The Best Travel Insurance That Covers COVID-19

With the highly anticipated reopening of travel, travellers are turning to the experts to find the best travel products, information, and inspiration for planning their next trip. Travel insurance is one of the biggest questions and most popular requests right now.

By partnering with a number of the world’s leading travel insurance providers, Travel Insurance Master is able to recommend the best plan for a traveller’s specific trip and offer side-by-side comparisons of a multitude of plans all in one place. Their smart algorithm and filters make requesting a quote and purchasing travel insurance easier than ever, in just 3 steps. With instant order fulfillment and purchase confirmation, you will be able to get back to planning and ultimately enjoying your next trip.

Travel Insurance Master has partnered with the world’s leading travel insurance providers such as TravelSafe Insurance, GoReady (formerly APRIL Insurance), AIG – Travel Guard, USI Affinity, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP), Generali Global Assistance, Trawick International, Travelex Insurance Services, iTravelInsured, and Travel Insured International to bring you a variety of plans and coverages including those for Coronavirus (COVID-19). It’s important to note that travel insurance treats COVID-19 the same as any other illness. Depending on your trip and needs, many benefits provide coverage if you are diagnosed with COVID-19 before or during your travels.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) COVER INFORMATION

To better understand the different coverages and what they mean, here are examples of how various travel insurance benefits apply in scenarios involving COVID-19. Please understand your specific Plan details for requirements you will need to meet such as proof of cancellation, coverage limits, and more specific information.

1. TRIP CANCELLATION

Trip Cancellation plans provide coverage in several scenarios including if you or your traveling companion contracts COVID-19 before your trip and you cannot travel.

2. CANCEL FOR ANY REASON

It’s important to note trip cancellation due to the fear of contracting COVID-19 is not a covered reason for the cancellation however, that’s when a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plan may be right for you. Cancel for Any Reason or CFAR benefits, are just that – you are able to cancel for any reason whatsoever usually up to 2 days before departure for reimbursement up to 75% of prepaid non-refundable expenses, depending on the specific plan.

3. TRIP INTERRUPTION

If you or your travel companion are diagnosed with COVID-19 while on your trip, Trip Interruption may provide reimbursement of non-refundable prepaid trip costs and expenses for your return home.

4. TRIP DELAY

Trip Delay provides coverage for additional hotel expenses and meals if you are delayed due to the quarantine required while on your trip.

5. EMERGENCY MEDICAL AND EVACUATION

COVID-19 is treated the same as any other illness by travel insurance companies, so Emergency Medical and Evacuation benefits will provide coverage for medical expenses if you were to contract COVID-19 during your travels, and evacuation if medically necessary.

6. COVID-19 TESTING

Travel insurance does not cover Covid-19 testing costs before your trip. If you are required to show a negative Covid-19 test to leave your original destination, the cost is not covered.

7. PANDEMIC PLUS PLAN

The GoReady formerly April Insurance Pandemic Plus Plan is one of the industry’s only plans without an exclusion for pandemics, Primary Benefits, and an option to add Cancel for Any Reason (if purchased within 14 days of your first travel arrangements.)

TRAVEL INSURANCE PROVIDERS

INSURANCE BASICS

When you think of travel insurance, you are generally looking for a plan to protect your vacation. Vacation Plans may also be referred to as Packaged Plans, Travel Insurance, Trip Cancellation Insurance, or Trip Insurance. These plans provide coverage for exactly what travellers are seeking, which is usually for a number of different reasons from delay, cancellation, loss, etc. described in greater detail below.

Here are three distinct types of travel insurance that you can choose from:

1. COMPREHENSIVE PLANS: Plans with trip cancellation and travel medical options. These provide the most coverage and are generally the most expensive.

2. LIMITED OR TRAVEL MEDICAL PLANS: Plans that will provide coverage in the event of an illness or injury while you are traveling. Travel Medical Insurance plans provide coverage above and beyond your regular health provider however, these plans may not always include coverage for trip cancellation.

