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Nationwide Travel Insurance Review: Is it Worth The Cost?

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Table of Contents

What does Nationwide travel insurance cover?

What does nationwide travel insurance cost, what isn’t covered by nationwide travel insurance, can you buy a nationwide plan online, is nationwide travel insurance worth it.

Are you considering purchasing travel insurance for your next vacation? It could be a good idea, especially in an era of overbooked flights, travel delays and lost luggage. Insurance company Nationwide can sell you travel insurance, which will cover you in the event that things stray from the plan. 

Let’s take a look at Nationwide travel insurance, the policies available and the benefits that they provide. 

Nationwide offers two different travel insurance plans for its customers: an Essential option and a Prime version. As the name implies, Prime provides more coverage and is more expensive. 

With the essential plan, you'll have benefits like trip cancellation or interruption, coverage for medical emergencies and a fixed fee for delayed/lost luggage. The prime plan includes missed connection reimbursement, and generally, a higher reimbursement amount per benefit.

» Learn more: Common myths about travel insurance and what it covers

To do a proper Nationwide travel insurance review, we input a search for a 28-year-old from Michigan traveling to France for three weeks on a $7,000 trip. 

A quick Nationwide travel insurance review shows that you’ll see quite a few more benefits associated with the Prime plan, though neither option is especially cheap. Coverage areas that are missing from the Essential plan include missed connection reimbursement, itinerary change reimbursement and 24-hour AD&D insurance, though this last one can be added on. 

The Essential plan also sees significant drops in the monetary reimbursement you can expect when things go awry. Despite being only 38% cheaper than the Prime plan, coverage is significantly stripped down. You can especially see this with baggage delay ($100 versus $600), lost baggage ($600 versus $2,000) and trip delay ($600 versus $2,000). Trip cancellation is basically the only coverage area that remains the same — 100% no matter which plan you choose.

» Learn more: How to find the best travel insurance

Additional options and add-ons

No review of Nationwide travel insurance would be complete without mentioning add-ons. Your available options will differ based on the plan you choose.

As you can see, the available options and their costs can range quite a bit. If you’re looking for maximum coverage, it’s easy to more than double the cost of your original quote. 

The most expensive add-on is only available to Prime policyholders. Cancel For Any Reason insurance allows the ultimate in flexibility as it’ll refund you up to 75% in trip costs in the event you want to cancel your trip. 

Those opting for an Essential plan can also choose to purchase 24-hour AD&D coverage, which comes included with the Prime policy. Doing so includes flight-only coverage for Essential plans, though strangely that’s considered an add-on for Prime. 

Finally, rental car insurance is available regardless of which plan you pick, though you can receive more coverage with the higher-tier Prime policy. 

Many different travel credit cards provide complimentary trip insurance when you use your card to pay. Check these before purchasing travel insurance. 

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

As nice as it would be to purchase fully comprehensive travel insurance, the truth is that nearly all policies have exclusions of some kind. This may mean that your policy won’t cover instances of COVID-19 or the decision to jump out of a plane. 

Here are some general exclusions you can expect:

Accidental injury or sickness when traveling against the advice of a physician.

Participation in canyoning or canyoneering, extreme sports or bodily contact sports.

War or any act of war whether declared or not.

Exclusions vary based on the policy and where you live, so you’ll want to read your guide to benefits carefully to see what coverages apply to your policy. 

» Learn more: Is there travel insurance that covers COVID quarantine?

If this Nationwide essential travel insurance review has spurred you to make a decision, it’s simple to find a quote for yourself. You’ll need to navigate to Nationwide’s travel insurance page , where you’ll find a form asking for your personal information. 

In addition to single-trip coverage, Nationwide also provides multi-trip plans and plans focused on cruises.

» Learn more: How much is travel insurance?

Nationwide has been in operation since 1925 and is a well-established insurance provider. They offer a range of insurance policies including car, motorcycle, homeowners, pet, farm, life and travel insurance. Nationwide's travel insurance policies can be purchased for cruises , single trips or multi-trips.

Nationwide travel insurance plans have various benefits including trip cancellation, interruption or delay, financial default, missed connection, itinerary change, Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR), medical emergencies, 24-hour accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), pre-existing conditions exclusion and waiver, and baggage delay. Each policy is different, so you'll want to ensure you read the fine print to know your coverage.

Nationwide's essential plan does not cover Cancel For Any Reason. However, for an additional cost, you can add CFAR to Nationwide's Prime plan. With that coverage, you will be eligible for reimbursement of up to 75% of nonrefundable trip costs. Note that this must be added on within 21 days of your first trip payment.

If you need to submit a claim, you'll first call the CBP Claims Department at 888-490-7606. A representative will provide a claim form and a list of documents to submit. Claims can then be submitted via U.S. mail, fax or through email. Assuming your claim is reimbursable, you'll receive payment via direct deposit or a check.

Nationwide has been in operation since 1925 and is a well-established insurance provider. They offer a range of insurance policies including car, motorcycle, homeowners, pet, farm, life and travel insurance. Nationwide's travel insurance policies can be purchased for

, single trips or multi-trips.

Are you looking for strong coverage over a wide range of incidents? Nationwide could be a good travel insurance option for you, but only if you’re willing to shell out for its more expensive policy. 

That being said, if you hold a travel credit card, odds are that you already have some form of complimentary travel insurance. You’ll want to check this first to see if those benefits are enough for your trip — if not, a Nationwide insurance policy could offer the coverage that you need. 

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Nationwide Travel Insurance Review — Is It Worth It?

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Why Purchase Travel Insurance

Travel insurance and the covid-19 virus, single-trip plans, cruise plans, annual/multi-trip insurance policies, how to obtain a quote, nationwide vs. credit card travel insurance, nationwide vs. other travel insurance companies, how to file a claim with nationwide travel insurance, final thoughts.

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If you’re looking at travel insurance policies, you may feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless number of options. Some of the names of insurance providers will sound familiar; others you’ve likely never heard of. If you’re wondering about the first step for narrowing down your options, choosing a well-known name like Nationwide could be a good start.

Nationwide began in Ohio as Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, selling its first policy (automobile insurance) in 1926. Thus, the company has nearly a century of insurance experience. It’s a household name at this point, meaning you can trust that it knows how to process claims should you need to submit one and isn’t likely to give you the headaches of a company that just started and needs to work out a few kinks. Nationwide and its subsidiaries have “Superior” financial ratings from A.M. Best. ¹

Now that we’ve established Nationwide as a quality travel insurance provider, let’s see if what it provides works for your trip and your budget.

Travel insurance , as with other types of insurance, protects your investment (read: money) from loss because of unforeseen circumstances. The more money that’s at risk, the more it makes sense to protect it with an insurance policy.

Travel insurance can protect more than your money, though. It can provide medical coverage in case of an accident or illness while you’re away from home.

The following are some of the reasons you may want to buy travel insurance:

• Your existing healthcare coverage won’t cover you at your destination or for some of the activities you’ll be doing.
• Your trip involves costly, nonrefundable deposits or prepayments that you would lose if the trip were canceled at the last minute .
• Health care at your intended destination may not be sufficient, and you might need evacuation (which is costly) if you become ill or injured.
• Your trip involves multiple destinations or forms of transportation, creating additional chances for a missed connection or delay.

Travel insurance isn’t always necessary. However, getting a travel insurance policy is smart if you’ve invested significant money or are worried about medical coverage during your trip.

As nearly all destinations worldwide have been affected by COVID-19, Nationwide says canceling a trip for “ general concerns related to potential COVID-19 exposure is not generally covered under our travel protection plans.”

However, specific plan terms and reasons for trip cancellation/delay will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for every claim. That’s because certain elements of your travel insurance plan “may provide coverage if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, are under quarantine or are traveling to a destination that is currently under a CDC travel restriction.”

Rather than canceling a trip, postponing it due to COVID-19 is another option. Your plan may be extended to cover your new trip dates if your travel is no more than 18 months from the original dates and if you pay the difference in fare (if any) for the adjusted plan.

Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage , added at the time you purchased your plan, may provide certain benefits if you cancel a trip due to COVID-19 concerns. However, this may not result in a 100% refund for all losses you incur. Nationwide says CFAR means “you may be covered for a percentage of the loss in the form of a credit or refund based on the terms of your specific plan.”

A few other situations are worth considering as well:

• If you test positive or are sick because of COVID-19, proof of this and a doctor’s note stating you’re medically unable to travel (or proof of quarantine requirements) should be sufficient for trip cancellation coverage.
• If your plan includes medical expense coverage, this benefit should apply if you become sick with COVID-19 during a trip.
• If you are forced to quarantine, your plan should remain in effect until the quarantine ends. And trip cancellation, interruption, or medical expense benefits should apply.

Types of Policies Available With Nationwide

Nationwide offers 3 main tips of travel insurance plans: single-trip, cruise, and multi-trip.

There are 2 types of single-trip plans : Essential and Prime . The Prime Plan has higher coverage limits in nearly every category. Note which coverage types are secondary in the following comparison.

There are 3 types of plans available for cruisers : Universal , Choice , and Luxury . In addition to typical travel insurance inclusions, these plans have coverage for altered itineraries and even missed shore excursions due to altered itineraries.

There are 3 types of annual insurance policies available: Pro, Plus, and Pro Deluxe. Interestingly, only the Plus plan includes an option for trip cancellation . The other 2 plans don’t offer this.

These plans include a $7 nonrefundable processing fee and aren’t available to residents of AK, CA, MT, or SC, or those 81+ years old. Plans must start in or include a stop in the U.S. and must be 30 days or less in duration.

To get a quote, head to the Nationwide travel insurance page and click on Get started .

The next page will ask you what type of plan you need.

Once you choose a plan type, you’ll provide information about the traveler(s) age(s), state of residence, and total trip cost . You’ll also include a date for the initial deposit and intended final payment date for your trip. For cruise and single-trip plans, you’ll also include a destination and dates of travel. Cruise trips also ask what line you’re sailing with.

The next page will show available plan options and let you compare them for coverage maximums and inclusions.

If you click on the text for a coverage amount in the chart, a pop-up window shows details. Here’s the description for the optional add-on for Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage.

Once you choose a plan, click on Buy this plan at the top, near the cost. On the next page, you’ll need to agree to certain disclosures and provide the names, birth dates, and contact information for the insured travelers.

If the detailed traveler information you provide doesn’t match what you originally included when obtaining the quote, the price may change. If that happens, you’ll see a message stating so at the top of the final payment page.

On this final page, you’ll provide your billing address and credit card number to complete the payment.

How Nationwide Compares — Summary

It’s possible that you have a  credit card with travel insurance . This type of coverage may be sufficient for small, simple, or inexpensive trips, but it doesn’t offer everything that a comprehensive travel insurance policy covers when it comes to more complex itineraries.

For comparison, we’ll put Nationwide’s best policy side-by-side with 2 premium credit cards with robust insurance coverage:  The Platinum Card ®  from American Express  and the  Chase Sapphire Reserve ® . Before we get started, note that enrollment may be required for some of the Amex benefits described below.

And while you’ll pay to get a separate travel insurance policy, there’s no fee for the insurance perks built into these credit cards. They come as part of the cards’ annual fees.

At first glance, it looks like these credit cards provide robust coverage. However, some of these coverage items are secondary, meaning you’d need to deal with other insurance providers first, such as your homeowner’s insurance or personal vehicle insurance, and then deal with your credit card’s insurance provider for any expenses not yet reimbursed or to cover the deductible on other policies. Having your car insurance rates go up because of a claim related to your vacation could be frustrating. Travel insurance policies, as primary coverage, mean you would deal with the travel insurance provider first.

Nationwide’s Prime Plan provides more robust travel insurance coverage in several key areas : trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical, and emergency evacuation.

To compare Nationwide to other travel insurance companies, we obtained a quote for a couple, ages 38 and 36, traveling to Mexico for a 1-week trip that costs $2,000 (with the original payment made today). Note that the costs you see for a policy can vary, based on factors like age, trip cost, number of people covered, and where you reside.

We started our search with Squaremouth , a travel insurance comparison website analyzing numerous policies to help you find the right one. We listed a departure date 3 months in advance, an original deposit date the same day, and the state of residence as Arizona.

All 3 plans include COVID-19 coverage and 100% trip cancellation coverage. Nationwide’s travel insurance Prime Plan had the middle cost of the 3 options, yet it includes the best trip interruption level (200%, rather than 150% or 125% for the others). Nationwide also has the best coverage for financial default: 10 days wait, rather than 14 with Seven Corners Trip Protection Choice and no coverage with Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance Standard.

Lastly, Nationwide has better coverage than Seven Corners for hurricane and weather, but the best coverage includes delays of “any time” with Generali — which also has the cheapest plan.

You can file a Nationwide claim online . Under File a personal insurance claim , find the button for File a claim .

The next page outlines the process for filing a claim, including the basic information you’ll provide, uploading documents, and then reviewing before submission.

Nationwide is a household name in insurance, and it offers multiple types of travel insurance to cater to different needs. While it doesn’t offer extreme sports-focused plans or numerous additional add-ons to customize everything you want, plans cover most of what you’re looking for when choosing a single-trip, multi-trip, or cruise-focused plan.

