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Travel Insurance

Best COVID travel insurance of 2024

Amy Fontinelle

Heidi Gollub

Heidi Gollub

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Updated 4:00 a.m. UTC April 1, 2024

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The best COVID travel insurance is Seven Corners’ Trip Protection Basic, according to our analysis of travel insurance plan rates and coverage options.

Editor’s note: This article contains updated information from a previously published story .

Seven Corners

Travel insured, usi affinity.

Why trust our travel insurance experts

Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of insurance products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.

  • 851 coverage details evaluated.
  • 161 rates reviewed.
  • 5 levels of fact-checking.

Top-rated travel insurance for COVID-19

Seven Corners

Top-scoring plan

Medical limit per person, emergency evacuation limit per person, what you should know.

Seven Corners’ Trip Protection Basic plan is the most affordable of all COVID travel insurance plans we analyzed. This 5-star plan comes with basic coverage levels for emergency medical and medical evacuation.

If you’d like higher coverage limits, consider Seven Corners’ Trip Protection Choice plan which gets 4 stars in our rating. It’s more expensive but comes with $500,000 per person in primary medical coverage and $1 million per person in medical evacuation coverage.

Pros and cons

  • A low cost option for COVID travel insurance.
  • “Cancel for any reason” and “interruption for any reason” upgrades available.
  • Average cost of a CFAR upgrade is lower than many competitors.
  • Basic plan has secondary emergency medical coverage, not primary.
  • No coverage for non-medical evacuation with Basic plan ($20,000 with Choice plan).

WorldTrips

Top-scoring plans

Medical evacuation limit per person.

WorldTrips has two COVID travel insurance plans that tie with 4.5 stars: Atlas Journey Preferred and Atlas Journey Premier.

The Preferred plan is more affordable and provides $100,000 per person in emergency medical benefits as secondary coverage, with an optional upgrade to primary coverage. Atlas Journey Preferred is also the best travel insurance for cruises .

The more expensive Premier plan comes with $150,000 in travel medical insurance that’s primary coverage.

  • Both plans have top-notch $1 million per person in medical evacuation coverage.
  • Each plan includes travel inconvenience coverage of $750 per person.
  • 12 optional upgrades, including destination wedding and rental car damage and theft.
  • No non-medical evacuation coverage.
  • “Interruption for any reason” upgrade is only available with the Premier plan and only offers up to 50% reimbursement if you want to end your trip early.

Travel Insured

Travel Insured’s Worldwide Trip Protector plan provides strong benefits overall for the price. It falls short of our emergency medical coverage benchmark but offers superior evacuation benefits at a competitive price.

  • Emergency medical evacuation coverage is a superior $1 million.
  • Excellent 75% “cancel for any reason” upgrade available.
  • Very good 75% “interruption for any reason” upgrade available.
  • Lost baggage and personal items coverage of $1,000 per person could be better.
  • Relatively low emergency medical coverage of $100,000.
  • Optional “Interruption for any reason” coverage doesn’t start until 72 hours into your trip.

AIG

Travel Guard Preferred from AIG allows you to customize your policy with a host of optional upgrades. These include “ cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage , rental vehicle damage coverage and bundles that offer additional benefits for adventure sports, travel inconvenience, quarantine, pets, security and weddings. There’s also a medical bundle that increases the travel medical benefit to $100,000 and emergency evacuation to $1 million.

  • Bundle upgrades allow you to customize your travel insurance policy.
  • Emergency medical and evacuation limits can be doubled with optional upgrade.
  • Base travel insurance policy has relatively low medical limits.
  • $300 baggage delay benefit requires a 12-hour delay.
  • Optional CFAR upgrade only reimburses up to 50% of trip cost.

USI Affinity

Emergency medical limit per person

USI’s Ruby plan meets our standards for emergency medical evacuation and healthcare coverage. Plan costs increase by an average of 50% when you add “cancel for any reason” coverage.

  • Good emergency medical primary coverage of $250,000 per person.
  • Great 75% “cancel for any reason” upgrade available at a competitive price.
  • $300 per person baggage delay and $1,000 baggage loss coverage are just okay.
  • No “interruption for any reason” upgrade available.
  • One of the higher-priced options among our top-rated plans.

Tin Leg

Tin Leg’s Gold plan provides plenty of medical and evacuation coverage to help you get health care if you catch COVID or have another medical problem during your trip. Plan costs increase by an average of 50% when you add “cancel for any reason” coverage.

  • Best-in-class emergency medical primary coverage of $500,000.
  • Optional 75% “cancel or any reason” upgrade available.
  • “Interruption for any reason” coverage isn’t available.
  • Subpar baggage delay ($200 per person) and baggage loss ($500 per person) coverage.
  • One of the more expensive options among our top-rated plans.

Compare the best COVID travel insurance plans

Methodology

Our insurance experts reviewed 851 coverage details and 161 rates to find the best COVID travel insurance plans. For this rating, we only scored travel insurance plans that cover COVID.

The benefits we scored out of a possible 100 points include:

Cost: 70 points. We scored the average cost for each COVID travel insurance policy with “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage for a variety of international trips and traveler profiles.

Emergency medical expense: 10 points.  We scored travel medical insurance by the coverage amount available. Travel insurance policies with travel medical expense benefits of $250,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 10 points.

Medical evacuation: 10 points. We scored each plan’s emergency medical evacuation coverage by coverage amount. Travel insurance policies with medical evacuation expense benefits of $500,000 or more per person were given the highest score of 10 points.

“Interruption for any reason” upgrade: 10 points. We gave travel insurance plans with the option of “interruption for any reason” coverage 10 points. This coverage allows you to end your trip early for any reason, including reasons not listed in your policy, and get reimbursed for a certain percentage of your prepaid expenses.

How to buy COVID-19 travel insurance

“Look for travel insurance that covers trip cancellation , trip interruption, emergency medical and emergency medical transportation ,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. A policy that provides epidemic-related coverage may reimburse you for costs associated with a canceled trip, travel delays, mandatory quarantines and being denied boarding due to suspected illness.

Plans that offer emergency medical coverage usually provide medical coverage for treating COVID-19, but you’ll want to read the policy to be sure.

Most travelers are surprised to learn about the 15-day review period that comes with many travel insurance policies, Durazo said. “Consumers should take the time to read their policy and call their provider with questions. If they don’t feel that their policy meets their needs, they can exchange it for a new product or cancel it for a full refund.”

Average cost of COVID travel insurance

The average cost of our top-scoring COVID travel insurance plans is $415 . By adding optional “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage, the average cost of COVID travel insurance rises to $615, an increase of 48%. 

CFAR coverage gives you the flexibility to cancel your travel plans for any reason, as long as you do so at least two days before your scheduled departure. When you cancel, you will typically be reimbursed up to 75% of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses. If you’re interested in adding CFAR coverage to your travel insurance plan, you usually need to do so within two to three weeks of making your first trip deposit. 

How much you pay for travel insurance will depend on factors such as how many travelers you’re insuring and their ages, your trip destination, trip length and total trip cost. On average, travel insurance costs 5% to 6% of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses, and adding CFAR coverage to your plan could increase the cost of travel insurance by about 50%.  

What travel restrictions are still in place?

Many travel restrictions that existed in the past three years due to COVID-19 are no longer in place. However, if a new, more dangerous variant emerges or if another infectious disease becomes a serious concern, national governments might reinstate previous restrictions such as requiring a negative virological test or proof of vaccination to enter the country. States and territories may have requirements that differ from national requirements.

Things are always changing, so it’s best to consult the official government website of the country you’re visiting and Travel.State.gov for the latest entry requirements and travel recommendations before booking your trip. Then, continue to check these websites as your trip date approaches to see if you’ll still be able to enter and leave your destination and re-enter the United States.

Quarantine reimbursement from travel insurance

Getting reimbursed by your travel insurance provider requires submitting documents that support your claim. Your policy should spell out what documents you’ll need. 

“Failure to get proper documentation for a claim will almost always delay processing of the claim,” said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. “Never assume that your insurance company will accept less than what they ask for. Call your insurance provider if you have questions about what documentation they’ll need to process your claim.”

In the case of a quarantine claim, you’ll typically need proof of getting infected with or being exposed to COVID-19, proof that you were required to quarantine, and invoices and receipts from any medical treatment and additional lodging costs. 

For coverage purposes, “a COVID diagnosis has to be from a licensed physician who determines that you can’t travel,” said Stan Sandberg, co-founder and CEO of TravelInsurance.com. “An at-home, self-administered COVID test won’t be enough to pursue a claim under a travel insurance policy.”

What does COVID-19 travel insurance cover?

“Most travel insurance providers today consider COVID like any other unexpected sickness for purposes of coverage,” said Sandberg.

If your plan does not exclude costs related to COVID-19, specific types of coverage under your plan can reimburse some or all of your expenses. These might include additional hotel nights, transportation, meals, medical care, flight changes and more. Here’s how different parts of a travel insurance policy would apply as it pertains to COVID.

  • Extension of coverage. Applies if you have to stay at your destination longer than planned because you get sick and have to quarantine or new travel restrictions emerge.
  • Travel delay. Applies if you or someone traveling with you gets sick or injured en route to, at or returning from your destination or if, say, an airline refuses to let you board because of suspicion of illness. 
  • Trip cancellation . Applies if you get sick before you leave for your trip and have to cancel the whole thing. Be sure to get a diagnosis from a licensed physician. 
  • “ Cancel for any reason ” upgrade. Applies if you decide you don’t want to travel because of a spike in COVID cases or national entry and exit requirements change. Not all plans offer this upgrade, and it can add quite a bit to the cost of your insurance.
  • Trip interruption. Applies if you have to interrupt your trip after reaching your destination — for example, if you have to fly home early because you or someone traveling with you gets sick.
  • “Interruption for any reason” upgrade. Applies if you miss part of your trip for a reason your policy doesn’t otherwise cover — for example, because you have to quarantine, but you don’t actually have COVID. Not all plans offer this upgrade.
  • Emergency medical treatment. Applies if you unexpectedly get COVID during your trip and need health care. Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded. Plan to pay out of pocket and wait for reimbursement.
  • Medical evacuation and repatriation . Applies if you need to be transported to the nearest adequate medical facility for treatment. If, God forbid, you should die of COVID during your trip, this coverage would reimburse you for costs associated with transporting your body back home.

What does COVID-19 travel insurance not cover?

“Most travel insurance providers that offer comprehensive policies have done a great job at accommodating COVID-related disruptions, providing reimbursement for events like quarantines and hospital stays,” said James Clark. Clark is a spokesperson for the travel-insurance comparison site Squaremouth, which is also the company behind Tin Leg and Cat 70 travel insurance. 

“However, there have been a handful of events that travel insurance simply does not cover,” Clark said. “During the height of the pandemic, when countries would close their borders for travel due to the coronavirus outbreak, many customers were unhappy that border closures were not covered by their standard trip cancellation policy.” 

“Policyholders that no longer wanted to travel due to negative test and face mask requirements were also unable to receive reimbursement through standard policies,” he said. “In order to receive reimbursement in these scenarios, a customer would have needed the ‘cancel for any reason’ upgrade.” 

That upgrade also covers “fear of travel,” which almost all travel insurance policies usually exclude, according to Clark. Canceling your trip out of fear of COVID infection or fear that the virus will disrupt your trip somehow is only covered by the CFAR upgrade, he explained.

Best COVID travel insurance FAQs

If you’re traveling within the United States or the U.S. territories, check with your health insurance company to see what coverage you get outside your state of residence. You may have coverage for emergency care and telehealth visits, but not for routine care. It’s also possible that your in-state plan may have arrangements with providers in other states that give you reduced rates.

With the end of the U.S. national emergency and public health emergency declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic ending in May 2023, group health plans and individual health insurance plans will no longer be required to cover COVID tests and testing-related services without cost-sharing or prior authorization. This, too, could mean an extra expense for you.  

Medicare usually does not pay for health care you receive abroad (unless you’re in a U.S. territory, or, in rare cases, near the border of Canada or Mexico ). 

Other U.S. health insurance may not cover international health care, either, or the health insurance deductible may be high. 

For these reasons, it’s important to choose a travel insurance policy with good emergency medical coverage — which usually has no deductible — when you’re traveling abroad.

Yes, as long as the policy covers COVID-19 and travel to the country or countries you visit. All of the travel insurance plans in our Best COVID travel insurance cover COVID.

Your travel insurance policy’s trip cancellation benefits will apply if you have to cancel your trip before you leave because you test positive for COVID-19. But you need to get diagnosed by a licensed physician if you hope to file a successful claim for your prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs like airfare and lodging.

Cruise travel insurance is just travel insurance that doesn’t exclude cruise-related issues or has additional cruise-specific benefits. If you’re going on a cruise and want COVID-19 coverage, make sure your travel insurance policy covers COVID-19 and has high coverage limits for emergency medical and emergency medical evacuation .

You should expect to spend your own money if you need proof of a negative COVID-19 test for travel because travel insurance does not cover predictable expenses. In some cases, such as when you’re recovering from a COVID infection, your health insurance or travel insurance may cover a doctor-ordered test.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Amy Fontinelle

Amy Fontinelle has more than 15 years of experience helping people make informed decisions about their money, whether they’re refinancing a mortgage, buying insurance or choosing a credit card. As a freelance writer trained in journalism and specializing in personal finance, Amy digs into the details to explain the products and strategies that can help (or hurt) people seeking greater financial security and wealth. Her work has been published by Forbes Advisor, Capital One, MassMutual, Investopedia and many other outlets.

Heidi Gollub is the USA TODAY Blueprint managing editor of insurance. She was previously lead editor of insurance at Forbes Advisor and led the insurance team at U.S. News & World Report as assistant managing editor of 360 Reviews. Heidi has an MBA from Emporia State University and is a licensed property and casualty insurance expert.

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The best Covid-19 travel insurance companies to protect yourself against the uptick in cases

Travel insurance can help if you have to cancel or cut a trip short due to covid..

thumbnail

Though the height of the pandemic may have passed, Covid-19 continues to be a consideration in everyday life. And that's especially true for those who are traveling or booking a trip.  

Getting sick on the road or having to cancel your vacation because of illness is a common concern. However, travel insurance can help you ensure you're covered. Many travel insurance policies consider Covid like they would any other illness, but not all. So, you'll still want to carefully read any travel insurance policy you're considering to make sure Covid isn't excluded. For the most comprehensive coverage, you'll want to opt for a plan with cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage.

To find the travel insurance policies best suited to handle Covid-related issues, CNBC Select looked at Covid coverage and limits for medical coverage and evacuation, among other factors. We found four standouts for the best Covid travel insurance policies. (See our methodology to learn more about how we created this list.)

Best Covid-19 travel insurance   

  • Best overall : AXA Travel Insurance  
  • Runner up : Nationwide Travel Insurance
  • Best for luxury travel : Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection  
  • Best for cancel for any reason coverage : Allianz Travel Insurance  

Best overall  

Axa assistance usa travel insurance.

The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

Policy highlights

AXA Assistance USA offers several travel insurance policies that include travel interruption, trip cancellation, and the option of cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage.

24/7 assistance available

  • Three tiers of plans available
  • Highly rated for financial strength
  • Cancel for any reason only available on highest-tier coverage

Who's this for?  AXA Travel Insurance is ideal for those seeking high coverage limits for emergency accident and sickness medical expenses, as well as emergency evacuations.

Standout benefits:  AXA's silver plan offers up to $25,000 of medical emergency accident and illness coverage and $100,000 of emergency evacuation coverage, higher than many of the base travel plans we compared. The company's gold and platinum plans offer higher limits, up to $250,000 of medical emergency coverage and $1 million of evacuation coverage. When comparing AXA policies, make sure you have the "Epidemic Coverage Endorsement" included.

[ Jump to more details ]  

Runner up   

Nationwide travel insurance.

Nationwide's wide coverage for travel insurance allows many different types of travelers to find coverage that fits their needs. Three levels of cruise insurance coverage gives extra options to cruise passengers.

  • 10-day review period on cruise insurance policies to make sure the plan meets your needs (not available in NY or WA)
  • Most basic cruise plan doesn't offer CFAR coverage

Who's this for?  Nationwide's travel insurance offers higher limits than many other base plans we reviewed, with limits of $75,000 for medical coverage and $250,000 of emergency evacuation coverage in its essential plan.  

Standout benefits:  Nationwide offers several plans tailored to different needs, including a cruise-specific travel insurance plan and an annual plan for frequent travelers.  

Best for luxury travel 

Berkshire hathaway travel protection.

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection has multiple plans to cover vacations from luxury travel to adventure travel. The brand's LuxuryCare offers the highest limits of travel insurance coverage offered by the company. Quotes and policies are available online.

  • Wide variety of policies available
  • Strong financial strength rating by AM Best
  • Cancel for any reason only provides reimbursement for up to 50% of non-refundable trip payments

Who's this for? Those considering expensive travel can find sufficient coverage with Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection that meets a variety of needs, including coverage for Covid if needed. 

Standout benefits:  Berkshire Hathaway's top-tier LuxuryCare Travel Insurance includes coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost for trip interruption coverage and $100,000 of medical expense coverage.  

Best for cancel for any reason coverage 

Allianz travel insurance.

10 travel insurance plans make it possible to customize your coverage. For families, Allianz's OneTrip Prime package covers children age 17 and younger when traveling with a parent or grandparent.

  • Trip cancellation benefits can reimburse your prepaid, nonrefundable trip payments if you have to cancel your trip for one of the covered reasons stated in your plan documents. 
  • Limited coverage for risky sports

Who's this for?  For those wanting the option to cancel for any reason (CFAR), Allianz Travel Insurance plans offer lots of different options, including CFAR add-ons.  

Standout benefits:  Allianz's Cancel Anytime upgrade can reimburse up to 80% of non-refundable trip costs for almost any unforeseeable reason not already covered by the policy. That's higher than most other CFAR coverage, which generally covers 70% to 75% of non-refundable trip costs. It's only available on the brand's OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier policies.  

More on our top Covid travel insurance companies 

Axa travel insurance  .

AXA offers three travel insurance plans starting at $16. Its silver plan, the lowest tier of coverage, offers high limits for emergency medical expenses at $25,000 and up to 100% of trip costs for trip interruption coverage. Many policies now include epidemic-related covered reasons.

CFAR coverage available?    

Yes, up to 75% of prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs 

24/7 assistance?   

[ Return to summary ]

Nationwide Travel Insurance 

Nationwide offers travel insurance plans for single trips, multi-trips and cruise-specific plans. The company has an A+ rating for financial strength from rating agency AM Best, and its most basic single trip and cruise plans offer a high limit of $75,000 of medical coverage.  

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection  

Berkshire Hathaway's travel coverage can be tailored towards the specific needs of cruise and luxury travelers, with options for higher coverage limits for medical coverage and trip interruption benefits.  

Yes, up to 50% of prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs 

Allianz Travel Insurance 

Allianz Travel Insurance stands out for those who want cancel for any reason coverage, as the percentage reimbursed is higher than other travel insurance providers we reviewed. For traveling families, the company's OneTrip Prime plan also offers free coverage for children ages 17 and younger with a parent's coverage.  

Yes, up to 80% of prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs through the optional Cancel Anytime upgrade 

Does travel insurance cover Covid?  

Travel insurance generally covers Covid-19 as it would any other illness. While fear of catching an illness isn't a cause for cancellation under most policies without a cancel for any reason (CFAR) add-on, being diagnosed with Covid-19 right before or during your trip could qualify you for cancellation, interruption or travel delay coverage.

As with any insurance coverage you're considering, read your travel insurance policy carefully to understand what it does and doesn't cover.  

What does travel insurance cover?  

Travel insurance can cover your trip expenses if you're unable to go due to an unforeseen, covered reason or face an illness or injury during your trip. It can also help in the event that you lose your bags or face delays in your itinerary. 

Bottom line  

If you find yourself coming down with Covid before or during a trip, travel insurance could help you recoup funds from a lost trip or cover medical bills while you're abroad. Look for a travel insurance plan with strong medical coverage and flexible cancellation options. 

Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.  Sign up here .

Why trust CNBC Select? 

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every travel insurance   review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of travel insurance   products .  To research the best travel insurance companies, we compiled over 100 data points on more than a dozen travel insurance companies. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See  our methodology  for more information on how we choose the best travel insurance.

Our methodology  

To determine the best Covid-19 travel insurance companies, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of travel insurance companies and compared them based on their Covid policies, and medical and evacuation coverage limits. 

While narrowing down the best travel insurance companies, we focused on Covid-19 coverage, availability of cancel for any reason coverage, and the limits of emergency medical coverage and emergency medical evacuation coverage. We also considered factors like whether 24-hour assistance was available, Better Business Bureau ratings, and financial strength ratings from AM Best .

Note that the premiums and policy structures advertised for travel insurance companies are subject to fluctuate in accordance with the company's policies.  

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards , banking and money , and follow us on TikTok , Facebook , Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.  

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How COVID-19 Travel Insurance Works

From weekend getaways to extended vacations, specialized covid-19 travel insurance can provide security if the virus affects your travel plans..

Amy Beardsley

3+ years writing about auto, home, and life insurance

7+ years in personal finance and technology

Amy specializes in insurance and technology writing and has a talent for transforming complex topics into easy-to-understand stories.

Read Editorial Guidelines

Featured in

Danny Smith

Licensed auto and home insurance agent

4+ years in content creation and marketing

As Insurify’s home and pet insurance editor, Danny also specializes in auto insurance. His goal is to help consumers navigate the complex world of insurance buying.

Updated September 18, 2023

Reading time: 4 minutes

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Table of contents

  • Pandemic insurance
  • What’s covered
  • Is it worth it?
  • Secure a policy

Travel lets you see new places, meet new people, and experience different cultures. But the lurking shadow of COVID-19 can make traveling uncertain. Almost half of canceled trips in 2020 were due to the virus, according to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association (UStiA). [1]

Travel insurance can help if something goes wrong before or during your trip, but not all policies cover COVID-19 issues. Let’s explore how COVID-19 travel insurance works and how it might — or might not — shield you on your next journey.

How pandemic travel insurance works

Most travel insurance policies include protections for trip cancellations, delays, or other trip interruption coverage. However, many policies don’t cover disruptions due to pandemics. [2] That’s where COVID travel insurance comes into play.

