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Trip cancellation coverage is a valuable part of the best travel insurance plans. Trip cancellation insurance can reimburse you 100% for money you lose in prepaid deposits that are non-refundable. To make a trip cancellation claim you must be canceling for a reason listed in the policy.

But what if you want to cancel your trip for a reason that’s not listed in the policy? That’s where “cancel for any reason” coverage (CFAR) can help. It’s an upgrade that allows you to cancel for any reason and generally provides 75% reimbursement of your non-refundable trip costs.

Do you suddenly have a fear of travel? Maybe you had a fight with your travel companions and don’t want to go anymore. “Cancel for any reason” coverage is your ticket out. Add it on shortly after you make your first trip deposit because there’s usually a two-week purchase window.

How Does “Cancel for Any Reason” Coverage Work?

Trip cancellation coverage is a valuable part of the best travel insurance plans. Trip cancellation insurance can reimburse you 100% for money you lose in prepaid deposits that are non-refundable. To make a trip cancellation claim you must be canceling for a reason listed in the policy.

But what if you want to cancel your trip for a reason that’s not listed in the policy? That’s where “cancel for any reason” coverage (CFAR) can help. It’s an upgrade that allows you to cancel for any reason and generally provides 75% reimbursement of your non-refundable trip costs.

Do you suddenly have a fear of travel? Maybe you had a fight with your travel companions and don’t want to go anymore. “Cancel for any reason” coverage is your ticket out. Add it on shortly after you make your first trip deposit because there’s usually a two-week purchase window.

How Does “Cancel for Any Reason” Coverage Work?

There’s never been a better time to add travel insurance to your trip plans. 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.

We evaluated 46 plans to find the best travel insurance.

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There’s never been a better time to add travel insurance to your trip plans. 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.

We evaluated 46 plans to find the best travel insurance.

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A robust travel insurance plan can help pay trip medical expenses, reimburse you for deposits lost if you have to cancel the trip and much more. But you don’t want the travel insurance purchase to break the bank.

The biggest price factors in travel insurance are the total trip cost, your age, number of travelers and the length of your trip. The average travel insurance cost is between 5% to 6% of your trip cost, according to a Forbes Advisor analysis of travel insurance rates.

Here’s some advice about finding cheap travel insurance that still has good coverage.

Be a Savvy Travel Insurance Comparison Shopper

As with most insurance, comparing policies from multiple companies can potentially save you hundreds of dollars. Travel insurance policies often include most of the same benefits, but the price and coverage amounts can vary considerably by policy, says Steven Benna, a spokesperson for Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

A good place to start is to check out Forbes Advisor’s rankings of the best travel insurance companies.

A travel insurance agent can also be helpful. That person can help identify the coverage you want and then price-shop the options.

Understand Exactly What Can be Insured Under Travel Insurance

You can avoid overspending on a travel insurance plan by understanding exactly what you should insure, says Benna. For example, it’s important to understand that trip cancellation insurance will only reimburse you for prepaid and non-refundable trip expenses. So don’t buy coverage for the refundable parts of your trip, advises Benna.

For example, if you’ve booked a hotel for five nights for a total of $5,000, but the cancellation penalty is $1,000, you would insure the $1,000. You can’t make a travel insurance claim for amounts that are refundable.

Avoid Unnecessary Travel Insurance Coverage

Be cautious about buying coverage or upgrades that you likely don’t need.

For example, many travelers buy a “cancel for any reason” upgrade in addition to standard trip cancellation insurance. It adds an average of 50% to the cost of your travel insurance plan. The upgrade gives you partial reimbursement for trip costs if you cancel for a reason not listed in the base policy—for example, canceling because you’ve had a falling out with your traveling companion.

“However, if your primary concern is covered by trip cancellation, such as canceling due to an illness or a family member’s illness, you can be covered without spending the additional money to add ‘cancel for any reason,’” says Benna.

Another example: you don’t need baggage insurance of $2,500 if you’re packing $200 worth of T-shirts, shorts and a swimsuit.

You also may not need travel medical insurance if you’re not leaving the country during your trip. This may be especially true if  you’ll primarily be shopping, dining out and sightseeing and not participating in a lot of outdoor activities like hiking and biking. Your U.S. health plan will usually cover you if you become ill or injured during a domestic vacation.

And if you’re booking a trip last-minute, trip cancellation may be less important.

That’s why it’s a good idea to think about why you want travel insurance. Don’t go with the policy with the most bells and whistles that you won’t need. Instead, explore which coverage would benefit you the most.

Consider Buying an Annual Travel Insurance Policy

If you’re taking one or two trips a year, buying travel insurance for each one makes sense. But if you’re planning multiple trips, buying a policy for each one gets inconvenient and expensive.

