9 Best Travel Insurance Companies of August 2023

In these unpredictable times, travel insurance is an essential investment for any traveler. Whether you’re going on a trip you’ve planned for years or an impromptu adventure to one of the Best Places to Travel in 2023, travel insurance gives you peace of mind.

Here are the nine best travel insurance companies of 2023 so you can protect yourself, your finances and your belongings while abroad.

Why trust Money on travel insurance?

For this list, we considered 15 companies. To pick the nine best travel companies, we studied each company’s websites and read the fine print on plans, coverage and prices

We also researched the Better Business Bureau and other consumer review sites to learn more about their customer service. Then, we compared all companies to determine which stood out from the rest and which had specific services which we believed readers may find valuable.

Our Top Picks for the Best Travel Insurance

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Best Travel Insurance Reviews

Why we chose it: We chose Seven Corners as the best travel insurance for large groups because it insures parties of 10 or more travelers through comprehensive policies that cover medical expenses and evacuations.

Seven Corners’ simple and budget-friendly Trip Protection Choice plan covers trip cancellation, interruption or delays for specific reasons, including COVID-19 for groups of 10 or more. Its emergency medical protection goes up to $500,000 and offers up to $1,000,000 for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains.

In addition to its group trip plans, Seven Corners has three travel medical plan tiers with comprehensive medical coverage for emergency room visits, hospital room and board, and onset of pre-existing medical conditions, among others.

These plans include 24/7 multilingual customer service to help with emergency travel arrangements, medical evacuations and with locating the nearest embassy or consulate.

Why we chose it: Generali Global Assistance is our choice for the best travel insurance for emergency support services because its policies include telemedicine, concierge services and identity theft resolution assistance.

All of Generali’s policies include 24-Hour Travel Support, which can provide immediate assistance for problems that might arise during a trip. The service includes an emergency hotline where travelers can receive help with medical emergencies, identity theft resolution, emergency cash transfer, replacing lost or stolen medication, as well as assistance locating lost or stolen items.

Travelers can choose between three plans — Standard, Preferred and Premium — that cover trip cancellation, trip interruption, travel delay, and baggage damage, loss or theft. The plans also cover medical and dental emergencies up to $50,000 under the Standard plan, $150,000 under the Preferred plan and $250,000 under the Premium plan.

Both its Preferred and Premium plan include trip cancellation or trip interruption coverage in the event that a travel supplier — say, a cruise company, hotel or rental car company — becomes financially insolvent and can no longer offer its services.

Another highlight of Generali Insurance is its online claims process, which lets you file a claim and monitor its status while it’s being resolved.

Why we chose it: World Nomads is our top pick as the best travel insurance for adventure sports coverage because, unlike most travel insurance companies, its policies include coverage for over 200+ sport and adventure activities.

While most travel insurance companies shy away from covering adventure sports and other off-the-beaten-path activities, WorldNomads offers policies specifically tailored to more adventurous travelers.

Its Standard and Explorer plans offer coverage for scuba diving, skiing, surfing, biking, and 200+ other activities. Its policies include $100,000 coverage for accidents or sickness and 24/7 emergency support to help you find local physicians or medical facilities.

Most travel insurance companies only let you purchase policies before your trip, and your coverage is restricted to the dates of the policy you bought. WorldNomads, on the other hand, really stands out for its “Buy While Traveling” policy, which offers insurance to those who forgot to buy before their trip and allows travelers to extend their trip if they wish to keep exploring.

Why we chose it: We picked Nationwide as the best travel insurance for cruises because it offers travel insurance plans specifically geared towards cruise travel.

Nationwide has three cruise insurance tiers (Universal, Choice and Luxury) that fit any budget and insurance needs.

Its emergency medical coverage starts at $75,000 and all three include “cancel for work reasons” coverage, $500 for return-home-early benefit, $200 for shipboard service disruption, and $25,000 for non-medical evacuations.