COVID travel insurance is a specialized policy that can refund your money if the virus throws a wrench into your plans. It typically has three coverage levels: coverage for a trip delay, canceling for any reason, and medical care if you get sick.

Travel delay coverage

Illness, injury, jury duty, and other circumstances beyond your control can delay your travel plans. Travel delay insurance covers flight issues, bad weather, sudden breakdowns, and unexpected illnesses or injuries that happen before reaching your destination. It can pay you back for non-refundable expenses and cover extra costs, too — like food, hotel rooms, or cab rides.

Cancel for any reason

Travel insurance policies typically have strict rules, but a cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) option offers more leeway, allowing you to cancel for reasons not covered in the original policy.

But with CFAR benefits, you might only get a partial refund amount. Reimbursements usually range from 50% to 75% of the total price. [2]

Medical coverage for COVID-19

If your health insurance is only valid in a specific area and doesn’t cover international travel, travel insurance with medical expenses coverage can fill the gap.

If medical insurance is included in your trip policy, it can help pay for medical attention and treatment costs if you, a family member, or another traveling companion becomes ill from COVID-19 before or during your trip.

Will travel insurance cover you if you need to quarantine?

Some travel protection plans cover quarantine or self-isolation due to COVID-19 concerns. It can reimburse you for lost prepaid expenses and cover additional lodging and meal costs. However, it depends on your policy and the conditions leading to the cancellation, delay, or disruption.

Protection often hinges on two factors:

Not all travel insurance plans include a pandemic as a covered reason. If COVID-19 was a significant public concern when you purchased the policy, insurers may not provide coverage because it’s a “foreseeable” threat. But some plans let you add COVID-19 coverage as an endorsement.

Even if you set out to buy COVID-19 travel insurance, it may not be available for your plan or location. Review your benefits and endorsement options to look for “pandemic” or “epidemic-related” language to see if COVID-19 is a covered event.

Is travel insurance worth it?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the COVID-19 public health emergency over in May 2023, but there’s still a risk of infection, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). [3] [4]

Your credit card’s travel protections are worth considering, but you may not want to rely on that alone. Credit cards often limit travel coverage, and most companies don’t include trip cancellation coverage. [5]

Travel delay benefits can fill the gap — especially benefits with COVID-19 coverage. Compare the policy cost against the potential loss if you have to cancel or delay your trip to determine if it’s worth it. The up-front payment for travel insurance is typically a fraction of what you might spend out of pocket if plans go south.

The CDC reports that medical bills in the first six months of a COVID-19 diagnosis average nearly $8,400. [6] Factor in non-refundable trip costs, accommodation charges, and other miscellaneous expenses, and the expenses can skyrocket.

How to find the best travel insurance

If you’re concerned about the pandemic and the potential effects on your travels, here are some tips to help you secure a policy with the best travel insurance plan:

Research coverage and services

Compare multiple companies and policies and read reviews to see others’ experiences.

Check for pandemic coverage

Not all policies cover travel disruptions from COVID-19. Review your coverage to make sure it specifically addresses pandemic reasons.

Buy medical coverage

Travel policies don’t automatically include medical emergencies. Consider adding medical travel insurance, and ask about emergency assistance coverage and medical evacuation in case of a natural disaster.

Consider a cancel-for-any-reason insurance policy

CFAR policies can be beneficial, especially with unpredictable pandemic-related concerns and travel restrictions.

Understand refund policies

Read the fine print and policy information to verify how the insurer handles refunds. Some policies might offer partial refunds.

COVID travel insurance FAQs

The COVID-19 virus has made travel plans tricky. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a month-long vacation, here’s what you need to know about COVID-19 travel insurance.

Will travel insurance cover COVID cancellations?

It depends. Standard travel insurance policies don’t cover COVID-19 or other pandemic-related reasons, but some travel insurance companies offer specialty COVID-19 coverage against the virus’ potential interference. If you cancel your trip due to the virus, a COVID travel insurance policy may provide refunds or reimbursements for your expenses.

Do you get your travel insurance premium refunded if you cancel your trip?

Travel insurance offers varying refund policies depending on the travel insurance company, but it doesn’t refund your premium. Instead, coverage can reimburse you for prepaid trip costs, meals, hotel rooms, or cab rides because of the interruption.

Will travel insurance cover quarantine outside the U.S.?

It’s possible. Travel insurance policies may cover quarantine or self-isolation expenses outside the United States due to COVID-19 concerns. However, coverage depends on your specific policy and the circumstances leading to the quarantine. It’s crucial to review the specific details and look for “pandemic” or “epidemic-related” language to ensure coverage.

How does COVID travel insurance differ from regular travel insurance?

Regular travel insurance often covers typical trip cancellations, interruptions, or delays. However, many don’t address pandemic-related disruptions. COVID travel insurance provides specialized coverage for travel hiccups related to the virus, ensuring you’re shielded financially if COVID-19 affects your journey.

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  • US Travel Insurance Association . " Consumers Spend $1.72B on Travel Protection in 2020, According to New UStiA Study ." Accessed September 13, 2023
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Amy is a personal finance and technology writer. With a background in the legal field and a bachelor's degree from Ferris State University, she has a talent for transforming complex topics into content that’s easy to understand. Connect with Amy on LinkedIn .

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Oct 26, 2021 • 5 min read

couple discussing over travel insurance and bills while using laptop at table.

COVID-19 has made it more important to check the health coverage on your travel insurance © Maskot/Getty Images

After 18 months of pandemic-related travel restrictions, you may be itching to act on your pent-up wanderlust⁠⁠—but the situation and the rules are still continuously evolving. So before you go anywhere, it’s best to have a travel insurance plan that protects the investment you’ve made in a long-awaited trip.

A robust travel insurance plan will reimburse pre-paid trip costs and non-refundable deposits if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip, encounter trip delays, experience baggage loss or require medical expense and medical evacuation. Your policy will also reimburse “covered reasons” in your plan, such as death, illness or injury, serious family emergencies, unplanned jury duty, military deployment, acts of terrorism, or your travel supplier going out of business.

But COVID-19 has added an additional checklist to your usual insurance needs⁠—it’s now important to check to ensure your travel insurance plan includes coverage for COVID-19 medical expenses, and losses related to illness. Your policy should also cover quarantine costs if you need to self-isolate after testing positive for the virus.

What do I look for in COVID-19 insurance coverage?

When you’re shopping for a travel insurance plan that covers COVID-19, you need to do your research and read the fine print of your plan. 

Look for a travel insurance product that will protect your non-refundable, prepaid expenses if you have to cancel your trip due to illness caused by COVID-19. Your policy should also cover emergency medical treatment and emergency medical transportation. With regard to COVID-19 coverage, be sure your policy covers medical care, medicine, hospitalization and quarantine expenses.

“The type of coverage you should look for depends on you, your needs, travel dates, and the type of trip you’re taking,” says Sasha Gainullin, CEO of battleface , a travel insurance carrier. He says some travel insurance companies have now excluded COVID-19 coverage because it has been labeled a “known/foreseeable event”, while others may exclude pandemics altogether.

“It’s important to search for plans that include medical and quarantine expenses as well⁠—this will be critical in the event you become ill and need to receive treatment while traveling,” continues Gainullin. 

One additional tip is to confirm there are no exclusions based on the destinations you’re traveling to⁠—this can happen with countries under government-issued travel warnings, Gainullin says.

“If a traveler feels uncertain, I recommend speaking with the travel insurance company directly. They can review the policy details with you, answer all of your questions, and confirm all of your required coverage options are included,” he adds.

Is getting coverage dependent on vaccination?

While it’s a good idea to be fully vaccinated before traveling, vaccination is not required to purchase a travel insurance policy, says Daniel Durazo, spokesperson with Allianz Partners USA.

What are the medical costs that are covered by travel insurance?

Travel insurance can cover the cost of both medical treatment and emergency medical transportation. A US health insurance plan, as well as Medicare, generally will not cover overseas medical expenses, so it’s best to check with your personal health insurance provider if any global coverage is available. 

“While losing the cost of a trip due to an unexpected cancellation would be painful, paying for expensive emergency medical treatment or emergency medical transportation can be financially devastating,” Durazo says.  

Under a travel insurance plan, medical costs could range doctor visits, pharmacy expenses, imaging costs and covering a hospital stay if required. Other expenses that can be covered are transportation to medical care and medicine.

Read more:  Will my health insurance cover getting COVID-19 while traveling in the US⁠⁠—or abroad?

What about covering an unexpected quarantine due to COVID-19?

Many international destinations are now requiring that visitors purchase travel insurance coverage for an unexpected quarantine. Allianz Travel Insurance has added coverage to many of its products that includes reimbursement for quarantine-related accommodations if you or a traveling companion is individually-ordered to quarantine while on their trip, says Durazo. 

This coverage typically covers the cost of additional food, lodging and transportation while quarantined. In addition, trip interruption and travel delay benefits on certain Allianz plans also provide coverage if you or your travel companion is denied boarding by your travel carrier due to suspicion of illness.

The benefits for quarantine coverage vary from carrier to carrier. For example, on select Trawick International plans, they offer $2,000 in quarantine benefits and for an additional charge, and you can increase it up to $7,000. 

What about pre-flight COVID-19 testing?

Your plan may provide coverage for flights if you are turned away at a border for not passing a health inspection. Foster says Trawick’s travel insurance plans that cover COVID-19 would cover the expenses if you could not pass your pre-health inspection.  Also, the plan would cover the costs of the failure of your PCR test to return to the United States, such as having to quarantine abroad. 

Doctor in protective workwear taking nose swab test from young woman.

It’s important to note that the actual cost of the PCR test is not covered by your policy, just the loss associated with the negative test.

Read more:  PCR tests for travel: everything you need to know

Some destinations require COVID-specific insurance coverage⁠—how do I comply with those restrictions? 

Before any international travel, you should check the country where you are headed to make sure you comply with insurance coverage requirements. Countries like Spain, Turks and Caicos and Thailand are among the nations that mandate COVID-19 insurance coverage.

“You first must check the countries’ specific COVID regulations for entry into the country. Some countries require travelers to provide proof of travel insurance that covers COVID-19 related expenses purchased from a third party,” explains Foster. Providing proof coverage is key; so travelers need to ensure they receive documentation from their insurance provider that their policy covers COVID-19 related expenses to show customs officials, she says.

Should you arrive in a country that requires proof of insurance to cover COVID-19 medical expenses and quarantine costs, and you don’t hold a policy, you will not be granted entry.

For more information on COVID-19 and travel, check out Lonely Planet's Health Hub .

You may also like:  What happens if I'm denied entry to a country on arrival? What is a vaccine passport and do I need one to travel? What is the IATA Travel Pass and do I need it to travel?

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Best COVID-19 Travel Insurance Plans for 2024

On This Page

  • Key takeaways

Compare the best COVID-19 travel insurance plans

Our picks for the best covid travel insurance of 2024, does travel insurance cover covid-19, is covid-related quarantine covered by travel insurance, is covid-19 travel insurance necessary in april 2024, what to look for in a travel insurance covid policy, how to purchase a covid-19 travel insurance plan, how to get quarantine reimbursement from your travel insurance company.

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Holly D. Johnson

  • Reports from the CDC show an increase in cases of COVID within the US and a spike in hospitalizations during the start of 2024. This makes COVID travel insurance all the more important as you plan your vacations for the new year.
  • Our findings show that the best COVID travel insurance plans come from Tin Leg, Travelex, Generali & Seven Corners ( skip ahead to view these plans ).
  • While almost all travel insurance companies now include coverage for COVID-19, not all plans are created equal.
  • Some insurance providers offer more coverage for COVID-related illnesses and higher expense limits than others.
  • The best COVID-19 travel insurance plans treat coronavirus-related illnesses the same as any other medical condition covered under the policy.
  • To find the best COVID travel insurance plan for you, we recommend using a comparison tool . We also cover our top picks for the best travel insurance policies for COVID below.

It seemed like COVID was starting to become a thing of the past until the new variant Eris , known technically as EG.5, started to appear in greater numbers last Summer.

According to Yale Medicine, the new COVID variant Eris is “ more transmissible or severe than previous Omicron sub-variants. ”

Data from the CDC shows the Eris variant accounted for more than 20.6% of new COVID cases in the U.S. by the end of August last year.

Similarly, a risk Evaluation from August 9, 2023, published by the CDC stated: “Based on its genetic features, immune escape characteristics, and growth rate estimates, EG.5 may spread globally and contribute to a surge in case incidence.”

The new year brings with it another subvariant, JN.1. The CDC reports that the JN.1 subvariant, is responsible for an estimated 3.5% of U.S. cases.

With this in mind, it’s important to ensure you and your trip are covered for COVID in case future travel is affected.

We compared some of the top policies for travel insurance with COVID coverage on the market today to identify plans with the most robust coverage and benefits.

Here are our recommendations for the best COVID-19 travel coverage for 2024:

Our top picks for the best covid-19 travel insurance

  • Travelex Insurance Services: Best COVID Coverage for Families & Adventure Travel
  • IMG: Best COVID Coverage for a Cruise
  • Tin Leg: Best for High Customer Satisfaction Ratings
  • Generali Global Assistance: Best for Active Travelers with Equipment
  • Faye Travel Insurance: Best for Customer Service

Gold

Best COVID Coverage for Families & Adventure Travel

Travelex insurance services, why we like it.

Editor's take

Travelex is another great company offering robust travel insurance plans.

What sets this provider apart is that it offers travel insurance coverage specialized or families where children ages 17 and under are covered for free with certain plans . This is a huge benefit for families on a budget.

Travelex also treats coronavirus as any other illness, meaning you are likely covered if you or a traveling companion tests positive for COVID before or during your trip. We recommend the Travel Select plan from Travelex for families or other traveling groups who want excellent coverage for COVID. This plan automatically includes children ages 17 and under listed alongside adults on the policy, and it comes with up to $50,000 in coverage for emergency medical expenses with no deductible and a 15-day pre-existing condition exclusion waiver.

If you are taking an adventure trip, it also covers things like: Climbing, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Rafting, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Swimming, etc.

Other important benefits include trip cancellation coverage worth up to 100% of the trip cost, trip interruption coverage worth up to 150% of the prepaid trip cost, trip delay coverage worth up to $2,000, $750 in coverage for missed connections, up to $500,000 in protection for emergency medical evacuation, and a baggage insurance plan.

Read our full review

  • Plans can be customized with upgrades
  • Children 17 and under included for free with some plans
  • Coverage for pre-existing medical conditions available
  • CFAR coverage is available as an add-on to a comprehensive travel insurance plan
  • Optional CFAR coverage only reimburses 50% of prepaid travel expenses, which is less than some competitors
  • Travel Select plan only has $50,000 in coverage for emergency medical expenses, which is lower than some competitors
  • The baggage delay benefit requires a 12-hour waiting period
  • CFAR coverage is not available with all Travelex plans

Best COVID Coverage for a Cruise

This plan is great for travelers of any age and offers extremely robust coverage for a low price. Depending on your trip parameters, this plan can work out to be hundreds of dollars cheaper than similar plans while still offering great coverage and a 10-day money-back guarantee.

As an example, you will be covered for up to $500,000 of primary emergency medical coverage, meaning you won’t have to pay first and wait to be reimbursed should you need unexpected medical treatment while traveling. IMG will pay the bills for you up to $500,000. You also get travel cancellation, interruption, and travel delay coverage as well as protection for baggage delays and baggage loss comes standard.

  • 10-day money back guarantee
  • Generous limits for trip delays, emergency evacuation, and more
  • 24/7 emergency travel assistance included
  • Coronavirus-related medical expenses covered
  • Rental car coverage included
  • Recently developed pre-existing conditions may not be covered
  • CFAR and IFAR coverage only available as an add-on with premium plans

Best for High Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Tin Leg

Tin Leg is known for offering high-quality travel insurance coverage for a reasonable price. The Gold plan is no different. This plan is a great option for an affordable travel insurance policy that covers COVID and ticks all the boxes. It has quite high limits, great inclusions, and usually comes in at an affordable price (depending on your specific trip details). Contrary to the USA Only plan, which we also listed, this plan is suitable for international travel!

Tin Leg is also one of the best providers of COVID-19 coverage due to their transparency regarding coronavirus and that most of their policies treat coronavirus as any other illness. They also have some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings around.

We recommend the Gold plan from Tin Leg for several reasons, including its generous coverage limits for emergency medical expenses. This plan comes automatically with trip cancellation and interruption coverage for coronavirus and other covered instances, as well as up to $500,000 in emergency medical expense protection with no deductible and up to $500,000 in coverage for emergency medical evacuation. Travelers also qualify for travel delay protection, baggage insurance, and insurance that protects against missed connections.

Other benefits include coverage for lost or delayed sports equipment and 24-hour travel assistance services.

  • Excellent primary coverage for medical expenses
  • High limit for emergency evacuation coverage
  • Optional cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage available
  • Comes with coverage for hurricanes and inclement weather
  • Coverage for pre-existing conditions is available if purchased within 14 days of the trip deposit
  • Baggage delay coverage requires a 24-hour waiting period
  • Low coverage limits for baggage and personal effects

Best for Active Travelers with Equipment

Generali global assistance.

Generali Global Assistance states that insured members who are diagnosed with COVID-19 before or during a trip and meet the requirements for coverage due to sickness can be covered for trip cancellation and interruption, travel delays, medical and dental expenses, emergency transportation services, and 24-7 travel emergency assistance. This provider also offers exceptional coverage for active travelers and sports enthusiasts who bring their own equipment on trips (more on this below).

The Premium plan from Generali Global Assistance offers exceptional coverages and high limits for coronavirus-related medical treatment and myriad other perils. For example, this plan comes with up to $250,000 in coverage for emergency medical expenses and up to $1 million in protection for emergency medical evacuation. Coverage for pre-existing medical conditions is also included along with rental car coverage.

Other perks include coverage for lost luggage and baggage delays, trip delay coverage worth up to $1,000 per person, and trip cancellation and interruption coverage. Finally, this plan offers special protections for active families who may travel with equipment like golf clubs or skis. As a special feature, insured members qualify for up to $2,000 in protection for sporting equipment and $500 per person in insurance for sporting equipment delays.

  • High coverage limits with top tier Premium plan
  • Some plans let you add on CFAR coverage
  • Pre-existing conditions covered in the Premium plan
  • Comes with 24-7 worldwide travel assistance services
  • The standard plan comes with low plan limits, including just $50,000 per traveler in medical and dental expense
  • CFAR coverage must be purchased within 24 hours of the initial trip deposit
  • A 12-hour waiting period is required for luggage delay coverage

Best for Customer Service

Faye Travel Insurance

Faye Travel Insurance

Faye is a new travel insurance disruptor that offers an innovative solution to travel insurance with a digital-first approach. What sets them apart is their user-friendly solution to a traditionally bureaucratic system. With Faye, users can manage everything online or via the Faye app – including the entire booking and claims process. Although it’s a newer provider in the travel insurance industry, Faye is already rising as a fan favorite among young, tech-savvy travelers and digital nomads who want quick, convenient, and reliable travel insurance without having to go through an agent.

Apart from their online-first approach, Faye is easy to use and caters to all types of travelers including those who may want help via phone support.

Another feature that sets Faye apart from the competition is their plan offerings. Faye offers one base plan with an array of comprehensive coverage and optional add-ons to customize your plan.

Potential Add-ons include:

  • Rental car care
  • Cancel for any reason
  • Vacation rental damage
  • Adventure & extreme sports

If you are looking for a convenient and cost-effective way to insure your vacation, consider opting for Faye travel insurance. *Note: Coverage limits and availability may vary by state of residence.

  • Friendly agents
  • Easy-to-use mobile app
  • Fast reimbursements for eligible claims
  • Prompt replies to questions
  • Long wait times for reimbursement
  • Difficulty reaching Faye outside of email & virtual chat

At the start of the pandemic, many travel insurance companies excluded COVID-19 as a covered illness. The good news is that most major insurance providers now offer travel insurance COVID plans standard when you book.

That said, some low-cost travel insurance plans and flight insurance may exclude coronavirus as a covered scenario. So, it’s always best to confirm coverage ahead of time.

Typically travel insurance COVID plans will cover emergency medical expenses relating to COVID and treat it as any other illness. Some COVID travel insurance will also offer you trip cancellation and interruption coverage as well. This is useful if you cut your trip short or cancel it altogether as a result of a COVID diagnosis.

The best COVID-19 travel insurance plans will also allow you to extend your trip due to quarantine and cover incidental expenses when the quarantine is under a doctor’s orders.

What isn’t covered by COVID travel insurance?

Despite most plans offering COVID-19 coverage, there are still COVID-related situations that are often not covered by these plans.

Here are a few different situations that typically do not qualify for reimbursement:

Pre-travel COVID tests

Many people may wonder – does insurance cover COVID testing for travel? The answer is no, not usually. If you become ill on your trip and get a COVID test done as part of a medical exam, this will typically be covered. However, pre-travel COVID tests are not usually covered by travel insurance or health insurance.

A physician advises you not to travel

Even if your physician advises you not to travel due to fears you may catch COVID-19, this is typically not a reason covered under travel insurance plans. If you end up canceling, they will ask you if your physician advised you not to travel. This is especially important to keep in mind for immunocompromised individuals like senior citizens looking for coverage.

Self-imposed quarantine during travel

Quarantine advised by a physician due to catching coronavirus is often covered under travel insurance plans. However, if you decide to quarantine abroad without a physician’s order or regulation from the local government, most travel insurance plans will not cover your expenses.

Fear of travel due to the pandemic or catching COVID

If you are traveling to an area where COVID is active and growing, you most likely won’t be able to cancel and be reimbursed based on fear of catching COVID alone. Being uneasy about traveling due to the pandemic is understandable. However, this is not a scenario covered under the majority of travel insurance plans.

Pro Tip: Opt for CFAR insurance if you are uneasy about traveling

If you’re worried you won’t want to travel or that the destination you’re visiting will experience a COVID-19 surge right before your arrival, protect yourself and your trip by purchasing a travel insurance policy with either trip cancellation insurance or an optional “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage . This type of plan gives you the option to cancel your trip for any reason at all, even if you simply decide it’s best to stay home.

