There’s never been a better time to add travel insurance to your trip plans, especially with potential problems with flight cancellations, flight delays and Covid. Whether you’re spending money on a long-awaited trip or a spur-of-the-moment getaway, travel insurance can save you money, time and frustration if things go wrong.
Whether you’re looking for an international travel insurance plan, emergency medical care, COVID coverage or a policy that includes extreme sports, these are the best travel insurance providers to get you covered.
If you already have an insurer in mind or just want to learn more about some of the best travel insurance companies, take a look at our top 10 list of companies below.
This is the shortlist of the best travel insurance options in October of 2022:
Factors we considered when picking travel insurance companies
We used the following factors to choose insurance providers to highlight:
- Breadth of coverage: We looked at how many plans each company offered, plus the range of their standard plans.
- Depth of coverage: We considered two data points to get a sense of how much each company pays out for common travel snafus: the maximum caps for trip cancellation and trip interruption claims.
- Cost: By looking at the costs for basic coverage across multiple companies, we were able to determine an average cost for shoppers to benchmark plan prices against.
- Usability: A company could offer the most comprehensive and most affordable coverage in the world, but if it’s hard to find or get a quote for, it’s moot. A user-friendly website is key to simplifying the travel insurance booking process.
- Customizability: While standard plans can cover a lot of ground, sometimes you need something a little more personal.
An overview of the best travelers insurance
We looked at quotes from various companies for a six-day trip in August 2022 to Croatia. The traveler was 30 years old, from Texas and planned to spend $1,500 total on the trip, including airfare.
On average, the price of each company’s most basic coverage plan was $56. These policies did not include any optional add-ons, such as Cancel for Any Reason coverage or pre-existing medical condition coverage.
Top travelers insurance options
Let’s take a closer look at our 10 recommendations for travel insurance this month.
Allianz Global Assistance
What makes Allianz Global Assistance great:
- Annual and single-trip plans.
- Plans are available for international and domestic trips.
- Stand-alone rental-car damage product is available.
Here’s a snippet from our Allianz Global Assistance review:
“Allianz Global Assistance has five travel insurance plans for single trips, including a plan that’s mainly focused on emergency medical coverage. The OneTrip Cancellation Plus plan is geared toward domestic travelers who are looking for trip cancellation, interruption and delay coverage but don’t need post-departure benefits like emergency medical or baggage loss. This plan is Allianz’s most affordable option.”
For our test trip, Allianz Global Assistance’s basic coverage cost $60, slightly above average.
Travel Guard by AIG
What makes Travel Guard by AIG great:
- Four levels of comprehensive plans and a build-your-own customizable plan.
- Flight accident insurance, medical evacuation plan and annual plans available.
- Plan available for business travelers.
In our Travel Guard by AIG review, we write:
“While the Essential, Preferred and Deluxe plans all offer varying degrees of coverage for your trip, there are some things that won’t be covered by any of the plans. Examples include coverage for trips paid for with frequent flyer miles or loyalty rewards programs; baggage loss for eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids or false teeth; and known events.”
Travel Guard by AIG offers basic insurance for $92, about 39% higher than average.
USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services
What makes USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services great:
Search comprehensive plan types by policy name, insurance needs and traveler type.
- Medical and evacuation plans for international travel.
- One annual plan with two levels of coverage to choose from.
- The USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services basic plan costs about $15 more than average for our example trip itinerary.
Travel Insured International
What makes Travel Insured International great:
- Comprehensive and medical-only plans.
- Flight plans include coverage for missed and canceled flights and lost or stolen baggage.
In our Travel Insured International review, we note:
“AIG travel insurance’s Travel Guard plans cover you if you need to cancel (or interrupt) your trip due to illness, injury or death of a family member. Inclement weather that causes a trip delay or cancellation is covered by all Travel Guard policies as well. Travel Guard offers three main AIG travel insurance plans, plus a host of add-on options.”
What’s more, Travel Insured International coverage hits average almost on the dot, at $55.