides medical coverage while you're traveling internationally — and does not offer benefits to protect the cost of your trip. There are many different policies. Some require you to have primary health insurance in the United States (although it doesn’t need to be provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield), but all of them only offer coverage while traveling outside the United States.

A pair of single-trip plans are available if you are traveling for six months or less. The Voyager Choice policy provides coverage (including medical services and medical evacuation for a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition) for trips outside the U.S. to travelers who are 95 or younger and already have a U.S. health insurance policy.

The Voyager Essential policy provides coverage (including medical evacuation for a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition) for trips outside the U.S. to travelers who are 95 or younger, regardless of whether they have primary health insurance.

In addition to these options, two multi-trip plans cover trips of up to 70 days each for one year. Both policies provide coverage (including medical services and medical evacuation for preexisting conditions) to travelers with primary health insurance.

Be sure to check out GeoBlue’s COVID-19 notices before buying a plan.

Preexisting conditions

Most GeoBlue policies explicitly cover sudden recurrences of preexisting conditions for medical services and medical evacuation.

Standout features

• GeoBlue can be an excellent option if you’re mainly concerned about the medical side of travel insurance.
• GeoBlue provides single trip, multi-trip and long-term medical travel insurance policies for many different types of travel.

Purchase your policy here: GeoBlue

IMG

IMG offers various travel medical insurance policies for travelers, as well as comprehensive travel insurance policies. For a single trip of 90 days or less, there are five policy types available for vacation or holiday travelers. Although you must enter your gender, males and females received the same quote for my one-week search.

You can purchase an annual, multi-trip travel medical insurance plan. Some only cover trips of up to 30 or 45 days, but others provide coverage for more extended trips.

See IMG’s page on COVID-19 for additional policy information as it relates to coronavirus-related claims.

Preexisting conditions

Most plans may cover preexisting conditions under set conditions or up to specific amounts. For example, the iTravelInsured Travel LX travel insurance plan shown above may cover preexisting conditions if you purchase the insurance within 24 hours of making the final payment for your trip.

And for the travel medical insurance plans shown above, preexisting conditions are covered for travelers under 70. However, coverage is capped based on your age and whether you have a primary health insurance policy.

Standout features

• Some multi-trip annual plans are modestly priced.
• iTravelInsured Travel LX may offer optional cancel-for-any-reason and interruption-for-any-reason coverage, if eligible.

Purchase your policy here: IMG

Travelex Insurance

Travelex offers three, single-trip plans: Travel Basic, Travel Select and Travel America. However, only the Travel Basic and Travel Select plans would be applicable for my trip to Turkey.

See Travelex’s COVID-19 coverage statement for coronavirus-specific information.

Preexisting conditions

Typically, Travelex won’t cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition that existed within 60 days of the coverage effective date. However, the Travel Select plan may offer a preexisting condition exclusion waiver. To be eligible for this waiver, the insured traveler must meet all of the following conditions:

• You purchase the plan within 15 days of the initial trip payment.
• The amount of coverage purchased equals all prepaid, nonrefundable payments or deposits applicable to the trip at the time of purchase. Additionally, you must insure the costs of any subsequent arrangements added to the same trip within 15 days of payment or deposit.
• All insured individuals are medically able to travel when you pay the plan cost.
• The trip cost does not exceed the maximum trip cost limit under trip cancellation as shown in the schedule per person (only applicable to trip cancellation, interruption and delay).

Standout features

• Travelex’s Travel Select policy can cover trips up to 364 days, which is longer than many single-trip policies.
• Both Travelex policies don’t require receipts for trip delay expenses and baggage delay expenses less than $25.
• For emergency evacuation coverage, you or someone on your behalf must contact Travelex and have Travelex make all transportation arrangements in advance. However, both Travelex policies provide an option if you cannot contact Travelex: Travelex will pay up to what it would have paid if it had made the arrangements.

Purchase your policy here: Travelex Insurance

Seven Corners

Seven Corners offers a wide variety of policies. But, here are the policies that are most applicable to travelers on a single international trip:

Seven Corners also offers many other types of travel insurance, including a multi-trip, annual plan. You can choose coverage for trips of up to 30, 45 or 60 days when purchasing a multi-trip annual plan.

See Seven Corner’s page on COVID-19 for additional policy information as it relates to coronavirus-related claims.

Preexisting conditions

Typically, Seven Corners won’t cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition. However, the RoundTrip Choice plan offers a preexisting condition exclusion waiver. To be eligible for this waiver, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• You buy this plan within 20 days of making your initial trip payment or deposit.
• You or your traveling companion are medically able and not disabled from travel when you pay for this plan or upgrade your plan.
• You update the coverage to include the additional cost of subsequent travel arrangements within 15 days of paying your travel supplier for them.

