Accidents, lost luggage, or flight delays can ruin a vacation we have been planning for so long. While most of those things are out of our control and we can’t prevent them, we can limit their impact and damages by getting travel insurance. But what are the best travel insurance companies, and which one is perfect for you?
Going through the plans can be confusing and overwhelming. And you don’t really want to think about bad things that could happen during your long-awaited vacation.
That’s why we did all the hard work and narrowed down the list to the five best companies with plans that cover just about any problem you might encounter during your vacation.
The Best Travel Insurance Companies
Generali Travel Insurance
Pros
- Excellent reputation
- 24/7 live call centers
- Telemedicine center
- Travel concierge services
- Identity theft protection
- Covid-19 covered in standard plans
Cons
- “Cancel for any reason” option is only available as an extra with the Premium Plan
- Pricey
Generali is one of the 50 largest insurance companies in the world. With more than 150 years of experience and 75,000 employees, it is a global leader in insurance.
Signature Features & Special Benefits
Generali boasts about its global reach, assisting clients wherever they are in the world. Its signature features of live support are the greatest proof, making it the best travel insurance for international and domestic travelers who need live support.
- Telemedicine center. If you suffer from an illness that doesn’t need immediate medical care, you can contact one of its US-based telemedicine centers and get advice, prescriptions, and instructions from US doctors.
- Travel concierge services. Make restaurant, airline, and rental car reservations, reserve tickets, get help from retail shopping assistants, and so much more. What’s remarkable about this feature is that you also have a live call center available, giving you a real person to respond to your query if you’re having trouble with the app.
Plans
The company offers its best international travel insurance with three coverage plans:
- Standard
With this package, you get coverage for trip cancelation and interruption (100% and 125% respectively), baggage loss ($1000), medical and dental coverage ($50,000), emergency assistance, and transportation ($250,000), 24/7 assistance services, and much more.
- Preferred
This plan covers pretty much everything as the previous, but with about 50% to 100% higher coverage amounts. A nice addition is reimbursement for lost sporting equipment.
- Premium
The name says it all. With premium, you get all the benefits of previous international travel insurance plans, but with significantly increased coverage amounts. This plan includes coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and rental car insurance of up to $25,000.
Prices
A 30-year-old person who wants to spend seven days in France and paid $2,500 for the trip will pay between $69 and $103 for travel insurance. A trip to Thailand would cost roughly the same to insure. Mexico will be slightly pricier, ranging from $73 to $108. Depending on the plan, insurance for a family trip worth $5,000 would cost $180 to $265.
What We Didn’t Like
With this travel insurance company, trip cancelation for any reason is available only with the Premium Plan. It’s entirely optional, charged extra, and reimburses you only for 60% of the trip cost. That being said, the list of acceptable cancelation reasons is pretty extensive. Still, you would expect more with a costly plan like that.
Our Verdict
This is excellent travel insurance, with interesting and useful tools featured even with the basic plans. It’s a great choice for people who want 24/7 support when traveling.
Allianz Travel Insurance
Pros
- Excellent reputation—one of the world’s largest insurance companies
- One-trip and multi-trip (annual) plans
- Specialized plans
- Affordable
- 24/7 live support
- Covid-19 coverage
Cons
- Concierge service comes only with pricier plans
Allianz Global Assistance operates in 35 countries and serves more than 40 million customers in the US. It offers several different insurance plans, and everyone can find one suitable for their needs, whether it’s a single trip insurance or year-round coverage.
Signature Features & Special Benefits
Allianz is one of the most famous international travel insurance companies and has a global presence. As such, it can direct its users to pre-screened and company-approved medical facilities, wherever they are. This list is available through the TravelSmart app. With it, you will also receive live updates for flight delays and other local or global events that can impact your travel.
Plans
Allianz has ten travel insurance plans, and they are well customized for different needs.
- Cancellation Plus and Emergency Medical
These plans are designed for people on a budget who need just one kind of insurance. Cancelation Plus doesn’t include medical coverage, and it’s the best travel insurance for USA citizens who want to travel within the country.
