How-To: Choose the Right Travel Insurance
Updated: Feb 15
Community Question: Travel sellers have travel insurance add-ons at every checkout. How do I know the best travel insurance plan for my trip?
There are several ways to choose the right travel insurance. You can tell choose the right travel insurance before it is too late by observing (or doing) any of the following:
Buy travel insurance when you make your first trip deposit. Doing so can provide you with additional benefits like coverage for preexisting conditions and access to the Cancel For Any Reason benefit, both of which are only available within 15 days of making your initial trip deposit.
Know the types of benefits that come with your travel insurance:
Trip Cancellation is a pre-departure benefit and provides coverage for unforeseen illnesses, injuries, natural disasters, terror incidents as well as many other circumstances.
Trip Interruption is a post-departure benefit and provides coverage for many of the same things covered by trip cancellation, plus it can pay for extra airfare to return home.
Trip Delay covers for additional expenses such as lodging and meals in the event of airline delays, strikes, natural disasters, and civil disorder.
Credit cards do provide holistic travel insurance; generally, it only covers arrangements paid with the credit card.
Heads up, they might limit your compensation amount too. Be sure you know the Terms and Conditions of the travel insurance provided by sellers or credit cards – you don't have to find out your plan limitation only once something goes sideways.
You only need to insure the non-refundable portions of your trip.
We recommend being wary of the "add-on" insurance options offered by pretty much every supplier. We've all been there at checkout with flights or hotels where they offer you the opportunity to "protect your trip".
Overall it's better to cover all non-refundable aspects of your trip under one insurance policy. That way, if something goes wrong with your trip you only have one claim to submit versus shuffling through which trip components you got add-on policies for, and others you may not have.
Of course, ask Upaway! We've got your back and can suggest options based on your unique travel needs.
We'll always point you in the direction of our recommendation based on your needs – our team sits in your corner, to ensure you're set up for success on every trip. (Note: We are not sellers of travel insurance – this recommendation is based on our community's experience as travelers and travel advisors.)
Your Upaway team of travelers loves Battleface Travel Insurance because you can pick only the coverage you need and omit the rest. Click here to get a quote.*
*Upaway may receive a commission on sales with Battleface. That said, our recommendation is driven by experience; we always put partners to the test before recommending to our community of travelers.
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