Annual travel insurance policies are primarily designed to provide travel medical insurance for multiple trips, and at a better overall price.

These types of annual policies can make it easier to buy just one policy instead of multiple ones and could be a travel insurance solution for people who plan to take multiple domestic flights. However, annual travel policies may not make sense if you’re taking road trips.

Basic annual policies also offer limited trip cancellation insurance and trip interruption coverage.

Check Your Credit Card’s Travel Insurance Benefits

Your credit card may offer travel insurance as a built-in perk. The key here is that you must charge the entire trip on that credit card.

“This benefit can include some cancellation coverage for trip expenses paid for with that card, in addition to coverage for luggage,” says Benna. He points out that instead of paying for a travel insurance policy, you can save money by relying on a credit card’s cancellation benefits.

If your trip expenses exceed the credit card’s coverage limit, you can buy travel insurance for the remaining amount, notes Benna. This will make the policy less expensive than insuring the entire trip cost.

Related: Best credit cards for travel insurance benefits

Value of Travel Insurance Should be More Important than Cost

Cost should not be the only factor when you’re buying travel insurance. A cheap travel insurance policy that lacks good benefits won’t pay off in the end.

“Shop for value,” says Lisa Cheng, a spokesperson for World Nomads, a travel insurance company. “Some plans are priced low for a reason—they could come with high deductibles and low benefit limits.”

For example, Cheng says, you could buy cheap travel insurance and find there’s only $5,000 for medical expenses when you have an $8,000 hospital bill from your trip. Comparison shop but don’t skimp on coverage that is important to you, such as trip cancellation or travel medical insurance.

For some people, medical coverage matters most, and baggage insurance is less important, especially if they’re not planning to pack anything valuable, Cheng says. Medical coverage is especially important if you’re traveling overseas, because U.S. health plans may provide no coverage outside the U.S., and Medicare is not accepted outside the U.S.

Travel medical insurance limits vary by travel insurance policy. For instance, GoReady offers $50,000 in medical coverage for travel per person, while Cat 70, HTH Worldwide, Seven Corners, Tin Leg and USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services provide $500,000 in medical coverage, depending on the policy.

Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into travel insurance than medical protection, so make sure you get a policy that’s right for you.

A robust travel insurance plan can help pay trip medical expenses, reimburse you for deposits lost if you have to cancel the trip and much more. But you don’t want the travel insurance purchase to break the bank.

The biggest price factors in travel insurance are the total trip cost, your age, number of travelers and the length of your trip. The average travel insurance cost is between 5% to 6% of your trip cost, according to a Forbes Advisor analysis of travel insurance rates.

Here’s some advice about finding cheap travel insurance that still has good coverage.

Be a Savvy Travel Insurance Comparison Shopper

As with most insurance, comparing policies from multiple companies can potentially save you hundreds of dollars. Travel insurance policies often include most of the same benefits, but the price and coverage amounts can vary considerably by policy, says Steven Benna, a spokesperson for Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

A good place to start is to check out Forbes Advisor’s rankings of the best travel insurance companies.

A travel insurance agent can also be helpful. That person can help identify the coverage you want and then price-shop the options.

Understand Exactly What Can be Insured Under Travel Insurance

You can avoid overspending on a travel insurance plan by understanding exactly what you should insure, says Benna. For example, it’s important to understand that trip cancellation insurance will only reimburse you for prepaid and non-refundable trip expenses. So don’t buy coverage for the refundable parts of your trip, advises Benna.

For example, if you’ve booked a hotel for five nights for a total of $5,000, but the cancellation penalty is $1,000, you would insure the $1,000. You can’t make a travel insurance claim for amounts that are refundable.

Avoid Unnecessary Travel Insurance Coverage

Be cautious about buying coverage or upgrades that you likely don’t need.

For example, many travelers buy a “cancel for any reason” upgrade in addition to standard trip cancellation insurance. It adds an average of 50% to the cost of your travel insurance plan. The upgrade gives you partial reimbursement for trip costs if you cancel for a reason not listed in the base policy—for example, canceling because you’ve had a falling out with your traveling companion.

“However, if your primary concern is covered by trip cancellation, such as canceling due to an illness or a family member’s illness, you can be covered without spending the additional money to add ‘cancel for any reason,’” says Benna.

Another example: you don’t need baggage insurance of $2,500 if you’re packing $200 worth of T-shirts, shorts and a swimsuit.

You also may not need travel medical insurance if you’re not leaving the country during your trip. This may be especially true if  you’ll primarily be shopping, dining out and sightseeing and not participating in a lot of outdoor activities like hiking and biking. Your U.S. health plan will usually cover you if you become ill or injured during a domestic vacation.

