You’ve spent days preparing for your trip, planning your itinerary, booking your flights and hotel, packing, and negotiating time off work, but did you plan for the contingencies and emergencies? That’s where travel insurance comes in. If you’re new to the concept of travel insurance, this is the article for you. In it, we’ll cover the basics of travel insurance in detail so you can decide whether travel insurance is worth it.
What is Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance is a type of insurance that covers eligible unexpected events and medical expenses associated with travel. Just like any other form of insurance, travel insurance is there to help offset emergencies, contingencies, or things that didn’t go according to plan. Common travel insurance benefits include lost baggage, emergency medical, and flight delays.
Do I Need Travel Insurance in 2024?
Anything can go wrong at any time, no matter the year. And let’s face it: no one plans to have an emergency come up. It’s not uncommon to become injured while enjoying a hiking trail, ill from street food, or for your luggage to go missing. These things can be expensive and potentially ruin your trip— unless, of course, you purchased a travel insurance policy.
AXA Travel Protection plans cover many unexpected expenses and risks, from trip cancellations to medical emergencies to baggage issues and more. With a travel insurance policy, you can jet-set more confidently and focus on enjoying your trip instead of worrying about the what-ifs.
But what if I’m traveling domestically?
No one plans to miss luggage or flights, and these are common things that happen whether you’re a state away or a whole hemisphere away. Travel insurance applies to most trips, so it is highly recommended, no matter if you’re local or international.
What is Included and Not Included in Travel Insurance?
There’s no universal standard when it comes to travel insurance plan benefits. However, here are some of the benefits included in the average travel insurance plan:
Trip cancellations, interruptions, and delays
Missed connecting flights
Emergency accidents, sickness, and medical expenses
Travel insurance prices vary, but they are usually around 5% to 6% of your total trip cost. The cost varies based on your chosen insurance plan, where you’re traveling, how long your trip is expected to last, and how old you are. For most, travel insurance is affordable and well worth the cost.
Things to Consider When Buying Travel Insurance
Travel insurance isn’t something you close your eyes and choose at random.
Before you make your choice, there are several things to consider:
When To Buy Travel Insurance
Buying your travel insurance should be your first step after booking your trip. Why? Let’s say you book your trip and pre-pay for your flight and hotel and end up canceling the trip at the last minute due to a family emergency, illness, or another unforeseen circumstance. If you haven’t yet bought travel insurance, you may not be able to get your money back. To help prevent that, get your travel insurance soon after booking your trip. Plans typically cover money-back cancellations up to a set number of days or hours before takeoff.
Don’t wait. Being proactive ensures you’re covered should something stop your trip from happening, but it can also cover you if/when things go wrong during the trip:
Note: If it’s been a while since you booked your trip, don’t worry. You can still purchase travel insurance all the way up to a day before your trip date. But the longer you wait, the more restricted your benefits may be. So, it’s in your best interest to buy travel insurance early.
What Coverage Should I Get?
The coverage you should choose depends on your individual risk tolerance which risks are you okay with shouldering? And which are you not comfortable with? The answers to these questions will guide your coverage decision.
AXA offers three types, which we’ll cover later in the article. Each plan offers a different coverage mix and will appeal to different types of travelers
and travel situations, which we’ll cover later in the article. Each plan offers a different coverage mix and will appeal to a different type of traveler and travel situation.
Top Things to Remember
Keep the following things in mind before selecting a travel insurance plan:
It’s crucial to buy your travel insurance as soon after booking as possible.
Your travel plan should be tailored to you and how much risk you are/aren’t comfortable with.
Pay attention to covered and non-covered benefits.
Be sure to inquire about plans with pre-existing condition coverage.
If you have any questions about travel insurance or need help choosing your coverage, remember that AXA is here to help. You can count on our licensed travel agents to inform you on our different travel protection policies and other travel insurance information.
How to Purchase Travel Insurance: Online vs. Agent Assistance
There are several ways to buy travel insurance, including online or with agent assistance. Making your purchase online means exploring and comparing your travel plan options yourself, selecting a plan and paying online, and making the policy decision yourself. With AXA’s convenient online quoting and payment systems, you’ll find the process to be painless. Start here with a quote.
On the other hand, agent assistance involves communicating with a travel insurance agent or broker to help you choose the right plan, make payments, research plans, and more. Our travel agents and representatives make every effort to answer all your travel-related questions and match you with the best plan for you. Call 855-327-1441 and select option 2 to be connected with an agent.
For more general questions, call the same number and select option 1.
What Do I Receive?
When you purchase travel insurance, you’ll be provided with a document or certificate outlining the specifics of your coverage. Below, you’ll see an example of an AXA Travel Protection document:
Can I Cancel My Travel Insurance Policy?
Canceling a travel insurance policy is usually not a problem. But you’ll have to follow any terms and conditions concerning when, how, and why you can cancel a plan. The cancellation process depends on the insurer, cancellation policy, and state of residency. It’s important to carefully read your policy’s terms and conditions.
