When you’re trying to protect an upcoming trip, how do you know what travel insurance to get? How much coverage do you need? And how much should you spend?

We’ll walk you through 10 key features to look for in travel insurance plans, from trip cancellation to pre-existing condition coverage. Keep in mind that you may not need every possible benefit—it really depends on the details of the trip you’re taking.

There’s one travel insurance benefit everyone should have: rapid access to emergency assistance. That’s why every Allianz Travel Insurance plan includes 24-hour assistance via the Allyz® app or by phone. Our expert team of problem solvers can help with almost any travel dilemma you face.

1. Trip cancellation protection

Many travelers’ worst fear is losing the money they spent on their trip if they have to cancel it unexpectedly. That’s why trip cancellation benefits are so important: They can reimburse you for pre-paid, nonrefundable trip costs if you must cancel your trip last-minute for a covered reason.

Do you need trip cancellation protection? The answer is yes if any part of your planned trip is non-refundable, such as airfare, cruise fare, tours, hotels, and/or vacation rental costs. Check the fine print when you book your trip, so you know which costs you’ll need to protect.

You may not need trip cancellation benefits if:

• Your trip is fully refundable up until your departure date
• Someone else is paying for your trip, so you have no pre-paid costs
• Your travel plans are open-ended, with few pre-paid costs
  
  

2. Post-departure benefits

These are the key travel insurance features that protect you once you’ve begun your trip. Post-departure benefits can include:

• Travel delay
• Baggage loss/damage
• Baggage delay
• SmartBenefits^SM, which can automatically pay you $100 per insured person, per day, for a covered travel delay or baggage delay (available with OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier)
• Emergency medical and dental
• Emergency transportation
• Trip interruption
• Change fees
• Frequent traveler reward program, which covers fees charged for re-depositing awards

It’s a long list. Out of all these travel insurance benefits, which are the most important?

If you’re traveling overseas, then you definitely need emergency medical and emergency transportation. Many medical facilities in other countries require cash payment up front and do not accept U.S. insurance plans.

Another must-have for most trips is trip interruption. If your trip is interrupted for a covered reason, then travel insurance can reimburse you for the prepaid trip expenses you didn’t get to use—and certain other costs, such as buying a new plane ticket to return home early.

If you’re flying, travel delay and baggage insurance are essential as well. Renting a car? The OneTrip Rental Car Protector is an affordable way to avoid paying unexpected repair bills.

3. Coverage limits

Every travel insurance plan includes a maximum limit that’s payable for each benefit.

What’s a good amount of coverage for travel insurance? Here are a few guidelines to follow.

• The maximum limit for trip cancellation should be equal to or higher than the total nonrefundable costs of your trip.
• The maximum limit for baggage loss/damage/theft should be enough to cover the depreciated value—not the full replacement value—of your important possessions. Read your plan carefully so you know what’s covered, and check the sublimit for high-dollar items.
• The maximum limit for emergency medical and medical transportation should be enough to cover evacuation (if necessary), treatment, and repatriation costs for your destination. For example: If you’re on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, an emergency helicopter evacuation to a hospital may cost $25,000+. If you need a medical evacuation from the Yukon wilderness, it could cost much more—and without enough insurance, you’ll have to cover the costs yourself.¹

4. Protection for children

Taking a trip with the family? Kids don’t care about lost-baggage or travel delay benefits (although they are eligible to receive the $100 fixed payment for a covered delay, if they’re insured with a plan that includes SmartBenefits^SM.) But if you’re going overseas or to a remote destination, you absolutely need a plan with emergency medical benefits.

If your child gets sick or injured while you’re traveling, travel insurance can ensure they get high-quality care and can cover the cost of medical treatment.

OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier both cover kids 17 and under for free when traveling with a parent or grandparent (one child per insured adult; not available on policies issued to Pennsylvania residents).

5. Pre-existing medical condition coverage

A pre-existing condition doesn’t just mean a chronic illness or injury. It means any injury, illness, or medical condition that caused symptoms, caused you to seek medical care, or required you to take prescription medication in the 120 days prior to and including the day you buy your plan. (See the full definition in your plan documents.)

Some travel insurance plans won’t cover losses related to pre-existing conditions. Allianz Travel Insurance plans can cover them, as long as you meet the requirements. These include purchasing your plan in the specified timeframe (typically within 14 days of making your first trip payment) and being medically able to travel on the day you purchase your plan.

6. Future travel plans

If you have two or more trips coming up soon, or if you typically travel several times in a year, an annual travel plan can save you some money—and effort.

An AllTrips plan safeguards every trip you take in a 365-day period, as long as your destination is 100+ miles from home. (Some exclusions apply, so check your plan documents for details.)

7. Maximum trip length

Thinking about becoming a digital nomad and wandering a while? When you’re buying travel insurance, be sure to look for a plan with a generous maximum trip length. Allianz Partners has four plans that can protect trips of up to 180 days:

• OneTrip Basic
• OneTrip Prime
• OneTrip Premier
• OneTrip Emergency Medical

While annual travel insurance plans are ideal for protecting multiple trips, they aren’t designed for really long trips. AllTrips Prime covers trips up to 45 days, while AllTrips Premier covers trips up to 90 days.

Read more: How to Buy Travel Insurance for Long Trips

8. Travel insurance coverage exclusions

When shopping for a travel insurance plan, most people only consider the benefits. It’s also important to look at what’s excluded! Exclusions are situations and circumstances in which your travel insurance will not provide reimbursement for any losses. A few key exclusions include:

• Any loss, condition, or event that was known, foreseeable, intended, or expected when your plan was purchased.
• Normal pregnancy or childbirth, except as specifically covered under trip cancellation. Read more about how travel insurance protects travel during pregnancy.
• The use or abuse of alcohol or drugs
• Participating in extreme, high-risk sports and activities

Make sure you read through the exclusions when you’re buying travel insurance. You might think, “Oh, those don’t apply to me. I’m not an extreme-sports person.” But maybe you’re planning to run a 5K while on vacation — and you should know that losses related to participating in sports competitions aren’t covered. Or if you’re going to try your hand at rock-climbing in Utah, you should know that climbing sports are also listed under exclusions. Questions about what’s covered? Just ask us.

9. The cost of travel insurance

Whether you’re heading to a luxury resort or a no-frills cabin, the cost of travel insurance is a major factor to consider. You want to be well protected… but you don’t want to stretch your travel budget to the breaking point.

Luckily, it’s easy to compare the cost of travel insurance. It only takes a few minutes to enter some basic trip information and get a quote. We’ll show you the cost of different plans, help you compare features side by side, and provide the full plan and pricing details so you can make an informed decision.

Budget-priced travel insurance options include:

• OneTrip Cancellation Plus
• OneTrip Basic
• OneTrip Emergency Medical

Frequent travelers can save by purchasing annual travel insurance.

10. A travel insurance company’s reviews and reputation

A travel insurance plan is only as good as the company standing behind it. Allianz Partners—provider of Allianz Travel Insurance—is trusted by 59 million American travelers each year. For many years running, Allianz Partners has been named Reader’s Choice for travel insurance by Travel Weekly. And on Trustpilot, the leading source of unbiased reviews, the vast majority of customers give Allianz five stars.

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