3. SPECIALTY PLANS: Plans with specialty coverage such as Accidental Death or Dismemberment (which may include evacuation, but will often exclude coverage for death or dismemberment resulting from an act of war). Some of these plans may also have trip cancellation and/or medical coverage. While there are many specialty plans to choose from for your unique needs, most often, these plans are too narrow for the majority of travellers taking a vacation.

Any of the plans above may also qualify for the Schengen Visa upon entering one of more European countries if the following requirements are satisfied:

– Coverage of medical emergency has to be at least EUR 30,000 (approx. USD 50,000) and valid for all the Schengen States.

– Any expenses for medical treatment, hospitalization, medical evacuation, and medical repatriation back to your country must be covered.

– The fact that medical evacuation, medical repatriation, and repatriation of remains are covered has to be spelled out.

– Only insurance confirmation issued by your health provider is accepted. Confirmation letters by your employer are not accepted.

1. COMPREHENSIVE PLANS – TRIP CANCELLATION

Comprehensive plans are the most common. These plans combine all the benefits of Travel Medical plans with the Trip Cancellation option. The trip Cancellation option gives you the ability to cancel your trip before it starts and receive reimbursement for 100% of your otherwise non-refundable prepaid trip expenses.

2. LIMITED PLANS – PLANS WITHOUT TRIP CANCELLATION OPTION

These plans give you medical coverage while traveling primarily but not exclusively outside of your home country. Your regular health insurance most likely provides very limited or no coverage while you are abroad and the Travel Medical Plans are designed to fill that gap in the course of your travels.

3. SPECIALTY PLANS

If you are not concerned with trip cancellation or medical expenses, or do not want to bear the expense of a Comprehensive Plan, but do want to mitigate some particular risk, there are Specialty Plans available that may be the best fit for you. These may be Flight-Only, Accidental Death or Dismemberment, Evacuation-Only, or Rental Car plans.

Evacuation plans focus on emergency evacuations and are often sold on an annual basis as a membership. With an evacuation plan, the company arranges transport, and you will not lose your savings to a costly emergency evacuation. Accident plans provide life insurance style coverage for travelers. It pays benefits if you should have a serious injury that results in dismemberment or loss of life. Benefits paid by these accident plans are in addition to any benefits paid by separate life insurance plans.

If you have questions about any particular plan or would like assistance in making your next travel insurance selection, Travel Insurance Master would be happy to walk you through all of your options.

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INSURANCE TERMS

1. 24 HOUR ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT (AD&D)

Before you leave, consider taking the precaution to protect your loved ones in the unlikely event of loss of life or serious injury. An Accidental death and dismemberment AD&D policy can bring you peace of mind. Your plan options include Flight Only AD&D, Common Carrier AD&D, and 24-Hour AD&D. Flight Only D&D pays the traveler’s beneficiaries when the death or serious injury occurs while boarding or during an airplane flight. Common Carrier coverage pays beneficiaries if the event occurs on any form of public transport. More complete coverage over the course of a trip is available with 24-Hour AD&D, which is offered by just a select number of companies. Before making your choice, be sure to check whether you already have an AD&D plan in place that would cover you during the trip.

2. 24 HOUR ASSISTANCE SERVICE

Many insurers provide 24 Hour Assistance Service to their policyholders. This service typically becomes available when you actually start your trip. This may include medical referral services, emergency cash transfer, legal referral, locating lost or stolen items, replacement of prescription medication, interpretation or translation, pet, and vehicle return.

3. BAGGAGE DELAY

If your bags do not arrive at your destination promptly, baggage delay coverage allows you to buy the immediate essentials you will need and get reimbursed for that.

4. BAGGAGE LOSS

Should your luggage get stolen, damaged, or lost during the course of your trip, you will appreciate having this type of coverage to reimburse you. Insurance carriers typically will ask for proof of ownership, so keep receipts for the belongings you travel with whenever you can.

5. CANCEL FOR ANY REASON

You will not find this type of coverage sold by itself – you will see it offered instead as part of some comprehensive travel insurance plans. Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) Travel Insurance allows you to recoup the non-refundable payments and/or deposits you have made, regardless of your reason to cancel.