- One-Trip
The plans available are named Prime, Basic, and Premier. They incorporate everything that you would need from insurance, trip cancelation protection, and medical coverage. The coverage limits are lower than the most generous competitors, but the overall price is higher. The 24/7 call center is available even with the cheap plans, but the Concierge feature is reserved only for the Premier plan.
- Annual/Multi-trip
Four plans are available here: Basic, Premier, Executive, and Prime. They are the best travel insurance plans for frequent travelers as they cover 45-90 days within one year, depending on the price. In addition, all plans except the Basic include Pre-Existing Medical Condition coverage options (if the client meets certain requirements).
Prices
Allianz is one of the pricier options out there. If you are 30 years old and you paid $2,500 for a seven-day trip to France, Mexico, or Thailand, you will have to pay $96 to $186 to get it insured. The price depends on the plan you choose. On the other hand, when we compare travel insurance prices for family trips, we can see that Allianz has average prices. A seven-day trip worth $5,000 to one of these destinations would cost from $174 to $275 to insure.
What We Didn’t Like
The coverage limits are somewhat low. The other downside is that Allianz doesn’t cover activities like skydiving and bungee jumping.
Our Verdict
This is excellent insurance for people who want a variety of plans and don’t need concierge and other expensive services. These costly services come standard with more expensive plans, but the important thing is that you can choose your preferred option.
AIG Travel Insurance
Pros
- 100 years of experience in insurance
- Many customizable and specialized plans
- Bag track and concierge services
- Identity theft restoration services
- Personal security assistance
- “Hospital of choice” evacuation
Cons
- For specialized plans, you have to communicate with an agent and get a quote.
- Pricey
Signature Features & Special Benefits
- Concierge service. AIG will help you find whatever you need during your trip. If you need tickets, reservations, or even food delivered, the service is available 24/7.
- Custom plans. These are what make the company one of the best travel insurance companies. The present 2022 demands us to adapt our lifestyles and travel habits to new circumstances, and AIG makes sure everyone is covered with suitable plans. If it doesn’t have a plan for you, the company will make one. The clients can get information and quotes directly from agents, as they are not available online.
Plans
AIG offers five basic plans:
- Essential
This is a budget-friendly option and the best travel medical insurance for family trips. Children aged 17 and under who are related to the policy carrier get free coverage.
Trip cancellation and interruption are 100% reimbursed. The company will pay $200 for delays and $750 for lost baggage. If you need medical care, $15,000 is there to cover your expenses. If an emergency evacuation is the only solution, $150,000 should be quite sufficient.
- Preferred
With this plan, you upgrade your coverage caps with $50,000 for medical expenses, 150% trip cost reimbursement, and $500,000 for emergency evacuation. The best part is the Hospital of Choice Evacuation coverage.
- Deluxe
The Deluxe plan is the best travelers insurance for you. With $100,000 medical coverage and up to a million for emergency evacuation, it can cover pretty much anything.
- Pack N’ Go
This plan is ideal for people catching a last-minute deal and don’t need trip cancellation coverage.
- Annual
Intended for frequent travelers who don’t want to bother buying insurance before every trip.
These plans don’t apply to NY residents. They have their own special line of coverages called Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
You can also get completely customizable plans and create the best trip insurance for your needs, but they are available only through direct contact with an agent.
Prices
Low prices might not be AIG’s strong point. A 30-year-old person who wants to spend seven days in France will pay $133 to $181 for insurance for their $2,500 value trip, depending on the plan. The same prices go for Mexico and Thailand. If it’s a family trip worth around $5,000 in total, the fees range from $274 to $377.
What We Didn’t Like
AIG seems to have a somewhat stretchable “Foreseen Events” policy, so it’s best to go over the contract in detail to get the best travel insurance for Covid. For instance, the company considers Covid-19 a foreseen event. If you contract it and cancel your flight, you are covered, and If you contract it during your travel, your hospital bills and everything else will be covered.
Our Verdict
This is an excellent option for your trip insurance, and more than 6 million Americans use it every year. It has great features like a Concierge Service and Bag Trak, but the downside is that you have to read the fine print in the travel insurance quotes and your policy to ensure it’s what you need.