We understand that sometimes even insurance needs insurance— which is why AXA offers an easy money-back cancellation policy. We can refund your unearned plan costs within 10 days of the cancellation date or according to the terms of your plan document. It’s important to review your policies, terms and conditions; your state of residency may affect your cancellation.
Give us a call at 855-327-1441 and select option 1 for assistance.
How to Get Travel Insurance
Buying a travel insurance policy is an easy process that can be done in 3 steps:
Research and compare travel insurance plans.
Select your insurance plan based on your travel needs.
Purchase your ideal plan.
At AXA, you can request a travel insurance quote online or get on a call with an agent for assistance from start to finish.
Does a Travel Insurance Policy Allow Travel to Multiple Destinations?
Are you planning to travel to multiple places but don’t want to buy a policy for each destination? Travel insurance policies often allow travel to multiple destinations, but it depends on the specific policy you are considering.
AXA Travel Protection plans allow for multiple destinations, but you’ll need to disclose your planned travel destinations and how long each trip will take before purchasing your plan. Not sure if you got everything covered? Contact our 24/7 customer support team here (855-327-1441).
What Doesn’t Travel Insurance Cover?
Travel insurance doesn’t generally cover foreseeable situations, for example, forecasted natural disasters. It’s for unexpected situations and expenses. Pre-existing conditions may also be excluded from your plan. Always refer to your plan documents to determine whether a benefit is included or excluded.
Travel Insurance Example
Imagine a scenario where you’re going to Paris insured under AXA’s most popular Platinum Plan. It has the following benefits: 100% trip cancellation reimbursement, $3,000 in lost baggage, and $250,000 in emergency accident and sickness medical expenses coverage.
You put all this work into planning your trip, but at the last minute, a family emergency meant you had to stay home. With AXA’s Platinum plan, canceling your trip beforehand would get you 100% of your nonrefundable pre-trip costs back (hotel, plane ticket, etc.).
Let’s say you made it to Paris, but you lost your baggage with items totaling $500. Under this plan, you’ll be reimbursed for eligible items with $2,500 in benefits left over.
Or, worse, you made it to Paris, but you got into a car accident. The car was totaled, and you needed life-saving surgery totaling $140,000. Under AXA’s Platinum plan, we will cover that whole bill with $110,000 in remaining benefits.
Note: Actual benefits depend on your specific plan and trip situation and are subject to plan terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions.
Types of Travel Protection Plans AXA Offers
AXA offers three main travel protection plans for international and domestic travel:
This basic plan is ideal for domestic trips. It covers 100% of trip cancellation costs, $25,000 in emergency accident and sickness medical coverage, and $750 in baggage and personal effects coverage. The plan starts at $16.
Going on a cruise? The Gold Plan was designed to protect you at sea. With this plan, you get 100% trip cancellation coverage, $100,000 in emergency accident and sickness medical coverage, and $1,500 in baggage and personal effects coverage. The plan starts at $36.
The most popular plan of the three, the Platinum plan, gets you the most coverage – 100% trip cancellation coverage, $250,000 in emergency accident and sickness medical coverage, and $3,000 in baggage and personal effects coverage. As a bonus, you can purchase Cancel for Any Reason insurance (more on that below). The plan starts at $52.
Note: Plan costs vary based on trip details, your age, the number of travelers, and more.
Ready to get started? Request a quote online in minutes or speak to an agent
by phone at 855-327-1441. Be sure to select option 2.
Who Needs Travel Insurance?
Though travel insurance isn’t mandatory, we highly recommend it for anyone who wants to travel with ease and to minimize the chances of a ruined trip. But it ultimately comes down to your individual needs and level of risk tolerance. No one plans to get lost, lose luggage, get delayed, or encounter an emergency: that’s why we recommend travel insurance, so you don’t have to worry about contingencies.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Families?
There are travel insurance policies that cover “ It’s not unusual to come across family plans. But don’t think that you need one of these plans for a “family trip”: many travel insurance plans cover multiple people with the requirement that they live in the same home. At AXA, we want you to travel with your loved ones safely, so our plans cover up to 10 people under the same protection plan.
Cancel For Any Reason Insurance
Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) Insurance is a special add-on benefit you can use to cancel your trip anytime for any reason. Just know that there are certain criteria you must meet to use your CFAR benefit.
Wrapping it Up
So, there you have it: travel insurance basics. At AXA, we want you to know what travel insurance is and why it’s needed. For more questions about AXA travel insurance, read our Frequently Asked Questions or contact an agent today. Happy travels!
Disclaimer: While AXA strives to make your travel seamless, please note that certain aspects of travel, such as delays due to weather or health emergencies, are beyond our control. AXA cannot guarantee the availability of assistance services everywhere or under all conditions, as there may be times when circumstances beyond AXA’s control hinder its endeavors to provide services.
The insurance benefits in the Silver, Gold and Platinum plans are underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies including Nationwide Life Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio. Benefits are administered by AXA Assistance USA, Inc. (in California, doing business as AXA Assistance Insurance Services, License Number 0H74893). Non-insurance assistance services are provided by AXA Assistance USA, Inc. and are not underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