Adding CFAR coverage to your travel insurance plan may make your policy cost up to 50% more, but you’ll usually get 50% to 75% of your prepaid travel expenses back if you cancel.

According to the insurance provider Squaremouth, most COVID-19 travel insurance policies cover quarantine in certain situations. For example, a policy may provide reimbursement or payment of travel expenses if a trip is interrupted by a quarantine ordered by a physician.

Squaremouth also notes that coverage for a trip delay can also apply if you are stuck in a COVID-related quarantine ordered by a physician and are unable to return home on the date and time you originally planned.

If you’re worried about having to quarantine due to coronavirus during your trip, make sure you clearly understand what is covered by your policy and when quarantine coverage applies.

Investing in COVID travel insurance is a still smart idea if you’re traveling far from home and are concerned about receiving adequate medical care when catching COVID-19 or having to cut a trip short due to COVID-related reasons.

Even though the pandemic has died down, it would be a foolish move to count COVID out of the equation. New variants are on the move coming in to 2024, and most travel insurance plans now cover you for COVID as a standard practice. So it’s a “no-brainer” to buy a cheap travel insurance plan that can reimburse you and offer you peace of mind while traveling.

To ensure you are covered, it’s important to seek out an insurance company that lists coronavirus as a covered medical condition in your policy such as the ones listed in this article.

It’s also a good idea to look for a plan that has adequate limits for:

  • emergency medical treatment
  • emergency medical evacuation

As you shop for travel insurance that covers COVID and other mishaps, make sure you carefully read over the fine print of every plan you’re considering.

When looking for a travel insurance policy, make sure to understand the following from the fine print:

  • The coverage limits on each type of insurance a plan provides
  • All exclusions, if any.

It’s also a good idea to make sure you have the following types of coverage in place:

Travel insurance that covers COVID quarantine

As you read over different policies and compare the best travel insurance for COVID on the market, look for each company’s specific benefits and how they apply if quarantine is required. Sometimes there are specific requirements for quarantine to ensure you get a reimbursement. You’ll want to make sure the plan also covers incidental expenses relating to extending your trip due to quarantine. These can typically be found as part of trip interruption or trip delay coverage.

Emergency Medical Coverage for COVID-19

Emergency medical expense coverage is arguably the most important type of travel insurance to have. This coverage is crucial for every trip, and that’s true whether you are worried about coronavirus or not.

Make sure you have adequate travel medical insurance that covers COVID if you’re traveling somewhere that your own health insurance is not accepted, even if it’s just over the border into Canada . Ideally, you’ll opt for a plan that has at least $100,000 in emergency medical coverage.

Insurance for medical evacuation & repatriation

It’s important to have coverage for emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. This is often included in the emergency medical coverage, but it’s best to double-check as some plans only cover the hospital fees (not evacuation or repatriation).

Evacuation protection can come into play if you have to be transported by ambulance, helicopter, or plane to receive adequate medical care. Meanwhile, repatriation of remains insurance can pay for the transportation of your body or a traveling companion’s body home upon death.

Also, consider how much protection your plan offers for emergency medical evacuation. This insurance is a crucial component of your plan since long-distance evacuation by ambulance, helicopter, or plane can become costly in a hurry. $1 million in coverage should be enough for trips abroad.

Trip cancellation benefits

Make sure your plan comes with trip cancellation benefits worth up to 100% of the prepaid trip costs. This type of insurance will let you cancel your trip for a covered reason, including if you become sick with COVID-19 before departure.

It’s also important to have trip cancellation insurance if you’re embarking on a cruise since COVID-19 can cause your cruise to leave late or not leave at all. See which cruise travel insurance plans we recommend.

Optional “Cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage

Many travel insurance plans let you add on CFAR coverage for an additional cost. This type of insurance lets you cancel your trip for any reason at all — even if you just decide it’s best to stay home. You’ll pay more for CFAR coverage, but you can get reimbursement for 50% to 75% of your prepaid trip costs with proper documentation.

Trip interruption coverage

This protection can reimburse you for some or all of your prepaid travel expenses when your trip is cut short or ruined post-departure.

Trip interruption insurance becomes even more crucial during trips abroad, such as when a physician orders you to quarantine mid-trip due to coronavirus. It can pay for the extra costs of extending your trip and reimbursement of some prepaid travel expenses if your trip is interrupted due to coronavirus or another covered reason.

Optional “Interruption for any reason” (IFAR) coverage

IFAR coverage takes trip interruption coverage a step further and lets you interrupt your trip for any reason at all and still be reimbursed. This could be related to the coronavirus, but your reasoning can be almost anything.

Like with CFAR coverage, IFAR protection costs more and you typically get 50% to 75% of your prepaid trip costs returned to you with proper documentation.

Travel delay coverage

Travel delay coverage can be useful for COVID-19 quarantine if your trip is delayed before you depart or you are delayed for your arrival home. Note: Quarantine must be prescribed by a physician for this coverage to apply.

If you’re planning to travel multiple times within a year, it may be worth getting annual travel coverage to cover all of your trips instead of just one. All annual travel coverages include medical coverage. However, other typical travel insurance benefits, such as trip cancellation or interruption coverage, may not be included.

Whether you plan to buy a comprehensive travel insurance plan for COVID from Travelex or you’re considering other providers like Tin Leg or Seven Corners, you’ll need to take the following steps to lock in coverage for your trip.

You can use the quick comparison tool by following these simple steps to receive a quote in minutes.

Calculate the total cost of your trip

You’ll need the total cost of your trip handy to make sure you choose the correct amount for potential reimbursement. Information to gather can include receipts for your prepaid travel costs such as transportation, lodging, tours, etc.

Enter your travel details in the search tool above

Begin the quote process by entering the travel dates for your trip and the country you plan to visit. You’ll be taken to step 2 on a separate page where you will enter the trip cost, and travelers’ ages, as well as the dates of your first payment.

Select the “Coronavirus Pandemic” filter

Once you reach the page with listed plans, you will see popular filters off to the left. Select the “Coronavirus Pandemic” filter to see only plans that cover COVID.

Compare travel insurance quotes & policies side-by-side

Finally, take the time to compare all the different travel insurance quotes presented to you. You can filter search results to look for specific policy benefits, or even to customize your coverage with select add-ons like rental car coverage or CFAR insurance.

First off, make sure you choose the right type of policy!

For example, interruption-only coverage can reimburse you, but only if you cancel after you have started the trip. If you get COVID and need to cancel the trip before leaving, then you will need to make sure you have trip cancellation coverage.

Additionally, how you are reimbursed depends on the type of policy you choose.

Some policies may require you to make upfront payments and wait to be reimbursed, whereas others may send you to a specific hospital of their choice where you aren’t required to make any upfront payments.

If you prefer to have the insurance company pay upfront, you’ll need to select a plan with “primary medical coverage.”

Regardless, insurance companies are notoriously strict about requiring documentation and proof of your reason for using your insurance policy.

Therefore, when it comes to receiving proper reimbursement from your travel insurance company in any scenario — including quarantine — you will want to make sure you keep and properly store every piece of documentation you receive.

This means it’s important to keep track of:

  • Test results
  • Doctor’s notes
  • Physician orders to quarantine
  • Any other paperwork given to you while you’re receiving medical care or under quarantine orders.

If you have all of this information handy, you’ll receive faster reimbursement for travel expenses related to quarantine. If you fail to keep this documentation and cannot retrieve it, on the other hand, your claim may be denied.

Keep in mind that it may take several weeks or months to receive an answer to your claim. Having all of your documentation in order ahead of time will speed up the process.

Traveling during the pandemic: Best practices

  • Look for COVID-19 travel restrictions by destination.

Check the U.S. Department of State website for information on country-specific travel restrictions regarding coronavirus. This government resource lists a range of information for each country around the world, including the ongoing threat level and any travel restrictions in place due to the pandemic, such as if you’re required to have international travel insurance with coronavirus coverage to enter the country.

  • Invest in COVID trip insurance.

Purchasing travel insurance is worth it to gain considerable peace of mind as well as financial protection before you depart on a trip. Some countries even require you to have international travel insurance that covers COVID-19, whereas others leave the choice up to you.

  • Wear a mask for extra protection.

If you’re worried about contracting coronavirus during your trip, it never hurts to wear a mask when you’re in a crowded space. For example, you can plan to wear a mask on planes and public transportation, or when you’re visiting crowded restaurants, museums, and other high-traffic areas. This can be particularly helpful on trips to populous cities, such as when visiting Tokyo, Japan .

  • Expect the unexpected.

Finally, remember that a lot has changed within the travel landscape since COVID came around. You may need to keep your travel plans flexible and have an open mind. This way you can enjoy a worry-free trip and rest assured you’re covered if you get sick.

According to the travel website KAYAK , as of September 2024, all countries have reopened their borders to vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers except Turkmenistan.

That said, we recommend that you research entry requirements for the country you hope to visit.

The new variant Eris has been growing worldwide, especially in the U.S. and Asia.

Will my trip be covered if I cancel because of getting COVID-19?

It depends on your insurance plan. Some travel insurance plans offer a cancellation benefit that applies if you have to cancel a trip due to any illness, including COVID-19. However, you will need to prove your positive status with a letter from a physician for this coverage to apply.

Can I cancel my trip due to a CDC Alert and still be reimbursed?

Some travel insurance plans let the insured use their trip cancellation benefit when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues a Level 4: “Do Not Travel” advisory, yet this isn’t always the case. If you want to be able to cancel a trip due to updates from the CDC, make sure you add optional CFAR coverage to your travel insurance plan.

Can I cancel my trip due to government restrictions or lockdowns and still be reimbursed?

This depends on your insurance policy. Some insurance policies allow you to cancel a trip and get reimbursed for prepaid travel expenses due to government lockdowns. A good example of this is Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR). Double check if your plan covers government travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

Am I covered if I miss my flight because of airport delays from COVID-19?

Many travel insurance policies offer protection for missed connections and various travel delays. Read over the terms and conditions in the fine print to see if your policy covers missed flights due to coronavirus. If you purchased flight insurance directly from the airline you’re flying with, be sure to check with them to make sure COVID related delays and cancellations are covered.

Does insurance cover COVID testing for travel?

In almost every case, travel insurance doesn’t cover home testing for COVID-19. However, your plan’s emergency medical expense benefit may cover testing in a hospital or another medical facility during a trip.

Does my travel insurance policy cover me if I cancel an upcoming trip because I am concerned about COVID-19?

Fear of traveling due to COVID-19 is not covered by travel insurance. If you want to be able to cancel due to fears of contracting coronavirus, make sure you select a plan that comes with optional CFAR protection.

If I am forced to quarantine overseas due to COVID-19, will my coverage be extended through these dates?

Many travel insurance plans include coverage for quarantine due to coronavirus, and your plan may be extended automatically if you are participating in a physician-ordered quarantine overseas.

Make sure to read over the details of your policy before you travel so you know for sure.

Can I get a refund on my policy if my trip was canceled because of COVID-19?

Trip cancellation benefits do not lead to a refund of the price you paid for your COVID travel insurance policy. Instead, they provide reimbursement for travel expenses you have already paid for, such as flights, hotel stays, and tours.

Will COVID-19 coverage increase the cost of my travel insurance policy?

They are many factors that determine how much travel insurance costs . These include but are not limited to trip cost, age of travelers, coverage limits, pre-existing conditions, deductible amount, and adding on additional coverages.

Coverage for COVID related scenarios isn’t an additional add-on, it is a normal coverage that either is or is not included in a policy based on provider. The inclusion of this coverage should not directly influence the price of your plan.

Does my health insurance cover international travel?

US-based health insurance policies will not be valid when you travel abroad to other countries. Therefore, you will need to pay for any medical procedures or care you receive during your vacation. Travel insurance, particularly one that covers COVID, is therefore essential should you travel outside of the US.

Holly D. Johnson

Holly D. Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer who covers topics like insurance, investing, credit and family finance. As a leading voice in the travel and loyalty space, Johnson has traveled with her family to more than 50 countries over the last decade.

The author has also written extensively on the power of household budgeting, and she even co-authored a book on the topic. Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You’ll Love was originally published in 2017, and it teaches families how to use zero-sum budgeting to reach their financial goals. She is also the co-owner and founder of the family finance and travel website, ClubThrifty.com.

Johnson’s 10+ years of writing have focused on helping families make important financial decisions at each stage of their lives. The author also applies the financial principles she teaches to her own life, and she is currently on track to retire in her late 40’s with her partner. She currently lives in Central Indiana with her husband and children, and she is a regular contributor for Bankrate, CNN, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report Travel and many other notable publications.

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Choose the plan that meets your needs and spend more time enjoying your international experience not worrying about your insurance coverage.

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What type of coverage do you need?

Vacation / holiday, visitor / immigrant, student / scholar, employer / business traveler, expat / global citizen, mission / social good, marine captain / crew.

  • Flights / Airfare
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Travel Medical Insurance

Temporary coverage for accidents, sicknesses, & emergency evacuations when visiting or traveling outside of your home country.

Popular Plans

International health insurance.

Annually renewable international private medical insurance coverage for expats and global citizens living or working internationally.

Travel Insurance

Coverage designed to protect you from financial losses should your trip be delayed, interrupted, or cancelled.

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Meet your duty of care obligations with confidence, knowing your travelers are safe, healthy, and connected wherever they may be in the world.

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You’ll have experts to guide you through all things related to your health care plan needs, from enrollment to claim reimbursement.

COVID-19 & The Need for Travel Insurance

itravelinsured product set

Travel Insurance to Protect Your Trip & Your Health

Travel insurance has always been there to protect you and your trip expenses from the unexpected, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 truly shed a light on how quickly travel plans can change and how important it is to have the proper coverage in place.

While COVID-19 restrictions, limitations, and requirements differ across the world and can change frequently, having travel insurance that offers protection and treats COVID-19 diagnosis the same as any other illness is essential. What if you test positive for COVID-19 right before your trip? During your trip? What if you have to extend your trip due to quarantine?

If you are looking for a travel protection plan that will cover you in the event a COVID-19 diagnosis disrupts your travel plans, check out IMG's iTravelInsured Travel Series or get a quote today.

Family in masks at airport

Travel Insurance to Meet COVID-19 Concerns

There are several ways a positive COVID-19 test can negatively impact your travel plans both before and during your travels, which makes having a travel protection plan in place critical. IMG's iTravelInsured travel protection plans can provide benefits for trip cancellation, trip interruption, and travel delay specifically caused by a COVID-19 diagnosis and/or a quarantine requirement. Below are some examples that could result in a payable claim due to COVID-19. *

Flight Insurance Benefits

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Getting Sick Before You Leave

Your bags are all packed, you’re ready to go, and even if it isn’t required for your destination, you take a COVID-19 test before leaving for the vacation you’ve been looking forward to for months. When the test comes back positive, you contact your physician and realize you have to cancel your trip. With an iTravelInsured travel insurance plan, you can be reimbursed your prepaid, non-refundable insured trip expenses, up to the maximum benefit amount, as long as a physician determines at the time of cancellation that you are not able to travel due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

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Your Traveling Companion Gets Sick

What if you are traveling for vacation, to visit loved ones, or for other reasons and the person you are traveling with is the one to test positive for COVID-19? With a travel protection plan, you may have trip cancellation or trip interruption benefits that reimburse you as long as a physician has determined at the time of cancellation/interruption that your traveling companion is not able to travel or continue traveling due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

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Getting Sick While You’re Traveling

You are a couple of days into a journey across Europe when you wake up one morning with a fever and a dry cough. Because these are both symptoms of COVID-19, you take a COVID-19 test which comes back positive. Thankfully, you purchased a plan with trip interruption benefits prior to leaving for your trip, which means you can be reimbursed for your unused, prepaid payments or deposits for the travel arrangements made for your trip, plus the additional transportation cost paid, if a physician determines at the time of interruption that you are not able to continue traveling due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

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You Have to Quarantine While Traveling

If you test positive for COVID-19 while traveling, it’s bad enough that your trip plans have been ruined, but you may be required to quarantine past the day you expected to return home, thus being forced to extend your trip. If you have an iTravelInsured plan, you can be reimbursed for additional hotel and meal expenses you incur due to a travel delay because of a quarantine as long as a physician or government authority has ordered you to quarantine under strict medical isolation, confined 24/7 throughout its duration.

Popular Plans Ideal for Vacationers & Business Travelers

iTravelInsured Travel SE

iTravelInsured Travel SE

  • Family-friendly plan for domestic and international destinations
  • Trip cancellation maximum benefit up to 100% of trip cost
  • Trip interruption maximum benefit up to 150% of trip cost
  • Up to $125 per day per person to a maximum benefit of $2,000 for trip delay
  • $500,000 maximum benefit for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains

Plan Benefits

The iTravelInsured Travel SE program is our most popular plan for domestic and international destinations. Travel Insurance benefits are available whether traveling on a cruise, tour or vacation abroad.

iTravelInsured Travel LX

iTravelInsured Travel LX

Robust plan with optional cancel and interruption for any reason benefits

  • Up to $250 per day per person, $2,500 maximum benefit for trip delay 
  • $1,000,000 maximum benefit for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains
  • Optional Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) / Interruption for Any Reason (IFAR) add-on benefit available  (Additional cost and terms apply)

The iTravelInsured Travel LX plan provides the highest levels of benefits of all iTravelInsured® plans for the most discerning travelers. Cancel and Interruptions for Any Reason (CFAR) can be purchased as an optional upgrade. This plan provides a variety of benefits and can be ideal for travelers going to remote and exotic locations worldwide.

Additional Travel Insurance Plans

iTravelInsured Essential

iTravelInsured Essential

Limited travel protection with cost effective coverage

iTravelInsured Travel Sport

iTravelInsured Travel Sport

Trip cancellation and interruption coverage for sport or adventure travel

iTravelInsured Travel Lite

iTravelInsured Travel Lite

budget-level plan for price-conscious travelers.

This advertisement contains highlights of the plans, which include travel insurance coverages underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company under form series T7000 et. Al., T210 et. al. and TP-401 et. al. The Crum & Forster group of companies is rated A (Excellent) by AM Best 2022. C&F and Crum & Forster are registered trademarks of United States Fire Insurance Company. The plans also contain non-insurance Travel Assistance Services provided by iTravelInsured. Coverages may vary and not all coverage is available in all jurisdictions. coverages are subject to the terms, limitations and exclusions in the plan, including an exclusion for pre-existing conditions. Benefits and limits may vary by state of residence and not all plans are available in all states. In most states, your travel retailer is not a licensed insurance producer/agent, and is not qualified or authorized to answer technical questions about the terms, benefits, exclusions, and conditions of the insurance offered or to evaluate the adequacy of your existing insurance coverage. CA DOI toll free number: 800-927-4357. The cost of your plan is for the entire plan, which consists of both insurance and non-insurance components. Individuals looking to obtain additional information regarding the features and pricing of each travel plan component, please contact International Medical Group 9200 Keystone Crossing Suite 800 Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA. [email protected]. +1 (317) 655-9796. iTravelInsured Insurance Services CA Non-Resident Producer License No. 0F17093.

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cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

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The best travel insurance policies and providers

Katie Genter

It's easy to dismiss the value of travel insurance until you need it.

Many travelers have strong opinions about whether you should buy travel insurance . However, the purpose of this post isn't to determine whether it's worth investing in. Instead, it compares some of the top travel insurance providers and policies so you can determine which travel insurance option is best for you.

Of course, as the coronavirus remains an ongoing concern, it's important to understand 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. Others will take coverage a step further, covering additional types of pandemic-related expenses and cancellations.

Know, though, that 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 travel warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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 add-on that's available for some comprehensive policies. While you'll pay more for that protection, it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason and still get some of your costs back. Note that this benefit is time-sensitive and has other eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

In this guide, we'll review several policies from top travel insurance providers so you have a better understanding of your options before picking the policy and provider that best address your wants and needs.

The best travel insurance providers

To put together this list of the best travel insurance providers, a number of details were considered: favorable ratings from TPG Lounge members, the availability of details about policies and the claims process online, positive online ratings and the ability to purchase policies in most U.S. states. You can also search for options from these (and other) providers through an insurance comparison site like InsureMyTrip .

When comparing insurance providers, I priced out a single-trip policy for each provider for a $2,000, one-week vacation to Istanbul . I used my actual age and state of residence when obtaining quotes. As a result, you may see a different price — or even additional policies due to regulations for travel insurance varying 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 the ability to examine sample policies. Here are three plans for my sample trip to Turkey.

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AIG Travel Guard also offers an annual travel plan. This plan is priced at $259 per year for one Florida resident.

Additionally, 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, AIG Travel Guard may waive the preexisting medical condition exclusion on some plans if you meet the following conditions:

  • You purchase the plan within 15 days of your initial trip payment.
  • 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.
  • 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 younger) with each paying adult for no additional cost on most single-trip plans.
  • Other optional upgrades, including an adventure sports bundle, a baggage bundle, an inconvenience bundle, a pet bundle, a security bundle and a wedding bundle, are available on some policies. 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 most highly 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.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

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 last no more than 45 days, although some plans may cover trips of up to 90 days.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

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

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

  • You purchased the policy within 14 days of the date of the first trip payment or deposit.
  • You were a U.S. resident when you purchased the policy.
  • You were medically able to travel when you purchased the policy.
  • 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.
  • Allianz offers reasonably priced annual policies for independent travelers and families who take multiple trips lasting up to 45 days (or 90 days for select plans) per year.
  • Some Allianz plans provide the option of receiving a flat reimbursement amount 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 the company: 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 and 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 weeklong trip to Turkey. Unlike some other providers, Amex won't ask for your travel destination on the initial quote (but will when you purchase the plan).

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Amex's build-your-own coverage plan is unique because 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.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

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 is only available for your first 60 days of travel.

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:

  • You must be medically able to travel at the time you pay the policy premium.
  • You pay the policy premium within 14 days of making the first covered trip deposit.
  • Amex's build-your-own coverage option allows you to only purchase — and pay for — the coverage you need.
  • Coverage on long trips doesn't cost more than coverage for short trips, making this policy ideal for extended getaways. However, the emergency medical and dental benefit only covers your first 60 days of travel.
  • American Express Travel Insurance can protect travel expenses you purchase with Amex Membership Rewards points in the Pay with Points program (as well as travel expenses bought with cash, debit or credit). However, travel expenses bought with other types of points and miles aren't covered.

