Compare Travel Insurance Plans (2025)

Travel insurance can help pay for non-refundable expenses during a canceled or interrupted trip. It can also cover costs related to medical emergencies or lost luggage.

These policies can accommodate the needs of solo travelers, families, and travelers on group trips. Comparing policies helps travelers find the best coverage at the most affordable price.

Here’s how to compare travel insurance policies and determine what coverage is right for you.

How to compare travel insurance quotes

If you’re thinking about buying coverage, the following steps can help you determine your coverage needs and compare travel insurance quotes:

1. Review your credit card benefits. You may have trip delay and cancellation coverage, rental car coverage, and lost baggage reimbursement through your credit card issuer. Knowing your existing benefits may help you weed out coverages you don’t need from a travel insurance policy.

2. Review travel coverages from insurers. Consider which coverages you need and what you can do without. For example, you may want to include travel medical insurance if you’re traveling internationally because many U.S. health insurance policies won’t cover you while abroad.1

3. Look for exclusions. The policies you’re considering may mention specific activities, expenses, and scenarios they don’t cover. This may help you rule out some quotes you receive. For example, some travel insurance policies won’t cover pre-existing medical conditions.

4. Compare coverage limits. Check the maximum dollar amount the travel insurance company will reimburse you for a covered claim. This may vary with each benefit.

5. Research the company’s reputation. Check third-party review sites, and look for helpful feedback on claims handling, pricing, and customer service. Read reviews and look at the insurance company’s overall satisfaction score.

6. Check the premium against your budget. Consider what you can afford for your travel insurance premium.

How much does travel insurance cost?

As a general rule of thumb, travel insurance costs between 4% and 8% of your total trip expense.2 For example, a travel insurance policy for a $5,000 vacation might cost $200 to $400.

The cost of travel insurance can vary widely depending on factors like your destination, your trip length, the coverages you choose, and your age. The cost of the trip is a big factor because it helps the travel insurance company determine how much a claim might cost if something goes wrong.

Shopping around and comparing multiple policies from different insurers is the best way to secure a good deal on coverage. Comparing quotes lets you determine whether you’re getting a reasonable rate.

Types of travel insurance coverage

Understanding various travel insurance coverages can help you figure out which ones you need in a policy.

Trip cancellation, interruption, or delay

This type of travel insurance covers three scenarios.

Trip delay insurance reimburses you for eligible expenses, such as a hotel room and meals, if the airline delays your flight. Trip cancellation insurance reimburses your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses if you have to cancel your trip due to a covered reason.3 Trip interruption insurance kicks in if unexpected issues cut your trip short.

Each plan may have a different list of covered emergencies, but they commonly include the following:

• Illness, injury, or death of you, a traveling companion, or a non-traveling family member

• You’ve recently been laid off from work

• Terrorism in your destination city

• Bankruptcy of your travel supplier

• Severe weather

• Common airline carrier issues

• Unforeseen natural disaster at home or the destination

• A legal obligation, such as jury duty or an adoption court appearance

Baggage and personal effects loss or delay

Baggage and personal effects coverage kicks in when you arrive at your destination but your checked luggage doesn’t. The insurance reimburses you for the costs of any essentials you need while you’re without your baggage.

This insurance product is usually secondary coverage, which means you’ll need to submit a claim to any other eligible insurance policy first. For example, you may be able to use your renters insurance or homeowners insurance if you have it. Baggage insurance covers anything your other policies won’t.

Travel medical insurance

Travel medical insurance helps pay for eligible healthcare costs if you’re sick or injured while traveling. These plans usually cover unexpected medical expenses, such as overseas hospital stays, physician services, ambulance fees, prescription medications, and more. Travel medical insurance typically serves as secondary coverage to your regular medical insurance policy, if you have one.

Emergency medical evacuation

Emergency medical evacuation insurance pays for the costs of getting to a safe place or home when you’re injured or sick while traveling. This type of insurance coverage is helpful if you can’t access quality medical care or facilities outside of the United States and need an emergency evacuation.

The coverage may also pay for the costs of repatriation after an accidental death on your trip.

Cancel for any reason (CFAR)

Cancel-for-any-reason insurance is an endorsement you may be able to add to your travel insurance policy. It allows you to get a portion of your travel expenses back if you cancel your trip for any reason, not just emergencies outlined in your policy. A typical CFAR plan reimburses you for 50%–75% of your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive travel insurance policies include the most protection compared to most travel plans. They provide coverage for delayed, interrupted, and canceled trips, lost or stolen baggage, emergency evacuations, and other non-medical events. You may also have access to benefits like 24-hour traveler assistance and add-ons like CFAR coverage.