Both Visa and Mastercard say they cover travel insurance. Is this coverage enough? Is it necessary to still buy a separate, independent travel insurance plan and what should you be looking for to be included? Does additional travel insurance give you blanket coverage if you decide to extend your trip after you’ve bought your policy? I’m going to Italy, possibly adding a time extension to Greece and maybe Portugal, this May through July, deciding how, where, and how long to continue my trip once I’m already over there.
Recommendations for companies with the most reliable, comprehensive coverage and economical pricing?
Posted by
San Diego, California
4778 posts
https://search.ricksteves.com/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Travel+insurance&button=
Everyone has different needs regarding insurance, there's no one easy answer for you. But you are fortunate, there has been extended discussion here, so review the above Search. You can also do further refined Searches here.
Good luck !
Posted by
Peterborough, ON, Canada
1566 posts
We always relied on credit card insurance. In 2022 we sadly had to use it. That's when I realized it's capped at $2500CAD (per person). It worked out okay between travel credits and refundable purchases, but still felt stupid that I didn't know the cap. I did recoup the full $2500 for each of us.
Check it thoroughly.
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
2754 posts
It would be helpful if you gave us a bit more information, like age, health concerns, activity level. In the meantime look at an All-Trips annual policy so you can extend your travels within the limitation of the policy. A 1-Trip policy locks you in to the dates of the policy. Don’t forget to look at medical coverage and medical evacuation. https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/find-a-plan Has good reviews on the forum. I have bought both an annual and single trip policies but not filed a claim.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4125 posts
I'd read the policy carefully to get the answers you want, it can vary from card to card and country to country. Also what travel Insurance are you wanting coverage for, just the travel, or medical as well? Also check what the policy says about length of time your covered for out of country. If I'm not mistaken, one of my cards only offers the medical portion for 16 consecutive days.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4420 posts
An insurance policy is only as good as its terms and conditions, which are dreadfully dull but need to be read.
Stop and consider if you think a "free" policy is worth it.
Do some comparison shopping at Squaremouth to see what options you have for your particular situation.
Also consider getting Medjet in addition to insurance.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7570 posts
The old adage, "you get what you pay for" comes to mind. Some higher end cards actually have decent insurance, and some allow you to buy a premium policy at very low rates that may more than meet your needs. But, it all depends on what card and the terms.
Another "hitch" is that in the terms, it indicates that you "used the card for your travel". Might be okay of you are on a package tour, but if an independent traveler, what does that mean? Plane tickets? Hotels? Meals? What if I only charged the plane, but nothing else? What about hotels but not plane ticket? All good questions, only the cards travel insurance rep can answer. Which brings up another thing, if you call to ask questions, do not ask them of the rep who answers the general credit card service number, get the number of the insurance company they use, and talk to them.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8469 posts
The cards' insurance is only when you have premium levels of membership, isn't it? So not exactly free.