Trip Insurance

Trip insurance is a travel cancellation coverage plan that provides protection for financial losses from unexpected expenses that may impact your trip.

Should your flight get canceled before departure, financial reimbursement can help with non-refundable expenses.

For most trip insurance plans, only U.S. residents are eligible to purchase trip insurance.

Typically, coverage is provided for outbound travel from the United States to other countries and domestic travel within the U.S.

However, there are select plans trip insurance plans available for inbound travelers to the United States, such as the SafeTrip International Travel Medical Plus - Premium plan.

Additionally, up to 10 people can be covered under the policyholders plan. This could be a spouse, children, extended family, or fellow traveling companions who are unrelated to the policyholder.

Since most trip insurance plans cover anyone, it’s a wise investment to have a plan that can help recoup financial loss for any unexpected medical emergencies, cancellations or even the loss of luggage.

Trip cancellation is one of the benefits that can be confusing or misunderstood. If your flight is canceled before departure, most airlines will either cover the cost of rescheduling, even on another airline, or reimburse you for the cost of the ticket.

However, there may be instances where the airline does not offer that benefit or waive the fee for changing flights. In those cases, trip cancellation insurance may cover those unpaid fees after filing a claim.

If the airline offers reimbursement or fee waivers, you cannot collect any additional fees from the insurance policy. Also, if you decide you don’t want to travel for any reason, even an unexpected cancellation, trip insurance doesn’t cover that. This types of situation could be covered however if your plan had the Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) benefit added.

What trip cancellation insurance covers will vary from policy to policy, so you'll want to read the plan details and policy fine print before buying trip insurance.

Trip insurance can also cover most non-refundable or prepaid expenses.

There are many times travelers find themselves in difficult situations where an unexpected life emergency or schedule change can interfere with travel plans. In the event that you have to interrupt your trip due to unforeseen events such as a family emergency or death, an illness, or other unexpected issues, trip interruption insurance may be able to help with this.

In the case of a family emergency during your travels that requires you to return home, you will incur possible financial burdens from scheduling a flight back home, leaving a prepaid hotel or resort unused, event fees, and more. Trip interruption coverage benefits can help reimburse for those costs. Keep all of your receipts together with all information from your trip and talk with the claims representative for help with filing or questions regarding your situation.

The same can be said if you unexpectedly become ill or need medical help during your travels. Depending on your policy, you may be entitled to financial reimbursements.

When you are ready to get back to your trip, under the circumstance that you are able to return, your policy is still available for the duration of your trip.

When traveling, everyone has a story of waiting for hours either at the ticket counter or for the plane to be cleared for boarding or takeoff.

If your flight is delayed and it is the last flight for the night, this can be a cause for concern. Especially if you are in a city you are unfamiliar with.

Most airlines will offer some sort of compensation for the inconvenience such as meal vouchers or hotel accommodations, but some do not. Before frustration takes over, calmly check with the ticket agent to see what the airline offers, then plan accordingly.

If you no longer have access to your luggage during a trip delay as it is already on the plane or baggage check, there may be some items that you need to purchase, such as toiletries, that you need during the duration of your trip's delay.

Consider investing in trip delay insurance, which would cover reimbursement for those items and other non-refundable expenses if you miss an event or have to make other arrangements to continue your trip.

For this benefit, the policy will reimburse you up to the maximum benefit shown on the Schedule of Benefits. Policies may state specific delay time frames, such as between 3-6 hours, as long as they were previously scheduled in order to be eligible for coverage.

You may also be entitled to reimbursement for any prepaid, nonrefundable payments or deposits for the unused portion of your cruise or other travel expenses.

Some covered missed connection instances can be:

• Any officially documented delay of your scheduled flight from the airline
• Severe weather preventing you from getting to the point of departure
  • Benefits may cover additional transportation expenses needed for you to join your departed cruise or tour
• Quarantine, hijacking, strike, natural disaster, terrorist Incident, cyber terrorism or riot

If you need to be evacuated, the policy will pay for the usual and customary transportation expenses to the nearest hospital or medical facility where treatment is available for an unforeseen sickness or injury provided that:

• The local attending physician and the designated Travel Assistance Services Provider determine that your condition is acute, severe, or life-threatening.
• Adequate medically necessary treatment is not available in your immediate area.

The Accident and Sickness coverage you get with trip insurance isn’t a substitute for your regular domestic health insurance.

If you’re traveling abroad and incur a new injury or contract a new illness that requires emergency medical attention, you may be covered depending upon whether or not your plan offers coverage for that injury or illness. It's important to review your plan's coverage details and exclusions to understand the type of injuries or illnesses that may be eligible for coverage under your policy.

Policy maximums will vary by plan but some policies have maximum benefits as high as $500,000.

Plans will cover COVID-19 related medical treatment and services like any other covered medical condition if the virus was contracted after the policy effective date. Coverage and benefits for quarantine is provided under the Trip Delay benefit if the quarantine was ordered by an authorized physician.

GENERAL EXCLUSIONS: Plans may not cover any loss caused by or resulting from:

• Any non-emergency treatment or surgery, routine physical examinations
• Being under the influence of drugs or narcotics, unless administered upon the advice of a physician or intoxication above the legal limit
• Normal pregnancy or childbirth, other than unforeseen complications of pregnancy, of the insured, a traveling companion or a family member
Participation as an athlete in professional sports, amateur sports,
• interscholastic sports or intramural sports
• Intentionally self-inflicted Injury, suicide, or attempted suicide of the insured, family member, traveling companion or business partner while sane or insane

At VisitorsCoverage, you can easily compare Trip Insurance plans and buy them online, quickly and without excessive paperwork. Trip Insurance plans can help protect you from unforeseen circumstances and let you travel with peace of mind.