Among the covered reasons for cancellation and interruption are inclement weather, extension of school schedule and work-related emergency issues.

Nationwide also has two single trip plans: Essential and Prime. In addition to industry-standard trip protection basics, these plans offer above-average medical coverage starting at $75,000 and a “cancel for any reason” add-on that reimburses 75% of non-refundable trip costs.

Travelers can add a pre-existing conditions waiver and coverage in the case of a travel supplier’s financial default (as an upgrade to Essential and included in Prime).

Why we chose it: Travelex is our choice as the best travel insurance for families with children because it offers two plans that cover kids under 17 at no additional cost.

Travelex Insurance features two main plans for international trips –Travel Basic and Travel Select–plus a Travel America plan for trips in the USA. Both the Travel Select and Travel America include children 17 and under in its pricing.

The Travel Basic is an affordable plan perfect for students, backpackers, small groups or those on a budget. These plans cover trip cancellation and interruption at 100% of trip cost and offer up to $2,000 for trip delays or missed connections.

Travel Select allows travelers to customize their plans with upgrades such as additional medical benefits, a “cancel for any reason” option, car rental collision insurance and adventure sports coverage. Travelex also offers a pre-existing condition waiver when you buy the Travel Select plan within 15 days of the first trip payment.

Why we chose it: Allianz Travel is our choice for the best travel insurance for business trips because its comprehensive annual plan is ideal for frequent flyers, whether they be traveling for business or pleasure. It also covers business equipment against theft, loss, damage and delay.

Allianz has a handful of distinct plans — 10 to be exact — offering a wide range of options from basic cancellation benefits to a multi-trip business travel plan. These plans include a 24-hour multilingual assistance hotline and the TravelSmart App which gives quick access to travel advisories, local medical facilities, mobile claims filing and much more.

For frequent travelers, Allianz’s AllTrips Executive plan is designed to make business trips a whole lot easier. This plan provides coverage for cancellation, interruption, emergency medical and transportation. It also includes rental car damage and theft, business equipment coverage (for lost, stolen, damaged or delayed equipment) and covers any reasonable costs incurred in renting replacement business equipment.

Another one of Allianz’ highlights is its lack of age restrictions (most other insurers do) and some of its plans cover kids 17 and under when traveling with a parent or grandparent.

Why we chose it: We chose AIG Travel Guard as the best travel insurance for add-ons because it offers travelers a wide variety of coverage options with which to customize their plan.

AIG Travel Guard has over 30 years of experience providing travel insurance to millions of travelers. These customers have had access to unique services such as MedEvac and Bag Trak®. AIG Travel Guard’s most popular plan, the Preferred, offers up to $500,000 for emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains. In addition to trip cancellation and interruption, this plan reimburses up to 50% if you were to change your trip dates.

Travelers can also add unique options such as the pet bundle, wedding bundle for canceled weddings and an inconvenience bundle in the event of those attractions you absolutely had to see were closed.

Another one of its specialized benefits is the lodging expense coverage for travelers who test positive to COVID-19 and are required to remain abroad until they present a negative test result.

For those last-minute trips, AIG travel guard has the Pack N’ GO Plan that includes post-departure coverage and an exclusive 24-hour emergency travel assistance service.

Why we chose it: HTH Travel Insurance stands out as the best travel insurance for long-term international travel because it offers specialty coverage for expats and students.

HTH Travel Insurance offers comprehensive medical insurance for individuals and families traveling outside their home country for at least three months out of the year. This Xplorer Plan has no deductible for office visits, no waiting periods for preventive care services and eliminates the pre-existing condition waiting period when the insured has proof of prior creditable coverage.

HTH Travel Insurance also offers international health insurance for students with flexible trip duration options. This plan has an unlimited annual and lifetime medical care maximum and includes contraceptive services and supplies, as well as prescriptions. In addition to unlimited telemedicine services, the plan covers medically necessary COVID-19 testing and treatment.

