Top 10 Best Travel Insurance Providers

These are the top travel insurance companies to get you protected, whether you're searching for emergency medical care, COVID coverage, an international travel insurance plan, or a plan that covers extreme sports.

View our top 10 list of organizations below if you already have a preferred insurer in mind or simply want to learn more about some of the finest travel insurance providers.

1. IMG

2. Seven Corners

3. World Nomads

4. Travel Guard by AIG

5. AXA Assistance USA

6. Allianz Global Assistance

7. Travelex Insurance Services

8. Travel Insured International

9. USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services

10. Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

Selecting travel insurance providers based on certain criteria

To determine which insurance companies to emphasize, we considered the following factors:

Broadness of coverage

We considered the number of plans each provider offers as well as the variety of their basic plans.

Depth of coverage

We took into account the maximum caps for trip cancellation and trip interruption claims to get a sense of how much each company pays out for typical travel hiccups.

Cost

We were able to establish an average cost for consumers to compare plan prices against by examining the expenses for basic coverage across several carriers.

Usability

Even if a firm has the most complete and affordable coverage available, it is irrelevant if it is difficult to locate or obtain a quote for. The booking process for travel insurance can be made simpler with the help of an intuitive website.

Customizability

While conventional plans can often handle most needs, occasionally you need something a little more unique.

Best Travel Insurance Choices

Let's examine our top ten suggestions for travel insurance in more detail.

IMG

Why IMG is outstanding:

• International students, missionaries, and ship captains and crew members all have specialized medical insurance.
• Adventurous travel insurance.
• Planned trip cancellations.
• Plans that offer COVID-19 coverage are indicated on the search results page.
• IMG is an excellent choice for those on a tight budget: In our test, its basic plans were $11 cheaper than the norm.

Seven Corners

Why Seven Corners is great:

• Plans that are comprehensive for both foreigners and Americans, including visitors and immigrants coming to the country.
• There are annual, medical-only, and student plans offered.
• Extreme sports insurance "Dogtag" plan with wearable metal insurance ID tag.
• The company's options for annual travel insurance are highlighted in the NerdWallet Seven Corners evaluation.

Wander Frequent Traveler and Wander Frequent Traveler Plus are the two annual policies that Seven Corners offers. Depending on how long you want to spend away from home on any given vacation, the policies can be modified. You may take as many trips as you wish over the 364 days, provided that no single trip lasts longer than the choice you chose—30, 45, or 60 days.

Global Nomads

Why World Nomads is outstanding:

• Options for complete international travel insurance.
• Adventure sports such as hiking, mountain biking, and scuba diving are included.
• Protection for phones, laptops, and cameras.

Nerd Elina Geller outlines the following in her review of World Nomads:

The Standard Plan ($79) is a good option for people who are happy with trip cancellation and interruption coverage of $2,500 or less, don't require rental car damage protection, find the limits to be adequate, and don't require coverage for specific adventure sports.

The base package from World Nomads costs $61, which is $5 more than the average.

AIG Travel Guard

Why Travel Guard by AIG is outstanding:

• A build-your-own customisable plan and four levels of thorough plans are also available.
• There are options for annual plans, medical evacuation plans, and flight accident insurance.
• There is a business traveler's plan.

In our assessment of Travel Guard by AIG, we state:

There are some items that will not be covered by any of the plans, despite the fact that the Essential, Preferred, and Deluxe plans all give differing levels of coverage for your trip. Known incidents, baggage loss involving eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, or artificial teeth, and vacations paid for using frequent airline points or loyalty rewards programs are a few examples.

Basic insurance from Travel Guard by AIG costs $92, which is 39% more than the national average.

AXA Assistance USA

Why AXA Assistance USA is outstanding:

• There are three complete blueprints available.
• Any plan can include optional insurance features like "Cancel For Any Reason" and rental-car damage insurance.
• Basic travel insurance from AXA Assistance USA will cost you $53, which is significantly less than usual. Be prepared to pay a little bit extra if you put on CFAR or rental car damage coverage.

Allianz Global Assistance

What distinguishes Allianz Global Assistance:

• Plans for yearly and one-time trips.
• Plans are offered for both domestic and international travel.
• There is a standalone solution for damage to rented cars.

Here's an excerpt from our analysis of Allianz Global Assistance:"For single journeys, Allianz Global Assistance offers five different types of travel insurance, one of which is primarily focused on providing emergency medical care. Domestic passengers who want trip cancellation, interruption, and delay coverage but don't want post-departure features like emergency medical or baggage loss might consider the OneTrip Cancellation Plus plan. The least expensive choice offered by Allianz is this one.

Our test trip's basic Allianz Global Assistance coverage cost $60, which is slightly more than the industry standard.

Travelex Insurance International

Why Travelex Insurance Services are outstanding:

• There are two complete plans available.
• You can choose your own coverage.
• There are two flight insurance options.

For our sample trip, Travelex Insurance Services' basic coverage cost $44, which is around 27% less than the national average.

Travel Insurance Worldwide

Why Travel Insured International is outstanding:

• Plans that are both thorough and medical-only.
• Plans for travel cover missed and canceled flights as well as lost or stolen luggage.
• In our evaluation of Travel Insured International, we point out:

If you need to cancel (or interrupt) your vacation due to illness, injury, or the death of a family member, AIG Travel Guard policies will pay for it. All Travel Guard policies also include coverage for inclement weather that results in a trip delay or cancellation. In addition to a plethora of add-on choices, Travel Guard offers three primary AIG travel insurance policies.

Additionally, Travel Insured International coverage comes in at $55, almost exactly average.

USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services

Why USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services is outstanding:

• By policy name, insurance requirements, and traveler type, you can search for comprehensive plan types.
• Plans for medical care and evacuation during overseas travel.
• There is a single annual plan with two levels of coverage.

For our sample trip itinerary, the USI Affinity Travel Insurance Services basic plan costs around $15 more than the standard.

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

What makes Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection great:

• Three comprehensive plans offer cancellation, emergency medical coverage and emergency travel assistance.
• Two of the plans offer compensation for missed connections and higher thresholds for lost baggage.
• Coverage can be customized with add-ons like adventure sports coverage, car rental collision and more.

Basic Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection will only run you $36, well below average. Keep in mind that this plan is designed for customization, so as you add more to your plan, your cost will likely increase.