Within each plan type, you can choose different levels to save money with common coverage amounts or pay more to increase the maximum payout limits. This can be handy if you’re traveling to remote areas, have an increased risk of injury or illness during your trip, or have expensive items in your luggage.

Travel insurance options can feel countless. Ensure you check multiple plan types and coverage levels — as well as competing insurance companies — to find the plan that fits your needs and your budget.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Amex Platinum card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for covered persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per covered trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each covered person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit  americanexpress.com/benefitsguide  for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the premium global assist hotline benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. If approved and coordinated by premium global assist hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, card members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, up to $500 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, the maximum benefit amount for trip cancellation and interruption insurance is $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

Does nationwide travel insurance cover cruises.

Nationwide has cruise-specific plans. These are single-trip plans and cover things like itinerary changes and suspension of services, plus other issues you may encounter.

Is there an age limit for the Nationwide FlexPlus travel insurance?

FlexPlus is available for U.K. residents only. If anyone on the plan is 70 or older, you’ll need to purchase an age extension.

Does Nationwide travel insurance cover flight delays or missed connections?

Yes, it can. Depending on the policy, coverage amounts will vary.

Does Nationwide travel insurance cover skiing or trekking?

The Prime Plan can cover adventure sports.

When do I need to buy Nationwide travel insurance?

You can purchase plans up to the day before your departure. However, options for coverage diminish as time passes from your original trip deposit. Read our guide to find out more on when to buy travel insurance .

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About Ryan Smith

Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and now plans to let his wife choose their destinations. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet, The Points Guy, USA Today Blueprint, CNBC Select, Tripadvisor, and Forbes Advisor.

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Compare Nationwide Travel Insurance

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Nationwide Travel Insurance Review 2024

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.

Nationwide has been around close to 100 years after being founded in 1926. The Ohio-based company has many different products in the insurance and finance space, including coverage for trips. Nationwide Travel Insurance policies are available for single or multiple trips and can cover cruise trips too.

• Trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of trip costs (for cruises) or up to $30,000 (for single-trip plans)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Three cruise-specific plans to choose from
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual travel insurance plans available
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong trip cancellation coverage
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Cancel for any reason coverage available
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. CFAR insurance not available with every single plan
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Medical coverage is lower than what some competitors offer

Nationwide Travel Insurance offers many of the standard benefits you might see with a travel insurance policy. This can include things like trip cancellation coverage, so you can recover pre-paid costs or trip interruption in the event your vacation is interrupted by an unexpected event. There's also baggage delay coverage and medical coverage.

• Cancel for any reason coverage available

Nationwide Travel Insurance Review: Types of Policies Offered

Nationwide Travel Insurance offers many of the standard benefits you might see with a travel insurance policy . This can include things like trip cancellation coverage, so you can recover pre-paid costs or trip interruption in the event your vacation is interrupted by an unexpected event. There's also baggage delay coverage and medical coverage.

The travel insurance policies offered by Nationwide are available to consumers and are divided up by the type of trip: single trip, multiple trips, or cruise coverage.

Single-trip travel insurance policies

Nationwide offers two single-trip travel insurance policies: the Essential plan and the Prime plan.

As the name suggests, Nationwide Essential plan covers the basics. It offers some protection should anything happen ahead of your trip or while you're on your trip.

The Prime plan takes your coverage to the next level, with higher coverage limits and the option to add on the coveted cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage at an extra cost.

Both plans include trip cancellation or interruption coverage in the event of terrorism in your destination city, travel assistance from Nationwide at no additional charge, and refunds with a 10-day review period (except in WA and NY). Note that for baggage and personal effects coverage, there is a $500 combined maximum limit for valuable items (see your policy's terms and conditions for details on what's considered valuable).

Here's how the two plans stack up in terms of coverage limits. For trip delay coverage, you'll be eligible for reimbursement for delays of six hours or more.

Annual and multi-trip travel insurance policies

If you're looking for travel insurance coverage for more than one trip and want to cover your partner and children, the Travel Pro Plan may be an affordable option. It's important to note that this policy only covers events after departure, not pre-departure events. This policy could be as low as $59 as of the time of writing.

The Travel Plus Plan is another multi-trip policy from Nationwide that has flexible term limits for trip interruption and cancellation coverage, up to $10,000. This covers the gaps from the Travel Pro Plan, which only covers post-departure events. So if you needed to cancel the trip due to a covered illness or other reason, this is the plan for you.

If you want to increase the level of benefits for your after departure coverage, the Travel Pro Deluxe Plan does just that. It builds on the Travel Pro Plan, hence the name, and includes higher coverage limits for just $20 more.

All plans include the same travel assistance from Nationwide that's included with the single-trip policies. Here's how the multiple-trip plans compare:

Cruise coverage

Nationwide offers three cruise travel insurance plans.

If you're going on a short cruise or going for the first time, the Universal Cruise Plan may be a good starting point if you want added protection and to recoup nonrefundable costs. Just make sure that you qualify based on your state, as cruise coverage isn't available in all states.

If you're going on a longer cruise and want added coverage to protect your trip, the Choice Cruise plan is an option to consider. And if you're looking for the most benefits and go on many cruises, the Luxury Cruise plan offers the most coverage options.

All three policies can be refunded with a 10-day review period, except in WA and NY states.

Here's a comparison of the coverage you'll get with Nationwide's three different cruise travel insurance policies:

Additional coverage options from Nationwide

Nationwide Travel Insurance has a number of additional coverage options that can add more protection to your policy but also add to the cost as well. These include:

• Financial default coverage , in the event your travel supplier ends up in default or bankruptcy. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
• Pre-existing condition waiver, which may offer coverage for pre-existing illnesses or diseases if certain conditions are met. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
• Accidental death and dismemberment, which can have limits of $5,000, $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 depending on the plan. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
• Accidental death for flights only, which can have limits of $100,000, $250,000, or $500,000. This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies.
• Rental car collision or loss coverage, in the event something happens to your rental car, you can add on this coverage for up to $25,000 or $35,000 depending on the plan.This is available with the Essential and Prime single-trip policies (except in TX or NY).
• Cancel for any reason (CFAR) , which must be added to a policy and is available through the single-trip Prime Plan, the Choice Cruise Plan, and the Luxury Cruise Plan.

Nationwide Travel Insurance Cost

The cost to get a travel insurance policy through Nationwide will depend on several factors, including what type of coverage you get, whether you purchase any add-ons, as well as your destination, length of trip, and more.

On Nationwide's website, you can get a quote for a travel insurance policy by providing the following:

• Destination
• Departure date
• Return date
• Total trip cost
• Initial trip payment date

Let's review some potential costs. If you're a 35-year-old from Florida heading to Brazil for the last two weeks of the year in December and your total trip cost is $5,000 with an initial payment on September 1, your policy would be:

• $196.89 for the Essential Plan
• $273.20 for the Prime Plan

If you're a 55-year-old from Oregon heading to Mexico in the first 10 days of January via Carnival Cruise lines and spending $4,000 on the trip with an initial payment on September 1 and last payment on November 30, your policy would be:

• $172 for Universal Cruise Plan
• $206 for Choice Cruise Plan
• $244 for Luxury Cruise Plan

How to File a Claim with Nationwide

If you purchased travel insurance through Nationwide and need to file a claim, you can contact a Nationwide representative.

Claims through Nationwide are handled by Co-ordinated Benefit Plans, LLC. You can use its claims portal or call a representative, based on your type of policy.

Single trip policy phone number: 888-490-7606

Annual plan policy phone number: 866-281-1017

Cruise policy phone number : 866-281-0334

Rather reach out via email? You can contact Nationwide via [email protected] .

If you need to send documents via mail, the mailing address is:

Co-ordinated Benefit Plans, LLC

On Behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance

Company and Affiliated Companies

P.O. Box 26222 Tampa, FL 33623

Learn more about how Nationwide Travel Insurance compares against the competition. 

Nationwide Travel Insurance vs. Allianz Travel Insurance

Much like Nationwide , Allianz insurance offers many different types of insurance coverage. While the company may be most well known for auto insurance, it offers travel insurance as well and has eight options. Allianz, a major player in the travel insurance space, has 10 options listed.

Allianz may offer higher coverage limits for the policies offered and have a streamlined process for filing a claim online. Where Nationwide wins out is the fact that you can add cancel for any reason (CFAR) for an added cost, whereas CFAR coverage isn't available when purchasing an online policy via Allianz.

Alliance Travel Insurance Review

Nationwide Travel Insurance vs. John Hancock Travel Insurance

John Hancock is similar to Nationwide in that it provides a wide range of insurance offerings and financial services. One of those offerings is travel insurance. John Hancock offers travel insurance through Bronze, Silver, and Gold policies.

When comparing policies, the budget option may be slightly more affordable with Nationwide. However, mid-tier and higher coverage options may be more affordable with John Hancock. It depends on your policy, trip details, and age. One good thing is that you can add cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage under all John Hancock plan options.

John Hancock Travel Insurance Review

Nationwide vs. credit card travel coverage

Rewards credit cards come chock full of benefits for cardholders, some of which they might be unaware of. One such perk can be travel interruption or cancellation coverage as well as rental car coverage. Credit cards may have sufficient coverage for quick trips. However, if you want the peace of mind of having solid medical coverage or higher limits, going the traditional travel insurance route may be a better fit.

For frequent travelers, credit cards may be appealing as the coverage is constant. If you're looking for a comparable travel insurance plan with more comprehensive coverage, some companies offer annual travel insurance.

Best Credit Cards with Travel Insurance

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Nationwide Travel Insurance

For our review of Nationwide Travel Insurance , we looked at the leading travel insurance providers and compared the amount of options provided, coverage limits, cost, customer service options, and flexibility.

Nationwide is a top contender for cruise-related travel insurance policies and stands out for having cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage, though it's not available with every policy and comes with an extra cost. To find the best travel insurance policy for you, review various providers and compare quotes before buying a policy.

Nationwide travel insurance — frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Nationwide offers many different types of insurance policies, including travel insurance, and it could be a good fit depending on your needs. The company offers options for single trips, multiple trips, and offers robust coverage for cruise travel. Some of the policies may allow consumers to add cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage.

Nationwide offers cancel for any reason coverage as an addition to several policies including the Prime Plan, Choice Cruise Plan, and Luxury Cruise Plan. To qualify, you must meet eligibility requirements and pay an extra cost on a plan that offers this coverage.

According to the company website , Nationwide uses credit score to determine rates for insurance products in general. Studies indicate credit score may predict a higher rate of claims for insured parties with lower credit scores. While the exact number may vary, insurers offer the best rates for scores of 700 or higher . The use of credit score in determining premiums is most common for auto insurance .

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.

**Enrollment required.

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Nationwide Travel Insurance: The Complete Guide

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About Nationwide Travel Insurance

Already one of the biggest names in insurance, Nationwide Travel Insurance is one part of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. As a whole, the Columbus, Ohio-based insurance giant started in 1925 , when the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation incorporated the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. The insurer officially changed its name to Nationwide in 1955, after expanding service to 32 states and the District of Columbia. Today, Nationwide offers more than just insurance – their divisions include a bank, a financial services company, a farmland insurance company and even a pet insurance brand.

Compared to other companies, Nationwide is a relatively new travel insurance provider. The company began offering their travel insurance products on InsureMyTrip.com in 2015, and expanded to Squaremouth.com in 2018. Currently, the insurance company focuses on three types of products: cruise travel insurance , single trip travel insurance, and annual travel insurance .

How is Nationwide Travel Insurance rated?

As one of America’s oldest insurance companies, Nationwide has a solid reputation for their financial stability and commitment to policy holders. All travel insurance policies are underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, which has an A+ Superior rating from A.M. Best in the financial size category of $2 billion or greater. The company also holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau , with a composite customer review score of one star (out of five).

In the travel insurance marketplaces, InsureMyTrip.com gives Nationwide an average score of 4.5 stars (out of five) for their cruise travel insurance and single trip travel insurance products. At Squaremouth.com , Nationwide has earned a rating of 4.04 out of five stars, and has sold over 5,783 policies since January 2018.

What travel insurance products are available from Nationwide?

Nationwide Travel Insurance primarily focuses on three travel insurance products: cruise trip insurance , single trip insurance , and annual trip insurance . The company also offers two student education plans, which are available through InsureMyTrip.com : Academic Explorer All Inclusive Domestic and Academic Explorer All Inclusive International.

Please note: all schedules of benefits are subject to change. For the most up-to-date coverage information, contact Nationwide Travel Insurance.

Nationwide Cruise Travel Insurance

Universal Cruise Plan: Nationwide is among the few travel insurance companies to provide an independent cruise-only travel insurance plan. At the lowest end, the Universal Cruise Plan covers many of the basic situations that can go wrong while embarked at sea.

