Feb 1, 2022
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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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:
Providers | Type | Preexisting conditions | Quote for a one-week trip to Turkey (basic/comprehensive) |
AIG Travel Guard | Single trip or annual plan for multiple trips | Waived under set conditions | $65/$189 |
Allianz Travel Insurance | Single trip or annual plan for multiple trips | Waived under set conditions | $82/$173 |
American Express Travel Insurance | Single trip (sold as package or build-your-own) | Waived under set conditions | $59/$170 |
GeoBlue | Only medical. For a single trip, multiple trips or long term | Covered by most policies | $10/$19 |
IMG | Single trip or multiple trips (travel insurance and travel medical insurance options offered) | Waived under set conditions for travel insurance; covered but capped for single-trip travel medical insurance | $11/$135 |
Seven Corners | Single trip or annual plan for multiple trips | Waived for some plans under set conditions | $75/$126 |
Travelex Insurance | Single trip | Waived for some plans under set conditions | $93/$129 |
World Nomads | Single trip plans | Not covered for most benefits and no waiver offered | $72/$115 |
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.
Learn more about each provider.