And if you’re booking a trip last-minute, trip cancellation may be less important.

That’s why it’s a good idea to think about why you want travel insurance. Don’t go with the policy with the most bells and whistles that you won’t need. Instead, explore which coverage would benefit you the most.

Consider Buying an Annual Travel Insurance Policy

If you’re taking one or two trips a year, buying travel insurance for each one makes sense. But if you’re planning multiple trips, buying a policy for each one gets inconvenient and expensive.

Annual travel insurance policies are primarily designed to provide travel medical insurance for multiple trips, and at a better overall price.

These types of annual policies can make it easier to buy just one policy instead of multiple ones and could be a travel insurance solution for people who plan to take multiple domestic flights. However, annual travel policies may not make sense if you’re taking road trips.

Basic annual policies also offer limited trip cancellation insurance and trip interruption coverage.

Check Your Credit Card’s Travel Insurance Benefits

Your credit card may offer travel insurance as a built-in perk. The key here is that you must charge the entire trip on that credit card.

“This benefit can include some cancellation coverage for trip expenses paid for with that card, in addition to coverage for luggage,” says Benna. He points out that instead of paying for a travel insurance policy, you can save money by relying on a credit card’s cancellation benefits.

If your trip expenses exceed the credit card’s coverage limit, you can buy travel insurance for the remaining amount, notes Benna. This will make the policy less expensive than insuring the entire trip cost.

Related: Best credit cards for travel insurance benefits

Value of Travel Insurance Should be More Important than Cost

Cost should not be the only factor when you’re buying travel insurance. A cheap travel insurance policy that lacks good benefits won’t pay off in the end.

“Shop for value,” says Lisa Cheng, a spokesperson for World Nomads, a travel insurance company. “Some plans are priced low for a reason—they could come with high deductibles and low benefit limits.”

For example, Cheng says, you could buy cheap travel insurance and find there’s only $5,000 for medical expenses when you have an $8,000 hospital bill from your trip. Comparison shop but don’t skimp on coverage that is important to you, such as trip cancellation or travel medical insurance.

For some people, medical coverage matters most, and baggage insurance is less important, especially if they’re not planning to pack anything valuable, Cheng says. Medical coverage is especially important if you’re traveling overseas, because U.S. health plans may provide no coverage outside the U.S., and Medicare is not accepted outside the U.S.

Travel medical insurance limits vary by travel insurance policy. For instance, GoReady offers $50,000 in medical coverage for travel per person, while Cat 70, HTH Worldwide, Seven Corners, Tin Leg and USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services provide $500,000 in medical coverage, depending on the policy.

Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into travel insurance than medical protection, so make sure you get a policy that’s right for you.

If you plan to travel you may want to have a financial safeguard in place for pandemic-related trip problems. This is especially true if you’re traveling abroad, where your U.S. health plan may have limited global coverage. Travel insurance can provide that safety net.

Not all travel insurance policies cover Covid-related problems. To help you find the best Covid travel insurance we evaluated 50 plans using data from Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

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If you plan to travel you may want to have a financial safeguard in place for pandemic-related trip problems. This is especially true if you’re traveling abroad, where your U.S. health plan may have limited global coverage. Travel insurance can provide that safety net.

Not all travel insurance policies cover Covid-related problems. To help you find the best Covid travel insurance we evaluated 50 plans using data from Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

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Illness or injury can ruin a vacation. And it’s even worse if you’re far from home. If you require airlift transportation for immediate medical care during your trip, a comprehensive travel insurance plan with emergency medical evacuation benefits can help cover the cost.

Here’s how medical evacuation travel insurance works and why it can be an essential part of a solid travel insurance plan.

What Does Medical Evacuation Insurance Cover?

Here’s what medical evacuation insurance typically encompasses.

Emergency transportation

Medical evacuation insurance can pay for the cost of emergency transportation to the nearest adequate treatment center if you become seriously ill or injured while traveling and require immediate care. It can also pay for you to be transported back to the U.S. if medically necessary.

Or, if you’ve been treated but you need to fly back to the U.S. for further treatment or to recover, it can pay for the flight home.

A medical escort on your return home

If you require specialized care for the flight home, like a medical professional who can administer intravenous antibiotics or oxygen during your flight, medical evacuation insurance can pay for associated costs for medical escort services.

The cost for a friend or family member to travel to you

If you’re hospitalized during your trip following an illness or injury that is covered by your policy, your medical evacuation travel insurance can pay for a round-trip flight for a friend or family member to come stay with you. This benefit usually has a minimum hospital-stay requirement. For example, if you’re told you’ll be hospitalized for seven days or more, your benefits might apply.