Other global health and safety services available through HTH Travel Insurance include 24/7 call assistance, access to elite international doctors and hospitals, and translated medical terms.

Why we chose it: We picked TravelInsurance.com as the best travel insurance for comparing quotes because it allows users to quickly and easily view plan details and prices from some of the top travel insurance providers in the industry.

TravelInsurance.com marketplace simplifies the process of choosing a provider by connecting users with some of the top-rated insurers in the industry and breaking down its available policies in an easy-to-understand way.

This marketplace makes it simple for travelers to enter their trip information and receive quotes tailored to the trip cost, duration, and age of travelers. The results page presents the basic information on the coverage, reviews, ratings and a link to the COVID-19 policy FAQs of each provider.

TravelInsurance.com also allows users to compare the policies in a streamlined table.

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Other travel insurance companies we considered

Trawick International

Trawick International’s four student insurance plan tiers are geared towards the type of travel that involves living abroad temporarily for education or research.

These plans have medical coverage starting at $150,000 in the basic plan and up to an unlimited maximum in the Collegiate Care Exclusive plan. The medical benefits are for both in and out of network providers.

Why it didn’t make the cut: Although these plans provide great coverage at different price points, they’re for international students coming to the USA. Green card holders (U.S. residents) and U.S. Citizens are not eligible.

AXA Travel Insurance

AXA Travel Insurance offers three comprehensive plans for leisure travelers. The Silver plan is the most affordable; however, they tout the Gold plan as the most popular and ideal for domestic vacations and cruises.

AXA’s third option, Platinum, is ideal for travelers who want comprehensive premium coverage.

Why it didn’t make the cut: A significant drawback of AXA travel insurance is that they have very few options for add-on benefits.

Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway’s Aircare plan can be a standalone plan or an add-on that covers flight delay, interruption or cancellation.

This plan is unique in the industry because it monitors your flights and processes reimbursements automatically, so you don’t even need to file a claim.

Why it didn’t make the cut: While this plan’s travel monitoring feature is unique, it didn’t make our list of the best providers because its medical expense maximums are lower than those of competitors.

TravelSafe

TravelSafe offers two tiers of basic trip insurance coverage for cancellations, emergency medical, baggage and personal effects. While some of this coverage is not as comprehensive as its competitors, TravelSafe stands out for its GolfSafe plan.

That coverage includes $2,500 for missed connections and $750 for a travel delay of six hours or more. It even offers reimbursement up to $500 for lost golf rounds if a traveler is unable to play at least nine out of 18 holes due to inclement weather.

Why it didn’t make the cut: TravelSafe didn’t make our list of the best providers because its list of medical benefits is more limited than many competitors’.

TinLeg

TinLeg has a wide offering of policies ranging from standard and economy to luxury, adventure and platinum coverage. All plans cover up to 100% of trip costs in case of cancellation, even for medical reasons including testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.

Where the different plan tiers differ is in their emergency medical and evacuation coverage, so you have to make sure the plan you select includes the coverage you feel comfortable with.

Why it didn’t make the cut: A drawback of TinLeg is that it offers very few options for add-on benefits.

Travel Insurance Guide

This guide covers what travel insurance is, how it works and how to choose the best type of travel insurance coverage for your trip.

What is travel insurance?

Travel insurance, also known as trip insurance or trip protection, is a type of insurance product that will reimburse you if you need to cancel your trip or interrupt it early. It can also reimburse you for medical expenses you pay out of pocket if you get sick or have an accident during the trip.

Most travel insurance policies are designed for single trips, providing coverage only for incidents that take place during the specified dates of the insured trip. However, some insurers also offer multi-trip plans or annual plans that provide coverage over an extended period of time and are better suited for frequent travelers. And while most travelers purchase international travel insurance for overseas trips, you can also purchase coverage if you’re traveling domestically.

Travel insurance can be worth it, especially if you’re traveling internationally and have paid upfront for expenses that can’t be refunded. The same goes for prepaid cruises or vacations for which you’ve booked non-refundable tours, activities or day trips. It can also be a good purchase if you’re traveling to a destination that has seasonal weather issues, such as hurricanes and typhoons.