6. CANCEL FOR MEDICAL

The last thing you want to worry about just before your vacation is getting sick. Unfortunately, it happens though. To protect yourself from losing all of the trip expenses you have already paid for, a trip insurance policy that allows you to cancel for medical reasons will reimburse you for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses. Click here for more information.

7. CANCEL FOR WORK REASONS

It’s bad enough to look forward to a trip for weeks – then suddenly have to cancel it for work-related commitments. You can at least recoup your prepaid travel expenses, however, under a “cancel for work reasons” plan, provided the circumstances fall within the guidelines of the policy you purchased. Review your policy for qualifying circumstances.

8. EMERGENCY MEDICAL

Before you travel it’s easy to envision your trip from the picture-perfect scenes of your travel brochures. Hopefully, you get to experience all the enjoyment they promise. If something goes amiss, though, such as an unexpected illness or accident, think how relieved you’ll be to recall that you and your travel companions bought insurance to cover the expenses of transporting the victim to the appropriate treatment center, hospital, or even back home. Unexpected evacuation costs can run up to colossal sums, unaffordable to many people.

9. HURRICANE AND WEATHER

In the event of a travel delay, you may be eligible for reimbursement where the delay is due to a number of events, including a natural disaster or adverse weather.

10. IDENTITY THEFT

If your ID or credit cards were stolen or lost at home, daily life could become quite difficult until you could straighten it all out. But if you were traveling when the theft or loss occurred, even boarding an aircraft or checking into a hotel would be a challenge. This makes a good case for considering Identity Theft Protection While Traveling as part of your travel insurance decision. While your travel insurer would not reimburse you for financial losses involved (your creditors, of course, should remove any false charges), this coverage provides you with a go-to service that helps you with paperwork and alerting appropriate creditors and law enforcement authorities. The service also delivers the guidance you need to resolve the complexities of your unique situation.

11. LOOK BACK PERIOD

At some point, you may need to file a medical insurance claim related to a trip. When this occurs, your provider is likely to investigate your medical history to learn if you had a pre-existing condition. The “pre-existing conditions period” or look-back period is a phrase used when assigning the date from which the company is able to search your health records. Plans and providers differ, and periods of time from two to six months are common.

12. MEDICAL EVACUATION

The subject of a medical evacuation is not to be taken lightly. When a traveler needs care and must be moved to a suitable medical facility, sometimes in a nearby country, that is called an emergency evacuation.

13. MISSED CONNECTION

When you are planning a cruise, think of what might happen if your flight gets delayed and you can’t make it to the ship on time! That won’t be quite so big of an issue if you have “Missed Connection” insurance. Provided the circumstances fall within the scope of that coverage (bad weather, accident, etc.), you can seek reimbursement for the costs you incur to catch up to your cruise.

14. NON-MEDICAL EVACUATION

An evacuation deemed mandatory at your destination due to adverse weather or a natural disaster is generally treated as a covered event for cancellation and/or interruption benefits.

15. TRAVEL DELAY

Whether the cause is weather-related, mechanical, or human, unanticipated travel delays are common — so common, in fact, that insuring yourself against travel delays makes a lot of sense. With a serious delay, you may be covered for meals, hotels, and taxi services related to the unusual situation in which you find yourself. In some cases, you may want to cancel the trip altogether – and you may be able to do so if the delay is a full day and night. You can also buy Missed Connection assistance to catch you up to your tour bus or cruise. If travel delays occur while you’re on your way home, some plans may cover your additional expenses in child or pet care.

16. TRIP COST

Trip Cost is defined as prepaid and non-refundable expenses. In the ever-changing world of travel, it can include more than a simple hotel, cruise, or flight. If your accommodation or rental, including Airbnb, is prepaid and non-refundable, that amount should be included in your total trip cost. The same applies to your car or RV rental, campground reservations, tickets, activities, excursions, and other travel expenses too.

If you would like to request a quote or have questions about any particular plan or would like assistance in making your next travel insurance selection, Travel Insurance Master would be happy to walk you through all of your options.

Click here for more information.

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