Costs for a bedside companion

Some medical evacuation benefits include compensation for hotel stays, meals and other reasonable costs your traveling companion has while staying near you.

The cost for your children to fly home

If you’re hospitalized during your trip and traveling with your children, your travel insurance company can arrange for your children to fly home or to another U.S.-based location. Your benefits can compensate for the cost, minus any refunds for unused plane tickets. This benefit also usually has a minimum number of days for hospitalization you must meet to file a claim.

Repatriation of remains

If you or a traveling companion die during your trip, the cost of transporting remains home can be covered by repatriation benefits included in your evacuation coverage.

When Do You Need Medical Evacuation Insurance?

Medical evacuation benefits help if you become seriously ill or suffer a severe injury during your trip and there are no local hospitals with the resources to treat your condition.

For example, if you suffer a serious injury in a car accident in China, your travel insurance company can arrange for medevac services to the nearest hospital equipped to care for you, which can be elsewhere in China, another country or even back in the U.S.

Your travel insurance company will work as a liaison to arrange the transportation on your behalf, which can come in handy during a medical crisis in a foreign country.

The travel medical insurance in a travel insurance plan can pay for doctor and hospital bills, X-rays, lab work, medicine and other associated expenses, up to your medical coverage limit. Evacuation insurance and travel medical insurance have separate coverage limits. For example, a generous travel insurance plan might have up to $500,000 for medical expenses and up to $1 million for evacuation.

When you’re well enough to travel, your travel insurance company can pay for your flight home.

Do You Need Both Medical Evacuation and Travel Medical Insurance?

It’s prudent to have both medical evacuation travel insurance and travel medical insurance when traveling abroad.

“If you’re not prepared to pay all your medical bills out of pocket, this is a crucial reason to buy travel insurance that includes emergency medical coverage and transportation benefits,” says Durazo at Allianz.

If you are traveling outside the U.S., it’s often essential that you have travel medical expense insurance because your domestic health insurance plan may have little or no international coverage. Check with your health insurance company to see if your plan has global coverage and whether it’s considered “out of network.” Also, senior travelers should know that Medicare isn’t accepted abroad.

How to Get Approval to Use Medical Evacuation Insurance

After a medical emergency during a trip, the first call should be to the local emergency services. Then, you or your companion or tour guide should call your travel insurance company’s emergency hotline or customer service number.

“The assistance team, which includes emergency room physicians and travel experts, reviews the case and contacts your physician to discuss your treatment, help manage your care and determine if emergency medical transport is necessary,” says Durazo.

To use medical evacuation insurance, you usually must have an emergency evacuation ordered by the onsite, attending physician who certifies that the severity of your accidental injury or illness warrants the move.

Ideally, your travel insurance company would help coordinate the medevac and the move, and sign-off on it in advance. If that’s not possible, your travel insurance company should be notified as soon as possible.

If you require emergency medical transportation, your options may include an air ambulance or a commercial airline.

How Will You Be Transported?

While you may think an air ambulance is your only choice, Durazo says working with a commercial carrier is typically a better experience for the patient and their companions for several reasons:

• Most air ambulances are small aircraft that can only fly for four to six hours at a time, requiring frequent landings to refuel. They may accommodate only the patient, nurse and one guest in very tight quarters, often without a bathroom and with minimal luggage storage space, he says.
• Commercial carriers offer more options, including direct flights, better overall flight quality and room for multiple members of accompanying medical staff and travel companions.
• Patients may travel in either first or business class, where they can lay flat if medically necessary.

Your Travel Insurance Company’s 24/7 Assistance Line Can Help

Travel insurance companies generally have a staff of physicians, interpreters and travel experts available to help you around the clock. You can contact your travel insurance company by calling the dedicated 24/7 travel assistance hotline or using its app, if one is available, to reach the care team.

“The assistance team can help coordinate care with the doctors treating you in your destination, as well as help you get to a high-quality medical facility with appropriate treatment options—all to ensure the best medical care possible,” explains Durazo.

In addition to arranging emergency medical transportation, Durazo says these teams usually offer aid throughout the treatment. For instance, the staff at Allianz Global Assistance will stay in touch with doctors to review daily medical reports and relay updates to family members, provide interpretation services if needed and help guarantee payment to the treatment center and handle billing.

Do You Need Evacuation Insurance for Trips Within the U.S?

There are some instances when medical evacuation travel insurance can be a smart choice even when traveling within the U.S, says Durazo.