What is cancel for any reason (CFAR) travel insurance?

Some companies offer “Cancel for any reason (CFAR)” coverage, which is an upgrade that provides a partial refund (typically 50% to 75% of prepaid, non-refundable expenses) if you have to cancel your trip — regardless of what caused your change of heart. In fact, one of the covered reasons is “fear of travel,” which is excluded under a basic travel insurance policy.

This policy must be purchased within 14 to 21 days of the first trip booking and adding it to your policy may increase your total trip insurance bill by about 50%.

Among the companies that offer CFAR travel insurance are AIG Travel Guard, C&F Travel Insured, Generali Global Assistance, Arch RoamRight, Seven Corners, TravelSafe, Trawick International, USI Trave Affinity Insurance Services, John Hancock, HTH Worldwide and Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection.

What is trip interruption insurance?

Most travel insurance policies include trip interruption coverage. This type of coverage will pay if you need to cut your trip short and go home early for specific reasons. The insurance company will reimburse you for the unused portion of the trip and help you with additional expenses you incur to get home.

These expenses will only be covered, however, if you cancel due to one of the reasons covered by the policy. Examples of covered reasons are the serious illness or death of the policyholder, another traveler covered by the policy or a close relative. A natural disaster at your destination would typically be covered as well.

What does travel insurance cover?

If you’ve been looking to buy travel insurance, you may have noticed most providers offer levels of coverage and optional benefits.

Read on to learn more about common travel insurance options and add-ons.

Trip cancellation insurance

Travel insurance will refund up to 100% of the prepaid, non-refundable travel costs as long as the reason for cancellation is covered under the policy, and the trip has not yet begun.

Trip interruption

If the trip has already started and is interrupted, your insurance plan will typically reimburse you for the unused portion of the trip, as well as expenses you may incur to get back home, such as last-minute flights. Such interruption insurance may have a coverage limit, such as capping the reimbursement at 150% of the cost of the interrupted trip.

Travel delays

Some insurance providers will also reimburse you for expenses that arise from travel delays, for example, meals or lodging during the wait. Other companies cover airport delays arising from missed connections between flights. They will provide reimbursement for any flight change fees or additional expenses incurred while trying to catch up on your travel plans.

Emergency medical expenses

Travel insurance can also come in handy if you have a medical emergency during your trip. Benefits for medical expenses can range from $15,000 to $50,000; in some cases, additional coverage can be purchased as needed during the trip.

For serious conditions that require you to seek medical assistance outside of your travel area, you can also get emergency medical evacuation coverage. This benefit will pay if you need to be evacuated to the nearest medical facility or even transferred to a facility back in your home country. The maximum benefits usually range between $100,000 to $500,000, but can be as high as $1,000,000.

Baggage and personal effects

This coverage is intended to assist you in the event of baggage loss or delay during your trip. With baggage delay coverage, you must typically wait between two to six hours for your baggage before you can file a claim. The coverage provides reimbursement for replacement items you purchased during the delay, up to the policy limit.

In the case of baggage loss or delay, travel insurance can reimburse you up to the policy limit, which is usually anywhere between $500 to $1,000. Claims typically require purchase receipts or a list of items in the luggage, and may be subject to a deductible.

We recommend insured travelers make a list of the items in their luggage and keep it with them while traveling, in case they need to make a claim.

Worldwide assistance

Insurers should have 24/7 customer service available in most or all of the countries to which you’re traveling. Before leaving home, take note of the local contact information you need, including phone numbers and addresses, and keep it handy.

Some insurers supplement customer service with other emergency resources. These may include 24/7 multilingual medical hotlines that can provide medical advice and/or refer you to local healthcare services if in-person care is required.

Popular travel insurance add-ons

If your coverage needs go beyond what a basic travel insurance policy provides, there are a variety of add-ons or riders that allow you to increase benefit limits and cover activities that may be excluded from standard policies.