Purchase your policy here: American Express Travel Insurance .

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 U.S. (although it doesn't need to be provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield), but all of them only offer coverage while traveling outside the U.S.

Two single-trip plans are available if you're 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.

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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.

cheapest covid 19 travel 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.

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

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

  • 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 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.

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

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

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

Most plans may cover preexisting conditions under set parameters 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.

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

  • Some annual multi-trip 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.

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

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 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 they 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).
  • Travelex's Travel Select policy can cover trips lasting up to 364 days, which is longer than many single-trip policies.
  • Neither Travelex policy requires receipts for trip 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. Here are the policies that are most applicable to travelers on a single international trip.

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

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

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 travel 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.
  • 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 interruption for any reason coverage to RoundTrip plans. Although some other providers offer cancel for any reason coverage, trip interruption 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 flexibility 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.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

World Nomads has a page dedicated to coronavirus coverage , so be sure to view it before buying a policy.

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.

  • World Nomads' policies cover more adventure sports than most providers, so activities such as bungee jumping are included. The Explorer policy covers almost any adventure sport, including skydiving, 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 nonmedical 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

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

This guide details the policies of eight providers with the information available at the time of publication. There are many options when it comes to travel insurance, though. To compare different policies quickly, you can use a travel insurance aggregator like 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 needs.

You can also 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: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?

Is travel insurance worth getting?

Whether you should 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, buying an annual multi-trip policy may be worth it.

What is the best COVID-19 travel insurance?

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

There are various aspects to keep in mind in the age of COVID-19. Consider booking travel plans that are fully refundable or have modest change or cancellation fees so you don't need to worry about whether your policy will cover trip cancellation. 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 the fear of traveling due to COVID-19.

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 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 has eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

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

Likewise, if your primary health insurance won't cover you while 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 coronavirus-related evacuation.

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

What are the different types of travel insurance?

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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 reimburse 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 per incident or per day.
  • Lost/damaged baggage protection may provide reimbursement to replace lost or damaged luggage and items inside that luggage. However, valuables and electronics usually have a relatively low maximum benefit.
  • Trip delay reimbursement may provide reimbursement for necessary items, food, lodging and sometimes transportation 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 subpar 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 renting a car. This waiver may reimburse 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.

Should I buy travel health insurance?

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

If you purchase travel with credit cards that provide various trip protections, you may not see much 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. Your domestic policy may not cover you outside the U.S., though, so it's worth calling the number on your health insurance card if you have coverage questions. If 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.

How much does travel insurance cost?

Travel insurance costs depend 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 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 or become even higher if you include add-ons like cancel for any reason protection.

The best way to determine how much travel insurance will cost is to 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.

When and how to get travel insurance

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

For the most robust selection of available travel insurance benefits — including time-sensitive add-ons like 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 toward 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.

You must purchase coverage 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.

Additionally, you can't buy any medical coverage once you 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 to 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. Before buying a plan, 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 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.

If you're looking to cover a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition, select a policy with a preexisting condition waiver and fulfill the requirements for the waiver. After all, buying insurance won't help if your policy 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 .

U.S. News takes an unbiased approach to our recommendations. When you use our links to buy products, we may earn a commission but that in no way affects our editorial independence.

9 Best Travel Insurance Companies of April 2024

According to our analysis of more than 50 travel insurance companies and hundreds of different travel insurance plans, the best travel insurance company is Travelex Insurance Services. In our best travel insurance ratings, we take into account traveler reviews, credit ratings and industry awards. The best travel insurance companies offer robust coverage and excellent customer service, and many offer customizable add-ons.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Travelex Insurance Services »

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Allianz Travel Insurance »

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

HTH Travel Insurance »

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Tin Leg »

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

AIG Travel Guard »

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Nationwide Insurance »

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Seven Corners »

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Generali Global Assistance »

Berkshire hathaway travel protection ».

Why Trust Us

U.S. News evaluates ratings, data and scores of more than 50 travel insurance companies from comparison websites like TravelInsurance.com, Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip, plus renowned credit rating agency AM Best, in addition to reviews and recommendations from top travel industry sources and consumers to determine the Best Travel Insurance Companies.

Table of Contents

  • Travelex Insurance Services
  • Allianz Travel Insurance

Travel insurance can help you protect the financial investment you made in your vacation when unexpected issues arise. Find the best travel insurance for the type of trip(s) you're taking and the coverages that matter most to you – from interruptions and misplaced belongings to illness and injury.

  • Travelex Insurance Services: Best Overall
  • Allianz Travel Insurance: Best for Trip Interruptions
  • HTH Travel Insurance: Best for Groups
  • Tin Leg: Best Cost
  • AIG Travel Guard: Best for Families
  • Nationwide Insurance: Best for Last-Minute Travel Insurance
  • Seven Corners: Best for 24/7 Support When Traveling
  • Generali Global Assistance: Best for Medical Emergencies
  • Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection: Best for Specialized Coverage

Customizable upgrades are available, including car rental coverage, additional medical insurance and adventure sports coverage

Medical and trip cancellation maximum are not as high as some other companies

  • 100% of the insured trip cost for trip cancellation; 150% for trip interruption
  • Up to $1,000 in coverage for lost, damaged or stolen bags and personal items; $200 for luggage delays
  • $750 in missed connection coverage
  • $50,000 in emergency medical and dental coverage
  • Up to $500,000 in emergency medical evacuation and repatriation coverage

SEE FULL REVIEW »

Annual and multitrip policies are available

Distinguishing between the company's 10 travel insurance plans can be challenging

  • Up to $200,000 in trip cancellation coverage; $300,000 in trip interruption coverage
  • $2,000 for lost, damaged or stolen luggage and personal effects; $600 for bag delays
  • Up to $1,600 for travel delays
  • Emergency medical coverage of up to $75,000
  • Epidemic coverage

Generous coverage at the mid- and high-tier levels, and great group discounts

Preexisting conditions coverage is only available at mid- and high-tier plans

  • 100% trip cancellation coverage (up to $50,000); 200% trip interruption coverage
  • Up to $2,000 in coverage for baggage and personal effects; $400 in baggage delay coverage
  • Up to $2,000 in coverage for trip delays; $1,000 for missed connections
  • $500,000 in coverage per person for sickness and accidents

Variety of plans to choose from, including two budget-friendly policies and several more premium options

More limited coverage for baggage issues than other companies

  • 100% trip cancellation protection; 150% trip interruption
  • $500 per person for lost, stolen or damaged baggage and personal items
  • Up to $2,000 per person in travel delay coverage ($150 per day); $100 per person for missed connections
  • $100,000 per person in emergency medical coverage, including issues related to COVID-19

Travel insurance policy coverage is tailored to your specific trip

Information about policy coverage inclusions is not readily available without first obtaining a quote

  • Trip cancellation coverage for up to 100% of your trip's cost; trip interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost
  • Up to $2,500 in coverage for lost, stolen or damaged baggage; $500 related to luggage delays
  • Up to $1,000 in missed connection and trip delay coverage
  • $100,000 in emergency medical coverage

Variety of plans to choose from and coverage available up to a day before you leave on your trip

Limited trip cancellation coverage even at the highest tier

  • Trip cancellation coverage up to $30,000; trip interruption coverage worth up to 200% of the trip cost (maximum of $60,000)
  • $2,000 for lost, damaged or stolen baggage; $600 for baggage delays
  • Up to $2,000 for trip delays; missed connection and itinerary change coverage of $500 each
  • $150,000 for emergency medical and dental issues

Customer service available 24/7 via text, Whatsapp, email and phone

Cancel for any reason coverage costs extra

  • 100% trip cancellation coverage (up to between $30,000 and $100,000 depending on your state of residence); interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost 
  • Lost, stolen or damaged baggage coverage up to $2,500; up to $600 for luggage delays
  • Trip delay and missed connection coverage worth up to $1,500
  • Emergency medical coverage worth up to between $250,000 and $500,000 (depending on where you live)

Generous emergency medical and emergency evacuation coverage

Coverage for those with preexisting conditions is only available on the Premium plan

  • 100% reimbursement for trip cancellation; 175% reimbursement for trip interruption
  • $2,000 in coverage for loss of baggage per person
  • $1,000 per person in travel delay and missed connection coverage
  • $250,000 in medical and dental coverage per person

In addition to single-trip plans, company offers specific road trip, adventure travel, flight and cruise insurance coverage

Coverage for missed connections or accidental death and dismemberment is not part of the most basic plan

  • Trip cancellation coverage worth up to 100% of the trip cost; interruption coverage worth up to 150% of the trip cost
  • $500 in coverage for lost, stolen or damaged bags and personal items; bag delay coverage worth $200
  • Trip delay coverage worth up to $1,000; missed connection coverage worth up to $100
  • Medical coverage worth up to $50,000

To help you better understand the costs associated with travel insurance, we requested quotes for a weeklong June 2024 trip to Spain for a solo traveler, a couple and a family. These rates should help you get a rough estimate for about how much you can expect to spend on travel insurance. For additional details on specific coverage from each travel insurance plan and to input your trip information for a quote, see our comparison table below.

Travel Insurance Types: Which One Is Right for You?

There are several types of travel insurance you'll want to evaluate before choosing the policy that's right for you. A few of the most popular types of travel insurance include:

COVID travel insurance Select insurance plans offer some or a combination of the following COVID-19-related protections: coverage for rapid or PCR testing; accommodations if you're required to quarantine during your trip if you test positive for coronavirus; health care; and trip cancellations due to you or a family member testing positive for COVID-19. Read more about the best COVID-19 travel insurance options .

Cancel for any reason insurance Cancel for any reason travel insurance works exactly how it sounds. This type of travel insurance lets you cancel your trip for any reason you want – even if your reason is that you simply decide you no longer want to go. Cancel for any reason travel insurance is typically an add-on you can purchase to go along with other types of travel insurance. For that reason, you will pay more to have this kind of coverage added to your policy.

Also note that this type of coverage typically only reimburses 50% to 80% of your nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses. You'll want to make sure you know exactly how much reimbursement you could qualify for before you invest in this type of policy. Compare the best cancel for any reason travel insurance options here .

International travel insurance Travel insurance is especially useful when traveling internationally, as it can provide medical coverage for emergencies (in some cases for COVID-19) when you're far from home. Depending which international travel insurance plan you choose, this type of travel insurance can also cover lost or delayed luggage, rental cars, travel interruptions or cancellations, and more.

Cheap travel insurance If you want travel insurance but don't want to spend a lot of money, there are plenty of cheap travel insurance options that will offer at least some protections (and peace of mind). These are typically called a company's basic or standard plan; many travel insurance companies even allow you to customize your coverage, spending as little or as much as you want. Explore your options for the cheapest travel insurance here .

Trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance Trip cancellation coverage can help you get reimbursement for prepaid travel expenses, such as your airfare and cruise fare, if your trip is ultimately canceled for a covered reason. Trip interruption insurance, on the other hand, kicks in to reimburse you if your trip is derailed after it starts. For instance, if you arrived at your destination and became gravely ill, it would cover the cost if you had to cut your trip short.

Trip delay insurance can help you qualify for reimbursement of any unexpected expenses you incur (think: lodging, transportation and food) in the event your trip is delayed for reasons beyond your control, such as your flight being canceled and rebooked for the next day. You will want to save your receipts to substantiate your claim if you have this coverage.

Lost, damaged, delayed or stolen bags or personal belongings Coverage for lost or stolen bags can come in handy if your checked luggage is lost by your airline or your luggage is delayed so long that you have to buy clothing and toiletries for your trip. This type of coverage can kick in to cover the cost to replace lost or stolen items you brought on your trip. It can also provide coverage for the baggage itself. It's even possible that your travel insurance policy will pay for your flight home if damages are caused to your residence and your belongings while you're away, forcing you to return home immediately.

Travel medical insurance If you find yourself sick or injured while you are on vacation, emergency medical coverage can pay for your medical expenses. With that in mind, however, you will need to find out whether the travel medical insurance you buy is primary or secondary. Where a primary policy can be used right away to cover medical bills incurred while you travel, secondary coverage only provides reimbursement after you have exhausted other medical policies you have.

You will also need to know how the travel medical coverage you purchase deals with any preexisting conditions you have, including whether you will have any coverage for preexisting conditions at all. Read more about the best travel medical insurance plans .

Evacuation insurance Imagine you break your leg while on the side of a mountain in some far-flung land without quality health care. Not only would you need travel medical insurance coverage in that case, but you would also need coverage for the exorbitant expense involved in getting you off the side of a mountain and flying you home where you can receive appropriate medical care.

Evacuation coverage can come in handy if you need it, but you will want to make sure any coverage you buy comes with incredibly high limits. According to Squaremouth, an emergency evacuation can easily cost $25,000 in North America and up to $50,000 in Europe, so the site typically suggests customers buy policies with $50,000 to $100,000 in emergency evacuation coverage.

Cruise insurance Travel delays; missed connections, tours or excursions; and cruise ship disablement (when a ship encounters a mechanical issue and is unable to continue on in the journey) are just a few examples why cruise insurance can be a useful protection if you've booked a cruise vacation. Learn more about the top cruise insurance plans here .

Credit card travel insurance It is not uncommon to find credit cards that include trip cancellation and interruption coverage , trip delay insurance, lost or delayed baggage coverage, travel accident insurance, and more. Cards that offer this coverage include popular options like the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card , the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and The Platinum Card from American Express . 

Note that owning a credit card with travel insurance protection is not enough for your coverage to count: To take advantage of credit card travel insurance, you must pay for prepaid travel expenses like your airfare, hotel stay or cruise with that specific credit card. Also, note that credit cards with travel insurance have their own list of exclusions to watch out for. Many also require cardholders to pay an annual fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best time to buy travel insurance is normally within a few weeks of booking your trip since you may qualify for lower pricing if you book early. Keep in mind, some travel insurance providers allow you to purchase plans until the day before you depart.

Many times, you are given the option to purchase travel insurance when you book your airfare, accommodations or vacation package. Travel insurance and travel protection are frequently offered as add-ons for your trip, meaning you can pay for your vacation and some level of travel insurance at the same time.

However, many people choose to wait to buy travel insurance until after their entire vacation is booked and paid for. This helps travelers tally up all the underlying costs associated with a trip, and then choose their travel insurance provider and the level of coverage they want.

Figuring out where to buy travel insurance may be confusing but you can easily research and purchase travel insurance online these days. Some consumers prefer to shop around with a specific provider, such as Allianz or Travelex, but you can also shop and compare policies with a travel insurance platform. Popular options include:

  • TravelInsurance.com: TravelInsurance.com offers travel insurance options from more than a dozen vetted insurance providers. Users can read reviews on the various travel insurance providers to find out more about previous travelers' experiences with them. Squaremouth: With Squaremouth, you can enter your trip details and compare more than 90 travel insurance plans from 20-plus providers.
  • InsureMyTrip: InsureMyTrip works similarly, letting you shop around and compare plans from more than 20 travel insurance providers in one place. InsureMyTrip also offers several guarantees, including a Best Price Guarantee, a Best Plan Guarantee and a Money-Back Guarantee that promises a full refund if you decide you no longer need the plan you purchased.

Protect your trip: Search, compare and buy the best travel insurance plans for the lowest price. Get a quote .

When you need to file a travel insurance claim, you should plan on explaining to your provider what happened to your trip and why you think your policy applies. If you planned to go on a Caribbean cruise, but your husband fell gravely ill the night before you were set to depart, you would need to explain that situation to your travel insurance company. Information you should share with your provider includes the details of why you're making a claim, who was involved and the exact circumstances of your loss.

Documentation is important, and your travel insurance provider will ask for proof of what happened. Required documentation for travel insurance typically includes any proof of a delay, receipts, copies of medical bills and more.

Most travel insurance companies let you file a claim using an online form, but some also allow you to file a claim by phone or via fax. Some travel insurance providers, such as Allianz and Travel Insured International, offer their own mobile apps you can use to buy policies and upload information or documents that substantiate your claim. In any case, you will need to provide the company with proof of your claim and the circumstances that caused it.

If your claim is initially denied, you may also need to answer some questions or submit some additional information that can highlight why you do, in fact, qualify.

Whatever you do, be honest and forthcoming with all the information in your claim. Also, be willing to provide more information or answer any questions when asked.

Travel insurance claims typically take four to six weeks to process once you file with your insurance company. However, with various flight delays and cancellations due to things like extreme weather and pilot shortages, more travelers have begun purchasing travel insurance, encountering trip issues and having to submit claims. The higher volume of claims submitted has resulted in slower turnaround times at some insurance companies.

The longer you take to file your travel insurance claim after a loss, the longer you will be waiting for reimbursement. Also note that, with many travel insurance providers, there is a time limit on how long you can submit claims after a trip. For example, with Allianz Travel Insurance and Travelex Insurance Services, you have 90 days from the date of your loss to file a claim.

You may be able to expedite the claim if you provide all the required information upfront, whereas the process could drag on longer than it needs to if you delay filing a claim or the company has to follow up with you to get more information.

Travel insurance is never required, and only you can decide whether or not it's right for you. Check out Is Travel Insurance Worth It? to see some common situations where it does (and doesn't) make sense.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Holly Johnson is an award-winning content creator who has been writing about travel insurance and travel for more than a decade. She has researched travel insurance options for her own vacations and family trips to more than 50 countries around the world, and has experience navigating the claims and reimbursement process. In fact, she has successfully filed several travel insurance claims for trip delays and trip cancellations over the years. Johnson also works alongside her husband, Greg, who has been licensed to sell travel insurance in 50 states, in their family media business.

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6 Best Travel Insurance with COVID-19 Coverage in Singapore (2024)

kames.narayanan@moneysmart.com

COVID-19 might be the last thing on your mind…but it could be the first thing to ruin your next trip. Whether you end up quarantined overseas or have to cancel the holiday entirely, there are plenty of ways COVID-19 could make a vacation go awry. And that’s before you consider things like lost luggage, flight delays , getting pickpocketed, and more.

Good news—there’s an easy way out. Before you jet off to your  dream travel destination , don’t forget to purchase  travel insurance . Covering you for your potential travel disruptions, travel insurance is the next most important thing besides your flight ticket!

Most insurance providers have added COVID-19 coverage to their travel insurance plans, but to varying extents. Some have COVID-19 as an optional add-0n that you have to purchase. Coverage wise, some providers offer far better COVID-19 protection than others.

Find out how to choose, what to look out for, and the cheapest travel insurance you can buy with our comparison of the best travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage  in Singapore and their ongoing promotions. Promotions are generous this Apr 2024— you could even win a Rolex Oyster Perpetual , 124200 34mm Silver (worth S$9,000), all-expenses paid trip, or a 2D1N staycation!

Best Travel Insurance in Singapore with COVID-19 Coverage (2024)

  • Best travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage

Bubblegum Travel Insurance

  • FWD travel insurance
  • Starr travel insurance
  • MSIG travel insurance
  • Singlife travel insurance
  • Etiqa travel insurance
  • Cheapest travel insurance in Singapore
  • Does travel insurance cover COVID-19?
  • How do I choose the best travel insurance policy with COVID-19 coverage?
  • What do I do if I test positive for COVID-19 during or after travelling?

1. Best travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage

With the sheer number of travel insurance providers out there, it can be overwhelming to compare everything against everything else. We know that pain, because that’s exactly what we’ve just done.  Wipe away those tears of exasperation— we’ve done the legwork for you and picked out the top 6 travel insurance plans in Singapore:

Why are these the top 6? We’ve compared them based on affordability, COVID-19 cover inclusion, emergency medical coverage, and trip cancellation coverage. (If you’re an adventure seeker, that’s more niche—refer to this article for all the best travel insurance for extreme sports and outdoor adventure instead.)

Ready to dive into the deets? We compared the coverage and prices of most popular  travel insurance plans with COVID-19 coverage in Singapore. So if you’re looking for a specific type of coverage for your travel needs, e.g. high trip cancellation coverage, this is a better summary table for you to work with:

Note: All travel insurance options above are before promotional discounts are applied. Unless otherwise stated, all include COVID-19 coverage.

Back to top

2. Bubblegum Travel Insurance

Bubblegum Travel Insurance  is a great option if you’re looking for fuss-free, essential coverage at affordable rates. Bubblegum’s travel insurance model is simple, offering just one travel insurance plan. Here are its pricing and coverage benefits:

If fuss-free, essential travel insurance is your top priority, we think Bubblegum is a great option for you. Their travel insurance is all-inclusive with coverage for travel cancellation, travel delay and COVID-19 at no additional cost. And if you’re a thrill-seeker looking at adventurous activities, Bubblegum Travel Insurance will also cover you for hot air ballooning, scuba diving and skiing, with no restriction on height or depth.

Bubblegum travel insurance promotion

Bubblegum logo

Total Premium

[Receive your cash as fast as 30 days*]   •  Enjoy 10% off  your policy premium and 2,400 My Millennium Points (worth S$16) with every policy purchased. •  Additionally, receive up to S$25 via PayNow with eligible premiums spent.  T&Cs apply.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Key Features

Bubblegum offers just 1 affordable plan to suit all your travel needs to maximise your savings

Overseas medical expenses up to $150,000 SGD (Covid-19 sub-limit of $65,000 included)

24-Hour global Emergency Assistance services including Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation

Covid-19 trip related cancellation/curtailment up to $600 SGD included

Adventurous activities like scuba diving and hot air ballooning are covered with no limit on depth or height.

Bubblegum is currently offering a 10% discount on all their travel insurance plans. That means you can cover a 7-day trip to ASEAN with just $38—about $5+ a day!

Truth is, the discount is even greater when you consider the fact that Bubblegum will also give you cashback when you purchase Bubblegum travel insurance:

  • Get $15 Cash via PayNow when you buy a Bubblegum Travel Insurance plan with a premium of $80 to $119.99
  • Get $25 Cash via PayNow when you buy a Bubblegum Travel Insurance plan with a premium of $120 and above

No matter how much your premium is, you’ll also receive an Eskimo Global 1GB eSIM worth USD7 —again, no minimum premium required.