• Like traditional travel insurance plans, the Universal Cruise Plan covers a maximum trip cancellation benefit of 100 percent of non-refundable trip costs and a trip interruption maximum benefit of 125 percent of non-refundable trip costs. Covered reasons for trip cancellation or trip interruption include weather, extension of a school operating session, work-related issues, or an act of terrorism in the itinerary city. 
• This plan differs from a traditional travel insurance plan by offering an Interruption for Any Reason benefit, which reimburses transportation change costs up to $250. Missed connections that cause a delay of over three hours or trip delays of over six hours are also covered, with a maximum benefit of $500 for each type of incident.
• Should you get ill or injured on the ship, this plan offers up to $75,000 of both emergency accident and sickness medical expense coverage. It is important to note that this is secondary coverage, not primary coverage. This means that all other insurance, including policies from a credit card  must be depleted  before the Nationwide insurance plan will cover claims. The plan also offers up to $750 of emergency dental expense coverage and up to $250,000 of emergency medical evacuation coverage.
• If your bags are delayed or lost , Nationwide’s Universal Cruise Plan can help. If your bags are delayed by more than eight hours, the baggage delay benefit will cover up to $250 in qualifying expenses. If your luggage is outright lost or stolen, the insurance plan offers a maximum of $1,500 in payouts, including a maximum of $600 for special items and a $300 per article limit.
• Finally, unplanned itinerary changes are also covered under this plan. If a port of call is changed prior to departure, this plan offers a maximum of $500 in coverage. If a covered issue impacts your cruise experience, like a fire or mechanical issue, you could qualify for up to $100 in coverage. These two specific benefits are not available to residents of Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or Washington state.
• As a third-party travel insurance plan covering a cruise, Nationwide’s Universal Cruise Plan is a frugal purchase with lots of benefits. For a 34-year-old male traveling on a $1,500 four-day cruise from North Carolina sailing to the Bahamas, we were quoted a price of $51.45, but your insurance quote and benefits may vary based on age, location, trip price, trip length, cruise line and destination.
• See the sample certificate of coverage

Choice Cruise Plan: While the Choice Cruise Plan introduces new benefits, including the pre-existing condition waiver, non-medical evacuation and accidental death and dismemberment coverage, the primary advantage over the basic Universal Cruise Plan is the higher maximum benefits.

• For those concerned about a pre-existing condition , this plan offers a waiver if it is purchased prior to the final trip payment and all eligibility requirements are met. The additional accidental death and dismemberment benefit offers up to $25,000 of coverage in the event of an emergency causing the loss of life or limb. If a non-medical evacuation from the ship is required, this plan offers a maximum of $25,000 of coverage.
• Like the Universal Cruise Plan, the Choice Cruise Plan offers a maximum of 100 percent trip cancellation coverage of non-refundable trip costs. The plan also offers a 150 percent maximum of non-refundable trip costs for trip interruption, an increase of 25 percent. The plan may pay up to $500 towards transportation change cost reimbursement under the interruption for any reason benefit, if eligibility requirements are met.
• If you miss a connection which causes a delay of more than three hours, the plan offers up to $1,500 in coverage for lost events or costs incurred. If your trip is delayed by over six hours, the trip delay benefits can reimburse up to $750 of incidental costs.
• Emergency accident and sickness medical expense benefits are increased to a maximum of $100,000 of secondary coverage, meaning other insurance plans must be exhausted before this plan will pay for coverage. Emergency medical evacuation coverage is increased to a maximum of $500,000, and emergency dental expense is a maximum of $750.
• For those concerned about their luggage getting lost or stolen, this plan offers increased maximums from the Universal Cruise Plan. If baggage is delayed by eight hours or more, this plan offers a maximum baggage delay reimbursement of $500 towards incidental costs. Baggage that is lost or stolen is covered to a maximum of $2,500, with a special item maximum of $600 and a limit of $300 per article. The plan also offers itinerary change coverage: a maximum of $750 for ports of call change prior to departure, $200 maximum for fire, mechanical, or other covered issue affecting your cruise experience after departure and $500 maximum for an itinerary change after departure that causes you to miss a pre-paid shore excursion . Again, changes to the ports of call and cruise experience impact coverage are not available to residents of Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or Washington state.
• The Choice Cruise Plan is also the first to offer the Cancel for Any Reason benefit , which allows travelers to recover up to 70 percent of non-refundable trip costs if you decide not to take your cruise after all. The Cancel For Any Reason option is an additional purchase, priced based on your quoted rate.
• Compared to the Universal Cruise Plan, the Choice Cruise plan is equally as economic as the lower plan but with more benefits. When we quoted the same trip above for the Choice Cruise Plan, we saw only an 8 percent price increase for more maximum allowances. At the price point, it could make more sense to purchase the Choice Cruise Plan to ensure you get a higher level of coverage for almost the same price.

Luxury Cruise Plan: If you are planning an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime cruise, then you may definitely want to consider the Luxury Cruise Plan.

• Offering the highest level of coverage, the Luxury Cruise Plan increases all of the maximum coverage levels, helping you retain the most peace of mind on your trip.
• Like the Choice Cruise Plan, the Luxury Cruise Plan offers a maximum 100 percent trip cancellation benefit for non-refundable trip costs, as well as a maximum 150 percent trip interruption benefit for non-refundable trip costs. The interruption for any reason benefit is increased to $1,000 to cover transportation costs if eligibility requirements are met.
• If your trip is delayed by three hours or more from a missed connection, this insurance plan can cover up to $2,500 of costs. If your trip is otherwise delayed, the Luxury Cruise Plan can reimburse up to $1,000 in costs if you are delayed for more than six hours.
• Emergency accident and emergency sickness medical expenses are still secondary coverage, but provide a large safety net for cruise travelers. Should you fall ill or have an accident, this plan offers a maximum coverage limit of $150,000. If emergency medical evacuation is required, this plan can cover up to $1 million in costs. The emergency dental expense is also increased to a maximum of $750, but accidental death and dismemberment coverage still maxes out at $25,000.
• As with the Choice Cruise Plan, this travel insurance plan offers a $25,000 non-medical evacuation benefit, along with coverage for lost and stolen luggage or delayed baggage. The plan also includes a pre-existing condition waiver if your plan is purchased prior to final trip payment and all eligibility requirements are met.
• Using the same itinerary for the Universal Cruise Plan, this high-end plan is priced significantly higher than both lower plans. Compared to the Universal Cruise Plan, prepare to pay nearly 50 percent more for the best benefits offered on a cruise ship by Nationwide.

Nationwide Single-Trip Insurance

Essential Plan : Travelers who are not going to be on a cruise ship but still want a high level of protection may want to consider purchasing a Nationwide Single-Trip insurance plan instead. The Single-Trip Essential plan balances benefits with additional buy-ups in order to build the best protection for your trip.

• At the base level, this plans offers a maximum $10,000 benefit for trip cancellation, which will cover pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs if you are forced to cancel for a qualified reason. If your trip is interrupted early, this plan offers a reimbursement benefit of up to 125 percent of insured trip costs, with a maximum of $12,500. Should your trip be delayed for a covered reason by at least six hours, this plan offers a $150 per day trip delay benefit, with a maximum benefit of $600. Luggage delay benefits offer up to $100 of coverage for incidental costs if your luggage gets lost for more than 12 hours.
• If your bags are lost or stolen during your trip, the Single-Trip Essential Plan offers up to $600 of travel insurance benefits. Individual articles are limited to $250 maximum, while valuable items are capped at a combined total of $500.
• As a basic plan, Nationwide’s Single-Trip Essential Plan also offers coverage for emergency accidents and illness while abroad. The accident and sickness medical expense benefit offers up to $75,000 of secondary coverage, meaning all other collectible insurance must be paid up to its limits before this plan will pay benefits. Emergency dental coverage is capped to $500 and is included in the medical expense coverage, while emergency medical evacuation or repatriation of remains benefits are limited up to $250,000.
• Nationwide’s plan is unique in that it extends trip cancellation or trip interruption coverage due to an act of terrorism in an itinerary city. Should you decide to cancel your trip due to an act of terrorism, you may be able to receive benefit payments. If you buy your plan within 10 days of your initial trip deposit, you will also be covered for trip cancellation and interruption due to common carrier financial default and receive the pre-existing condition waiver benefit. Additional coverages you can purchase in this plan includes accidental death and dismemberment, accidental death during a flight, and rental car collision or loss coverage.
• When we requested a quote for a 34-year-old traveler going to Germany on a $1,500 trip, Nationwide priced our plan at $45.27, which is a competitive price for travel insurance. Your price will vary based on your age, destination, trip price, travel dates and any additional options you may choose.

Prime Plan : As the premier plan offered by Nationwide for a single trip, the Single-Trip Prime Plan offers the highest coverage levels and the most add-on options.

• Prime is the only single trip travel insurance plan to feature a Cancel for Any Reason benefit, along with add-ons for accidental death and dismemberment, flight-only accidental death and dismemberment and rental car collision/loss coverage.
• The trip cancellation benefit is increased to $30,000 and is limited to prepaid, non-refundable trip costs. If you decide to purchase additional Cancel for Any Reason coverage within 21 days of your initial trip payment, you can recover up to 75 percent of your non-refundable trip costs. Cancel for Any Reason benefits are not available to those in New Hampshire, New York, or Washington state.
• The trip interruption benefit is also increased to up to 200 percent of your non-refundable tour costs, with a maximum of $60,000. If your trip is delayed by at least six hours, you could also qualify for trip delay benefits of up to $250 per day. Trip delay is limited to a maximum benefit of $1,500. This plan also offers a missed connection or itinerary change benefit of up to $500.
• If your bags are delayed or lost, the Prime Plan may cover you. The baggage delay benefit can reimburse up to $600 of incidental expenses if you are delayed by 12 hours or more. If your bags are lost or stolen, the baggage and personal effects benefits offers maximum coverage of $2,000, including a $250 per article limit and $500 maximum for valuable items.
• As with the Essential Plan, the Nationwide Single-Trip Prime Plan offers emergency accidental and sickness medical expense coverage. In an emergency, this plan offers a maximum secondary benefit of $150,000 if all expenses are covered during your trip. Included in the medical expense coverage is a maximum emergency dental benefit of $750. If you need emergency medical evacuation or your remains must be repatriated, the maximum benefit is $1 million.
• By purchasing your plan within 21 days of your initial trip payment, you also qualify for two additional benefits: trip cancellation and trip delay due to financial default and the pre-existing condition waiver benefit. These two benefits can only be accessed through early purchase. If you might add additional costs to your trip later, still purchase your insurance early because you can always add more coverage later.
• Because this travel insurance plan offers a lot more coverage, it also comes with a higher price tag. When we priced out our trip, the cost was almost double that of the Essential Plan. 

What is excluded from Nationwide Travel Insurance?

All travel insurance plans have key exclusions. Before you file a claim, it’s important to know what situations are excluded from Nationwide plans. Exclusions on these plans include:

• War, Invasion, acts of foreign enemies, or civil war: If a war breaks out while in your destination country , don’t count on Nationwide Travel Insurance to pay out benefits. Any acts of war are specifically excluded from your travel insurance plan.
• Participation in underwater activities: Although deep sea diving and spelunking may sound tempting, injuries or death resulting from underwater activities are not covered under this plan. But recreational swimming is covered, so don’t be afraid to get in the water.
• Piloting an aircraft: Regardless of your status or experience as a pilot, operating an aircraft is not covered by Nationwide Travel Insurance plans. This includes actual piloting, learning to pilot, or acting as an aircraft crew member.
• Participation in hazardous activities or bodily contact sports: Much like other travel insurance plans , participating in activities such as rock climbing, hang gliding, rugby, or rodeo are not covered by Nationwide Travel Insurance. Nationwide Travel Insurance does not offer a hazardous activity add-on benefit, so you shouldn’t participate in hazardous activities while covered by these plans.
• Accidental injury or sickness when traveling against a doctor’s advice: If a doctor says you shouldn’t travel, it may be in your best interests to follow their advice. Should you get injured or ill, Nationwide Travel Insurance will not cover your treatment costs as a result.
• Confinement or treatment in a government hospital: Voluntary or not, receiving care in a government hospital is not covered under your travel insurance plan. But in some situations, the United States Government could seek claim payment for treatment.
• Pregnancy and childbirth: As with most travel insurance plans, pregnancy and childbirth is not covered. However, should you experience complications from either, those may be covered by your trip insurance.
• Services not shown as covered: Simply put: if it’s not on your travel insurance certificate of coverage, it isn’t covered.

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all exclusions. Before filing a claim, be sure to refer to your certificate of coverage to see all exclusions.

How do I file a claim with Nationwide Travel Insurance?

Nationwide Travel Insurance does not allow you to file a claim online, nor do they allow you to access the required claim forms online. Instead, if you need to file a claim, you must first contact Co-ordinated Benefit Plans, LLC, who processes the claims on behalf of Nationwide. The number you will call will depend on which plan you purchased and can be found on the Nationwide website .

When you call, a customer service agent will help determine if your situation may be covered under your plan and will forward claim forms you will need to return. When completing your claim, be sure to submit supporting documentation, including receipts, doctor’s reports, or time-stamped lost luggage claims with your common carrier. A claims adjuster will then determine if your situation qualifies for payment under the policy.