Common add-ons include:

• Cancel for any reason coverage: This coverage allows you to cancel your travel plans for any reason (you must cancel with the supplier at least 2-3 days before your trip), and get reimbursed for a percentage of your pre-paid travel costs.

• Pre-existing medical condition waiver: Not all insurers offer this waiver, but those that do will generally require that travelers meet certain conditions to qualify. For example, most insurers will require travelers to purchase coverage within a certain number of days after making their initial trip deposit and insure 100% of the cost of their trip. The waiver may also be subject to a look-back period where the insurance provider evaluates the travelers’ medical records to ensure their condition hasn’t changed or worsened in the last 60 to 180 days.

• Rental car insurance: This optional policy will cover the theft of or damages to a rental car due to causes beyond your control (think collisions, vandalism and weather events). Coverage limits may vary by state, and the coverage itself may not be available in every international location. You must also verify whether the rental car company accepts this coverage.

• Adventure sports coverage: This rider will cover injuries or losses caused by participating in adventure sports such as skydiving or bungee jumping. Claims that arise from these activities are typically excluded from standard policies.

• Identity theft protection: This optional coverage assists you in notifying creditors, canceling your cards, and getting a replacement for your lost passport, credit card or other important documents.

What is not covered by travel insurance?

The most common travel insurance exclusions are:

• Pre-existing medical conditions

• Injuries caused by extreme sports

• Theft/loss of personal items such as electronic devices and jewelry

• Pregnancy-related conditions

• Injuries that happen while you’re intoxicated with drugs or alcohol, even if the intoxicating substance is legal to use at the destination

• Missed flights, where the traveler is at fault

With most travel insurance policies, you may only be covered if you cancel your trip for approved reasons like a serious illness or a death of a family member. If you want the flexibility to cancel for any reason (CFAR), you’ll have to add CFAR coverage when you purchase travel insurance.

Finally, keep in mind that insurance companies may change their coverage at any time. When the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020, many companies temporarily excluded COVID-19 infections from coverage, and might do so again in the future. The insurer always has the final say on what is covered and what isn’t, so make sure to review your policy documents thoroughly before you buy travel insurance.

What is a pre-existing condition for travel insurance?

Pre-existing conditions are illnesses or injuries diagnosed by a medical professional before you purchased travel insurance.

Travel insurance providers may define pre-existing conditions differently, so ask your insurer about this, even if you qualify for a pre-existing condition waiver. Misunderstanding the terms and conditions of your policy could lead to your claim being denied.

How to choose the right travel insurance policy

Follow these simple steps to find the best travel insurance plan for your needs:

1. Define your travel insurance needs to ensure you’re not paying for something you already have. For example, some credit cards offer travel protection, including baggage loss coverage and rental car coverage.
2. Verify whether the policy covers travel to your chosen destination. And if you’re considering rental car collision coverage, check whether your car rental agency accepts the policy.
3. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, check whether it’s covered under the medical coverage of the policy you’re contemplating. If it’s not, you may need to purchase additional coverage.
4. Find out what kind of assistance you can expect from the travel insurance provider should your belongings be stolen.
5. Check the policy’s fine print before buying to ensure that it covers the activities you have planned for your trip.
6. Choose a policy that provides emergency assistance services.
7. Compare multiple travel insurance quotes before making your final purchase.

Most travel insurance companies sell their policies online. If you make your travel arrangements through a fare aggregator such as Expedia, you may be offered a travel insurance policy when you check out. (It may or may not be the best value for you, of course.)

You can also purchase a policy through an online marketplace — for example, Travelinsurance.com and InsureMyTrip.com — if you want to see what different companies offer and compare their prices on a single platform.

How much does travel insurance cost?

According to most estimates, the cost of travel insurance is anywhere between 4% and 12% of the total cost of your trip. The actual price of your travel insurance policy will depend on the coverage types and limits you choose, your travel destination and factors such as your age.