For example, if you are doing a dude ranch trip or taking an adventure-oriented trip in a remote area, it’s wise to have evacuation coverage. If you’re injured, your health plan should cover your transportation to a hospital and your medical care once you’re there, but it likely won’t pay for a flight home requiring medical equipment and a medical escort. Additionally, you’ll be responsible for copays and deductibles that come with your health insurance coverage.

On the other hand, let’s say you’re visiting a college friend in Chicago and plan to shop and visit museums in the Windy City. You probably won’t need emergency evacuation coverage in that case.

How Much Medical Evacuation Travel Insurance Do I Need?

Limits for emergency medical evacuation insurance vary by company and plan. The most generous travel insurance plans provide $1 million in medical evacuation coverage per person. For example, the Platinum plan from AXA Assistance USA and the OneTripPremier Plan from Allianz include up to $1 million in medical evacuation coverage.

However, you can find plans with lower coverage amounts. For instance, the Silver plan from AXA Assistance USA provides $100,000 for emergency evacuation, and the OneTrip Basic Plan from Allianz provides $50,000 in emergency medical transportation benefits.

Most travel insurance plans offer a 14- or 15-day “free look” period during which you can review your policy. “If you then decide during the free look period that the product doesn’t meet your needs, you can purchase a new product with more or less coverage or cancel the policy for a full refund,” says Durazo.

How Do You Buy Medical Evacuation Travel Insurance?

You can buy medical evacuation travel insurance as part of a comprehensive travel insurance plan or a stand-alone travel medical plan.

Travel medical insurance and emergency medical transportation insurance are often purchased as part of a comprehensive travel insurance plan that also includes trip cancellation insurance, travel delay insurance, trip interruption insurance and baggage insurance.

However, says Durazo, if you’re not concerned with trip cancellation, you can find plans covering just medical-related trip issues. For example, Allianz offers the OneTrip Emergency Medical Plan, which provides up to $50,000 in medical expense coverage and $250,000 in emergency evacuation benefits.

Check for This Fine Print

Details of coverage vary by plan and travel insurance company, so be sure to review the following details.

Hospital-stay requirements

Benefits for your children’s flight home and for someone to be flown in to visit you are generally for extended hospitalizations. For instance, this may need to be seven days or more. That means if you’re in the hospital for four days, these benefits may not apply.

Hospital of choice

Most medical evacuation insurance plans stipulate that you are flown to the nearest adequate facility for treatment. If you need further care after that, some plans have add-on coverage that allows you to choose the hospital you go to next. For example, the AIG Travel Guard Deluxe plan allows you to request transportation to the hospital of your choice for further care, recovery or treatment after you’re stabilized.

Also, hospital choice benefits usually don’t apply to nursing homes or rehabilitation centers. Be sure to ask your travel insurance company if “hospital of choice” is offered and how it works.

Extreme sports exclusions

Some travel insurance plans exclude injuries resulting from extreme sports or adventure activities from medical and evacuation benefits. You can sometimes add a rider to get coverage, or look for a plan that covers your specific activities.

Emergency Medical Transportation and Covid

With many countries still high-risk for Covid, or designated as Level 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the importance of emergency medical transport insurance is even more valuable.

Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider, recommends a minimum of $100,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage, to account for Covid-19-related evacuation expenses. Make sure the plan will cover Covid-related claims.

If you’re heading to a remote destination, where it may be more expensive or difficult to reach a medical facility, Squaremouth recommends $250,000 in medical evacuation coverage.

See our ratings of the best pandemic travel insurance plans.

Other Medevac Options

Companies like Medjet and Global Rescue can be a good fit for those who want to be flown directly back to the U.S. after a medical emergency rather than to the nearest hospital equipped to treat you, as mandated in travel insurance plans.

These types of companies are also worth serious consideration if you are participating in extreme sports during your vacation or you have pre-existing medical conditions.

Medjet

Medjet provides private or commercial medevac or air ambulance transportation from a hospital anywhere in the world to the hospital of your choice in your home country. In order to use Medjet services, you must buy a membership before your trip. And you must be traveling at least 150 miles from home. Medical and legal specialists are on staff to assist you.

The company offers a variety of membership plans for domestic and international travel, college students, business travelers and more. Plans for short-term vacations of eight, 15, 21 and 30 days start at $99 for an individual and $199 for a family.

Medjet also offers a plan that adds on security help and crisis response.

Global Rescue

Global Rescue is a provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. An individual annual membership is $349.

One benefit of Global Rescue is that you can be airlifted from where you had your accident or injury.

“If you have a minor injury or illness, you can call Global Rescue and speak to an on-staff medical expert who will help sort out the dos and don’ts based on your unique situation and symptoms,” says Dan Richards, chief executive officer of Global Rescue.