Some situations, like doctor or facility referrals, may be handled through Nationwide’s 24/7 travel assistance partner, On Call international. Contact phone numbers, both toll-free and collect, are available on Nationwide’s website. 

Who are Nationwide Travel Insurance products best for?

Hands down, Nationwide offers the best travel insurance products for those embarking on a cruise. Because of their specialized attention to the needs of cruise travelers, their three cruise insurance plans provide an increased level of care that many others can’t provide. If you are planning a cruise and are concerned about the worst that could happen, you should definitely consider Nationwide’s cruise insurance plans ahead of plans offered by the cruise lines.

The single trip plans are comparable to many other plans, but the costs do not necessarily equate to the level of coverage you are receiving. In addition, the medical coverage offered by the plans are secondary, which could be okay if you don’t have any other medical insurance available. Before you decide to purchase a single-trip plan, be sure to weigh all your options: filing an emergency medical claim may require you to exhaust any options available through credit cards or other sources first. 

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Are packaged current accounts still worth it?

As Nationwide downgrades its FlexPlus account, customers need to weigh up value of added extras

Nationwide has announced a major downgrade to its popular £13-a-month FlexPlus current account, leaving thousands of customers wondering whether it is still worth paying £156 a year for what it provides.

The building society started sending out letters this week to customers with the “best buy” packaged account, which comes with decent travel and breakdown insurance, and offers monthly credit interest payments.

However, from 1 November, customers will no longer be paid the 3% interest on credit balances of up to £2,500, which was worth up to £75 a year or £6.25 a month for those who maintained that amount and was, for many, one of the main attractions of the account.

Also being withdrawn is the fee-free £250 overdraft buffer. Instead, those going overdrawn will pay a 39.9% APR interest rate . Gone too is the £5-a-day fee for those straying outside their agreed overdraft limit.

Nationwide says the interest withdrawal reflects the higher cost of maintaining the account, in particular providing family travel insurance, which includes winter sports and golf cover up until the account holder’s 70th birthday. This popular insurance, which could easily cost £120 a year to buy on its own, offers good cover that will help customers in the event that their airline collapses or they miss a flight for reasons beyond their control.

Account holders will continue to receive UK and European car breakdown cover, which provides for two cars for joint account holders and comes with home recovery. To replace this would cost at least £110 a year if bought from the RAC/AA, or £60 a year from AutoAid.

Nationwide, which has nearly 8 million current account holders, has also downgraded its mobile phone insurance by upping the excess paid in the event of a claim. The excess on claims for damaged or broken phones will be £75 for Apple handsets and £50 for other handsets, up from £50 and £25 respectively. If the phone is lost or stolen, the excess will be £125 for Apple handsets and £100 for the rest. In many cases, this makes the cover pointless.

So is FlexPlus still worth it? The short answer is yes, in certain circumstances. If you are a family with dependent children still in school or university, who regularly go on holidays abroad – and in particular head outside Europe or go skiing – then the travel insurance is almost worth it on its own. If you all own expensive mobiles and drive a car then it is doubly so.

However, if you only take holidays once or twice a year – always at home or in Europe – and rarely if ever use your car abroad, there is a case for downgrading to a basic, fee-free FlexAccount instead.

Decent Europe-only travel insurance for a family can be bought cheaply enough at about £60 for an annual policy, or £16 by the week. If you have no children or they have long flown the nest, or you are about to turn 70, or you regularly go overdrawn, there is a strong case to drop the account.

It is a similar story if you have a newish car that includes breakdown cover as part of the warranty.

Account holders should also ask if they are ever likely to claim on the mobile insurance. If you have a basic £100-£150 Android handset, it will probably not be worth claiming, particularly when you find out the insurer will not pay out in cash. If you claim, you will soon discover the insurer insists on repairing your handset itself, or sending you a replacement – which can take weeks to arrive – and by which time many people will simply have gone out and bought another phone.

On the plus side, FlexPlus account holders will continue to be able to make fee-free cash withdrawals worldwide, which could be worth £40 a year to frequent travellers. Those ditching the account could buy a Caxton FX prepaid card instead and retain the same benefit.

Chris Rhodes, an executive director at Nationwide, defended the changes. “As a mutual, Nationwide is not driven by profit. However, we are not immune to inflationary pressures and we need to make some essential changes to our FlexPlus account,” he said.

“Members tell us that the quality of the insurances and the monthly fee are the most important aspects of a packaged account, which is why we have improved some of the insurance benefits and maintain[ed] the monthly fee, rather than retain the interest rate.”

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Had a letter from Nationwide that said ' My Upgrade Renewal' was due to expire . It said the upgrade last year was free but this year it would cost £30. There was no mention in the letter what this upgrade actually was. I rang up this morning and was told it was for my Pet Allergy , this has always been free and never described as an 'upgrade'. Just take antihistamines and it is not a problem I can see having to seek treatment for abroad or causing a cancellation. As it is such a minor ailment I was not willing to pay the extra and have taken it off the policy.

Has anyone else had extra costs added to their Nationwide policy? I pay £13 a month for this account but if they continue to add extras and reduce cover it may soon be better to move back to a free account and arrange my own cover.

I believe that you have to be very careful using these type of accounts for travel insurance. Many people use them without considering pre-existing medical conditions, many of which are not covered. If these medical conditions are disclosed to make the insurance cover valid, most people will find out that they have to pay considerably more than the cost of the account to ensure that they are covered.

Earlier in the year I considered opening a Lloyds account merely for the travel insurance. However, when I contacted the bank and was then put onto the insurer, it became apparent that I would not be insured with the pre-existing conditions I currently have. Therefore it simply was not viable to open the account.

The Nationwide Flexplus used to cover loads of minor pre-existing conditions for no extra cost Whitesix but it seems they now want extra. With all holiday insurance you must declare all pre-existing conditions , even if you don't want them covering (as is now my case) or the Insurance is liable not to pay out on a claim for an unrelated illness. They do what they can to get out of paying so don't take any chances.

Yes, you are totally right yourkie. As soon as you make any substantial claim, the insurance company's lawyers will be crawling all over your medical records in order to find an undisclosed medical condition, which will then make your travel insuarnce null and void. It's a business, at the end of the day, they want to take your money off you but they don't want to pay out. I can only find one insurer out of all the companies offering travel insurance that will cover me and they require that you disclose ALL pre-existing medical conditions AND all GP and hospital visits over the last FIVE years, which I have to carry out meticulously. If I dont do this, I know that I will not be covered.

It is so easy to get into a situation and it can happen in a flash; you really do need the cover. Ther are so many stories, where people actually lose their houses, because they find that they were not adequately covered.

Pre existing disclosures with nationwide are now costing me £105. Thought I would go elsewhere and find cheaper cover, but closest I could get was £290 so nationwide cover was a bargain. Don’t think anything is free anymore lol.

The £105 is yearly cover and the £290 was only for a fortnight in Minorca so cant really knock nationwide

Not done any shopping around CrissLin as mine is only a minor complaint that I don't need cover for anyway. I realise it's a different story if you've had or got any illness trying to get cover. It becomes a necessary evil having to pay for travel insurance. Be good if they took into account all the years we've paid and not used it. I'll take some comfort from you that Nationwide is still a good deal.

Yorkie we have Beeb with Nationwide flexi plus for 10 yrs now and never had anything free wirh them for minor pre existing conditions...

we are ready for renewal and on our letter they have removed the interest you get on your savings which we save.all our holiday money in to pay hotel and use the ATM to draw cash out which is still free.... is a big blow as it means paying the full £13 a month to the £6 a month we gave been paying with the interest off. plus they gave lowered the age limit to 70 from 75 and increased the prices to £65 per couple... plus you have extra to pay for long stay holiday..which will be for 120 days this time..so about £110 extra for that....

hubby can't get insured for his hdeart bye pass and stent..so is not covered for that, no insurance companies will insure him anyway. For long stay.. which we are prepared for! And because. I take Quinine for cramp that is not covered and also my COPD as I take 3 sprays.. It would be £300 extra and Parecetomil for my arthritic knees.....

we have looked and searched and can't find anywhere to compare with Nationwide..

So many couples in your position Thornhill Lass and the insurance companies really go to town with cost. I really do feel sorry for you having to make such a decision to go with some conditions not covered or don't go at all. I wish you both good health.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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• Cruise/Travel Insurance

Nationwide FlexPlus Travel Insurance Changes

By daveoc , February 20 in Cruise/Travel Insurance

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Nationwide are making some major changes to their travel insurance from May 1st. The insurer is changing to Aviva and amongst the changes are:

1) At present you can buy an extension to increase your cancellation cover to £20000 but from May 1st the maximum you can increase it to will be reduced to £10000, so possibly this will have an impact on longer cruises.

2) At present you can buy a cruise cover extension for the year that covers things like missed port cover. From May 1st you must buy the extension for each cruise that you do.

There are several other changes and people are reporting that they are starting to receive emails from Nationwide. I cannot post a direct link but if you do a search for 'Nationwide FlexPlus Travel Provider Change ' it should bring up the relative links.

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Yes, I am deliberately renewing mine on March 25th, so I stay with UK Insurance for one more year.  Already spoken to them.

16 minutes ago, jeanlyon said: Yes, I am deliberately renewing mine on March 25th, so I stay with UK Insurance for one more year.  Already spoken to them.

Excellent idea.

Presumably this will only take effect from the members next annual renewal, as we have recently paid the supplements for 12 months cover?

I’m not surprised that the cruise add on is changing. We paid a ridiculously small supplement for cruise cover (no more than £30 from memory) and already have £600 in missed port claims. 

Old_tilly_billy

Need to look at renewing before these changes take affect 

Winifred 22

3 hours ago, Selbourne said: Presumably this will only take effect from the members next annual renewal, as we have recently paid the supplements for 12 months cover?   I’m not surprised that the cruise add on is changing. We paid a ridiculously small supplement for cruise cover (no more than £30 from memory) and already have £600 in missed port claims. 

It’s £40 for cruise cover.

Just now, Winifred 22 said: It’s £40 for cruise cover.

Thanks. I knew it wasn’t much, especially when just one missed port nets a couple £300. I can’t see how they can do it for that price in all honesty. Seems like they couldn’t!

13 minutes ago, Selbourne said: Thanks. I knew it wasn’t much, especially when just one missed port nets a couple £300. I can’t see how they can do it for that price in all honesty. Seems like they couldn’t!

No I can’t either I only have claimed one r for missed port . Apparently you stay on the old scheme until you renew. I don’t renew until October but half wondering to renew end of April. I cruise several times a year sometimes at short notice so annual cover is a better option for me.  

12 hours ago, Winifred 22 said: No I can’t either I only have claimed one r for missed port . Apparently you stay on the old scheme until you renew. I don’t renew until October but half wondering to renew end of April. I cruise several times a year sometimes at short notice so annual cover is a better option for me.  

You can't renew if your policy or upgrades are not due for renewal.  Mine are due on April 17th and you can do it one month in advance, so they told me to ring around March 25th.  Although there is no longer an age extension with Aviva, I know they don't cover over 85s, but whether they will with Nationwide I have yet to find out.

Is an option if allowed. We are due for renewal 21st May so will be with Arvia.and don't know if they will allow me to renew before 1st May and stay with UK Travel for another 12 months. If they won't allow will wait to see what Arvia charge for pre existing medical conditions and individual charge for every extra c ruise cover and conditions because don't seem to have revealed that yet.

6 minutes ago, majortom10 said: Is an option if allowed. We are due for renewal 21st May so will be with Arvia.and don't know if they will allow me to renew before 1st May and stay with UK Travel for another 12 months. If they won't allow will wait to see what Arvia charge for pre existing medical conditions and individual charge for every extra c ruise cover and conditions because don't seem to have revealed that yet.

I think you mean Aviva?   😊

49 minutes ago, jeanlyon said: You can't renew if your policy or upgrades are not due for renewal.  Mine are due on April 17th and you can do it one month in advance, so they told me to ring around March 25th.  Although there is no longer an age extension with Aviva, I know they don't cover over 85s, but whether they will with Nationwide I have yet to find out.

Oh let me know about the over 85s if you do find out. My mother is 85 but luckily our renewal is now so she is OK for this year.

I wonder how much cruise cover per cruise will be. I tried a dummy booking on their normal travel insurance site but it didn’t give cruise cover as an optional extra.

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said: You can't renew if your policy or upgrades are not due for renewal.  Mine are due on April 17th and you can do it one month in advance, so they told me to ring around March 25th.  Although there is no longer an age extension with Aviva, I know they don't cover over 85s, but whether they will with Nationwide I have yet to find out.

Thanks I had a feeling I was being a bit optimistic. 

2 hours ago, jeanlyon said: I think you mean Aviva?   😊

Yes sorry my mistake got Arvia on my brain thinking of our cruise in April.