3. FWD Travel Insurance 

FWD travel insurance offers some of the cheapest travel insurance plans in Singapore, so this is a budget-friendly option which still offers you great value for every dollar. I like that coverage for emergency medical evacuation is unlimited for all tiers, and overseas medical expenses go up to a generous $1,000,000 (which is about as high as it gets).

Here’s a quick run-through of the price and benefits offered by FWD travel insurance plans:

When you’re purchasing FWD travel insurance, the COVID-19 benefits are an add-on. The price of the COVID-19 add-on costs between $11 to $22  depending on the part of the world you’re travelling to. If you choose to add it on, it’ll give you comprehensive coverage of the following:

  • Trip disruption
  • Trip cancellation
  • Overseas hospital cash
  • Hospital cash while in Singapore
  • Medical expenses
  • Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation

The plan reimburses your travel-related expenses if you are diagnosed with COVID-19 no more than 30 days before your scheduled departure date, or if you have to change your itinerary because of a COVID-19 diagnosis while overseas. You also get to claim medical expenses and a hospital cash benefit if you get hospitalised overseas or for up to 14 days in Singapore upon your return.

On top of that, there’s also an automatic policy extension of up to 21 days should you be prevented from travel as per foreign government regulations due to:

  • You contracting COVID-19; or
  • You or your travel companion needing to be self-isolated due to being in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19

Read the full T&Cs of FWD’s COVID-19 coverage .

FWD travel insurance promotion

FWD logo

[ Win a Rolex, Dream Vacation & More!   | MoneySmart Exclusive]   Enjoy 25% off your policy premium and 2,400 My Millennium Points (worth S$16) with every policy purchased.  T&Cs apply.   BONUS:  For a limited time only, stand a chance to score over S$10,000 worth of prizes in our Grand Draw . • Rolex Oyster Perpetual - 124200 34mm Silver (worth S$9,000) • All Expenses Paid Trip • 2D1N Staycation at any Millennium Hotels and Resorts and 15,000 My Millennium Points (worth up to S$550)   Increase your chances of winning when you refer friends  today. T&Cs apply.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Enjoy cashless medical outpatient treatment in Singapore, access to emergency assistance and your travel policy documents through the FWD SG app!

Add on coverage for COVID-19 available for both Single & Annual Trips for travel period of 90 days or less.

Optional add on coverage available when your trip is cancelled for any reason for Single Trips. (To be purchased within 7 days of your initial trip deposit for your trip).

Plan Highlights

Covid-19 protection, leisure activities.

Currently, you can take 25% off the prices for all FWD travel insurance tiers. That brings the rate for a 7-day ASEAN trip down to $25 to $42, or just $3+ to $6 a day !

We haven’t gotten to the really good part yet. Purchase FWD Premium , FWD Business , or FWD First travel insurance and stand a chance to win over $10,000 worth of prizes in our Grand Draw ! Prizes include:

  • Rolex Oyster Perpetual – 124200 34mm Silver (worth S$9,000)
  • All Expenses Paid Trip
  • 2D1N Staycation at any Millennium Hotels and Resorts and 15,000 My Millennium Points (worth up to S$550)

Promotions valid till 7 Apr 2024 (Prizes 2 and 3) / 30 Apr 2024 (Prize 1).

4. Starr Travel Insurance

Starr’s travel insurance   Starr TraveLead Comprehensive is a leader in terms of how customisable their insurance is. When signing up, medical coverage (including COVID-19 coverage) is automatically included in all plans, but you can choose whether or not you want to add trip coverage (e.g. document loss, travel delay) and baggage coverage (e.g. baggage delay). Then, you can also easily add riders for Golf Protection, Cruise Vacation, Scuba Diving, and Snow Sports.

Starr TraveLead Comprehensive comes in 3 tiers: Gold , Silver and Bronze . While all are pretty comprehensive (as the name suggests), we advise you go for at least Silver . This affords you $500,000 overseas medical coverage, as well as $30,000 medical coverage for COVID-19 and $250 coverage for COVID-19 related trip curtailments and cancellations. You won’t get the COVID-19 trip curtailment/cancellation coverage in the Bronze plan, which only offers $15,000 for COVID-19 medical coverage. Better be safe and  go for Silver or Gold.

Here are the prices and coverage amounts for each tier. Prices are given with trip coverage included in the plan.

Note: Starr also has a travel insurance called Starr TraveLead Essential, which also comes in Bronze , Silver and Gold tiers. They look very attractive because of their low prices—for example, Starr TraveLead Essential Bronze costs just $20 for a 7-day trip to an ASEAN destination.

However, unless you’re on a really tight budget, I wouldn’t recommend these plans because of their more limited coverage. For example, while the Starr TraveLead Essential Bronze plan does cover you for $200,000 worth of overseas medical expenses (which is already the bare minimum), it doesn’t cover you at all for trip cancellation and loss/damage of baggage. Neither do the Silver or Gold tier plans.

Starr Travel Insurance promotion

Starr logo

Starr TraveLead Comprehensive Silver

[ Win a Rolex, Dream Vacation & More!   | MoneySmart Exclusive]   • Enjoy 42% off your policy premium and 2,400 My Millennium Points (worth S$16) with every policy purchased. • Additionally, receive up to S$45 via PayNow OR 1 x Apple AirTag (worth S$45.40) with eligible premiums spent.  T&Cs apply.    BONUS:  For a limited time only, stand a chance to score over S$10,000 worth of prizes in our Grand Draw . • Rolex Oyster Perpetual - 124200 34mm Silver (worth S$9,000) • All Expenses Paid Trip • 2D1N Staycation at any Millennium Hotels and Resorts and 15,000 My Millennium Points (worth up to S$550)    Increase your chances of winning when you refer friends  today. T&Cs apply.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

For Cruise to nowhere insurance: Find out more here

Flexible coverage allows you to create a travel insurance plan with different types of coverage and add-ons that can adapt to your needs

Overseas Covid-19 related medical expenses of up to $30,000 SGD included (Excluding China).

Covid 19 Trip related cancellation/curtailment up to $250 SGD included (Excluding China).

Covers Travel Expenses for return of Child(ren) during the hospitalisation of the insured person.

No sublimit or restriction on outpatient expenses and number of visits

24 hours Global Emergency Assistance Services help you when you need it most, connecting you with medical treatment and transportation

Seamless and Cashless claims via PayNow

Please note that travelling to Russia and Ukraine is not covered in Starr’s insurance with immediate effect.

With the ongoing 42% discount promotion on Starr travel insurance, prices are very affordable. Coverage for a week-long ASEAN trip is just $24+ ($3+ a day), while a trip of the same duration to countries like USA costs $30+ ($4+ a day).

The best part? Purchase Starr TraveLead travel insurance of any tier and stand a chance to win over $10,000 worth of prizes in our Grand Draw ! Prizes include:

5. MSIG Travel Insurance

MSIG travel insurance is categorised into 3 plans— Standard , Elite , and Premier . The cheapest, basic plan still offers pretty adequate coverage in medical emergencies and trip cancellations or delays.

Here’s a quick run-down of the plan’s key benefits:

One more unusual area of coverage that MSIG includes is emergency dental expenses. You get $5,000 to $15,000 in coverage, depending on the travel insurance tier you select.

MSIG’s Areas A and B refer, roughly speaking, to ASEAN and Asia respectively. Here’s a more comprehensive list of the countries in each category:

  • Area A : Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam
  • Area B : Australia, China (excluding Inner Mongolia and Tibet), Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and including countries in Area A
  • Area C : Worldwide

MSIG Travel Insurance’s COVID-19 coverage is an automatic inclusion to its travel insurance plans and offers the following coverage:

  • Trip cancellation, postponement, shortening, disruption
  • Replacement of traveller
  • Overseas medical expenses
  • Emergency medical evacuation
  • Overseas quarantine daily cash allowance

This is quite a decent list of benefits, but do note that daily hospital cash allowance is missing from the list.

MSIG travel insurance promotion

MSIG logo

MSIG TravelEasy Standard

[Receive your cash as fast as 30 days*]   •  Enjoy up to   40% off  your policy premium and 2,400 My Millennium Points (worth S$16) with every policy purchased. •  Additionally, receive up to S$45  via PayNow OR 1   x Apple AirTag  (worth S$45.40) with eligible premiums spent.  T&Cs apply.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

COVID-19 coverage of up to $150,000 medical cover and up to $1,500 travel inconvenience benefit for your trip protection.

Packaged tour coverage for insolvency of licensed travel agencies registered with the Singapore Tourism Board (includes NATAS registered travel agencies).

Get covered across all TravelEasy Plan types with a high limit of S$1,000,000 for emergency medical evacuation & repatriation

MSIG provides cover for insolvency of licensed travel agencies registered with the Singapore Tourism Board (includes NATAS registered travel agencies)

Currently, you can take 40% off all MSIG travel insurance plans with their ongoing promotion. That means your 7-day ASEAN trip now costs just $37 to $70 to cover compared to $62 to $116.

On top of the 40% discount, you’ll receive lots of goodies with your MSIG travel insurance purchase:

  • Guaranteed cashback of up to $42 cash via PayNow or 2 AirTags worth up to $90.80
  • The chance to win $188 cash (1 winner daily) or a Samsonite Apinex Spinner worth $600 (2 winners weekly)
  • Complimentary Eskimo Global 1GB eSIM worth USD7 with every policy purchased

Promotion valid till 25 Feb 2024.

6. Singlife Travel Insurance

Singlife travel insurance comes in 3 tiers— Lite , Plus , and Prestige . The price you pay and the coverage you’ll get increase with each plan.

Here are Singlife travel insurance’s key prices and benefits:

On top of the coverage above, Singlife also covers you for chiropractor and/or chinese physician treatment : $250 ($50 per visit) for Lite, $500 ($75 per visit) for Plus, and $1000 ($100 per visit) for Prestige.

As far as COVID-19 coverage goes, here’s a quick run-down:

  • Emergency medical evacuation, repatriation
  • Overseas quarantine allowance
  • Trip cancellation, postponement, interruption

While Singlife travel insurance’s coverage for non-COVID medical expenses, travel delay and trip cancellation is comprehensive, we have to dock some points for the lack of overseas hospital cash allowance and pretty low COVID-19 trip cancellation coverage.

Also, do note that the lowest tier, Lite, doesn’t come with certain coverage, such as trip cancellation or postponement for any reason and COVID-19 overseas quarantine allowance.

Singlife travel insurance promotion

Singlife logo

Singlife Travel Plus

[Receive your cash as fast as 30 days*]    •  Enjoy up to 28% off  your policy premium and 2,400 My Millennium Points (worth S$16) with every policy purchased. •  Additionally, receive up to S$30  via PayNow with eligible premiums spent.  T&Cs apply.    [Singlife Promotion] Get up to S$100 UNIQGIFT vouchers from Singlife with Annual multi-trip plan purchased. T&Cs apply.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Covers trip cancellation for any reason, T&Cs apply.

Covers trip interruptions or cancellations due to COVID-19 and cover your medical treatment should you contract COVID-19 whilst overseas.

Payout of up to S$150** should your trip be affected by excessive rainfall.

**For single trips (minimum 3 days) where more than 50% of trip duration is affected by rainfall levels of >6.4mm in a 24-hour period.

Seamless claims experience with PayNow

It’s a win-win situation—get 25% off your Singlife travel insurance premiums these goodies thrown in:

  • Guaranteed cashback of up to $20 in cash via PayNow
  • Complimentary Eskimo Global 1GB eSIM  worth USD7 with no minimum premium required

Promotion valid till 29 Feb 2024.

7. Etiqa Travel Insurance

Do you hate making travel insurance claims? I do. That’s why when a friend of mine told me that you don’t need to make any claim on Etiqa to receive compensation for your flight delay, I was very intrigued.

I’ve been fortunate—all my recent flights have left on time. But from what I’ve heard from friends who weren’t as lucky on their recent travels, it’s true that Etiqa has the most seamless claim process for flight delays . All you need to do is enter your flight details when purchasing your insurance. Etiqa will monitor your flight and know if your flight is delayed (to count as a delay, it needs to be pushed back at least 3 consecutive hours). If that happens, they’ll transfer money into your Etiqa TiqConnect eWallet—even if you don’t submit a claim! You can then encash that sum via PayNow.

On top of this travel delay claim benefit, Etiqa also provides flight check-in reminders and baggage belt collection details via SMS when you land. Now that’s what I call service.

Etiqa’s travel insurance is called Tiq Travel Insurance  and comes in 3 tiers: Tiq Entry , Tiq Savvy , and Tiq Luxury . Here are their costs and coverage components:

Tiq Entry is sufficient to give you essential coverage for travel disruptions. But if you’ve just a little more to spend, go for Tiq Savvy . This will more than double your coverage limit for overseas medical expenses from $200,000 to $500,000 for just an additional $5 a week—that’s less than $1 a day.

Tiq by Etiqa logo

Comprehensive COVID-19 add-on, protecting you before, during and after your trip

Covers Cruise to Nowhere

Get paid upon a 3-hour flight delay, even without submitting a claim

Instant claims encashment via PayNow

24-hour worldwide emergency travel support

The only disadvantage to Tiq travel insurance is that COVID-19 coverage is not included in the base price and you’ll have to pay for their optional  COVID-19 Add-On to be covered. Some people might say this is an advantage—it gives you a greater degree of flexibility to decide if you want to have COVID-19 coverage or not, especially as COVID-19 becomes less and less prevalent. However, the fact remains that you need to pay extra for it compared to travel insurance plans where COVID-19 coverage is already included.

Here’s how much the COVID-19 Add-On will cost for a 7-day trip:

To be covered for travel disruptions and medical expenses related to COVID-19, you’ll need to add the costs above to the base Tiq travel insurance prices.

Etiqa travel insurance promotion

Comprehensive Covid-19 add-on, protecting you before, during and after your trip

Enjoy  45% off Tiq Single Trip Travel Insurance plans —that means your week-long ASEAN trip now costs just $21 instead of $39 under Tiq Entry.

Getting annual travel insurance instead? Get  $20 cashback and  60% off COVID-19 add-on for Annual Plans!

You can also get a complimentary  1GB   eSIM by JetPac  when you’re the  first 1,000 customers  to purchase any Tiq Travel Insurance plan.

8. Cheapest travel insurance in Singapore

When I buy travel insurance, I don’t really care whether the insurer has 900 years of experience or if the plan comes with extra coverage for Chanel bags. Just give me the cheapest travel insurance plan can  l iao !

If that sounds like you too, you’ll be glad to know we’ve done the legwork for you. After assessing the most popular travel insurers in Singapore, the honour of cheapest travel insurance in Singapore goes to… FWD travel insurance .

FWD Premium

But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Will you regret being a cheapskate and lose out on important coverage if the only number you look at is the price?

In a way, yes. Because FWD travel insurance is only the cheapest option with 2 caveats.

Firstly, travel insurers have limited-time discounts all the time. This is no secret. It does, however, make it difficult to compare prices when an expensive plan is on 40% off but a cheaper one is on 10% off. That’s why for the table above, we compared base prices without discounts.

But when you take into account promotional prices, which plan is the cheapest? There’s no need to open a million tabs to compare every travel insurance plan out there. Just use our travel insurance comparison tool with the “Lowest Price” filter  on. You’re welcome!

The second caveat is this: FWD came out the cheapest when we looked at its price  without its COVID-19 add-on. If you’re looking for a travel insurance plan that includes coverage for disruptions due to COVID-19 (which you should!), the real winners are  Amex travel insurance and  Starr travel insurance .

Starr TraveLead Comprehensive Bronze

 image

Personalise your travel insurance-Flexible coverage allows you to create a travel insurance plan with different types of coverage and addon that can adapt to your needs

Overseas Covid-19 related medical expenses of up to $15,000 SGD included (Excluding China).

Covers travel expenses for sending back an unattended child during the hospitalisation of the insured person

At the end of the day, ask yourself what specific travel insurance coverage you want to have, and assess the travel insurance options to find one that suits your needs.

Need some help? Read our travel insurance guide to understand all you need to know about choosing the best travel insurance. Don’t forget to use our travel insurance comparison tool to seamlessly compare plans across different providers in Singapore.

9. Does travel insurance cover COVID-19?

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, most insurers did not extend their coverage to COVID-19-related mishaps. (Read more here .) The pandemic was quickly considered a “known event”, which insurers usually do not offer compensation for. So, if your flight got cancelled because of COVID-19, you’d be out of luck trying to get your insurance claims approved.

Now that practically all travel restrictions are lifted, insurance companies are rushing for a slice of the pie. Since the virus looks like it’s here to stay, most insurers are offering coverage that includes specific benefits for COVID-19. Where COVID-19 benefits aren’t already included in the policy, insurers offer an optional COVID-19 rider you can pay for to add on to the existing regular coverage.

Read your policy documents carefully to see if COVID-19 is covered, and add it on if you need to.

10. How do I choose the best travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage?

COVID-19 coverage  can vary quite a bit from insurer to insurer . When you’re shopping for the best insurance policy,  there are three things you want to look out for when it comes to choosing the best travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage:

  • Medical expenses coverage

Do note that the plans still exclude travelling against a travel advisory put in place by the Singapore government or by the local authority at your trip destination. Meaning, if your destination country goes on red alert for COVID-19, visitors are highly likely to come into contact with the virus and your insurance is highly likely to reject any COVID-19 claims. So be sure to check announcements on both ends before you depart.

Another common exclusion is failing to take precautions against COVID-19. This is worded kinda vaguely in those lengthy insurance policies, but could include not following any COVID-19 regulations at your destination or on the plane. So make sure you wear your mask whenever it’s required (or even when it’s not, if you want to play extra safe) and don’t attend any illegal raves.

11. What do I do if I get COVID-19 during or after my travels?

First of all, when booking your trip, you should retain all receipts, tickets and itineraries in case your trip has to be cancelled or altered.

At the first sign of a COVID-19 infection or related travel disruption, you should call your insurer and ask for guidance. Many insurers maintain a 24-hour hotline for travel claims. Save that number before you depart Singapore so that you aren’t stuck somewhere without wi-fi or 4G to Google the hotline.

To make a claim , you will usually have to submit your insurer’s form with supporting documents by the deadline mentioned in your contract (usually 30 days). Don’t wait until you’re back in Singapore to check which documents you need.

If you catch COVID-19 while you’re in Singapore , you will likely have to submit the results of a PCR Swab Test or Antigen Rapid Test conducted at a clinic or hospital.

It gets a bit more complicated if you’re overseas . The insurer will likely require documentation from the hospital as well as a doctor’s letter stating that you are unfit to travel and/or recommending treatment.

If you need to be quarantined overseas , you should make sure you have a quarantine order from the government, otherwise you may not be able to claim for quarantine allowance. Remember to ask for this as not all countries automatically issue such documentation.

ALSO READ: COVID-19 Travel Insurance Claim Guide

Planning to get travel insurance for your next trip? Learn how to claim for COVID-19 here!

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Top 7 Cheapest Travel Insurance Companies (April 2024)

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Alex is a MarketWatch Guides team writer that covers automotive and personal finance topics. She’s worked as a content writer for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and as a contributor to several major auto news websites.

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Tori Addison is an editor who has worked in the digital marketing industry for over five years. Her experience includes communications and marketing work in the nonprofit, governmental and academic sectors. A journalist by trade, she started her career covering politics and news in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her work included coverage of local and state budgets, federal financial regulations and health care legislation.

The cheapest travel insurance companies are Nationwide, Trawick and Travelex . According to our research, Nationwide’s average policy cost is $175 and Trawick and Travelex’s are $212 , each under the industry average of $221.

Using cost data from seven different traveler profiles, we found the average cost of basic travel insurance coverage for an international trip is between $108 and $298 . The price of travel insurance can vary widely between trips and is based on factors like your age and total travel expenses.

Faye Logo

The 7 Best Cheap Travel Insurance Companies of 2024

Here are our picks for the best cheap travel insurance companies in order of lowest average costs across various plan levels.

  • Nationwide Travel Insurance : Cheapest travel insurance
  • Trawick International Travel Insurance: Our pick for student travel insurance
  • Travelex: Our pick for budget travelers
  • Seven Corners: Our pick for international travelers
  • AIG Travel Guard : Our pick for families
  • Generali Global Assistance : Our pick for emergency assistance
  • Faye : Our pick for all-online experience

Why Trust MarketWatch Guides

Our editorial team follows a comprehensive methodology for rating and reviewing travel insurance companies. Advertisers have no effect on our rankings.

Companies Reviewed

Quotes Collected

Rating Factors

Nationwide Travel Insurance

Nationwide Travel Insurance

Pros and Cons

Why we chose nationwide.

Nationwide offers two standard travel insurance plans with up to 200% reimbursement for trip interruptions and up to $150,000 in medical expense coverage. However, baggage limits and medical evacuation coverages are higher, which is beneficial for travelers with independent international health insurance.

Nationwide also offers three unique tiers of cruise protection, with up to 200% reimbursement if your vacation is interrupted or an unavoidable delay causes you to miss your cruise. This can offer peace of mind if you’re flying out of state to a departure port — especially considering national increases in flight delays .

Coverage and Add-ons

Plans and Coverage

The chart below outlines Nationwide’s two single-trip travel insurance plans.

Add-On Options

You can add the following optional coverages to Nationwide’s cruise and single-trip travel insurance plans:

  • Accidental death and dismemberment
  • CFAR coverage
  • Vendor financial default coverage
  • Preexisting medical conditions waiver
  • Rental car collision coverage

Trawick International

Trawick International

Why We Chose Trawick International Travel Insurance

If you’re an international student studying abroad in the U.S., you are usually required to maintain a certain level of medical and evacuation insurance as a term of your visa. Trawick Travel Insurance offers low-cost medical evacuation insurance that meets the minimum requirements for some of the most common student and academically-oriented visa types.

If you’re a student visiting the U.S. from another country, you may be required to maintain a certain level of medical evacuation coverage as a condition of your visa. Trawick Travel Insurance offers up to $100,000 in emergency evacuation coverage as a standalone policy, meeting the insurance requirements of the J1, F1 and H1 visas. This policy is available to both students and faculty approved for select education-related visas and includes access to 24/7 assistance from a qualified, live nursing line.

If you’re a U.S. student traveling internationally, you might benefit from one of Trawick’s standard trip-cancellation insurance plans. Trawick sells a range of 10 individual plan options, varying in terms of coverage levels and benefits. CFAR coverage is available as an upgrade, and budget policy choices can be especially valuable for college students.