For major injury or illness, including Covid, Global Rescue assesses the circumstances and arranges for field rescue medical evacuation or repatriation, says Richards.

“If the case is complicated, we may deploy to the member’s bedside to make sure they’re getting the care they need to get stable enough for transport,” he says.

Global Rescue also provides emergency evacuation for non-medical emergencies. With a security upgrade, Global Rescue provides advisory and evacuation services for unpredicted natural disasters, civil unrest, acts of terrorism and government-ordered evacuations.

“Global Rescue’s services extend to wherever the individual is, and the personnel who respond are among the most highly trained paramedics, nurses, doctors and military special operations veterans available. We don’t just take the phone call; we dispatch our personnel to the site of the crisis and use all available means to get them to safety and the care they need,” says Richards.

More About Services Like Medjet and Global Rescue

You might want to buy Medjet or Global Rescue memberships as supplemental coverage to a travel insurance plan if you frequently travel to remote locations.

With Medjet and Global Rescue, there is no cap on the coverage for transportation as there is with travel insurance. You just pay the membership fee.

“If a member gets sick or injured while skiing in the backcountry, paragliding, rock climbing or anything else, our services are in force,” Richards says.

Another advantage of services like Medjet and Global Rescue is that you won’t have to file a reimbursement claim for evacuation services. Your membership is your access to coverage.

You can also be airlifted directly from the location of your emergency with Global Rescue services. “We will rescue you from the point of injury or illness (field rescue) and get you to a medical facility where you can get diagnosed and treated,” says Richards.

However, Medjet and Global Rescue aren’t travel insurance companies, so you won’t find coverage for medical expenses, trip cancellation, interruptions, delays or baggage.

Illness or injury can ruin a vacation. And it’s even worse if you’re far from home. If you require airlift transportation for immediate medical care during your trip, a comprehensive travel insurance plan with emergency medical evacuation benefits can help cover the cost.

Here’s how medical evacuation travel insurance works and why it can be an essential part of a solid travel insurance plan.

What Does Medical Evacuation Insurance Cover?

Here’s what medical evacuation insurance typically encompasses.

Emergency transportation

Medical evacuation insurance can pay for the cost of emergency transportation to the nearest adequate treatment center if you become seriously ill or injured while traveling and require immediate care. It can also pay for you to be transported back to the U.S. if medically necessary.

Or, if you’ve been treated but you need to fly back to the U.S. for further treatment or to recover, it can pay for the flight home.

A medical escort on your return home

If you require specialized care for the flight home, like a medical professional who can administer intravenous antibiotics or oxygen during your flight, medical evacuation insurance can pay for associated costs for medical escort services.

The cost for a friend or family member to travel to you

If you’re hospitalized during your trip following an illness or injury that is covered by your policy, your medical evacuation travel insurance can pay for a round-trip flight for a friend or family member to come stay with you. This benefit usually has a minimum hospital-stay requirement. For example, if you’re told you’ll be hospitalized for seven days or more, your benefits might apply.

Costs for a bedside companion

Some medical evacuation benefits include compensation for hotel stays, meals and other reasonable costs your traveling companion has while staying near you.

The cost for your children to fly home

If you’re hospitalized during your trip and traveling with your children, your travel insurance company can arrange for your children to fly home or to another U.S.-based location. Your benefits can compensate for the cost, minus any refunds for unused plane tickets. This benefit also usually has a minimum number of days for hospitalization you must meet to file a claim.

Repatriation of remains

If you or a traveling companion die during your trip, the cost of transporting remains home can be covered by repatriation benefits included in your evacuation coverage.

When Do You Need Medical Evacuation Insurance?

Medical evacuation benefits help if you become seriously ill or suffer a severe injury during your trip and there are no local hospitals with the resources to treat your condition.

For example, if you suffer a serious injury in a car accident in China, your travel insurance company can arrange for medevac services to the nearest hospital equipped to care for you, which can be elsewhere in China, another country or even back in the U.S.

Your travel insurance company will work as a liaison to arrange the transportation on your behalf, which can come in handy during a medical crisis in a foreign country.

The travel medical insurance in a travel insurance plan can pay for doctor and hospital bills, X-rays, lab work, medicine and other associated expenses, up to your medical coverage limit. Evacuation insurance and travel medical insurance have separate coverage limits. For example, a generous travel insurance plan might have up to $500,000 for medical expenses and up to $1 million for evacuation.

When you’re well enough to travel, your travel insurance company can pay for your flight home.

Do You Need Both Medical Evacuation and Travel Medical Insurance?