Please remember it is not Aviva you are insuring with, it is Nationwide and they will be "buying in" underwriting from Aviva not selling their policies.  This means Nationwide will have effectively "shopped" the underwriting market to find a provider matching as near as possible their current offering or what they wish to offer under a new contract.  This will then have been adjusted and negotiated between the parties before Nationwide "bought" their package to offer to their customers.  The Nationwide offering has for very many years been a big selling point to their customers so they won't want to cause too much discontent amongst them however the underwriting market has changed massively since the pandemic with many leaving it (as UK Insurance have chosen to do).  A large number of these packaged bank accounts in particular have had to look elsewhere - Halifax/Lloyds losing AXA in November 2021 and moving to Allianz for example.  Although your policy is underwritten by Aviva it will still be Nationwide setting the terms.  Aviva will, however, be responsible for setting the underwriting for things like medical issues with Nationwide having little say in the policy costs.  It is almost inevitable there will be some increase in the cost of these but it is not just an Aviva/Nstionwide but across the whole insurance market in some cases as much as 40% but averaging 20%.

Things like the 85 year cut off with Aviva may not apply to the Nationwide one - presumably the age add on people used to buy covered people beyond that age (I have no personal experience of this so assume it to be the case). As Nationwide state you no longer need an age addition it may be that they have negotiated this with Aviva - Nationwide should be able to explain this even before the Aviva policies go live as someone in their organisation will have negotiated the policy and terms.

Again with the cruise add on being cruise by cruise instead of one add on, it will have been a policy decision by Nationwide not Aviva.  At a guess I would say that over the past few years payouts on this section will have greatly increased and it will have been a commercial decision based on this.

I've looked at the new policy as I'm approaching my 70th and my current insurer won't insure me from September and I intend to swap as the benefits look very good even under Aviva.

Hope that helps.

4 hours ago, Megabear2 said: Please remember it is not Aviva you are insuring with, it is Nationwide and they will be "buying in" underwriting from Aviva not selling their policies.  This means Nationwide will have effectively "shopped" the underwriting market to find a provider matching as near as possible their current offering or what they wish to offer under a new contract.  This will then have been adjusted and negotiated between the parties before Nationwide "bought" their package to offer to their customers.  The Nationwide offering has for very many years been a big selling point to their customers so they won't want to cause too much discontent amongst them however the underwriting market has changed massively since the pandemic with many leaving it (as UK Insurance have chosen to do).  A large number of these packaged bank accounts in particular have had to look elsewhere - Halifax/Lloyds losing AXA in November 2021 and moving to Allianz for example.  Although your policy is underwritten by Aviva it will still be Nationwide setting the terms.  Aviva will, however, be responsible for setting the underwriting for things like medical issues with Nationwide having little say in the policy costs.  It is almost inevitable there will be some increase in the cost of these but it is not just an Aviva/Nstionwide but across the whole insurance market in some cases as much as 40% but averaging 20%.   Things like the 85 year cut off with Aviva may not apply to the Nationwide one - presumably the age add on people used to buy covered people beyond that age (I have no personal experience of this so assume it to be the case). As Nationwide state you no longer need an age addition it may be that they have negotiated this with Aviva - Nationwide should be able to explain this even before the Aviva policies go live as someone in their organisation will have negotiated the policy and terms.   Again with the cruise add on being cruise by cruise instead of one add on, it will have been a policy decision by Nationwide not Aviva.  At a guess I would say that over the past few years payouts on this section will have greatly increased and it will have been a commercial decision based on this.   I've looked at the new policy as I'm approaching my 70th and my current insurer won't insure me from September and I intend to swap as the benefits look very good even under Aviva.   Hope that helps.

Don't think that is correct when we have taken out pre- medical quote and paid for it and also the extra cruise cover supplement we paid UK Travel direct and when we claimed for missed ports we had to ring UK Travel direct to make the claim and they paid the money direct into my account. The only dealing we have with Nationwide is the £13 monthly cost which they take automatically from your Flexplus account.

5 minutes ago, majortom10 said: Don't think that is correct when we have taken out pre- medical quote and paid for it and also the extra cruise cover supplement we paid UK Travel direct and when we claimed for missed ports we had to ring UK Travel direct to make the claim and they paid the money direct into my account. The only dealing we have with Nationwide is the £13 monthly cost which they take automatically from your Flexplus account.

There are many companies putting their names to travel insurance and designing their own products, however there are actually very few travel insurance underwriters.  Aviva is one of these as is UK Travel and they underwrite for a large number of third parties including leading banks, big corporate companies such as M&S, John Lewis etc.  The design and terms of the product belong to the headline name,  in the case under discussion this is Nationwide but it could just as easily be M&S or another company. It is confusing but none of these products are actually the underwriters policies.  Even more confusing the Aviva insurance arm and the Aviva underwriting arm are actually two different entities.  However your contract of insurance is issued and owned by Nationwide, hence your monthly fee, but managed on their behalf by UK Travel/Aviva on their behalf.

These are the details for the presently in place Nationwide insurance as provided by them on their website.  It clearly shows UK Insurance Limited is the Underwriter not the Provider.  

"U K Insurance Limited

Just for info, this is from trade magazine last year explaining Aviva's acquisition along with "buying" Barclays Home Insurance Book.  Towards the end it mentions that Aviva did this deal with Nationwide in May 2023 for the travel insurance.  It would appear they are in quite an acquisitive phase in their business.

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/property-insurance/aviva-announces-major-home-insurance-swoop-453638.aspx

I see they will not be charging a supplement for the over 70s, as Uk nsurance did, but does anyone know if the new Aviva/Nationwide policy has an upper age limit?

• 3 weeks later...

An ordinary Aviva Travel insurance policy has an upper age limit of 74, that's why I was concerned, but as someone said, it would upset a lot of people who must be over that age, so we will see.  

• 4 weeks later...

TravellerSRC

Has anyone found out if new nationwide flex plus travel insurance will have an upper age limit? I’ve contacted Nationwide bank but told to ring back in May. 

3 hours ago, TravellerSRC said: Has anyone found out if new nationwide flex plus travel insurance will have an upper age limit? I’ve contacted Nationwide bank but told to ring back in May.

Nationwide have sent me couple of booklets regarding the switch to Aviva. One, entitled FlexPlus Travel Insurance Provider Change , gives details of the changes in cover from the original UK Insurance policy to the new Aviva policy. In this booklet on page2 under the heading  Upgrades it states: " Age :  You will no longer need to buy a separate upgrade to be covered beyond your 70th birthday. You will be covered automatically. "

There is no mention of an age limit under this Age heading!

57 minutes ago, Astrajet said: Nationwide have sent me couple of booklets regarding the switch to Aviva. One, entitled FlexPlus Travel Insurance Provider Change , gives details of the changes in cover from the original UK Insurance policy to the new Aviva policy. In this booklet on page2 under the heading  Upgrades it states: " Age :  You will no longer need to buy a separate upgrade to be covered beyond your 70th birthday. You will be covered automatically. " There is no mention of an age limit under this Age heading!

Any idea of cruise upgrade prices ?

3 hours ago, Winifred 22 said: Any idea of cruise upgrade prices ?

Unfortunately not. There is no mention of any costs in the literature I have been sent other than the monthly fee for the FlexPlus account will remain at £13.

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HelloSafe » Travel Insurance » Reviews by Travel Insurance Companies » Nationwide Travel Insurance

Nationwide Travel Insurance Review and Quotes

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Our articles are written by experts in their fields (finance, trading, insurance etc.) whose signatures you will see at the beginning and at the end of each article. They are also systematically reviewed and corrected before each publication, and updated regularly.

Table of Contents

It might be the least exciting thing about your journey. But travel insurance is a must-have when it comes to getting assistance from the other side of the world.

Are you aware of this and are here to know whether Nationwide is the right company to go on holidays with?

In this definitive Nationwide review, we will tell you everything you need to know about their travel insurance policies: coverage options, prices, contact details, cancellation or claim process and much more. Let’s dive in!

Is Nationwide the best travel insurance for you?

Always just going for the cheapest travel insurance might not be the best option when it comes to getting assistance or a refund abroad.

At Safe, we strive to help any people travelling from the UK to get the best travel insurance to leave home with complete peace of mind. This is why we’ve dug into Nationwide travel insurance policy booklet and attributed our own neutral rating based on five weighted criteria as shown below.

4 Safe overall rating for Nationwide

Nationwide travel insurance reviews by expert and consumers

To check if Nationwide is the right travel insurance for you, you can use our free travel insurance comparison tool and get quotes from main travel insurance companies in a few seconds only. 100% anonymous and free.

Find the best travel insurance in just a few seconds!

What does Nationwide travel insurance cover?

Nationwide travel insurance offers different travel insurance covers to suit any traveller needs, whether you’re leaving for three days alone in Scotland or six months in Antarctica with your partner or whole family.

Nationwide's travel insurance policy is available to individuals, couples and families.

Nationwide single-trip and annual multi-trip travel insurances

You will find below the limits breakdown per level of cover for single and annual multi-trip insurance policies at Nationwide:

Nationwide winter sports travel insurancet

The winter sports travel insurance is usually an option that you can take on top of your single or annual multi-trip policy.

Winter Sports Cover is included as standard and it comes with the following benefits:

• Up to £500 winter sports equipment cover
• Up to £500 ski pack cover
• Up to £300 for winter sports equipment that you hired cover
• Up to £300 piste closure cover
• Up to £200 avalanche cover.

What are the other travel insurance options available at Nationwide?

Due to Brexit, some outbound flights from international airports might be delayed or cancelled. We would advise you to call Nationwide before travelling and make sure you get the right compensation amount for your flight or journey if it is cancelled or delayed as well as for Schedule Airline Failure Cover.

How much is Nationwide travel insurance?

You'll find below indicative quotes per level of cover at Nationwide:

It is, however, quite difficult to give precise price ranges as Nationwide travel insurance policy quotes will depend on a range of factors such as:

• Your age at the time of travelling
• The length of your stay
• Your trip destination (Europe, North America, Worldwide)
• The period you wish to be covered for (single trip, annual multi-trip, extension)
• If you need specific insurance (cruise, ski, backpackers, gadget cover)
• Your medical condition before travelling
• Who is travelling with you (on your own, as a couple, as a family).

Can I get travel insurance discounts or promo codes at Nationwide?

No discounts mentioned.

Use our travel insurance comparison tool to be aware of latest promo codes and vouchers available at Nationwide.

What else should I know about Nationwide travel insurance?

What are the general exclusions at nationwide travel insurance.

To be eligible for travel insurance policy at Nationwide:

• You must be a resident of the UK
• You must be registered with a UK doctor
• You must have been living in the UK for not less than 6 months in within the 12 months prior to purchase of policy
• You must be age 69 years or below unless you buy an age extension cover
• You must disclose any pre-existing medical conditions
• You must not exceed the trip duration mentioned on your policy unless you purchased a trip extension cover.

How do I get travel insurance quote from Nationwide?

Nothing easier. Use our 100% online travel insurance comparison tool to compare all policies in just a few seconds, without giving any personal details. If Nationwide is the right one for you, then just click on get quote and you'll be automatically directed through the company's sale channel.

Good to know

Shopping around while shopping for personal insurance and not auto-renewing is always the best way to get the best deal and benefit from new customers discounts.

How do I log in to Nationwide website?

Through the customer portal, you can access information regarding your current bank account and your travel insurance policy documents and also download the documents whenever you want. Log in to Nationwide

How to claim at Nationwide travel insurance?

There is only one way to make a claim and that is by calling the claims department.

How do I contact Nationwide travel insurance?

Nationwide contact phone numbers, nationwide other contact details, how to cancel your annual nationwide travel insurance policy.

You will find below main information to cancel your travel insurance policy at Nationwide:

Our opinion on Nationwide travel insurance

Nationwide's FlexPlus Current Account comes with Worldwide Family Travel Insurance as standard and it comes with the several benefits as standard. The company's travel insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

The type of travel insurance offered is Annual Multi Trip insurance with a maximum of 31 days per trip unless you buy a trip extension cover and it is available for the account holders, their spouses and children provided that they all live at the same address. In addition to the wide range of benefits you get from the travel insurance, you also get the following:

• UK and European Breakdown and Recovery Assistance
• Worlwide Family Mobile Phone Insurance
• Travel friendly debit card.

With a 5 star rating on Defaqto, we would recommend Nationwide for anyone looking to open a current account that comes with travel insurance as standard.

Alexandre Desoutter has been working as editor-in-chief and head of press relations at HelloSafe since June 2020. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, he worked as a journalist for several years in French media, and continues to collaborate as a as a contributor to several publications. In this sense, his role leads him to carry out steering and support work with all HelloSafe editors and contributors so that the editorial line defined by the company is fully respected. and declined through the texts published daily on our platforms. As such, Alexandre is responsible for implementing and maintaining the strictest journalistic standards within the HelloSafe editorial staff, in order to guarantee the most accurate, up-to-date information on our platforms. and expert as possible. Alexandre has in particular undertaken for two years now the implementation of a system of systematic double-checking of all the articles published within the HelloSafe ecosystem, able to guarantee the highest quality of information.