Standout features

• Seven Corners offers the ability to purchase optional sports and golf equipment coverage. If purchased, this extra insurance will reimburse you for the cost of renting sports or golf equipment if yours is lost, stolen, damaged or delayed by a common carrier for six or more hours. However, Seven Corners must authorize the expenses in advance.
• You can add cancel for any reason coverage or trip interrupt for any reason coverage to RoundTrip plans. Although some other providers offer cancel for any reason coverage, trip interrupt for any reason coverage is less common.
• Seven Corners’ RoundTrip Choice policy offers a political or security evacuation benefit that will transport you to the nearest safe place or your residence under specific conditions. You can also add optional event ticket registration fee protection to the RoundTrip Choice policy.

Purchase your policy here: Seven Corners

World Nomads

World Nomads is popular with younger, active travelers because of its flexible coverage and adventure-activities coverage on the Explorer plan. Unlike many policies offered by other providers, you don’t need to estimate prepaid costs when purchasing the insurance to have access to trip interruption and cancellation insurance.

World Nomads offers two single-trip plans:

World Nomads has a page dedicated to coronavirus coverage, so check that page out before buying a policy.

Preexisting conditions

World Nomads won’t cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition (except emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains) that existed within 90 days of the coverage effective date. Unlike many other providers, World Nomads doesn’t offer a waiver.

Standout features

• World Nomads policies cover more adventure sports than most providers, so activities such as bungee jumping are covered. Plus, the Explorer policy covers almost any adventure sport, including sky diving, stunt flying and caving. So, if you partake in adventure sports while traveling, the Explorer policy may be a good fit.
• World Nomads policies provide non-medical evacuation coverage for transportation expenses if there is civil or political unrest in the country you are visiting. The coverage may also transport you home if there is an eligible natural disaster or a government expels you.

Purchase your policy here: World Nomads

Other options for buying travel insurance

This guide details the policies of eight providers with the information available at the time of publication. But there are many options when it comes to travel insurance. If you want to compare different policies quickly, you can use a travel insurance aggregator such as InsureMyTrip to search. Just note that these search engines won’t show every policy and every provider, and you should still research the provided policies to ensure the coverage fits your trip and your needs.

Likewise, you can purchase a plan through various membership associations such as USAA, AAA or Costco. Typically, these organizations partner with a specific provider. So if you are a member of any of these associations, you may want to compare the policies offered through the organization with other policies to get the best coverage for your trip.

Related: When to buy travel insurance versus when to rely on credit card protections

Is travel insurance worth getting?

Whether or not to purchase travel insurance is a personal decision. Suppose you use a credit card that provides travel insurance for most of your expenses and have medical insurance that provides adequate coverage abroad. In that case, you may be covered enough on most trips to forgo purchasing travel insurance.

However, suppose your medical insurance won’t cover you at your destination, and you can’t comfortably cover a sizable medical evacuation bill or last-minute flight home. In that case, you should consider purchasing travel insurance. If you travel frequently, it may be worth it to buy a multi-trip annual policy.

Related: Why one TPG contributor buys travel insurance

What is the best COVID-19 travel insurance?

There are various aspects to consider if you’re traveling during the coronavirus pandemic. I recommend booking travel plans that are fully refundable or have modest change or cancellation fees. This way, you don’t need to worry about whether your policy will cover trip cancellation. And this is important since many standard comprehensive insurance policies won’t reimburse your insured expenses in the event of cancellation if it’s related to fear of traveling due to COVID-19 — even with the ongoing spread of the delta variant.

However, if you book a nonrefundable trip and want to maintain the ability to get reimbursed (up to 75% of your insured costs) if you simply choose to cancel, you should consider buying a comprehensive travel insurance policy and then adding optional, cancel-for-any-reason protection. Just note that this benefit is time-sensitive, and there are eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

Providers will often require CFAR purchasers to insure the entire dollar amount of their travels in order to receive the coverage. Also, many CFAR policies mandate that you must cancel your plans and notify any and all travel suppliers at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled departure.

Likewise, if your primary health insurance won’t cover you while you are on your trip, it’s essential to consider whether medical expenses related to COVID-19 treatment are covered. You may also want to consider a MedJet medical transport membership if your trip is to a covered destination for COVID-related evacuation.

In the end, the best pandemic travel insurance policy will depend on your trip details, your travel concerns and your willingness to self-insure. Just be sure to thoroughly read and understand any terms or exclusions before making your purchase.

Related: Americans can now visit 112 countries and territories — here’s the complete list

What are the different types of travel insurance?