It’s prudent to have both medical evacuation travel insurance and travel medical insurance when traveling abroad.

“If you’re not prepared to pay all your medical bills out of pocket, this is a crucial reason to buy travel insurance that includes emergency medical coverage and transportation benefits,” says Durazo at Allianz.

If you are traveling outside the U.S., it’s often essential that you have travel medical expense insurance because your domestic health insurance plan may have little or no international coverage. Check with your health insurance company to see if your plan has global coverage and whether it’s considered “out of network.” Also, senior travelers should know that Medicare isn’t accepted abroad.

How to Get Approval to Use Medical Evacuation Insurance

After a medical emergency during a trip, the first call should be to the local emergency services. Then, you or your companion or tour guide should call your travel insurance company’s emergency hotline or customer service number.

“The assistance team, which includes emergency room physicians and travel experts, reviews the case and contacts your physician to discuss your treatment, help manage your care and determine if emergency medical transport is necessary,” says Durazo.

To use medical evacuation insurance, you usually must have an emergency evacuation ordered by the onsite, attending physician who certifies that the severity of your accidental injury or illness warrants the move.

Ideally, your travel insurance company would help coordinate the medevac and the move, and sign-off on it in advance. If that’s not possible, your travel insurance company should be notified as soon as possible.

If you require emergency medical transportation, your options may include an air ambulance or a commercial airline.

How Will You Be Transported?

While you may think an air ambulance is your only choice, Durazo says working with a commercial carrier is typically a better experience for the patient and their companions for several reasons:

• Most air ambulances are small aircraft that can only fly for four to six hours at a time, requiring frequent landings to refuel. They may accommodate only the patient, nurse and one guest in very tight quarters, often without a bathroom and with minimal luggage storage space, he says.
• Commercial carriers offer more options, including direct flights, better overall flight quality and room for multiple members of accompanying medical staff and travel companions.
• Patients may travel in either first or business class, where they can lay flat if medically necessary.

Your Travel Insurance Company’s 24/7 Assistance Line Can Help

Travel insurance companies generally have a staff of physicians, interpreters and travel experts available to help you around the clock. You can contact your travel insurance company by calling the dedicated 24/7 travel assistance hotline or using its app, if one is available, to reach the care team.

“The assistance team can help coordinate care with the doctors treating you in your destination, as well as help you get to a high-quality medical facility with appropriate treatment options—all to ensure the best medical care possible,” explains Durazo.

In addition to arranging emergency medical transportation, Durazo says these teams usually offer aid throughout the treatment. For instance, the staff at Allianz Global Assistance will stay in touch with doctors to review daily medical reports and relay updates to family members, provide interpretation services if needed and help guarantee payment to the treatment center and handle billing.

Do You Need Evacuation Insurance for Trips Within the U.S?

There are some instances when medical evacuation travel insurance can be a smart choice even when traveling within the U.S, says Durazo.

For example, if you are doing a dude ranch trip or taking an adventure-oriented trip in a remote area, it’s wise to have evacuation coverage. If you’re injured, your health plan should cover your transportation to a hospital and your medical care once you’re there, but it likely won’t pay for a flight home requiring medical equipment and a medical escort. Additionally, you’ll be responsible for copays and deductibles that come with your health insurance coverage.

On the other hand, let’s say you’re visiting a college friend in Chicago and plan to shop and visit museums in the Windy City. You probably won’t need emergency evacuation coverage in that case.

How Much Medical Evacuation Travel Insurance Do I Need?

Limits for emergency medical evacuation insurance vary by company and plan. The most generous travel insurance plans provide $1 million in medical evacuation coverage per person. For example, the Platinum plan from AXA Assistance USA and the OneTripPremier Plan from Allianz include up to $1 million in medical evacuation coverage.

However, you can find plans with lower coverage amounts. For instance, the Silver plan from AXA Assistance USA provides $100,000 for emergency evacuation, and the OneTrip Basic Plan from Allianz provides $50,000 in emergency medical transportation benefits.

Most travel insurance plans offer a 14- or 15-day “free look” period during which you can review your policy. “If you then decide during the free look period that the product doesn’t meet your needs, you can purchase a new product with more or less coverage or cancel the policy for a full refund,” says Durazo.

How Do You Buy Medical Evacuation Travel Insurance?

You can buy medical evacuation travel insurance as part of a comprehensive travel insurance plan or a stand-alone travel medical plan.

Travel medical insurance and emergency medical transportation insurance are often purchased as part of a comprehensive travel insurance plan that also includes trip cancellation insurance, travel delay insurance, trip interruption insurance and baggage insurance.