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Travel Insurance

Cheapest travel insurance of April 2024

Mandy Sleight

Heidi Gollub

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

Updated 9:52 a.m. UTC April 11, 2024

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WorldTrips is the best cheap travel insurance company of 2024 based on our in-depth analysis of the cheapest travel insurance plans. Its Atlas Journey Preferred and Atlas Journey Premier plans offer affordable travel insurance with high limits for emergency medical and evacuation benefits bundled with good coverage for trip delays, travel inconvenience and missed connections.

Cheapest travel insurance of 2024

Why trust our travel insurance experts

Our team of travel insurance experts analyzes hundreds of insurance products and thousands of data points to help you find the best travel insurance for your next trip. 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.

• 1,855 coverage details evaluated.
• 567 rates reviewed.
• 5 levels of fact-checking.

Best cheap travel insurance

Top-scoring plans

Average cost, medical limit per person, medical evacuation limit per person, why it’s the best.

WorldTrips tops our rating of the cheapest travel insurance with two plans:

• Atlas Journey Preferred is the cheaper travel insurance plan of the two, with $100,000 per person in emergency medical benefits as secondary coverage and an optional upgrade to primary coverage. It’s also our pick for the best travel insurance for cruises .
• Atlas Journey Premier costs a little more but gives you $150,000 in travel medical insurance with primary coverage . This is a good option if health insurance for international travel is a priority.

Pros and cons

• Atlas Journey Preferred is the cheapest of our 5-star travel insurance plans.
• Atlas Journey Premier offers $150,000 in primary medical coverage.
• Both plans have top-notch $1 million per person in medical evacuation coverage.
• Each plan offers travel inconvenience coverage of $750 per person.
• 12 optional upgrades, including destination wedding and rental car damage and theft.
• No non-medical evacuation coverage.

Cheap travel insurance for cruises

Travel insured.

Top-scoring plan

Travel Insured offers cheap travel insurance for cruises and its Worldwide Trip Protector plan gets 4 stars in our rating of the best cruise travel insurance .

• Worldwide Trip Protector offers $1 million in emergency evacuation coverage per person and a rare $150,000 in non-medical evacuation per person. It also has primary coverage for travel medical insurance benefits, which means you won’t have to file medical claims with your health insurance first.
• Cheap trip insurance for cruises.
• Offers a rare $150,000 for non-medical evacuation.
• $500 per person baggage delay benefit only requires a 3-hour delay.
• Optional rental car damage benefit up to $50,000.
• Missed connection benefit of $500 per person only available for cruises and tours.

Best cheap travel insurance for families

Travelex has the best cheap travel insurance for families because kids age 17 are covered by your policy for free when they’re traveling with you.

• Free coverage for children 17 and under on the same policy.
• $2,000 travel delay coverage per person ($250 per day) after 5 hours.
• Hurricane and weather coverage after a common carrier delay of any amount of time.
• Only $50,000 per person emergency medical coverage.
• Baggage delay coverage is only $200 and requires a 12-hour delay.

Best cheap travel insurance for seniors

Evacuation limit per person

Nationwide has the best cheap travel insurance for seniors — its Prime plan gets 4 stars in our best senior travel insurance rating. However, Nationwide’s Cruise Choice plan ranks higher in our best cheap travel insurance rating.

• Cruise Choice has a $500 per person benefit if a cruise itinerary change causes you to miss a prepaid excursion. It also has a missed connections benefit of $1,500 per person after only a 3-hour delay, for cruises or tours. But note that this coverage is secondary coverage to any compensation provided by a common carrier.
• Coverage for cruise itinerary changes, ship-based mechanical breakdowns and covered shipboard service disruptions.
• Non-medical evacuation benefit of $25,000 per person.
• Baggage loss benefits of $2,500 per person.
• Travel medical coverage is secondary.
• Trip cancellation benefit for losing your job requires three years of continuous employment.
• No “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) upgrade available.
• Missed connection coverage of $1,500 per person is only for tours and cruises, after a 3-hour delay.

Best cheap travel insurance for add-on options

AIG offers the best cheap travel insurance for add-on options because the Travel Guard Preferred plan allows you to customize your policy with a host of optional upgrades.

• Travel Guard Preferred upgrades 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 affordable 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.

Best cheap travel insurance for missed connections

TravelSafe has the best cheap travel insurance for missed connections because coverage is not limited to cruises and tours, as it is with many policies.

• Best-in-class $2,500 per person in missed connection coverage.
• $1 million per person in medical evacuation and $25,000 in non-medical evacuation coverage.
• Generous $2,500 per person baggage and personal items loss benefit.
• Most expensive of the best cheap travel insurance plans.
• No “interruption for any reason” coverage available.
• Weak baggage delay coverage of $250 per person after 12 hours.

Cheapest travel insurance comparison

How much does the cheapest travel insurance cost?

The cheapest travel insurance in our rating is $334. This is for a WorldTrips Atlas Journey Preferred travel insurance plan, based on the average of seven quotes for travelers of various ages to international destinations with a range of trip values.  

Factors that determine travel insurance cost

There are several factors that determine the cost of travel insurance, including:

• Age and number of travelers being insured.
• Trip length.
• Total trip cost.
• The travel insurance plan you choose.
• The travel insurance company.
• Any add-ons, features or upgraded benefits you include in the travel insurance plan.

Expert tip: “In general, travelers can expect to pay anywhere from 4% to 10% of their total prepaid, non-refundable trip costs,” said Suzanne Morrow, CEO of InsureMyTrip.

Is buying the cheapest travel insurance a good idea?

Choosing cheaper travel insurance without paying attention to what a plan covers and excludes could leave you underinsured for your trip. Comparing travel insurance plans side-by-side can help ensure you get enough coverage to protect yourself financially in an emergency for the best price. 

For example, compare these two Travelex travel insurance plans:

• Travel Basic is cheaper but it only provides up to $15,000 for emergency medical expense coverage. You’ll also have to pay extra for coverage for children.
• Travel Select will cost you a bit more but it covers up to $50,000 in medical expenses and includes coverage for kids aged 17 and younger traveling with you. It also offers upgrades such additional medical coverage, “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage and an adventure sports rider that may be a good fit for your trip.

Reasons to consider paying more for travel insurance 

Make sure you understand what you’re giving up if you buy the cheapest travel insurance. Here are a few reasons you may consider paying a little extra for better coverage. 

• Emergency medical. The best travel medical insurance offers primary coverage for emergency medical benefits. Travel insurance with primary coverage can cost more than secondary coverage but will save you from having to file a claim with your health insurance company before filing a travel insurance claim.
• Emergency evacuation. If you’re traveling to a remote location or planning a boat excursion on your trip, look at travel insurance with a high medical evacuation insurance limit. If you are injured while traveling, transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility could cost in the tens to hundreds of thousands. It may make sense to pay more for travel insurance with robust emergency evacuation coverage. 
• Flexibility. To maximize your trip flexibility, you might consider upgrading your travel insurance to “ cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage . This will increase the cost of your travel insurance but allow you to cancel your trip for any reason — not just those listed in your policy. The catch is that you’ll need to cancel at least 48 hours before your trip and will only be reimbursed 50% or 75% of your trip expenses, depending on the plan. 
• Upgrades. Many travel insurance plans have optional extras like car rental collision and adventure sports (which may otherwise be excluded from coverage). These will cost you extra but may give you the coverage you need. 

How to find the cheapest travel insurance

The best way to find the cheapest travel insurance is to determine what you’re looking for in a travel insurance policy and compare plans that meet your needs.

 “Travel insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every trip is different, and every traveler has different needs, wants and concerns. This is why comparison is key,” said Morrow.

Consider the following factors when comparing cheap travel insurance plans.

• How often you’re traveling. A single-trip policy may be the most cost-effective if you’re only going on a single trip this year. But a multi-trip travel insurance plan may be cheaper if you’re going on multiple international trips throughout the year. Annual travel insurance policies cover you for a whole year as long as each trip doesn’t exceed a certain number of days, usually 30 to 90 days. 
• Credit card has travel insurance benefits. The best credit cards offer perks and benefits, and many offer travel insurance-specific benefits. The coverage types and benefit limits can vary, and you must put the entire trip cost on the credit card to use the coverage. If your trip costs more than the coverage limit on your card, you can supplement the rest with a cheaper travel insurance plan.
• The coverage you need. When looking for the best travel insurance option at the most affordable price, only buy extras and upgrades you really need. A basic plan may only provide up to $500 in baggage insurance, but if you only plan to take $300 worth of clothes and accessories, you don’t need to pay more for higher coverage limits.

Is cheap travel insurance worth it?

Cheap travel insurance can be worth it, as long as you understand the plan limitations and exclusions. Taking the time to read your policy, especially the fine print, well before your trip can ensure there won’t be any surprises about what’s covered once your journey begins.

“If a traveler is looking for coverage for travel delays, cancellations, interruptions, medical and baggage — a comprehensive travel insurance policy will provide the most bang for their buck,” said Morrow. But if you’re on a tight budget and are only worried about emergency medical care and evacuation coverage while traveling abroad, stand-alone options are cheaper.

Before buying travel insurance, you should also consider what your health insurance will cover. 

“Most domestic health insurance plans, including Medicare, will not cover medical bills abroad,” said Morrow. Even if you’re staying stateside, you may find value in an affordable travel insurance plan with medical coverage if you have a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). 

A cheap travel insurance plan is better than none at all if you end up in a situation that would have covered some or all of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses.

Methodology

Our insurance experts reviewed 1,855 coverage details and 567 rates to determine the best travel insurance . From those top-scoring travel insurance plans, we chose the most affordable for our rating of the cheapest travel insurance.

Insurers could score up to 100 points based on the following factors:

• Cost: 40 points. We scored the average cost of each travel insurance policy for a variety of trips and traveler profiles.
• Medical expenses: 10 points. We scored travel medical insurance by the coverage amount available. Travel insurance policies with emergency 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.
• Pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver: 10 points. We gave full points to travel insurance policies that cover pre-existing medical conditions if certain conditions are met.
• Missed connection: 10 points. Travel insurance plans with missed connection benefits of $1,000 per person or more received full points.
• “Cancel for any reason” upgrade: 5 points. We gave points to travel insurance plans with optional “cancel for any reason” coverage that reimburses up to 75%.
• Travel delay required waiting time: 5 points. We gave 5 points to travel insurance policies with travel delay benefits that kick in after a delay of 6 hours or less.
• Cancel for work reasons: 5 points. If a travel insurance plan allows you to cancel your trip for work reasons, such as your boss requiring you to stay and work, we gave it 5 points.
• Hurricane and severe weather: 5 points. Travel insurance plans that have a required waiting period for hurricane and weather coverage of 12 hours or less received 5 points.

Some travel insurance companies may offer plans with additional benefits or lower prices than the plans that scored the highest, so make sure to compare travel insurance quotes to see your full range of options.

Cheapest travel insurance FAQs

When buying travel insurance, cheapest is not always the best. The most affordable travel insurance plans typically offer fewer coverages with lower policy limits and few or no optional upgrades. Add up your total nonrefundable trip costs and compare travel insurance plans and available features that cover your travel expenses. This strategy can help you find the cheapest travel insurance policy that best protects you from financial loss if an unforeseen circumstance arises.

Get the coverage you need: Best travel insurance of 2024

According to our analysis, WorldTrips , Travel Insured International and Travelex offer the best cheap travel insurance. Policy coverage types and limits can vary by each travel insurance provider, so the best way to get the cheapest travel insurance plan is to compare several policies and companies to find the right fit for your budget.

A good rate for travel insurance depends on your budget and coverage needs. The most comprehensive travel insurance plan is usually not the cheapest. But cheap trip insurance may not have enough coverage or the types of coverage you want. Comparing different levels of coverage and how much they cost can help you find the best cheap insurance for travel. 

The average cost of travel insurance is between 5% to 6% of your total travel expenses for one trip, according to our analysis of rates. However, you may find cheaper travel insurance if you opt for a plan with fewer benefits or lower coverage limits. How much you pay for travel insurance will also depend on the number of travelers covered, their ages, the length of the trip and any upgrades you add to your plan.

Travel insurance covers nonrefundable, prepaid trip costs — up to the policy coverage limits — when your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason outlined in your plan documents. Even the cheapest travel insurance policies usually provide coverage for:

• Medical emergencies.
• Trip delays.
• Trip interruption.
• Trip cancellation.
• Lost, stolen or damaged luggage.

However, if you’re looking to save on travel insurance, you can shop for a policy that only has travel medical insurance and does not include benefits for trip cancellation .

Even when you buy cheap travel insurance, you can often use upgrade options to customize your policy to meet your specific needs. 

Some common travel insurance add-ons you may want to consider include:

• Rental car damage coverage. 
• Medical bundle.
• Security bundle.
• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
• Adventure sports bundle.
• Pet bundle.
• Wedding bundle.
• “Cancel for work reasons” coverage.
• “Interruption for any reason” (IFAR) coverage.
• “Cancel for any reason” (CFAR) coverage .

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.

Mandy is an insurance writer who has been creating online content since 2018. Before becoming a full-time freelance writer, Mandy spent 15 years working as an insurance agent. Her work has been published in Bankrate, MoneyGeek, The Insurance Bulletin, U.S. News and more.