Whether you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy or rely on the protections offered by select credit cards, you may have access to the following types of coverage:

• Baggage delay protection may provide reimbursement for essential items and clothing when a common carrier (such as an airline) fails to deliver your checked bag within a set time of your arrival at a destination. Typically, you may be reimbursed up to a particular amount, either per incident or per day.
• Lost/damaged baggage protection may provide reimbursement to replace lost or damaged luggage as well as items inside that luggage. However, there is usually a relatively low maximum benefit for valuables and electronics.
• Trip delay reimbursement may provide reimbursement for necessary items, food, lodging and sometimes transport when you’re delayed for a substantial time while traveling on a common carrier such as an airline. This insurance may be beneficial if weather issues (or other covered reasons for which the airline usually won’t provide compensation) delay you.
• Trip cancellation and interruption protection may provide reimbursement if you need to cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason, such as a death in your family or jury duty.
• Medical evacuation insurance can arrange and pay for medical evacuation if deemed necessary by the insurance provider and a medical professional. This coverage can be particularly valuable if you’re traveling to a region with sub-par medical facilities.
• Travel accident insurance may provide a payment to you or your beneficiary in the case of your death or dismemberment.
• Emergency medical insurance may provide payment or reimburse you if you must seek medical care while traveling. Some plans only cover emergency medical care, but some also cover other types of medical care. You may need to pay a deductible or copay.
• Rental car coverage may provide a collision damage waiver when you rent a car. This waiver may provide reimbursement for collision damage or theft up to a set amount. Some policies also cover loss-of-use charges assessed by the rental company and towing charges to take the vehicle to the nearest qualified repair facility. You generally need to decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver or similar provision to be covered.

Related: Will future pandemics be covered by travel insurance? Experts say yes

Should I buy travel health insurance?

If you purchase travel with credit cards that provide various trip protections, you may not see much of a need for additional travel insurance. However, you may still wonder whether you should buy travel medical insurance.

If your primary health insurance covers you on your trip, you may not need travel health insurance. However, your domestic policy may not cover you outside the U.S. So, it’s worth calling the number on your health insurance card if you have coverage questions. If you find your primary health insurance wouldn’t cover you, it’s likely worth purchasing travel medical insurance. After all, as you can see above, travel medical insurance is often very modestly priced.

Related: What older travelers need to know about getting travel health insurance

How much does travel insurance cost?

The cost of travel insurance depends on various factors, including the provider, the type of coverage, your trip cost, your destination, your age, your residency and how many travelers you want to insure. That said, a standard, comprehensive travel insurance plan will generally set you back somewhere between 4% and 10% of your total trip cost. However, this can get lower for more basic protections, and it can be even higher if you include add-ons like cancel-for-any-reason protection.

The sample quotes I got for my week-long, $2,000 trip to Turkey shows this in action. The premiums started at $40 (2% of my trip) and went as high as $190 (just under 10%).

The best way to determine how much travel insurance will cost is to simply price out your trip with a few providers discussed in the guide — or visit an insurance aggregator like InsureMyTrip to quickly compare options across multiple providers.

Related: Is credit card travel insurance sufficient on its own?

When and how to get travel insurance

For the most robust selection of available travel insurance benefits — including time-sensitive add-ons like cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) protection and waivers of preexisting conditions for eligible travelers — you should ideally purchase travel insurance on the same day you make your first payment towards your trip. However, many plans may still offer a preexisting conditions waiver for those who qualify if you buy your travel insurance within 14 to 21 days of your first trip expense or deposit (this time frame may vary by provider). If you don’t need a preexisting conditions waiver or aren't interested in CFAR coverage, you can purchase travel insurance once your departure date nears.

However, your coverage must be purchased before it’s needed. Some travel medical plans are available for purchase after you have departed, but comprehensive plans that include medical coverage must be purchased before departing.

In addition, you can’t buy any medical coverage once you actually require medical attention. The same applies to all travel insurance coverage. Once you recognize the need, it’s too late to protect your trip.

Once you've shopped around and decided upon the best travel insurance plan for your trip, you should be able complete your purchase online. You’ll usually be able to download your insurance card and the complete policy shortly after the transaction is complete.

Related: 7 times your credit card’s travel insurance might not cover you

Bottom line

Not all travel insurance policies and providers are equal. So, before buying a plan, be sure to read and understand the policy documents. By doing so, you can choose a plan that’s appropriate for you and your trip — including the features that matter the most to you.

For example, if you plan to go skiing or rock climbing, make sure the policy you buy doesn’t contain exclusions for these activities. Likewise, if you’re making two back-to-back trips during which you’ll be returning home for a short time in between, be sure the plan doesn’t terminate coverage at the end of your first trip. And if you’re looking to cover a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition, be sure to select a policy with a preexisting condition waiver and fulfill the requirements for the waiver. After all, buying insurance won’t help if the policy you purchase doesn’t cover your losses.

Disclaimer: This information is provided by IMT Services, LLC (InsureMyTrip.com), a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 5119217) and a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies. IMT’s services are only available in states where it is licensed to do business and the products provided through InsureMyTrip.com may not be available in all states. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not create or modify any insurance policy terms in any way. For more information, please visit www.insuremytrip.com.