Coverage and Cost

If you’re an international student shopping for study-abroad coverage, Trawick offers one specific option: a medical evacuation and repatriation plan. The company offers 10 standard round-trip policies, ranging from its budget-friendly Safe Travels Explorer plan to its all-inclusive Safe Travels First Class. You can even create your own travel insurance plan with the customizable Safe Travels Flex policy — though most options have state-related limitations.

Trawick Travel Insurance currently offers the following add-ons for its roundtrip plan options:

  • IFAR coverage
  • Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)
  • Adventure activity coverage
  • Rental car damage
  • Rental property damage
  • Trip delay coverage upgrades

Specific upgrades may vary by policy and destination. Some policies automatically include coverage that you must purchase as an add-on to other plans (like AD&D coverage).

Travelex

Why We Chose Travelex

More expensive than Trawick by a few cents, Travelex earned a spot on our list because of its affordable pricing and decent coverage. Its basic travel insurance coverage can cost as low as $60 and includes all the standard protections you’ll find with more expensive providers. Travelex also offers higher-than-average baggage allowances, combining a competitive price point with extra coverage for travelers.

Travelex bills its travel insurance policies as flat-rate coverage, making your pricing more predictable. Plans also include access to 24/7 emergency assistance services, which can connect you with travel and legal assistance anywhere in the world.

Travelex offers the below travel insurance plans. The Travel Select and Travel America plans include coverage for sporting equipment delays, and Travel America offers medical emergency protection for your pet.

Travelex allows you to add the following coverage to your travel insurance:

  • Adventure sports coverage
  • Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) and medical benefit upgrades

Seven Corners Travel Insurance

Seven Corners Travel Insurance

Why We Chose Seven Corners

With six total policy options, Seven Corners offers many opportunities to customize your coverage and match protections with price. For example, Seven Corners offers a multi-trip plan that covers a single trip with more than one international destination. In addition, the company sells a medical travel plan for non-U.S. citizens to help cover emergency medical costs while traveling within the U.S.

Seven Corners offers a generous range of travel insurance plans suitable for international destinations around the globe. It offers two plans for international travel with cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage options and a range of medical-only options at reduced price points.

Seven Corners is one of the only travel insurance providers we’ve seen offer multi-trip coverage that protects you across multiple destinations. Overall, Seven Corners has six total policy options, and quotes most plans at lower-than-average premiums.

In addition to offering specialized plans, Seven Corners provides more generous baggage coverage than some other providers. You’ll be able to claim a reimbursement for a baggage delay after just 12 hours, which can offer peace of mind if you’re traveling to multiple international destinations in a single trip.

Seven Corners has two base plan options: Trip Protection Basic and Trip Protection Choice. These policies cover one-way and round-trip travel itineraries in the U.S. and abroad, with up to $100,000 in medical coverage and up to 100% in compensation for trip interruption on the most affordable plan.

Seven Corners currently offers the following add-ons for its roundtrip plan options:

  • Interruption for any reason (IFAR) coverage
  • Sports and golfing equipment coverage

AIG Travel Guard

AIG Travel Guard

Why We Chose AIG Travel Guard

While most travel insurance providers require you to purchase an add-on policy for children, AIG offers a complimentary plan for a minor with the purchase of coverage for an adult. Depending on the age of the child and your destination, choosing AIG as your travel insurance provider could help you save on policy costs if you’re traveling as a family.

Trying to buy travel insurance for a family doesn’t have to be overly expensive. With AIG Travel Guard’s Deluxe Plan, you can include complimentary coverage for one child aged 17 years or younger with the purchase of an adult plan. The policy also includes unique coverages for leisurely activities, such as benefits for lost golf tee times and sporting equipment rentals.

In addition to multi-person plans, AIG offers affordable travel insurance for individuals with up to $150,000 in medical expense coverage and up to 150% reimbursement for trip cancellations. All of AIG’s plans also include 24/7 emergency assistance over the phone.

AIG has three travel insurance plans, all of which include family coverage.

AIG Travel Guard allows you to customize your policy with the following add-ons:

  • Preexisting conditions waiver
  • Rental car collision damage

The company also offers coverage bundles that can be added to the Preferred and Deluxe plans:

  • Adventure sports bundle:  Removes policy exclusions for adventure activities and extreme sports.
  • Name Your Family™ bundle:  Allows you to add one person as a family member to take advantage of family-related unforeseen event coverage.
  • Medical bundle:  Increases your policy’s medical benefits.
  • Inconvenience bundle:  Payment for trip inconveniences such as closed attractions, rental home lockouts, hotel infestation, etc.
  • Baggage bundle:  Increases your policy’s baggage benefits.
  • Pet bundle:  Adds travel coverage related to your pet, including benefits for boarding and emergency medical bills.
  • Security bundle:  Covers costs related to security evacuations and trip interruptions or cancellations due to riot or civil disorder.
  • Wedding bundle:  Covers the costs if the wedding you are traveling to is canceled.

Generali Global Assistance

Generali Global Assistance

Why We Chose Generali Global Assistance

If you’re traveling to a country where the primary language spoken is not English, running into even a minor travel issue can cause stress and panic. Generali’s 24/7 emergency hotline offers multilingual support as needed, offering real-time assistance no matter the timezone. An emergency evacuation coverage limit of $1 million is also a generous protection that can make Generali a strong choice for those traveling to international destinations that are considered risky.

Generali Global Assistance earns a place on our list for its around-the-clock emergency support. Customers can access a 24/7 emergency hotline to speak with an expert if an issue arises while traveling, which can provide peace of mind if you’ve never traveled internationally or are traveling to a location where you do not speak the primary language.

Generali extends emergency evacuation coverage of up to $1 million and medical expense coverage of up to $250,000. Plans also feature identity theft protection, a common problem abroad that some travel insurance companies don’t consider.

Generali offers three plans with the below coverage levels. In addition, the Preferred and Premium plans offer reimbursement if you experience any delays when renting sporting equipment on your trip.

Generali offers the following coverage add-ons:

  • CFAR upgrade

Faye

Why We Chose Faye

If you’re a digital native, you may enjoy how Faye leverages insurance tech to help you get a policy quickly and file a claim on the go. Benefitting from a digital underwriting process, Faye allows you to view policy options and start comparing quotes in seconds.

Launched in 2022 , Faye may be a newcomer to the travel insurance industry, but its seamless online experience has already earned the company hundreds of positive online customer reviews.

Faye features an all-online quote process with just a handful of questions, enrollment and claims-filing process. You can enroll in coverage and file claims directly through its mobile app, and even be reimbursed on approved claims to your phone’s Faye wallet. Faye also offers real-time alerts and 24/7 customer service before and during your trip.

We recommend Faye to travelers who want a quick, all-online experience that doesn’t require wading through complicated coverage options.

Coverage and Add-Ons

Faye offers one plan with several optional add-on options.

Optional Add-Ons 

  • Cancel for any reason (CFAR) 
  • Rental car damage or theft
  • Adventure and extreme sports protection 
  • Vacation rental damage protection

*Coverage limits and availability may vary by state of residence.

Compare the Cheapest Travel Insurance Companies

Below is an at-a-glance look at how each travel insurance company on our list compares in terms of cost and coverage. We collected sample quotes for seven trips with varying numbers of travelers, traveler ages and trip destinations.

Unless otherwise noted, we collected all quotes for this article directly from each company’s website in December 2023.

How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost?

After gathering quotes for various traveler profiles from top providers in the industry, our team found that travel insurance costs anywhere from $35 to $765 . However, the cheapest travel insurance companies on our list average $188 per trip . After averaging quotes across traveler profiles, we found that Nationwide offers the most affordable basic travel insurance coverage, with an average policy costing $132.

Note that the cost of a travel insurance policy will depend on factors like your destination, number of travelers, traveler ages, length of the trip and total trip cost. To help you better understand how these factors can affect your travel insurance costs, we’ve outlined several traveler profiles and the average cost of coverage for each in the table below.

*We calculated average plan costs by obtaining quotes from each provider in our review across all available plans.

WalletWatch Tip

Keep in mind that cheaper policies often mean lower coverage. Be sure to review the trip interruption and cancellation coverage percentages, baggage loss coverage, flight connection coverage, medical maximums, and medical evacuation maximums to find out if a low-cost plan is really worth it if you aren’t full covered. Search for policies with 100%+ cancellation and interruption coverage, and offers over $500,000 in medical coverage. 

Factors That Affect Travel Insurance Cost

Travel insurance is not a one-size-fits-all plan. Several factors determine how much your travel insurance will cost, which we’ve listed below.

  • Age: Many travel insurance companies increase costs and coverage amounts with age. You should expect to pay more the older you are, as age often correlates with increased risk. However, typically prices are the same for travelers up to age 50 and increase from there.
  • Plan type: There are all different types of travel insurance policies. The more protection you need, the more expensive your travel insurance cost. Some basic plans may only provide flight or medical protection, so those will be the cheapest. If your plan covers multiple means of travel (like flights, rental cars, a cruise, etc.) or more risk-prone sports (like rock climbing), you’ll pay more.
  • Add-on coverages: Most plans will give you the option to add on certain features without having to upgrade your entire plan. For example, you may be able to buy basic flight insurance for $30 and add on CFAR coverage for an additional $30.
  • Number of travelers: While you can buy a single policy for multiple travelers, each traveler will have their own premium, which increases the total cost of the travel insurance. However, many travel insurance companies offer group-rate discounts.
  • Trip cost: The more expensive your trip, the more it would cost the travel insurance company to reimburse it. As such, your travel insurance premium will increase alongside your reported total trip cost.
  • Trip length: Another no-brainer — the longer the trip, the more you’ll pay for travel insurance. Longer trips are not only more expensive but also increase the chances of something going wrong.
  • Destination: Your travel insurance provider will take the risk factor of your trip destination into consideration when determining the cost of travel insurance. It’s less focused on crime statistics and more focused on the likelihood of danger. For example, if you’re embarking on a rural jungle adventure, you’ll probably have a more expensive travel insurance cost compared to staying in a populous city with a high crime rate.

How To Find Cheap Travel Insurance

Protecting your vacation with travel insurance does not have to break the bank. Consider these tips to find the best possible pricing on travel coverage for your upcoming trip.

Compare Travel Insurance Quotes

Every travel insurance company uses an in-house underwriting formula to determine how much you’ll pay for travel insurance. It’s possible to find the same level of travel insurance from five different travel insurance companies at five different price points.

The only way to know which travel insurance company has the most affordable coverage for your trip is to get a quote from multiple providers. We recommend getting a quote from at least three competing travel insurance companies before making your final choice. While getting a quote takes only a few minutes, it could end up saving you hundreds of dollars on insurance.

Determine the Right Amount of Coverage

Another way to save money on travel insurance is to opt for a policy with only the coverages that you need. For example, most travel insurance providers offer the option to add CFAR coverage, which entitles you to reimbursement for travel expenses no matter why you need to cancel your trip. While this add-on can be convenient, it is also expensive, and you can save a significant amount on coverage by opting out. Once you confirm your travel plans, you can avoid unnecessary expenses by purchasing only the coverage you need.

Check Credit Card and Employer Benefits

Before purchasing travel insurance, it can be helpful to make a call to your credit card company to learn more about your benefits. Many credit cards come with built-in perks, including rental car coverage, trip cancellation protection and travel accident insurance. If you’re able to claim these coverages through your credit card company, you won’t need to buy added coverage through a travel insurer, saving you money.

If you’re traveling for business, you can ask if you have any coverage through your employer. Some large employers that fund corporate travel regularly broker discounted group travel plans for their employees, allowing you to avoid buying your own coverage. Even if your employer only offers a limited travel plan, you may only need to fund supplemental coverage to enjoy full travel protection.

Weigh the Value vs. the Cost

As you compare policy options and collect quotes, take the time to understand the exact coverage levels included in each plan. Sometimes, cheap travel insurance is cheap for a reason — a low-priced plan may exclude circumstances you expect coverage for, limiting the usefulness of your policy.

After getting a quote from a travel insurance provider, make a note of important policy details. For example, if you’re opting for CFAR coverage, how much will you be reimbursed if you cancel your trip? What types of medical conditions and injuries does your policy exclude? What is the maximum amount your insurance will pay if you miss a flight, must come home early or face another emergency? These important questions can help you compare policies and determine the value of your coverage.

What Does Travel Insurance Cover?

If you’ve never purchased it before, you might be wondering what travel insurance is and what it covers .

As we’ve seen by comparing companies and policies, travel insurance can cover a wide array of things. But some of the most basic coverages are as follows:

  • Trip cancellation protection: Compensates you for nonrefundable trip payments prepaid to your hotel, airline , cruise and other vendors if you’re forced to cancel your trip for a covered reason.
  • Trip interruption protection: Compensates you for nonrefundable trip expenses if you’re forced to leave your vacation early for a reason stated in your policy.
  • Baggage delay and loss: Compensates you for lost, stolen or delayed baggage costs .
  • Emergency medical expenses: This covers the cost of expenses if you’re injured, become ill or experience a medical issue on a trip. Some travel insurance plans also include coverage limits for dental costs.

Common Add-Ons

If you buy a cheap travel insurance plan, it will likely only protect you from the most basic issues. But if you pay a little extra, you can add on coverage for things you might be more likely to need, including:

  • Cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) coverage: When you claim reimbursement through your travel insurance policy, you’ll need to prove why you’re canceling. With a CFAR upgrade, you can cancel your trip for any reason and still claim a percentage reimbursement on nonrefundable costs.
  • Interrupt-for-any-reason (IFAR) coverage: IFAR coverage is similar to CFAR coverage except that it protects you starting 72 hours after your departure until the end of your trip. If you have to cut your trip short for any reason, IFAR will reimburse 75% of the total amount of coverage you purchased for any non-refundable travel arrangements.
  • Collision coverage waiver: Extends your rental car coverage to include collision damage.
  • Financial default: This type of coverage applies if your airline, resort or other trip vendor declares bankruptcy.
  • Preexisting conditions waiver: Most standard travel insurance policies exclude health conditions if you show symptoms before buying travel insurance. An add-on allows you to extend your coverage to waive preexisting condition exclusions.

Is Cheap Travel Insurance Worth It?

When deciding if travel insurance is worth it , we recommend you consider your personal circumstances before making any decisions about a policy. For example, if you’ve purchased an expensive airline ticket — especially one with multiple layovers — you may decide to purchase travel insurance to protect your investment. Travel medical insurance policies can also provide peace of mind around a potential medical emergency abroad, for example, if you are traveling to a remote location.   

While many companies offer cheap travel insurance, not all policies are created equal. As you compare the best travel insurance plans, consider which coverages you can sacrifice to maintain valuable protections and save money. For example, if you have a health care policy that covers you abroad or a credit card that provides rental car coverage, you will not need a plan that includes these protections.

No matter what kind of travel insurance coverage you’re looking for, we recommend comparing premiums from at least three of our top travel insurance companies before deciding whether travel insurance is worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cheap Travel Insurance

What is the cheapest travel insurance.

Our travel insurance comparison found that Nationwide offers some of the most affordable basic travel protection options for international travel insurance. However, we recommend getting a quote from each provider recommended above before you purchase travel insurance, as prices will vary based on the traveler, trip details, budget and destination.

What are the different types of cheap travel insurance?

There are multiple types of cheap travel insurance, including policies that include coverage for trip cancellation, trip delay and medical treatments issued abroad. Some travel insurance providers offer robust plans with various benefits, while others offer more affordable policies with limited benefits. The latter usually only allows you to cancel for a covered reason to receive a reimbursement for airfare , hotel costs and other nonrefundable expenses.

Do cheap travel insurance plans include COVID-19 coverage?

While travel restrictions have lifted immensely since 2021, COVID-19 concerns are still impacting travelers in 2023. According to a study from AAA , about 31% more Americans now choose to cover their trip costs with travel insurance compared to pre-pandemic.

Many of the companies we’ve reviewed in this guide offer some type of coverage for COVID-19, but it may be more limited in a basic plan. Now that COVID-19 has become less of a threat, many travel insurance policies treat it like any other illness under medical insurance. If you’re in a group at a higher risk of COVID-19 and believe a new strain might affect your travel plan, consider upgrading to CFAR insurance to extend your cancellation coverage to situations like fear of flying or illness.

What is the average cost of travel insurance?

You can expect to pay between 4% and 12% of your total trip cost for your international travel insurance, according to Generali Global Assistance . Actual costs will vary depending on trip details and the type of coverage you select.

What is the best type of travel insurance coverage?

The best travel insurance for your needs might vary depending on the specifics of your trip. For example, if you’re a student taking a budget trip to Mexico for spring break, Trawick’s low-cost basic plan might offer the most bang for your buck. If you’re planning a cruise, Nationwide’s cruise-specific coverage might provide peace of mind. We recommend getting at least three quotes from competing providers to be sure you’re getting the best coverage.

Additional Travel Insurance Resources

  • The Best Travel Medical Insurance Companies of 2023
  • The Best Pandemic Travel Insurance Companies of 2023
  • 6 Best Travel Insurance Plans for Families of 2023
  • The Best Group Travel Insurance Companies of 2023
  • Best Senior Travel Insurance Companies of 2023
  • The Best Travel Insurance for All-Inclusive Resorts (2023)
  • Is Travel Insurance Worth It? (2023 Guide)
  • Single-Trip Travel Insurance
  • 5 Best Travel Insurance Companies for Backpacking Trips (2023)
  • How Much is Travel Insurance in 2023?

Other Insurance Resources From MarketWatch Guides 

Read our comprehensive guides on the following insurance categories to find top providers and peace of mind that you have all aspects of life covered.

  • Leading Pet Insurance Companies
  • Top Travel Insurance Companies
  • Best Homeowners Insurance Providers
  • Leading Renters Insurance Companies
  • Affordable Renters Insurance Providers
  • Top Term Life Insurance Providers
  • Budget-friendly Homeowners Insurance Companies

Methodology: Our System for Ranking the Best Travel Insurance Companies

  • A 30-year-old couple taking a $5,000 vacation to Mexico.
  • A family of four taking an $8,000 vacation to Mexico.
  • A 65-year-old couple taking a $7,000 vacation to the United Kingdom.
  • A 30-year-old couple taking a $7,000 trip to the United Kingdom.
  • A 19-year-old taking a $2,000 trip to France.
  • A 27-year-old couple taking a $1,200 trip to Greece.
  • A 51-year-old couple taking a $2,000 trip to Spain.
  • Plan availability (10%): We look for insurers with a variety of travel insurance plans and the ability to customize a policy with coverage upgrades.
  • Coverage details (29%): We review the baseline coverage each company offers in its cheapest comprehensive plan. A provider with robust coverage earns full points, including baggage delay and loss, COVID-19 coverage, emergency evacuation and medical coverage, trip delay and cancellation coverage, and more. Companies also receive points for offering a variety of policy add-ons like accidental death and dismemberment, extreme sports, valuable items, cancel for any reason coverage and more.
  • Coverage times and amounts (34%): We compare each company’s waiting periods and maximum reimbursement amounts for baggage, travel and weather delays. Companies that offer customers reimbursement after fewer than 12 hours of delays earn full points in this category. We also reward travel insurance providers that cover more than 100% of trip costs in the event of cancellations or interruptions.
  • Company service and reviews (17%): We look for indicators that a company is well-prepared to respond to customer needs. Companies with an established global resource network, 24/7 emergency hotline, mobile app, multiple ways to file a claim and concierge services score higher in this category. We assess reputation by evaluating consumer reviews, third-party financial strength and customer experience ratings, specifically from AM Best and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

For more information, read our full travel insurance methodology.

A.M. Best Disclaimer

More Travel Insurance Guides

  • Best covid travel insurance companies
  • Best cruise insurance plans
  • Best travel insurance companies
  • Best group travel insurance companies
  • Health insurance for visitors to usa
  • Best senior travel insurance
  • Best travel insurance for families
  • Best student travel insurance plans
  • Travel insurance for parents visiting USA
  • Best travel medical insurance plans
  • How much does travel insurance cost?

Other Travel Resources:

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How to Find the Best Travel Insurance

Elina Geller

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Table of Contents

What travel insurance covers

How much does travel insurance cost, types of travel insurance, how to get travel insurance, what to look for in travel insurance, best travel insurance comparison sites, which insurance company is best for travel insurance, when to skip travel insurance, travel insurance, recapped.

Travel insurance can cover medical expenses, emergencies, trip interruptions, baggage, rental cars and more.

Cost is affected by trip length, pre-existing medical conditions, depth of coverage, your age and add-ons.

You can get it through credit cards or third-party companies, & can shop on travel insurance comparison sites.

Before buying, evaluate risks, know existing coverage, obtain quotes online and review policy details warily.

Skip it if you buy flexible airfare and hotels, already have coverage or only book refundable activities.

Booking travel always carries some degree of uncertainty. Travel insurance provides a safety net so you can step out with confidence. You may not need travel insurance for inexpensive trips, but it can provide a sense of security when you prepay for pricey reservations, a big international trip or travel during cold and flu season, which can be unpredictable.

According to insurance comparison site Squaremouth, travelers in 2023 spent an average of $403 for comprehensive coverage, compared to $96 for medical-only policies. Comprehensive plans typically cost between 5% and 10% of the insured trip cost.

Since that price tag is no small amount, it helps to know how to shop smart for travel insurance. Here's how to find the right travel insurance plan for you and your next adventure.

Depending on the type of coverage you’re looking for, the chart below will help you determine what to look for when selecting a policy:

Depending on the policy, travel insurance reimburses you or offers services when something goes awry. There’s even coverage for the worst-case scenario: if you die in an accident while traveling. Accidental death coverage pays your beneficiary a lump sum in that case.

Before you buy, take a little time to get familiar with different types of travel insurance products, how it’s priced, and what it covers and excludes. If you’re traveling during these uncertain times, you’ll want to make sure that the policy you select covers coronavirus-related emergencies. Usually, the more thorough the coverage, the more it will cost.

Travel insurance costs vary depending on:

Length and cost of the trip: The longer and more expensive the trip, the higher the policy cost.

Cost of local health care: High health-care costs in your destination can drive up the price of trip insurance.

Medical conditions you want covered: Conditions you already have will increase the cost of travel insurance coverage.