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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Had a letter from Nationwide that said ' My Upgrade Renewal' was due to expire . It said the upgrade last year was free but this year it would cost £30. There was no mention in the letter what this upgrade actually was. I rang up this morning and was told it was for my Pet Allergy , this has always been free and never described as an 'upgrade'. Just take antihistamines and it is not a problem I can see having to seek treatment for abroad or causing a cancellation. As it is such a minor ailment I was not willing to pay the extra and have taken it off the policy.

Has anyone else had extra costs added to their Nationwide policy? I pay £13 a month for this account but if they continue to add extras and reduce cover it may soon be better to move back to a free account and arrange my own cover.

I believe that you have to be very careful using these type of accounts for travel insurance. Many people use them without considering pre-existing medical conditions, many of which are not covered. If these medical conditions are disclosed to make the insurance cover valid, most people will find out that they have to pay considerably more than the cost of the account to ensure that they are covered.

Earlier in the year I considered opening a Lloyds account merely for the travel insurance. However, when I contacted the bank and was then put onto the insurer, it became apparent that I would not be insured with the pre-existing conditions I currently have. Therefore it simply was not viable to open the account.

The Nationwide Flexplus used to cover loads of minor pre-existing conditions for no extra cost Whitesix but it seems they now want extra. With all holiday insurance you must declare all pre-existing conditions , even if you don't want them covering (as is now my case) or the Insurance is liable not to pay out on a claim for an unrelated illness. They do what they can to get out of paying so don't take any chances.

Yes, you are totally right yourkie. As soon as you make any substantial claim, the insurance company's lawyers will be crawling all over your medical records in order to find an undisclosed medical condition, which will then make your travel insuarnce null and void. It's a business, at the end of the day, they want to take your money off you but they don't want to pay out. I can only find one insurer out of all the companies offering travel insurance that will cover me and they require that you disclose ALL pre-existing medical conditions AND all GP and hospital visits over the last FIVE years, which I have to carry out meticulously. If I dont do this, I know that I will not be covered.

It is so easy to get into a situation and it can happen in a flash; you really do need the cover. Ther are so many stories, where people actually lose their houses, because they find that they were not adequately covered.

Pre existing disclosures with nationwide are now costing me £105. Thought I would go elsewhere and find cheaper cover, but closest I could get was £290 so nationwide cover was a bargain. Don’t think anything is free anymore lol.

The £105 is yearly cover and the £290 was only for a fortnight in Minorca so cant really knock nationwide

Not done any shopping around CrissLin as mine is only a minor complaint that I don't need cover for anyway. I realise it's a different story if you've had or got any illness trying to get cover. It becomes a necessary evil having to pay for travel insurance. Be good if they took into account all the years we've paid and not used it. I'll take some comfort from you that Nationwide is still a good deal.

Yorkie we have Beeb with Nationwide flexi plus for 10 yrs now and never had anything free wirh them for minor pre existing conditions...

we are ready for renewal and on our letter they have removed the interest you get on your savings which we save.all our holiday money in to pay hotel and use the ATM to draw cash out which is still free.... is a big blow as it means paying the full £13 a month to the £6 a month we gave been paying with the interest off. plus they gave lowered the age limit to 70 from 75 and increased the prices to £65 per couple... plus you have extra to pay for long stay holiday..which will be for 120 days this time..so about £110 extra for that....

hubby can't get insured for his hdeart bye pass and stent..so is not covered for that, no insurance companies will insure him anyway. For long stay.. which we are prepared for! And because. I take Quinine for cramp that is not covered and also my COPD as I take 3 sprays.. It would be £300 extra and Parecetomil for my arthritic knees.....

we have looked and searched and can't find anywhere to compare with Nationwide..

So many couples in your position Thornhill Lass and the insurance companies really go to town with cost. I really do feel sorry for you having to make such a decision to go with some conditions not covered or don't go at all. I wish you both good health.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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AIG Travel Guard Insurance Review 2024

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AIG Travel Guard is a well-established and highly rated name in the travel insurance industry. It offers three main coverage options to choose from, and in general its policies have above-average coverage for baggage loss and baggage delays, plus high medical evaluation coverage limits. If you're looking for travel insurance, consider Travel Guard.

AIG Travel Guard Travel Insurance Review

AIG Travel Guard is among the best travel insurance companies with impressive coverage limits, even with its basic plan, Travel Guard Essential. It's emergency medical evacuation coverage is particularly high, making Travel Guard a good choice for insuring cruises, as sea to land evacuations are often expensive. 

Additionally, Travel Guard's Premium and Deluxe plans offer coverage that many of its competitors don't, such as its travel inconvenience coverage and ancillary evacuation coverage.  

That said, Travel Guard is on the pricey side, compared with its competitors. While age is often a factor in your insurance premiums, Travel Guard tends to quote older travelers higher rates than its competitors. However, you often get what you pay for. In Travel Guard's case, you'll find that its coverage justifies its higher rates. 

While great coverage is important, it's also crucial that an insurance company has a smooth claims process, which Travel Guard lacks, according to its customer reviews. Across 135 reviews on its Trustpilot page, AIG Travel Guard received an average of 1.2 stars, with 95% of reviewers giving the company one star. Surprisingly, AIG Travel Guard fares even worse with the Better Business Bureau, receiving an average of 1.08 stars out of five across 301 reviews. 

Coverage Options Offered by AIG Travel Guard

AIG Travel Guard offers three primary plans: Travel Guard Essential, Travel Guard Preferred, and Travel Guard Deluxe. Each plan has different coverage limits and various types of protection.

Here's a look at what you'll get with each plan:

Depending on the policy you select, there are also additional coverages that my be included at no extra charge, like pre-existing conditions waiver, single occupancy fee coverage, worldwide travel and medical assistance services, and more. Be sure to check each policy closely to see what is and isn't covered.

Each of these plans also include coverage for one child under 17 as long as their travel costs are equal to or under the adult's cost. Additional coverages do not apply to the child.

AIG Travel Guard Pack N' Go Plan

In addition to these three primary plans, Travel Guard offers the Pack N' Go policy along with an Annual plan. This policy is for last-minute travelers who don't need trip cancellation coverage.

This plan includes:

• Trip interruption and trip delay ($200 per day maximum) up to $1,000
• Missed connection up to $500
• Baggage delay up to $200 and baggage coverage up to $1,000
• Medical expenses up to $25,000 and dental expenses up to $500
• Emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains up to $500,000.

AIG Travel Guard Annual Plan

Taking multiple trips throughout the year? Consider the Travel Guard Annual plan instead of purchasing a new policy for each adventure. This plan comes with coverage for: 

• Trip interruption coverage  up to $2,500
• Trip delay coverag e up to $1,500 ($150 per day maximum)
• Missed connection coverag e up to $500
• Baggage delay coverage up to $1,000 and lost/damaged baggage coverage up to $2,500
• Medical expenses coverage up to $50,000 and dental expenses up to $500
• Emergency evacuation coverage and repatriation of remains up to $500,000
• Accidental death and dismemberment coverage up to $50,000 and security evacuation up to $100,000

Note: The Annual plan is not available in Washington and New York

Additional Coverage Options from AIG Travel Guard

Like many other travel insurance providers, Travel Guard offers add-ons for an additional cost. These can be selected while you're purchasing your policy.

The availability of these add-ons depends on the policy you're buying. Note also that some are already included in the Preferred and Deluxe plans. 

• Medical bundle — Increases coverage amounts for medical expenses and evacuation and adds hospital of choice and additional evacuation benefits.  
• Security bundle — Provides various coverages for trip interruption or cancellation due to riot or civil disorder.  
• Rental vehicle damage coverage — Reimburses a predetermined amount for physical damage to a rental car in the policy holder's name. 
• Cancel for Any Reason Insurance (CFAR) — This is just what it sounds like. Cancel for any reason coverage will reimburse 75% of nonrefundable expenses when you cancel your trip for any reason, up to 48 hours before your scheduled departure. CFAR coverage is only available for Travel Guard's Deluxe and Preferred plans. 
• Inconvenience bundle — Offers reimbursement for inconveniences like closed attractions, credit/debit card cancellation, hotel construction, and more.
• Pet bundle coverage — Daily travel benefit for boarding and medical expense coverage for illness or injury of dog or cat. Includes trip cancellation or interruption coverage if the pet is in critical condition or dies within seven days before the departure date.
• Adventure sports bundle — Removes the exclusions for adventure and extreme activities.
• Baggage bundle — Your baggage coverage with AIG becomes primary with increased coverage and baggage delay benefits. 
• Wedding bundle — Provides trip cancellation coverage due to wedding cancellation (brides and grooms not covered).
• Name a family member bundle — One person can be named as a Family Member for the purpose of family member-related unforeseen event coverage.

How to Purchase and Manage Your AIG Policy

Aig travel guard cost.

Getting a quote from AIG Travel Guard is quick and easy. Head to AIG website and enter basic information about the trip you're looking to cover. You'll get an instant quote for the insurance plans available for your trip, so it's easy to compare each option. Be prepared to provide information including:

• Your state of residence
• Date of birth
• The cost of your trip
• Travel dates
• Destination
• Method of travel

We ran a few simulations to offer examples of how much a Travel Guard policy might cost. You'll see that costs usually fall within 5-7% of the total trip cost, depending on the policy tier you choose.

As of April 2024, a 23-year-old from Illinois taking a week-long, $3,000 budget trip to Italy would have the following  Travel Guard travel insurance quotes:

• Travel Guard Essential: $86.96
• Travel Guard Preferred: $152.01
• Travel Guard Deluxe: $188.59

Premiums for Travel Guard's various single trip plans are between 2.8% and 6.3%, well within, and even below, the average cost of travel insurance .

A 30-year-old traveler from California is heading to Japan for two weeks, costing $4,000. The Travel Guard travel insurance quotes are:

• Travel Guard Essential: $198.77
• Travel Guard Preferred: $240.39
• Travel Guard Deluxe: $305.04

Premiums for Travel Guard's various single trip plans are between 5% and 7.6%, within the average cost for travel insurance.

A couple of 65-years of age looking to escape New York for Mexico for two weeks with a trip cost of $6,000 would have the following Travel Guard quotes:

• Travel Guard Essential: $471.10
• Travel Guard Preferred: $618.22
• Travel Guard Deluxe: $834.78

Premiums for Travel Guard's various single trip plans are between 7.9% and 13.9%, which is significantly higher than the average cost. That said, travel insurance is often more expensive as you get older. 

AIG Travel Guard Annual Plan Cost

Getting a quote for the annual plan requires much less information, only asking for the intended policy start date, your state of residence, and how many people you plan to insure. Quotes from AIG remained at $259 per traveler, regardless of state of residence and number of travelers.

How to File A Claim with AIG Travel Guard

Filing a claim with Travel Guard is a straightforward process. You'll need your policy number and can either go to travelguard.com or call Travel Guard at 866-478-8222 to start the claim. Once submitted, you can check the status of your claim at claims.travelguard.com/status.

Compare AIG Travel Guard

See how AIG Travel Guard stacks up against the competition and find the right travel insurance policy for you. 

AIG Travel Guard vs. Nationwide Travel Insurance

Nationwide is a household name when it comes to insurance providers and one of the largest and most-recognized insurance providers in the US. Similarly to Travel Guard, Nationwide makes it easy to find coverage by offering just two single-trip plans: the Essential and Prime plan.  

In addition, offers plans specifically designed for cruises along with annual trip insurance for those who travel a lot throughout the year.  

The Essential Plan comes with trip cancellation coverage of up to $10,000, up to $250,000 in emergency medical evacuation, up to $150 per day reimbursement for travel delays of 6+ hours, and coverage for delayed or lost baggage.

In comparison, the Travel Guard Essential plan covers trip cancellations with up to $100,0000 in coverage, up to $150,000 in emergency medical evacuation expenses, up to $100 per day ($500 total) for trip delays of 12+ hours, along with lost or delayed baggage coverage. 

The high-tier Prime Plan from offers even more coverage, including trip cancellation up to $30,000, trip interruption coverage up to 200% of the trip cost (maximum of $60,000), missed connection and itinerary change coverage of $500 each, $250 per day for trip delays of 6+ hours, and up to $1 million in coverage for emergency medical evacuation

AIG's highest-tier Deluxe plan comes with trip cancellation coverage of up to $150,000, up to $1,000,000 in emergency medical evacuation, up to $200 per day ($1,000 maximum) reimbursement for travel delays of 12+ hours, and coverage for delayed or lost baggage.

As you can see, it's hard to compare apples to apples when comparing the two different insurance providers. But it helps to know the specifics of the coverages that matter most to you.

Read our Nationwide travel insurance review here.

AIG Travel Guard vs. Allianz Travel Insurance

With Allianz Travel Insurance , you can choose from 10 different insurance plans to find one that suits your needs. Like Travel Guard, it offers one-off policies for specific trips and an annual travel insurance plan for those who take multiple trips a year. Similar to AIG, too, the different plans offer varying levels of coverage. 