World Nomads Insurance
Pros
- Large and friendly community
- Great for active people-—covers more than 200 activities
- Very affordable prices
- Non-medical evacuation coverage
Cons
- Low coverage limits for trip cancelations
World Nomads is not just insurance. It is also a global travel and lifestyle brand. Everyone can find here the coverage they need because the company does an excellent job of combining services from different suppliers.
For instance, its insurance policies are written by Nationwide, and Generali Global Assistance provides customer assistance. You can get real-time updates, advice about the best places to travel right now in the US during Covid, and much more.
Signature Features & Special Benefits
- Sense of community. With World Nomads, people from the group like to hang out and share experiences. You don’t just buy insurance, but a ticket in.
- Volunteering and humanitarianism. Volunteers get lower prices. The company is also cheap in general, and it encourages people to donate to charity when buying insurance.
- World Nomads covers more than 200 activities. The company promotes an active lifestyle and covers more than 200 different activities, making it the best travel insurance in 2022 for active people. Even if you get injured in an air guitar contest, it has your back.
Plans
There are two basic plans, and they are partly customizable:
- Standard
The standard plan covers up to $2,500 reimbursement for your trip cancelation and interruption and up to $100,000 for medical treatment. In addition, if the doctors advise medical evacuation, the company will cover up to $300,000. What we liked the most is the Non-Medical Emergency Transportation. If you need to get out of the country due to political unrest, terrorism, natural disasters, you will be reimbursed for up to $25,000. This is the best holiday insurance for young travelers who often choose unstable countries to visit.
- Explorer
This plan offers up to $500,000 for emergency evacuation and $10,000 for trip cancellation and interruption. Non-Medical Emergency Transportation is included, as well as Car Damage.
Prices
Depending on the plan, a 30-year-old person will have to pay between $70 or $112 for insurance for their $2,500 seven-day visit to France. Visits to Thailand or Mexico will be between 5% and 15% cheaper to insure, and travel insurance for a 7-day family trip to France would cost $247 or $377. Without a doubt, World Nomads is one of the cheaper travel insurance companies.
What We Didn’t Like
Travelers with pricier travel arrangements won’t be satisfied with the company’s trip reimbursement policy. The coverage is limited, ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 (depending on the plan).
Our Verdict
If you are an active person and enjoy exploring and going on adventures during your travels, World Nomads is the insurance for you. It covers more than 200 activities and offers non-medical evacuation reimbursement. If you want insurance for trips worth more than $10,000, however, you should look elsewhere.
AXA Travel Insurance
Pros
- Great reputation
- Certified global medical network
- A large number of custom plans
- Concierge services
- Coverage for different activities
- Reimbursement for lost days of golfing, skiing, equipment rental, etc
Cons
- Website needs improvement
- Trip delay of 12 hours is needed for payout
AXA is a global insurance brand with more than 200 years of experience. Its travel insurance is one of the best-sellers, and it didn’t get there by chance.
Signature Features & Special Benefits
- Large number of associated medical facilities. Allianz is one of the best travel health insurance providers, making it easy to find a covered facility wherever you are.
- Concierge services. The clients get 24/7 multilingual support to help them plan their trip and receive advice.
Plans
AXA offers three basic plans for travel insurance:
- Silver
The clients get 100% reimbursement for trip cancelation and interruption, $25,000 for medical expenses, and $100,000 for medical evacuation. Additionally, the silver plan offers 24/7 travel assistance, concierge, and identity theft services, and clients can get reimbursed for trip delays and missed connections up to $500.
- Gold
As expected, the coverage amounts are higher with this travel insurance. USA residents get 150% for trip interruption, and medical expenses and evacuation have $100,000 and $500,000 limits. Additional benefits are non-medical emergency evacuation coverage of up to $50,000 and collision damage ($35,000).
- Platinum
This is the highest level of coverage, with amounts going up to $250,000 for medical expenses and $1,000,000 for medical evacuation.
If none of these plans suit your particular needs, you can always speak with an agent and get a specialized plan such as annual, international medical, backpacker, and student insurance.
