Coverage details and pricing vary significantly among travel insurance plans, so it can be tricky to determine how they stack up when shopping for a policy. An effective way to tackle the task is to determine what benefits you want most and then compare costs for policies that match your list. Here’s how we chose the best cruise insurance.
Travel Medical and Evacuation Insurance
One of the most important considerations when shopping for travel insurance is travel medical insurance. U.S. health plans may have very limited or no coverage when you’re outside the country, so travel medical coverage is critical for international travelers.
It pays for medical expenses associated with injuries and illnesses you get while on the trip, such as doctor and hospital bills, lab work, X-rays and medicine.
Medical evacuation travel insurance helps pay the costs to get you to the nearest adequate medical facility or even back home if it’s medically required. That’s why it’s essential to have sufficient limits.
Compare Travel Medical and Evacuation Benefits by Company
If you want the maximum amount of travel medical insurance, we recommend you look for policies with $500,000 in coverage. If you think lower amounts suffice, you can find policies with $50,000 to $250,000. It’s also a good idea to look for a policy where the medical insurance is primary, meaning the policy will pay out first, before your health insurance.
Medical evacuation coverage can be as low as $100,000, but many policies provide $500,000 or $1 million. It’s worth considering a policy with high limits because the cost for medevac transportation can be hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on location and condition.
Missed Connection Travel Insurance
Missed connection travel insurance reimburses the additional costs for you to catch up to your trip if you miss your departure for a reason covered by your policy. It can also compensate you for missed portions of your trip when you miss a connection.
Compare Missed Connection Benefits by Company
Benefits for missed connections can range from $100 to $2,500, so if you want the most generous coverage, we suggest you look for a plan with limits of $1,000 to $2,500.
Travel and Baggage Delays
If your trip is delayed due to a reason covered in your plan, travel delay insurance reimburses extra costs, such as a hotel room and meals. Baggage delay insurance can pay the cost of necessities you buy if your baggage arrives late to your destination. Travel and baggage delay benefits have required waiting periods before coverage goes into effect—for example, six, 12 or 24 hours.
Compare Delay Benefits by Company
If you want the most robust coverage for travel delays, look for policies with limits of $2,000 or $3,000. Accommodations, meals and other extra costs during a layover can add up, so it’s worth considering higher limits. But travel delay benefits usually range from as low as $500 to $3,000, so you can find coverage at lower amounts if they suffice for you.
Baggage delay benefits can range from $200 to $1,000. We recommend considering how much you anticipate spending to stay comfortable if your luggage arrives late. If a toothbrush is all you’ll need, go for lower limits. If you think you’ll need a formal outfit for an event at your destination, opt for higher limits.
You’ll also want to look for a policy with short required waiting periods for delay benefits—six or 12 hours is best.
“Cancel for Any Reason” Upgrade
No one can predict the future, so we recommend buying a policy that offers “cancel for any reason” travel insurance. Canceling for reasons that aren’t listed in the policy isn’t covered, unless you have already purchased a CFAR upgrade. This typically reimburses you 75% of trip costs, as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your departure. Adding it increases a policy cost by an average of 50%.
For example, you could make a “cancel for any reason” claim if you’re worried about being seasick—a reason not covered by standard trip cancellation insurance. Buy this coverage shortly after you make your first trip deposit or the purchase window for it will close.
Compare CFAR benefits by Company
We recommend looking for policies with CFAR reimbursement of 75% of your insured trip cost—some have 50% or 60%. You’ll also want the maximum length of time to decide about your purchase, so policies with longer purchase windows, such as 21 days, are best. All of our top-rated plans offer 75% reimbursement, except Generali’s Premium policy, which provides 60%.