's most popular single-trip option is the OneTrip Prime plan. This plan offers trip cancellation coverage up to $100,000, trip interruption coverage up to $150,000, emergency medical coverage for $50,000, coverage for baggage loss, theft, or damage up to $1,000, and up to $800 in travel delay coverage.

The most similar plan from Travel Guard is the mid-tier Travel Guard Preferred plan, which which you'll get up to $150,000 in trip cancellation coverage, trip interruption coverage up to $225,000, $50,000 in emergency medical coverage, coverage for baggage loss, theft, or damage up to $1,000, and travel delay coverage of up to $800.

A variety of factors will determine the final cost of any of these travel insurance policies. However, when comparing quotes with the same factors, Allianz tends to be cheaper. Additionally, Travel Guard seems to be more sensitive to the traveler's age. However, it's best to compare quotes using your specific personal and trip details to determine which policy is the best for you.

Read our Allianz travel insurance review here.

AIG Travel Guard vs. Credit Card Travel Insurance

Before purchasing a travel insurance plan, take a look at the coverage offered through your travel rewards credit cards. Some of the basic coverages you're looking for, like rental car insurance, may already be available through credit card travel protection . 

The coverage you have on your credit card couple be sufficient if, for example, you're taking a road trip by car and you don't have any non-refundable trip expenses. It could also be enough if your health insurance covers you while you travel and you aren't overly worried about incurring additional medical expenses during your trip.

It's also worth remembering that credit card coverage is usually secondary versus the primary coverage you'd get with a travel insurance policy. Meaning you'll have to file a claim with the other applicable insurance (like through the airline travel provider) before filing a claim with your credit card company.

Read our guide on the best credit cards with travel insurance here.

AIG Travel Guard Frequently Asked Questions

What is the coverage limit for medical expenses with aig travel guard.

Depending on the single trip plan you choose, AIG Travel Guard offers $15,000-$100,000 in emergency medical expense coverage.

How does AIG Travel Guard handle pre-existing medical conditions?

All three of Travel Guard's single trip policies offer pre-existing condition waivers as long as you purchase your policy within 15 days of your initial trip payment.

Are AIG and Travel Guard the Same?

Travel Guard is the name used for AIG's travel insurance products, but AIG also offers other insurance products, like AIG Life Insurance .

What Is Covered under AIG Travel Insurance?

Your coverage depends on the policy you buy, but all policies will cover (up to a specified limit) trip cancellation, interruption, delay, emergency medical expenses, lost and delayed baggage, and emergency evacuation. 

Does AIG Cover Trip Cancellation?

Yes, Travel Guard plans cover trip cancellation and interruption due to illness, injury, or death of a family member. If your trip is delayed or canceled due to inclement weather, that's covered too. AIG Travel Guard's is also among the best CFAR travel insurance companies.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed AIG Travel Guard

The policy that's best for you will be the one that offers the right amount and type of coverage, fits your budget, and is easy to use if you ever need it.

In reviewing Travel Guard, we looked at the company's travel insurance offerings and compared them to plans offered by the top travel insurance companies in the space. Factors considered included things like coverage options, claim limits, what's covered, available add-ons, and typical insurance policy costs. We also considered buyer preferences.

Read more about how Business Insider rates insurance providers .

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Microsoft Start.

• Travel Insurance

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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.

WAS Discovery Travel Insurance Review: Features, Pros and Cons

Updated: Apr 17, 2024, 9:08am

Reviewed By

The Discovery Plan from WAS Travel Insurance could be a good choice for Aussies looking for a no-frills travel insurance policy. However, it only offers a number of standard features of comprehensive policies as optional add-ons and that can make the policy much more expensive than first meets the eye. Regardless, its unlimited medical cover, high age limit of 99 years, and positive customer reviews makes it a viable option for those in the market for a medically focused, no-frills travel insurance policy.

Related: Best Comprehensive Travel Insurance Providers for Australian

• Unlimited medical
• Generous dental of $2,000
• High age limit
• Luggage and cancellation cover not automatic
• Children not included
• More expensive than competitors

Table of Contents

• Featured Partner Offers

About WAS Travel Insurance

What does was travel insurance cover, does was travel insurance cover me for covid, was pricing comparison, was customer service, the bottom line.

Featured Partners

Fast Cover Travel Insurance

On Fast Cover’s Secure Website

Medical cover

Unlimited, 24/7 Emergency Assistance

Cancellations

Unlimited, (Trip Disruption $50,000)

Key Features

25-Day Cooling Off Period, Australian Based Call Centre, 4.6 Star Product Review Rating

Cover-More Travel Insurance

On Cover-more’s secure website

Unlimited, with a $2000 limit to dental

Yes, amount chosen by customer

Southern Cross Travel Insurance

Medical Cover

Including medical treatment, doctors’ visits, prescribed medication, specialist treatment & medical transport costs

$2,500 with option to increase to unlimited

Wise And Silent Travel Insurance, known as WAS, is a Brisbane-based travel insurance company that offers “tailored coverage” to its customers. This tailoring differs from the standard comprehensive travel insurance policies on the market, which usually have a set minimum for standard inclusions for policies, such as lost luggage cover and cancellations.

WAS Travel Insurance is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd, an Australian insurance company based in Newcastle. While WAS isn’t listed on ProductReview, it has scored a 4.7 star review on TrustPilot from an albeit small number of 39 customer reviews.

Customers highlighted WAS’ staff communication, the ease of applying for coverage, and a “smooth and efficient” claims process.

WAS offers two types of plans, Covid Essentials and Discovery Plan. For the purpose of this review, we analysed the comprehensive option, the Discovery Plan.

As stated, WAS Travel Insurance works a little differently to most travel insurers. Its comprehensive policy is known as the ‘Discovery Plan’, which is available to those aged up to 99 years old and includes unlimited medical in its base cover.

For families travelling together, it’s important to note that children can be added to the policy at a lower rate, but they are not included within a parent/guardians policy as is the industry norm.

Once you start to add to the base cover, WAS Travel Insurance becomes even more complex, with only a handful of medical outcomes covered as standard and far more classified as optional.

For example, credit card fraud is not covered as a standard inclusion; instead, unauthorised use of credit cards can be covered as part of luggage and personal effects, should the policyholder choose to take out this optional extra. Personal liability is not covered automatically, but needs to be selected for coverage up to $2.5 million.

Any trip cancellations are only covered up to the amount chosen by the customer (ranging from $1,000 to $40,000 per customer) and travel delays are covered as optional extras, up to $2,000 per customer. Delays are reimbursed at a rate of $50 per six hours, which is below the industry standard of $200 for every six hours, however no excess applies to these claims. (For missed flight connections, these are only covered should the policyholder choose to add travel interruption cover to their plan.

Rental vehicle excess is also an optional add-on, with the maximum cover of $6,000 for those looking to hire a car during their holiday. In many policies this is covered as standard and does not require the traveller to add it as an optional extra.

Lost Luggage

When it comes to lost luggage, those with WAS Discovery Travel Insurance will need to choose it as an add-on as they are not automatically covered. The lowest option is $1000, while the highest is $10,000 (per traveller).

WAS will only cover an individual item to a limit of $1,000.

WAS Travel Insurance include unlimited medical cover within its comprehensive policy, which extends to additional expenses such as transportation to a medical facility or, in the necessary event, back to Australia.

There is also cover for a medical companion to stay with you during treatment and/or necessary medical-related travel, even if they themselves are not listed on your policy.

Certain pre-existing conditions are also covered if they meet the necessary criteria. The 44 automatically covered conditions include anxiety and depression, diabetes, sleep apnoea and many more.

Other conditions outside of the pre-existing conditions list will not be covered by WAS Travel Insurance.

Covid-19 is included in the unlimited medical cover, which is explained in further depth below.

Is Dental Cover Included?

Dental cover is included in the WAS Travel Insurance Discovery Plan, but not under the unlimited medical expenses. Instead, there is up to $2,000 covered for emergency dental treatment, which is more generous than most insurance policies, which generally top put at $1,000.

Yes, WAS Travel Insurance includes Covid-19 medical expenses within its unlimited medical coverage. It also includes cancellations related to Covid-19, however, that is dependent on how much cancellation cover the policyholder requests.

Related: Travel Insurance And Covid: Are You Covered?

What About Pregnancy?

Pregnancy is covered by WAS Travel Insurance there are unexpected serious complications of pregnancy occuring:

• Up to the 24th week of pregnancy if you’re pregnant with a single child; or
• Up to the 19th week of pregnancy if you’re pregnant with twins or multiple children.

The exclusions include childbirth; the healthcare of a newborn child; pregnancies with existing complications; or pregnancies in which the person has previously had complications with previous pregnancies.

What About Sports and Activities?

WAS covers a range of sports and activities, however, rather than specifying what is covered, it provides a list of the excluded activities being:

• Snow sports;
• Motorcycle or moped riding;
• Racing (except on foot);
• Polo playing;
• Mountain climbing requiring the use of equipment such as pick-axes, anchors, bolts, crampons, carabiners, lead or top-rope anchoring or other specialist equipment;
• Motor sport or motor racing (including training or practice);
• Running with the bulls;
• Professional sports (including training or practice);
• Parachuting, hang-gliding or paragliding; or
• Scuba diving, unless you hold an open water diving certificate or diving with a qualified diving instructor

However, policyholders can choose to add additional adventure packs—snow, motor and cruise—which will then cover them for those sports.

WAS Travel Insurance prides itself on offering budget-friendly insurance policies to Australians; however, the cost of a policy with WAS isn’t as clear cut as many others—largely due to the many different inclusions that one needs to opt-in to.

Forbes Advisor Australia has run quotes against two of our top picks of travel insurance providers for Australians— Travel Insurance Direct and Allianz Travel Insurance —to compare the prices of WAS Travel Insurance when opting-in for a level of cover similar to what these two competitors offer automatically.

As Bali is a top destination for many Aussies, the data below is based on a 28-year-old Australian travelling to Indonesia for a week.

Related: A Guide To Travel Insurance For Bali

This analysis does not include other additional costs that would need to be considered, including sports cover, children travelling, pre-existing medical conditions and so on.

As you can see from the table above, opting in for the same level of cover that is offered as standard by competitors makes the WAS Travel Insurance policy the most expensive of the three.

It’s important to note that policy prices for travel insurance will change for a range of factors, including age, destination, length of trip and any specific needs required by the traveller. The above data is to be used as a guide only.

From the limited reviews online, WAS’ customer service staff members have been hailed as being “very patient and helpful”, with their knowledge “making the experience [of submitting a claim] much less stressful”.

WAS can be contacted by phone or email, with different email addresses and phone numbers unique to the service required (emergency assistance, claims, or general enquiries). The full list can be found online here .

Customers can also submit a form online to be emailed back, and are able to submit claims online or over the phone.

WAS may be a risky choice for some customers who choose to opt-out of the optional extra cover for the sake of saving money and end up being under-insured. Some travellers may not realise the importance of personal liability insurance and fail to select it, which could land them in hot water if an accident was to occur overseas. As a comparison, most other insurers include personal liability insurance as standard in their comprehensive policy: Travel Insurance Direct offers $2.5 million in personal liability, while Allianz offers $5 million—with caveats around snow and adventure packs.

Nevertheless, WAS may be attractive to budget travellers who are happy with a no-frills policy, but want to ensure they’re covered for the basics of medical and dental.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is was travel insurance good.

WAS Travel Insurance did not make Forbes Advisor Australia’s top picks for comprehensive travel insurance , but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good option for Aussies looking for international cover. The comprehensive policy offered by WAS is a build-your-own type of plan, meaning it is tailored to the customer individually in terms of cancellation cover, luggage cover, rental car excess and more.

It may be suitable for budget-conscious travellers looking for a no-frills policy that is focused on medical and dental. However, it’s worth noting that when compared to other insurers on the market, WAS ended up being more expensive once the add-ons were included in the quote.

From 38 customer reviews on TrustPilot, WAS received a rating of 4.7 stars.

What policies does WAS Travel Insurance offer?

WAS Travel Insurance offers two policies: Covid Essentials and Discovery. The Discovery Plan is what would be considered its ‘comprehensive’ offering, considering it allows customers to tailor the plan to suit their needs.

How much does WAS Travel Insurance cost?

The cost of WAS Travel Insurance—like any travel insurance provider—is dependent on many factors: your age, your destination, the length of your trip, and any personal requirements such as higher lost luggage cover for specific equipment or items, whether or not you need cover for certain sports and activities, any pre-existing conditions you need covered, and more.

From a quote Forbes Advisor Australia ran of a 28-year-old going to Bali for one week, paying an excess of $250 and opting in to $2000 of cancellation cover, $10,000 of lost luggage cover, and rental car excess, the total WAS quote came to $141.80, which was higher than competitors.

Related: How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost?

Sophie Venz is an experienced editor and features reporter, and has previously worked in the small business and start-up reporting space. Previously the Associate Editor of SmartCompany site, Sophie has worked closely with finance experts and columnists around Australia and internationally. Sophie grew up on the Gold Coast and now lives in Melbourne.

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