Prices
One of the reasons AXA is one of the best travel insurance companies is the pricing. It’s one of the most affordable options on the market. A 30-year-old person who wants to spend seven days in France and purchases a $2,500 trip will pay between just $66 to $108 for travel insurance. The same prices apply to Mexico and Thailand trips. If you are going on a family vacation worth $5,000, the insurance will cost $190 to $310, depending on the plan.
What We Didn’t Like
The company’s website could use improvement. This is a widespread problem with international travel insurance companies, which have massive websites that cater to broad audiences. Perhaps it’s the norm, but it’s definitely a deterrent when you need information ASAP.
Our Verdict
Overall, AXA offers good travel insurance, and it’s no wonder that so many travelers prefer it. The low prices don’t hurt the service quality, and if you are on a budget but don’t want to compromise your safety, it’s a viable option.
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How Do We Choose the Best Travel Insurance (Methodology)
To make our recommendations, we’ve analyzed these key elements:
Trip Cancelation and Interruption Coverage
It’s one of the main reasons we buy travel insurance. This type of coverage reimburses clients for canceled, delayed, or interrupted trips, lost or delayed baggage, missed connections, and many other unexpected events. Depending on the plan, the amounts can go up to 150% reimbursement.
When buying insurance, you always want a plan that covers as many mishaps as possible. Of course, this almost always comes with a price, so the best grades went to the medical travel insurance offering the best coverage for the most reasonable amount.
Medical Coverage
It will cover your medical expenses in case of an unforeseen medical emergency. The coverage amounts depend on the plans you get and can go up to $250,000 for medical expenses and $1,000,000 for medical evacuation. One of the critical criteria was that the company provides pre-existing medical condition coverage. The companies that offer higher coverage for lower prices ranked better in our travel insurance comparison.
Specialized Plans and Benefits
Some companies go one step beyond and offer more than simple trip interruption and medical coverage. Some of the perks are 24/7 concierge service, multilingual global support, non-medical emergency evacuation in case of riots, natural disasters, etc. In addition, the best of the best cover hundreds of sports activities, give reimbursement for lost skiing or golfing days, and similar. So naturally, if we get more perks from travel insurance, the ratings rise accordingly.
Prices
Price is an important criterion for all of us, but price alone isn’t all that matters. We evaluated insurance based on the price-quality ratio — what services you get and for what price.
Summary
If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s that things can go wrong pretty quickly and unexpectedly. So it’s nice to have some sort of security. One of the ways to make sure that unexpected problems don’t ruin your vacation is by getting travel health insurance. USA residents have plenty to choose from, and there is no excuse for not getting one.
Travel is an investment. You are not only investing your money but also your time and effort to find what you need. It brings the benefits of calmness, relaxation, and recharging your energy levels, so you can see life more clearly. Like with any investment, it should be protected, and travel insurance lets you move through the world with confidence.
People Also Ask
The best travel insurances on the market are Generali Global, Allianz, AIG, AXA, World Nomads. They offer the highest coverage amounts, 24/7 global assistance, and affordable prices. It is hard to say which one is universally the best because it depends on your needs.
For instance, World Nomads is better suited for active and adventurous people. At the same time, Generali Global leans more towards family trips and providing comfortable vacations with perks like a Concierge Service.
Yes, AAA offers travel insurance, and you don’t have to be a member to buy it. The policies are written by Allianz Global Assistance. It is one of the largest insurance companies in the world, with more than 40 million customers in the US alone. The company offers a wide array of single-trip and annual travel insurance plans, but they differ a bit depending on the state you live in.
The best international travel insurance companies are Generali Global, Allianz, AIG, AXA, World Nomads, etc. Each of them offers excellent coverage, affordable prices, and unique perks. Some of these perks are designed for different types of users, so it’s best to go over the companies’ websites to see which insurance is best suited for you.
For instance, World Nomads is ideal for active and adventurous travelers. On the other hand, Generali Global is more suited for people who want concierge services and pre-approved medical facilities at their disposal.
You can buy insurance from insurance agents, a travel company that sold you your trip, other travel professionals, and even your credit card company. However, you should keep in mind that they often have a preferred insurer, so it will limit your choices. The best way to find good travel insurance that will fit your specific needs is to look around online, compare what the best travel insurance companies offer, and then choose one according to your preferences.