However, says Durazo, if you’re not concerned with trip cancellation, you can find plans covering just medical-related trip issues. For example, Allianz offers the OneTrip Emergency Medical Plan, which provides up to $50,000 in medical expense coverage and $250,000 in emergency evacuation benefits.

Check for This Fine Print

Details of coverage vary by plan and travel insurance company, so be sure to review the following details.

Hospital-stay requirements

Benefits for your children’s flight home and for someone to be flown in to visit you are generally for extended hospitalizations. For instance, this may need to be seven days or more. That means if you’re in the hospital for four days, these benefits may not apply.

Hospital of choice

Most medical evacuation insurance plans stipulate that you are flown to the nearest adequate facility for treatment. If you need further care after that, some plans have add-on coverage that allows you to choose the hospital you go to next. For example, the AIG Travel Guard Deluxe plan allows you to request transportation to the hospital of your choice for further care, recovery or treatment after you’re stabilized.

Also, hospital choice benefits usually don’t apply to nursing homes or rehabilitation centers. Be sure to ask your travel insurance company if “hospital of choice” is offered and how it works.

Extreme sports exclusions

Some travel insurance plans exclude injuries resulting from extreme sports or adventure activities from medical and evacuation benefits. You can sometimes add a rider to get coverage, or look for a plan that covers your specific activities.

Emergency Medical Transportation and Covid

With many countries still high-risk for Covid, or designated as Level 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the importance of emergency medical transport insurance is even more valuable.

Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider, recommends a minimum of $100,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage, to account for Covid-19-related evacuation expenses. Make sure the plan will cover Covid-related claims.

If you’re heading to a remote destination, where it may be more expensive or difficult to reach a medical facility, Squaremouth recommends $250,000 in medical evacuation coverage.

See our ratings of the best pandemic travel insurance plans.

Other Medevac Options

Companies like Medjet and Global Rescue can be a good fit for those who want to be flown directly back to the U.S. after a medical emergency rather than to the nearest hospital equipped to treat you, as mandated in travel insurance plans.

These types of companies are also worth serious consideration if you are participating in extreme sports during your vacation or you have pre-existing medical conditions.

Medjet

Medjet provides private or commercial medevac or air ambulance transportation from a hospital anywhere in the world to the hospital of your choice in your home country. In order to use Medjet services, you must buy a membership before your trip. And you must be traveling at least 150 miles from home. Medical and legal specialists are on staff to assist you.

The company offers a variety of membership plans for domestic and international travel, college students, business travelers and more. Plans for short-term vacations of eight, 15, 21 and 30 days start at $99 for an individual and $199 for a family.

Medjet also offers a plan that adds on security help and crisis response.

Global Rescue

Global Rescue is a provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. An individual annual membership is $349.

One benefit of Global Rescue is that you can be airlifted from where you had your accident or injury.

“If you have a minor injury or illness, you can call Global Rescue and speak to an on-staff medical expert who will help sort out the dos and don’ts based on your unique situation and symptoms,” says Dan Richards, chief executive officer of Global Rescue.

For major injury or illness, including Covid, Global Rescue assesses the circumstances and arranges for field rescue medical evacuation or repatriation, says Richards.

“If the case is complicated, we may deploy to the member’s bedside to make sure they’re getting the care they need to get stable enough for transport,” he says.

Global Rescue also provides emergency evacuation for non-medical emergencies. With a security upgrade, Global Rescue provides advisory and evacuation services for unpredicted natural disasters, civil unrest, acts of terrorism and government-ordered evacuations.

“Global Rescue’s services extend to wherever the individual is, and the personnel who respond are among the most highly trained paramedics, nurses, doctors and military special operations veterans available. We don’t just take the phone call; we dispatch our personnel to the site of the crisis and use all available means to get them to safety and the care they need,” says Richards.

More About Services Like Medjet and Global Rescue

You might want to buy Medjet or Global Rescue memberships as supplemental coverage to a travel insurance plan if you frequently travel to remote locations.

With Medjet and Global Rescue, there is no cap on the coverage for transportation as there is with travel insurance. You just pay the membership fee.

“If a member gets sick or injured while skiing in the backcountry, paragliding, rock climbing or anything else, our services are in force,” Richards says.

Another advantage of services like Medjet and Global Rescue is that you won’t have to file a reimbursement claim for evacuation services. Your membership is your access to coverage.

You can also be airlifted directly from the location of your emergency with Global Rescue services. “We will rescue you from the point of injury or illness (field rescue) and get you to a medical facility where you can get diagnosed and treated,” says Richards.

However, Medjet and Global Rescue aren’t travel insurance companies, so you won’t find coverage for medical expenses, trip cancellation, interruptions, delays or baggage.