Amount and breadth of coverage: The more risks a policy covers, the more it will cost.

Your age: Generally the older you are, the higher the price.

Any optional supplement you add to your policy : Cancel For Any Reason , Interrupt For Any Reason and more.

Keep these factors in mind when considering different travel insurance options.

You’ll find a wide selection of travel protection plans when you shop for a policy.

Typically, travel insurance is sold as a package, known as a comprehensive plan, which includes a variety of coverage.

Here are seven of the most common types of travel insurance:

Travel medical insurance

These plans provide health insurance while you’re away from home. Although in some ways these policies work like traditional health plans, generally you cannot use travel health insurance for routine medical events. For example, a routine medical checkup is usually not covered. In addition, these policies often include limitations on coverage and exclusions for pre-existing conditions.

Although most travel insurance plans cover many recreational activities, such as skiing and horseback riding, they often exclude adventure sports, such as skydiving or parasailing, or competition in organized sporting events. You may need to buy a special travel policy designed for adventure or competitive sports.

International travel insurance

Most likely, your U.S.-based medical insurance will not work while you’re traveling internationally, and Medicare does not provide any coverage once you leave the United States outside of a few very specific exemptions. If you plan on traveling abroad, purchasing travel medical insurance could make a lot of sense.

» Learn more: Travel medical insurance: Emergency coverage while you travel internationally

Trip cancellation, interruption and delay

Trip cancellation coverage reimburses you for prepaid, nonrefundable expenses if the tour operator goes out of business or you have to cancel the trip for one of the covered reasons outlined in the policy, such as:

Your own illness.

The illness or death of a family member who’s not traveling with you.

Natural disasters.

Trip interruption insurance covers the nonrefundable cost of the unused portion of the trip if it is interrupted due to a reason outlined in the policy.

Trip delay coverage reimburses you for expenses such as lodging and meals if you’re delayed during a trip (e.g., your flight gets canceled due to weather ).

Many package policies cover all three. These policies are different from the cancellation waivers that cruise lines and tour operators offer, the Insurance Information Institute says. Waivers are cheap, ranging from $40 to $60, and often include restrictions. For example, according to the institute, waivers might not refund your money if you cancel immediately before departure. Waivers are technically not insurance policies.

Some companies offer additional layers of coverage at extra cost. “Cancel For Any Reason” coverage will reimburse a large part of the trip cost, no matter why you back out. And some companies let you pay extra to cover pre-existing conditions if you cancel for medical reasons.

Some insurers and comparison sites let you customize a policy by choosing types of coverage a la carte. For example, TravelInsurance.com is a comparison site that provides quotes from different providers.

Baggage and personal belongings

How does lost luggage insurance work? This coverage reimburses you for baggage and personal belongings that are lost, stolen or damaged during the trip. Some plans also reimburse you for extra expenses if you experience a baggage delay for more than a certain period, such as 12 hours.

Your renters or homeowners insurance may cover personal belongings while you are traveling. It’s best to review your homeowners insurance policy to determine the level of coverage it provides so you do not end up paying for a benefit you already have.

» Learn more: Baggage insurance explained

Emergency medical assistance, evacuation and repatriation

This coverage pays medical expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip . Medical evacuation coverage pays for transporting you to the nearest hospital, and medical repatriation pays for flying you to your home country.

» Learn more: Can I get travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions?

24-hour assistance

This service is included with many package plans. The insurer provides a 24-hour hotline that you can call when you need help, such as booking a flight after a missed connection, finding lost luggage, or locating a doctor or lawyer.

Generally, travel insurance companies do not cover sports or any activity that can be deemed risky. If you’re thinking of incorporating adventurous activities into your vacation, choose a plan that includes adventure sports coverage.

Most travel insurers cover a wide array of services, but the specific options vary. Some plans include concierge services, providing help with restaurant referrals, tee time reservations and more. Many services also offer information before the trip, such as required vaccinations. The only way to know what’s included is to read the policy.

» Learn more: Should you insure your cruise?

Accidental death and dismemberment insurance

This coverage pays a lump sum to your beneficiary, such as a family member, if you die in an accident while on the trip. Accidental death and dismemberment insurance policies also pay a portion of the sum to you if you lose a hand, foot, limb, eyesight, speech or hearing. Some plans apply only to accidental death in a plane.

This coverage may be duplicative if you already have sufficient life insurance, which pays out whether you die in an accident or from an illness. You may also already have accidental death and dismemberment insurance through work, so it's best to check your policies to ensure you’re not overpaying.

» Learn more: NerdWallet's guide to life insurance

Rental car coverage

Rental car insurance pays for repairing your rental car if it’s damaged in a wreck, by vandals or in a natural disaster. The coverage doesn't include liability insurance, which pays for damage to other vehicles or for the medical treatment of others if you cause an accident and are held responsible.

Ask your car insurance company whether your policy will cover you when renting cars on the trip. U.S. car insurance policies generally don’t cover you when driving in other countries, except Canada.

Car insurance requirements are complex because they vary among countries. You can usually purchase liability insurance from the rental car company. Learn about car insurance requirements by searching for auto insurance by country on the U.S. Embassy website .

» Learn more: Best credit cards for rental car coverage

A note about single vs. long-term policies

Single trip insurance plans are a great option for those going on a single trip for a specific length of time (e.g., a two-week vacation) and then returning home. The price of the policy is usually determined by the cost of the trip.

Long-term travel policies cover you for multiple trips, but there are limitations to how long you can be away from home, if you can return home during your travels and how many trips you can take. In addition, trip cancellation and interruption coverage is either not offered or capped at a dollar amount that can be significantly below the total cost of all the trips taken during the covered period.

Long-term travel insurance plans — often called 'multi-trip' or 'annual travel insurance' — are a suitable option for those who travel often and are satisfied with the amount of trip cancellation coverage for all the trips they take over the duration of the policy.

» Learn more: How annual (multi-trip) travel insurance works

Below, we include how to obtain travel insurance, along with the pros and cons of each option.

Some credit cards offer trip cancellation and rental car insurance if you use the card to book the trip or car.

When you book a trip with your credit card, depending on the card you use, you may already receive trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

» Learn more: 10 credit cards that provide travel insurance

Here are a handful of credit cards with travel insurance benefits.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

on American Express' website

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

• Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 12 hours.

• Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.

• Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.

• Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for five days.

• Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.

• Travel accident: Up to $500,000.

• Rental car insurance: Up to $75,000.

• Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 6 hours.

• Travel accident: Up to $1 million.

• Rental car insurance: Up to the actual cash value of the car.

• Trip delay: Up to $500 per trip for delays more than 6 hours.

• Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.

• Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.

Terms apply.

Pros: Coverage is free.

Cons: You can’t customize the insurance to meet your needs. Most credit cards offer secondary car rental insurance, which pays for the costs not covered by your regular car insurance plan.

Travel agents and travel reservation sites

You can buy travel insurance when you book your flight, hotel and car rental.

Pros: Buying is as quick and easy as clicking “yes” when you book reservations. Coverage is inexpensive.

Cons: You can’t customize the coverage.

» Learn more: Airline travel insurance vs. independent travel insurance

Travel insurance comparison sites

You can compare different policies and review quotes at once based on the trip search criteria you’ve input into the search form. Examples include marketplaces like Squaremouth or TravelInsurance.com.

Pros: You can choose a policy that fits your needs and compare policies and pricing in one place.

Cons: Comparing multiple policies takes time.

Travel insurance companies

You can purchase travel insurance directly from an insurance provider.

Pros: You can choose a policy that fits your needs. Many travel insurer websites also offer information to help you understand the coverage.

Cons: You’ll need to go to multiple websites to compare coverage and pricing.

» Learn more: The best travel insurance companies right now

Keep these tips in mind when you’re considering a trip insurance policy.

Evaluate the financial risks you face when traveling. Can you bear those costs yourself, or do you want insurance?

Examine what coverage you already have: Does your credit card offer travel insurance? Do you have renters or homeowners insurance to cover belongings? What is the deductible? Will your health plan cover you in all the locations where you travel?

Get quotes for trip insurance online. Choose a package of the benefits you need and compare prices for similar coverage among carriers.

Narrow your choices and then read the policy fine print to understand what’s covered, what’s excluded and the limits on coverage. You may find that the lowest-priced policy is too restrictive and that paying a little more gets you the coverage you need. Or you might find that the cheapest, most basic policy fits the bill.

If you don’t know which provider to go with, it makes sense to browse a list of plans on a travel insurance comparison site. These online marketplaces will often include plans from the best travel insurance companies along with customer reviews.

Squaremouth

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Compare plans from more than 30 providers.

Over 86,000 customer reviews of insurers.

Under its Zero Complaint Guarantee, Squaremouth (a NerdWallet partner) will remove a provider if any customer complaint isn't resolved to its satisfaction.

Has a filter option to see policies that provide COVID-coverage.

TravelInsurance.com

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Compare plans from 13 providers.

See good and poor customer ratings and reviews for each insurer when you receive quotes.

“Learning Center” includes travel insurance articles and travel tips, including important how-to information.

Quotes provided from each provider include a link to COVID-19 FAQs, making it easy for customers to review what’s covered or not.

InsureMyTrip

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Compare plans from more than two dozen providers.

More than 70,000 customer reviews.

“Anytime Advocates” help customers navigate the claim process and will work on behalf of the customer to help with appealing a denied claim.

Includes a link to plans that offer COVID coverage.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Compare plans from 11 providers.

Search coverage by sporting activity, including ground, air and water sports.

Many types of plans available for students, visiting family members, new immigrants, those seeking COVID quarantine coverage and more.

cheapest covid 19 travel insurance

Compare different insurance plans from 35 providers.

Over 5,600 customer reviews on Trustpilot, with an average 4.9 stars out of five.

Formerly known as AardvarkCompare, AARDY includes a “Travel Insurance 101” learning center to help customers understand various policies and benefits.

Quote search results page includes COVID-coverage highlighted in a different color to make it easier for customers to review related limits.

Whether you’re looking for an international travel insurance plan, emergency medical care, COVID coverage or a policy that includes extreme sports, these providers have you covered.

Our full analysis and more details about each organization can be found here: The Best Travel Insurance Companies Today .

Allianz Global Assistance .

Travel Guard by AIG .

USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services .

Travel Insured International .

World Nomads .

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection .

Travelex Insurance Services .

Seven Corners .

AXA Assistance USA .

There are a few scenarios when spending extra on travel insurance doesn't really make sense, like:

You booked flexible airline tickets.

Your hotel room has a good cancellation policy.

It's already included in your credit card.

You haven't booked any nonrefundable activities.

» Learn more: When you don't need travel insurance

Yes, especially for nonrefundable trips and travel during the COVID-era. Whether you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy or have travel insurance from your credit card, you shouldn't travel without having some sort of travel protection in place to safeguard you and your trip. Travel insurance can protect you in case of an unexpected emergency such as a canceled flight due to weather, a medical event that requires hospitalization, lost luggage and more.

There are many good travel insurance policies out there and a policy that may be great for you may not be good for someone else. Selecting the best plan depends on what coverage you would like and your trip details.

For example, World Nomads offers a comprehensive travel insurance policy that has excellent coverage for adventure sports. Allianz provides coverage for trips of varying lengths of time through its single trip plans and multi-trip plans. Some providers offer add-on options like Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance. If you’re not sure which plan to go with, consider looking at trip insurance comparison sites like Squaremouth or Insuremytrip.

Yes, you can. However, it's better to purchase it sooner rather than later, ideally right after booking your trip because the benefits begin as soon as you purchase a policy.

Let’s say you’re going on a trip in a month and a week before departure, you fall and break your leg. If you’ve purchased a travel insurance policy, you can use your trip cancellation benefits to get your nonrefundable deposit back.

Most comprehensive travel insurance plans offer trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical and dental, medical evacuation, trip delay and lost luggage coverage. Many plans offer COVID coverage, but you’ll always want to check to ensure that the policy you choose provides that benefit if you’re traveling during these times. Some plans may also allow you to add features like Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance.

It depends which credit card you have. Premium travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express offer travel insurance benefits if you book a trip using your card or points.

However, the coverage provided by the credit cards is usually lower than if you purchased a standalone policy. Review the travel insurance benefits on your credit card and check that the limits are adequate before foregoing from purchasing a separate plan.

Let’s say you’re going on a trip in a month and a week before departure, you fall and break your leg. If you’ve purchased a travel insurance policy, you can use your

trip cancellation benefits

to get your nonrefundable deposit back.

It depends which credit card you have. Premium travel cards like the

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Platinum Card® from American Express

offer travel insurance benefits if you book a trip using your card or points.

Unpredictability is one of the mind-opening joys of travel, but travel insurance should contain no surprises. The time you spend to understand your options will be well worth the peace of mind as you embark on your next adventure.

Whether you’re seeking a single or a long-term policy, each travel insurance option offers different strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right policy depends on your trip needs, your budget and how important various benefits are to you.

Keep reading

If you want to dig in deeper to world of travel insurance, these resources will point you in the right direction.

What is travel insurance? How much is travel insurance? Is travel insurance worth it? What does travel insurance cover? Does travel insurance cover COVID?

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-10x Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

1x-2x Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

TravelPulse

TravelPulse

How to Make Air Travel Less of a Nightmare

Posted: November 5, 2023 | Last updated: November 17, 2023

The holiday travel season will be here before we know it, and you know what that means. Along with more people traveling and the potential for winter weather comes more flight cancellations, an increase in flight delays and general mayhem in airports across the United States.And, let's face it. Air travel has become more of a hassle over the years anyway, especially since the pandemic. Research shows that <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/voices/opinions/can-airlines-handle-the-increased-demand-and-travel-load-this-holiday-season">travel demand is still high</a> at the moment, and that has led to fuller planes, longer security lines and more crowds in general for travelers trying to get from place to place.With a new report (<a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4010429-1&h=3822470162&u=https%3A%2F%2Fhubs.ly%2FQ026NP3P0&a=The+Tipping+Point+for+Travel+Loyalty%3A+2023+Holiday+Travel+Trends">The Tipping Point for Travel Loyalty: 2023 Holiday Travel Trends</a>) showing that 54 percent of adults plan to travel this holiday season compared to just 40% last year, it's crucial to have a plan for the airport that can help you avoid unnecessary stress, long waits and financial losses. Here are some moves you can make to avoid common air travel pitfalls and have a more enjoyable travel experience overall.

Young frustrated man at airport

Fuller flights and <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/united-airlines-forecasts-sustained-international-travel-demand">increased travel demand</a> mean you may have to wait longer to check into your flight in the first place, and that lines at TSA can be lengthier than normal. These are reasons you should do yourself a favor and arrive at the airport a little earlier than you could just a few years ago.Most airlines suggest arriving two hours before your flight departs, but arriving up to three hours before departure can give you more time to move through the airport and some wiggle room if traffic holds you up before you even get there.

Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International Airport.

Flying first thing in the morning can also help your travels go smoother, especially if your flight winds up canceled or delayed. If you have an <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/study-finds-happiest-flights-happen-on-wednesdays-early-morning-hours">early flight</a>, you are much more likely to get rebooked on subsequent itineraries the same day so you can still arrive at your destination on time.This is especially true if you fly with one of the major airlines (American, Delta, United, etc.) or with an airline that offers multiple flights to your destination each day of the week.

Travel to Paris. Eiffel tower at sunrise

This brings us to the next tip. Avoid flying with <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/united-airlines-ceo-calls-out-ultra-low-cost-carriers">discount carriers</a> that don't work with partner airlines and have limited flights to various destinations every month. Searching for flights with a carrier like Allegiant or Spirit is the best way to learn that these carriers may only offer a few flights to each destination they visit throughout the week.This means that, if your flight is canceled or delayed, you may have to wait days (instead of hours) to begin your vacation or get home after the fact.

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 taking off.

Consider applying for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or both if you're a frequent traveler. These memberships can help you cut down on time spent in security lines at the airport (TSA PreCheck), or at customs and immigration when you arrive back in the U.S. after an international trip (Global Entry).Also note that <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/tsa-precheck-adds-four-new-participating-airlines">TSA PreCheck</a> is automatically included at no cost with Global Entry membership, so you can get a two-for-one deal by choosing Global Entry in the first place. Also be aware that many travel credit cards offer a fee credit for either of these memberships as a cardholder perk.

TSA PreCheck entrance at Spokane International Airport

Your airline's app can make travel easier and better in more ways than one. Not only do airline apps give you constant updates on your flight's status, but they can let you know the next gate you're going to and even update you when your checked bags are on your plane.In the event your flight is canceled or delayed, your <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/News/Features/Travel-Apps-Everyone-Should-Have-Downloaded">airline's mobile app</a> might even let you move your flight yourself without getting in line for help.

Updated United Airlines app.

Having <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/how-to-navigate-the-airport-lounge-scene">airport lounge access</a> gives you a place to enjoy drinks and snacks in peace and quiet, which can be crucial when you're arriving at the airport early, you have a long layover or your flight is delayed.While you can pay for access with individual airlines or buy a broad airport lounge membership through networks like Priority Pass, many travel credit cards offer airport lounge membership as a cardholder perk.

Alaska Airlines SFO Lounge

The <a href="https://www.travelpulse.com/Gallery/Features/Top-Luggage-Suitcases-for-Travel">right luggage for a trip</a> can vary depending on how much stuff you need to bring along. You can also pick from different types of luggage, including hard shell suitcases, soft shell luggage and even duffel bags that can fit almost anywhere.Regardless, you will want to think long and hard about how much luggage space you actually need before you settle on a bag to buy or use one you already have. Our advice? Only bring what you need on your trip and nothing more, and try to avoid checking a bag unless you absolutely have to.

Young woman heading toward her departure gate at the airport and wearing a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, make sure you purchase robust <a href="http://urance">travel insurance protection</a> for every trip you take. Having travel insurance won't prevent mishaps from happening each time you fly, but it can mean getting reimbursed when your bags are lost or delayed or a trip delay leaves you paying for meals and hotel stays out-of-pocket.While many companies offer excellent travel insurance policies online, make sure to look for a plan with adequate benefits and limits for emergency medical expenses, emergency medical evacuation, trip cancellations and interruptions, travel delay coverage and protection for lost and delayed baggage.

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Compare the Top Cheap Life Insurance Policies

Affordable life insurance reviews, cheap life insurance frequently asked questions.

  • Why You Should Trust Us

How to Pick a Life Insurance Policy that Fits Your Budget

Affordable life insurance: find the right life insurance for your budget.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate insurance products to write unbiased product reviews.

Life insurance is a great way to care for your family's short-term needs once you're gone. In the right circumstances, it can also be a retirement tool and build generational wealth for your descendants. Compare cheap life insurance options that fit your budget below. 

Best Cheap Life Insurance

  • Ethos Life : Best for Guaranteed Coverage
  • State Farm Life Insurance : Best for Customer Satisfaction
  • Guardian Life Insurance : Best for Preexisting Conditions
  • New York Life Insurance : Best for Whole Life
  • Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance : Best for Customized Coverage
  • USAA Life Insurance : Best for Military and Veterans
  • Transamerica Life Insurance : Best for Foreign Nationals

Ethos Ethos Life

Apply for life insurance online in just a few minutes with Ethos' simple application. No medical exams are required. Just answer a few health questions—many customers enjoy same-day coverage!

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. 100% online application process, quotes in minutes
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Coverage starts immediately once approved
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Term policies renewable up to age 94 for qualifying applicants
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No conversion options to turn term policies to whole life for no exam policies
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Whole life policy limits are lower

State Farm State Farm Life Insurance

Bundling is standard, and agents often quote with multiple discounts.

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Best in JD Power customer service ratings
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Company offers a range of different insurance products to meet buyer needs
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Agents are knowledgeable about its products
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Life insurance products are conservative and limited
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Buyers may be subject to multi-year waiting periods before they qualify for full payouts on life insurance policies
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. State Farm agents cannot offer alternative options if State Farm is unable to bind a life insurance policy

State Farm is one of the insurance industry's most prominent insurers offering auto, home, and other insurance. Bundling is standard, and agents often quote with multiple discounts. Its term, universal, and whole life insurance products are no exception.

  • Life insurance products include term and permanent life
  • Ranks highly for customer satisfaction

Guardian Guardian Life Insurance

A++ (Superior)

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Offered nationwide
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Financial stability rating of A++ from AM Best
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No medical exam is available
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Unique coverage options like survivorship insurance and insurance for HIV applicants
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Although you can get an online quote, you will need an agent to purchase a policy
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Site pushes buyers towards term policies first
  • Life insurance provider with online insurance calculator tool
  • Survivorship insurance and no medical exam policy

New York Life New York Life Insurance

Offers aggressive financial products and extensively trained agents.

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong life insurance options for financial planning and wealth building
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Policies available nationwide
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Knowledgeable life insurance agents
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. May require a medical exam
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Buyers looking for more modest policies may not find the most competitive pricing

If you're preparing for a comfortable retirement or looking to build generational wealth, New York Life is one of the strongest options. If you have questions or genuinely want to understand your life insurance options, New York Life agents are among the most qualified professionals in the business.

  • Life insurance provider with policies available across the US

Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong financial stability rating
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. High customer satisfaction
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Company offers advising and financial planning
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No easy way to get a quote to compare prices
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Life insurance agents may not be able to effectively discuss the full range of available Northwestern Mutual life insurance products
  • 5/5 for claims satisfaction according to JD Power
  • Offers whole, universal, variable universal, and term life insurance policies

USAA USAA Life Insurance

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Affordable pricing starting with $12/month on some policies
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. May offer coverage to military members other companies won't cover
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Offers term and permanent life insurance options
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. 2 year waiting period for full benefits on some policies
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. May focus on death benefits only more than other companies
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. All permanent policies are underwritten and serviced by other companies, not by USAA
  • USAA offers life insurance for the military, veterans, and the public.

Transamerica (AEGON) Transamerica Life Insurance

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Available in all 50 states
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Wide range of life insurance products including term, universal, foreign nationals, and more
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Policies available for foreign nationals
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Can only be quoted and sold by licensed Transamerica life insurance agents
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Life insurance not available for certain high-risk clients

Best for Customer Satisfaction: State Farm Life Insurance

State Farm Life Insurance took the top spot in the most recent JD Power US Life Insurance Study. Its agents are well versed in its auto, home, life, and other insurance products, quoting with all applicable discounts, claims management, and more. State Farm sells several types of whole life policies ranging from a single premium option (for immediate protection) to a whole life policy with fixed payments. Adults between 50 and 80 may also qualify for a final expense policy with a $10,000 death benefit.