For example, we used online marketplace Travelinsurance.com to get quotes for a family of four (two adults and two children under 17) taking a trip from New York City to London. Let’s say that the family spent $2,200 on four tickets. The cost of insuring all four travelers would range from $90 to a little over $300, depending on whether they chose a basic policy or comprehensive travel insurance coverage.

To give you a better idea of the potential cost of trip insurance, we calculated what would be 6% (between 4% and 12%) for trips of varying costs.

How much travel insurance do I need?

Most travel insurance companies offer multiple plans suited for a variety of needs. The most basic plans include only trip cancellation coverage but no post-departure benefits. Premium plans include pre- and post-departure benefits.

To calculate your insurance need, take stock of what losses — if any — you would incur if unforeseen events forced you to cancel the trip in advance of departure. (Check, for example, whether your airline has reinstated cancellation fees as these had been widely suspended for trips booked during the pandemic.)

Then, consider the risk of becoming injured during the trip. That likelihood may well depend on where you’re going and what you will be doing. If you plan on taking part in high-risk sports, for example, you’ll want to purchase additional coverage for these activities, as they’re usually excluded from most travel insurance policies.

Does my credit card have travel protection?

Credit cards, such as many issued by American Express and Chase, may include some travel protection that duplicates that of an insurance policy, usually covering the costs of tickets and reservations if you use your card to buy them.

However, if you compare credit card travel insurance with travel insurance, you’ll see that most credit cards offer only partial coverage. For example, medical expenses and emergency evacuation coverage is a crucial benefit of travel insurance, but most credit cards don’t offer it. Review the terms and conditions of your credit card travel protection plan carefully before relying solely on it for travel insurance.

Visit our guide on the best travel credit cards for more information on how your credit card can help you travel smarter.

Are there location restrictions when it comes to travel insurance?

Travel insurance might not cover your visits to certain locations. In fact, most U.S. insurance providers will not cover locations that are currently under a State Department travel advisory or where there is political unrest. Among the countries usually excluded by providers are Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar and Cuba.

Travel insurance companies that cover COVID-19

While travel insurance providers generally exclude pandemics (influenza, ebola, zika, etc.), coronavirus coverage is now included in most policies. In fact, all of the insurers on our list offer COVID-19 coverage.

A claim related to COVID-19 can fall under medical benefits (you get really sick and need medical attention abroad) or under trip protection (where providers accept COVID-19 infection as a valid reason for cancellation and reimbursement) or both.

Make sure to ask the insurance company what you need to do if you get COVID-19. For instance, carriers generally accept results from an FDA-approved home test but only if the sampling is supervised (usually via telemedicine) by a medical professional.

Does insurance cover COVID-19 testing?

Travel insurance doesn’t cover the cost of COVID-19 testing unless the test is directed by a physician. However, some medical insurance plans cover the cost of testing, so check if yours does. Alternatively, low or no-cost COVID testing may be available at a health center near you.

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How We Chose the Best Travel Insurance Companies

We used the following factors to evaluate and compare each company:

• Plans and coverage: We looked for insurers with a variety of plans and the ability to customize the policy with upgrades. We gave special consideration to companies offering unique add-ons, such as extreme sports coverage and coverage for lost gear or equipment.

• Ease of use: We considered how easily you could get a quote and understand the policy information. Most of these companies either offer just a few plans to keep things simple or provide a comparison page where you can quickly spot the differences in each plan.

• Customer service and support: Factors like a 24/7 hotline and an established network of global resources to help in case of an emergency are some of the elements that indicate a company is well-prepared to respond to customer needs. We gave extra points to companies with mobile apps, multiple ways of accessing customer support and added perks like concierge and translation services.

• Reputation: To gauge each company’s reputation, we evaluated factors like customer feedback and ratings, years in business and financial stability as shown by AM Best financial strength rating.

Summary of Money’s Best Travel Insurance of August 2023