State Farm Life Insurance operates in all states except Massachusetts, New York, and Wisconsin. State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company offers similar life insurance policies in New York and Wisconsin. Wherever you are within the US, quoting is easy, especially if you're already a customer.

Read our State Farm Life Insurance review here.

Best for Preexisting Conditions: Guardian Life Insurance

Guardian Life Insurance  offers easy online quotes in minutes with no insurance agent required. In addition, the company offers term policies as short as 10 years and as long as 30 years. It also provides whole, universal, and other life insurance products.

What sets Guardian Life apart from other life insurance companies is its unique HIV life insurance. Of course, conditions apply, such as a two-year history of antiretroviral therapy, no AIDS-defining illnesses, and an undetectable HIV viral load. Recently, the company has expanded this program to allow buyers up to age 65. Buyers with a history of IV drug use also have more flexibility as the company can offer coverage after seven years instead of the previous 10 years. The HIV plan is just one of the innovative life insurance products offered by a select few life insurance providers, including Guardian Life.

Read our Guardian Life Insurance review here.

Best for Guaranteed Coverage: Ethos Life Insurance

Ethos Life  is known for its efforts to work with difficult-to-insure populations. The company offers easy online quotes and term and permanent life insurance options. It also has guaranteed issue policies, meaning guaranteed acceptance if you fall between predefined age limits. At this time, all guaranteed issue policies with Ethos are whole life policies. While some companies may offer no medical exam term life insurance , issuance requires underwriter review.

Ethos' guaranteed coverage plans can offer death benefits up to $25,000 for applicants between 65 and 85. Guaranteed plans primarily cover funerals and other final expenses. If you're seeking a higher death benefit, Ethos offers whole, term, and no medical exam policies. Its monthly premiums start at just $7 per month, but interested customers should get a quote on their preferred life insurance plan to nail down exact premiums.

Read our Ethos Life Insurance review here.

Best for Whole Life: New York Life Insurance

New York Life Insurance  specializes in multi-million dollar investment policies great for retirement planning with term, whole, and universal life insurance options . However, it does not provide online quotes. In addition, New York Life insurance agents complete extensive training to answer all questions about its policies and help buyers identify the right policy. New York Life agents can add riders to customize plans to meet your needs. Even with some of its smaller policies, policyholders may earn dividends.

Read our New York Life Insurance review here.

Best for Customized Coverage: Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance  temporarily unseated State Farm as the top life insurance company in customer satisfaction. While it may not top JD Power's rankings currently, the company continues to offer easy quoting, strong customer service, and a streamlined process overall. Northwestern Mutual also allows buyers to utilize diverse riders to customize plans to meet their needs.

Adding a rider to protect your life insurance benefits if you're sick and can't make payments is just one of the affordable life insurance riders offered by Northwestern Mutual. Working with a qualified life insurance agent is the best way to ensure you can customize your plan to meet your needs.

Read our Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance review here.

Best for Military and Veterans: USAA Life Insurance

USAA Life Insurance is available to buyers with no connection to the military, though USAA as a whole has become synonymous with financial services for veterans. What makes it unique is its life insurance policies are open to active-duty military members. Outside of SGLI (servicemember's group life insurance), many life insurance companies restrict coverage for military members in specific ways. SGLI may be generous while you're involved with the military. But once you separate, the coverage would no longer be available.

USAA offers whole life insurance policies with expedited coverage for deployed soldiers. It also provides severe injury benefits and coverage for wartime. One key selling point for veterans is USAA guarantees SGLI replacement when separating from the military.

Read our USAA Life Insurance review here.

Best for Foreign Nationals: Transamerica Life Insurance

Transamerica Life Insurance  (AEGON) offers life insurance limits of up to $10 million with many universal life insurance policies and other permanent options. Visa holders can also buy plans with Transamerica. When evaluating your risk class, some restrictions may apply depending on the country of origin.

Transamerica has decades of history in the life insurance market. It also reports faster underwriting and processing times than its competitors. If you're interested in life insurance with Transamerica, we recommend contacting an agent. It offers limited quotes online, but many of the best policies are only sold through licensed insurance agents.

Read our Transamerica Life Insurance review here.

The average cost of life insurance is $40-$55 a month. Keep in mind that your monthly premium will vary depending on the type of policy you purchase and how much coverage you select.

The cheapest life insurance is term life insurance. Term life insurance policies only last for a set amount of time (usually 10 to 30 years) and they don't accrue any cash value like whole life policies do. Read our guide to the best term life insurance companies to learn more.

Your life insurance will be cheaper the younger you are. As you age, the probability that your insurer will have to pay out on your policy rises and therefore, your premium will be higher.

Term life insurance is generally the cheapest type of life insurance, but it's the cheapest for a reason: It expires after a set term. You can buy a 30-year term life insurance policy, but if you outlive the policy, your relatives won't receive any payout when you die.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Cheapest Life Insurance

We look beyond the obvious factors like online quote calculators and affordable pricing to see what life insurance companies offer. Our life insurance ratings methodology reflects aspects including:

  • Customer satisfaction (as rated by JD Power)
  • Financial stability (as rated by AM Best)
  • Policy types offered
  • Average monthly premiums/affordability
  • Waiting periods required for complete life insurance benefits
  • Exclusions that would prevent you from getting life insurance with the company being reviewed
  • What you can expect from life insurance agents who quote a company's policies
  • How available are a company's life insurance products? (is it licensed to sell life insurance in all 50 states and Washington, DC?)
  • How ethical company practices are measured by recent controversies, charitable activities or donations, etc.

We recommend starting with online research if you want a life insurance plan. You can get quotes online if you want a plan to cover funerals and other limited costs. But first, decide what you want your life insurance plan to do, how much you can afford to spend each month, etc.

Next, we recommend talking to at least one licensed insurance agent. Some of the best life insurance products can only be quoted or sold through a licensed insurance agent. Ask questions about the things you don't understand. Let an agent help you calculate the ideal benefit for your needs. Ask which riders customers add to the policies you're looking at, and compare three life insurance quotes.

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Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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The journalists on the editorial team at Forbes Advisor Australia base their research and opinions on objective, independent information-gathering.

When covering investment and personal finance stories, we aim to inform our readers rather than recommend specific financial product or asset classes. While we may highlight certain positives of a financial product or asset class, there is no guarantee that readers will benefit from the product or investment approach and may, in fact, make a loss if they acquire the product or adopt the approach.

To the extent any recommendations or statements of opinion or fact made in a story may constitute financial advice, they constitute general information and not personal financial advice in any form. As such, any recommendations or statements do not take into account the financial circumstances, investment objectives, tax implications, or any specific requirements of readers.

Readers of our stories should not act on any recommendation without first taking appropriate steps to verify the information in the stories consulting their independent financial adviser in order to ascertain whether the recommendation (if any) is appropriate, having regard to their investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs. Providing access to our stories should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or product, or to engage in or refrain from engaging in any transaction by Forbes Advisor Australia. In comparing various financial products and services, we are unable to compare every provider in the market so our rankings do not constitute a comprehensive review of a particular sector. While we do go to great lengths to ensure our ranking criteria matches the concerns of consumers, we cannot guarantee that every relevant feature of a financial product will be reviewed. We make every effort to provide accurate and up-to-date information. However, Forbes Advisor Australia cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of this website. Forbes Advisor Australia accepts no responsibility to update any person regarding any inaccuracy, omission or change in information in our stories or any other information made available to a person, nor any obligation to furnish the person with any further information.

Travel Insurance For Indonesia: Everything You Need To Know

Updated: Apr 4, 2024, 12:32pm

Table of Contents

Travel insurance for indonesia, what does travel insurance for indonesia cover, does travel for indonesia cover all emergencies, will an insurer cover me if i have a medical condition, cost of travel insurance for indonesia, how do i compare travel insurance for indonesia, frequently asked questions (faqs).

While Indonesia may be most famous for its tourist hub, Bali , the archipelago, as a whole, has grown in popularity in recent months. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported Indonesia replacing New Zealand as the top destination for short-term trips overseas by Australians last year—the first time since the Bureau started collecting travel records nearly 50 years ago.

Roughly 1.37 million Australians visited Indonesia in 2023. While some 86% took a holiday there, 7% visited friends or relatives. Whatever your reason for visiting the country, you’ll want to make sure you’re safeguarded against common mishaps that can arise while away, and even in the lead up to your holiday. Travel insurance for Indonesia can provide this protection, paying out should you fall ill or get injured and need treatment during your stay, if you lose your baggage or belongings or need to cancel your trip. Find out exactly how travel insurance for Indonesia works, what it covers and does not cover below.

If you’re sticking solely to Bali and its associated islands, then you can read more in our guide to travel insurance for the island of the gods.

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If you’re planning to visit Indonesia, you’ll need travel insurance specifically for the destination. There are three main types to choose from:

  • Single trip: for a one-off trip in the space of 12 months to Indonesia
  • Annual multi-trip: for more than one trip in the space of 12 months to Indonesia or various destinations. This type of cover can work out more cost-effective than buying multiple single trip policies but not always so it’s best to compare both types of cover.
  • Long-stay/backpacker: for an extended stay in Indonesia, of typically 60 or 90 days, or 12 or 18 months. Cover for 24 months may be available, from certain providers.

Depending on the insurer, and the type of policy you choose, you may have the option to take out cover for Indonesia alone, Asia or worldwide destinations. Note that insurers usually offer worldwide policies that include the US and destinations such as Canada, Greenland Mexico and the Caribbean, and worldwide policies that exclude them, depending on where you’re going, as medical costs are extremely high in this part of the world.

A good travel insurance policy will cover emergency medical costs should you fall ill or injure yourself while away. This may also extend to medical rescue, and repatriation costs, for severe cases where you need transporting to a hospital or back to Australia.

Cover for personal liability should you injure someone or damage another person’s property, and trip cancellation for reasons such as falling ill before the trip or suffering a bereavement should also be included as standard. You should also be able to claim for loss or theft of your luggage and belongings. Note that there’s typically a total limit on the amount you can claim for your possessions, as well as an individual limit for each type of item.

A policy may additionally include a number of other forms of cover, such as:

  • Personal money: the amount that can be claimed if your money is lost or stolen
  • Missed departure: covers the cost of additional accommodation and travel should an emergency cause the policyholder to miss their journey
  • Travel delay: pays out if your scheduled transport is late by typically a least 12 hours
  • Company insolvency: compensates you if your airline or hotel goes bust
  • Personal accident: pays out if an injury causes permanent disability or death

Insurers usually offer basic policies with few benefits and low cover levels and comprehensive policies that provide their widest range of cover and higher cover levels. They may also have one or more mid-level policies for anything in between.

Shopping around will allow you to find the best policy to suit your needs and budget. For help with finding a comprehensive policy, we’ve conducted in-depth research to find what we believe are the top 10 available .

It may be impossible for travel insurance for Indonesia to cover everything that can go wrong with a holiday, but it can cover a wide range of common scenarios, particularly if you opt for comprehensive cover. A policy’s product disclosure statement (PDS) sets out the specifics of what it does and does not cover. You should be able to access this on the insurer’s website, and read it before making a decision on whether it’s right for you.

Bear in mind that most insurers won’t cover a holiday where you’ve travelled to parts of Indonesia that the government’s Smartraveller website has on its “do not travel” list. To avoid this type of problem, it’s best to check the website for updates on Indonesia before purchasing a policy, and before departure. Smarttraveller will also advise if you should travel with caution, warning of risks, such as acts of terrorism, civil and political unrest and natural disasters.

Insurers will also likely reject claims resulting from intoxication from alcohol or drugs, and disorderly behaviour. If you’ve partaken in any sports and activities while away, it’s likely an insurer will only accept related injury claims if you wore the appropriate safety gear, such as a helmet, or harness.

Having a medical condition won’t necessarily hinder your chances of finding suitable cover for Indonesia, but you may find you’ll have to shop around a little more.

Only some insurers provide cover for what they term “pre-existing medical conditions”. These are conditions that you had before taking out the policy. Those that do provide this type of cover usually raise their premiums to do so, owing to the heightened risk that you’ll make a medical-related claim while away. The policy premium—the price of the policy—will often rise with the severity of a condition. This means cover for a heart condition will be more expensive than for diabetes, for example.

When running quotes on the sites of insurers that provide pre-existing medical cover, you’ll be taken to a medical screening section of the application. Make sure to state what conditions you have and answer the questions about them. This ranges from whether, and how often you take medication, to when you last saw a practitioner concerning your condition. If you later make a claim relating to a condition that you did not declare or detailed inaccurately, an insurer could refuse it.

Insurers refer to a number of factors when calculating how much you must pay for cover. This includes the number of people travelling, and the holiday destination and duration.

More mature travellers and those with pre-existing conditions will likely be charged more than younger travellers and those without conditions, as insurers deem them as high-risk travellers that will likely need to claim while away.

We used the profile of a family of four, aged 42, 40, 14 and 12, spending 13 to 26 May in Indonesia, and assumed they have no pre-existing conditions, (although these providers do offer cover for pre-existing conditions should you need it).

We found basic cover ranged from around $106 to $241, while comprehensive cover started at around $226, with the most expensive policy costing just under $324.

Running quotes on travel insurer websites will allow you to make side-by-side comparisons of their policies based on the types of cover they offer, the various cover levels and prices. Looking through the offerings of a number of insurers can help with finding a deal on the cover you need.

When running a quote you will need to enter details about yourself, anyone else travelling with you and your trip. This includes your name, the age of all travellers, your holiday destination and duration. If pre-existing cover is available, you will also be taken through a medical screening, so the insurer can build a medical profile on each traveller.

Is travel insurance mandatory for Indonesia?

Travel insurance is not a legal requirement for travelling to Indonesia. However, it is recommended by Smartraveller, which advises taking out a comprehensive policy that covers all emergency medical costs, including emergency treatment and medical evacuation. Without it, you could be faced with bills for thousands of dollars, which the Australian government will not pay.

What is required to enter Indonesia from Australia?

Australians visiting or transiting through Indonesia should apply for an e-Visa on arrival , at least 48 hours before travelling. You can alternatively get a Visa on Arrival at some international airports, seaports or land crossings.

To apply for an e-Visa on arrival or the Visa on arrival, you need to have an ordinary (non-emergency) passport that will remain valid at least six months after your arrival in Indonesia. Smarttraveller also advises ensuring your passport has a minimum six months validity from your departure from Indonesia, to avoid any issues with leaving the country or with an onward or return flight. You’ll also need to complete an e-customs declaration within three days of departure to Indonesia.

The Bali Provincial Government has introduced a tourist levy of IDR 150,000 ($14.56 AUD) per person for foreign tourists visiting Bali. The levy is separate from the e-Visa on Arrival or the Visa on Arrival. You can pay the levy online before you travel or on arrival at a designated payment counter at Bali’s airport and seaport. Further detail can be found on the Bali Provincial Government’s website .

What is ‘excess’ in travel insurance?

An excess is a set amount you’ll be expected to pay on each approved claim. It’s usually levied per person on the policy, per event, per claim, but you can check the PDS for the specifics concerning your insurer. You usually can pick from a range of excess amounts, from $50 – $250 on average, when taking out a policy.

The more you choose to pay in excess, the lower your policy premium typically will be, while paying less in excess will raise the cost. An excess is usually deducted from a claim amount, so you won’t need to pay for it out of pocket. However, it’s still crucial that you ensure you can afford it. Some insurers may also offer an excess waiver if you pay an extra premium.

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  • Travel Insurance For Bali
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I have been writing for newspapers, magazines and online publications for over 10 years. My passion is providing, in a way that is easily accessible and digestible to all, the knowledge needed for readers to not only manage their finances, but financially flourish.

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    If you're willing to spend a bit more than AXA's $70 Silver plan, a Gold plan only costs $19 more and gets you deeper coverage amounts and up to $35,000 in collision rental car insurance. Learn ...

  4. Best COVID-19 Travel Insurance in April 2024

    This is the shortlist of the best travel insurance for COVID options: Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. IMG. John Hancock Insurance Agency, Inc. Seven Corners. Travelex Insurance Services ...

  5. What Travel Insurance Covers COVID Quarantine?

    Fortunately, there are still insurance providers that'll provide coverage in the event you're affected by COVID-19, including: Trip cancellation. Trip delay. Medical care/hospitalization ...

  6. Best COVID Travel Insurance of 2024

    The best travel insurance for COVID-19 offers generous coverage for medical treatment. It will also cover the cost — and handle the logistics — if you require medical evacuation.

  7. Best Covid-19 Travel Insurance of 2024

    AXA Travel Insurance. AXA offers three travel insurance plans starting at $16. Its silver plan, the lowest tier of coverage, offers high limits for emergency medical expenses at $25,000 and up to ...

  8. How COVID-19 Travel Insurance Works

    It depends. Standard travel insurance policies don't cover COVID-19 or other pandemic-related reasons, but some travel insurance companies offer specialty COVID-19 coverage against the virus' potential interference. If you cancel your trip due to the virus, a COVID travel insurance policy may provide refunds or reimbursements for your expenses.

  9. How do you choose travel insurance that covers COVID-19?

    Foster says Trawick's travel insurance plans that cover COVID-19 would cover the expenses if you could not pass your pre-health inspection. Also, the plan would cover the costs of the failure of your PCR test to return to the United States, such as having to quarantine abroad. It's important to note that the actual cost of the PCR test is ...

  10. Best COVID-19 Travel Insurance Plans

    The best COVID-19 travel insurance plans treat coronavirus-related illnesses the same as any other medical condition covered under the policy. ... Best travel insurance Cheapest travel insurance ...

  11. Covid-19 Travel Insurance

    Individuals looking to obtain additional information regarding the features and pricing of each travel plan component, please contact International Medical Group 9200 Keystone Crossing Suite 800 Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA. [email protected]. +1 (317) 655-9796. iTravelInsured Insurance Services CA Non-Resident Producer License No. 0F17093.

  12. How to Find the Best Travel Insurance for a Pandemic

    If you contract COVID-19 during your trip and need to interrupt your trip due to this issue, you will usually be covered under trip interruption coverage. It's also a good idea to look for plans that offer emergency medical coverage. If you contract COVID-19 during travel and need to see a doctor, this type of coverage will cover the ...

  13. The 5 Cheapest Travel Insurance Companies Of April 2024

    The Cheapest Travel Insurance Companies Of 2024. Travel Insured International: Best for Non-Medical Evacuation. WorldTrips: Great for Add-On Coverage. AIG: Travel Guard Preferred. Nationwide ...

  14. Best COVID-19 Travel Insurance Companies of 2024

    Under most travel insurance verbiage, COVID-19 is now considered a known threat, and the announcement of a new variant is considered a risk you accept when booking. ... The best way to find cheap ...

  15. The best travel insurance policies and providers

    This plan is priced at $259 per year for one Florida resident. Additionally, 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.

  16. 9 Best Travel Insurance Companies of March 2024

    $100,000 per person in emergency medical coverage, including issues related to COVID-19; ... Cheap travel insurance If you want travel insurance but don't want to spend a lot of money, there are ...

  17. How to Find Travel Insurance That Covers COVID

    Travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth (a NerdWallet partner) is one of the very few comparison sites that allows you to filter by policies that offer coronavirus coverage. To find a policy ...

  18. Best Travel Medical Insurance Of 2024

    The Best Travel Medical Insurance for Visitors to the U.S. Atlas America - Best Overall. Patriot America Lite - Best for Cost. Patriot America Plus - Great for Trip Interruption Insurance ...

  19. 6 Best Travel Insurance with COVID-19 Coverage in Singapore (2024)

    Bubblegum Travel Insurance. $42. - Overseas medical expenses: $150,000. - Trip cancellation: $5,000. - Trip cancellation or disruption: $600. - Overseas medical expenses: $65,000. FWD Travel Insurance. $32 - $56 (Add $11-22 for COVID-19 coverage) - Overseas medical expenses: $200,000 - $1,000,000.

  20. Travel insurance with Covid Cover

    Yes, all travel insurance policies offered through MoneySuperMarket offer a level of Covid cover. However, some travel insurance providers have more cover than others - for instance, some will refund the cost of your trip if you test positive before you leave. Often, you can buy an optional add-on to increase your travel insurance's Covid ...

  21. Travel Medical Insurance: Your Guide to Staying Protected on Trips

    Many travel medical insurance policies now include coverage for COVID-19 related medical expenses and treat it like any other illness. However, you should double-check your policy to ensure that ...

  22. 7 Cheapest Travel Insurance Companies of April 2024

    Do cheap travel insurance plans include COVID-19 coverage? While travel restrictions have lifted immensely since 2021, COVID-19 concerns are still impacting travelers in 2023.

  23. How to Find the Best Travel Insurance

    According to insurance comparison site Squaremouth, travelers in 2023 spent an average of $403 for comprehensive coverage, compared to $96 for medical-only policies. Comprehensive plans typically ...

  24. Best Cheap Travel Insurance 2024

    A typical travel insurance excess might be £50, £95 or up to £150, depending on the policy. The excess will usually be applied per person per section of a claim, so if there were four people ...

  25. How to Make Air Travel Less of a Nightmare

    Within minutes, they had bypassed the long line at Washington Dulles International Airport and were waiting for their luggage. "It was always a long row," said Piet De Staercke of the line to go ...

  26. Affordable Life Insurance: Find the Right Life Insurance for ...

    Best Cheap Life Insurance. Ethos Life: Best for Guaranteed Coverage. State Farm Life Insurance: Best for Customer Satisfaction. Guardian Life Insurance: Best for Preexisting Conditions. New York ...

  27. A Guide To Travel Insurance For Singapore

    There are three main types of travel insurance policy for Singapore. These are: Single trip: for a one-off trip in the space of 12 months to Singapore. Annual multi-trip: for more than one trip in ...

  28. A Guide To Travel Insurance For Indonesia

    Travel Insurance For Indonesia. If you're planning to visit Indonesia, you'll need travel insurance specifically for the destination. There are three main types to choose from: Single trip ...