IMG Travel Insurance: Is It Worth the Cost?

IMG travel insurance isn’t cheap. In fact, according to a recent NerdWallet analysis, IMG’s coverage is the most expensive among competitors. However, IMG offers so many different plans — for all types of travelers — that paying the extra cost may be worth it to have a policy that suits your needs.

IMG is headquartered in the U.S. and offers global travel insurance coverage. IMG has over 60 plans, so there’s almost no situation where an IMG policy won’t offer coverage.

Started in 1990, IMG’s travel insurance policies are underwritten by SiriusPoint and Crum & Forster. SiriusPoint has an A- Financial Strength Rating (FSR) from insurance rating firm AM Best, while Crum & Forster has an A rating.

IMG’s travel insurance coverage is broad, with options available for expats, crew members, missionaries, people who go on multiple trips per year, those who like adventure sports and travelers who want a policy for a single trip.

While your exact coverage options depend on the plan, you can expect to have IMG travel insurance medical coverage in nearly all cases. Here are some common coverage types in IMG’s plans.

• IMG health insurance coverage: Depending on the plan, this can cover emergency issues arising during a trip or it can act as regular medical insurance. 

• Trip interruption and trip cancellation: Can pay for nonrefundable costs incurred as a result of a trip being canceled or interrupted for a covered reason. 

• Emergency evacuation: Can pay for the cost of evacuating you, either for a medical or nonmedical reason. 

• Baggage insurance: If luggage is lost or delayed, this will reimburse you for the cost of replacing the items.

Several of IMG’s plans are oriented toward travel medical coverage rather than trip protections, which means you'll miss out on many of the benefits outlined above. However, the plans can be considerably cheaper than other options, so they may be a good fit if you’re looking to save money but still have medical coverage.

While IMG offers over 60 plans to travelers, most cater to specific groups of people.

Here we’ve included all six of IMG’s policies for those looking for travel medical and trip protections.

Long-term travel insurance

IMG also offers long-term travel medical options for those who travel often or who are away for longer than six months.

IMG offers two annual plans:

• Patriot Multi-Trip International is a plan for U.S. citizens who take multiple trips annually outside the U.S.

• Patriot Multi-Trip America is a plan for people who aren't U.S. citizens and who take multiple trips annually outside of their country of residence.

» Learn more: How does annual travel insurance work

Add-on options

Depending on the plans, you’ll have a variety of choices for add-ons. For example, Patriot plans allow you to add device protection, telehealth services and coverage for adventure sports.

The high-end iTravelInsured Travel LX plan also offers the ability to add Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance.

The coverage you’ll receive with an IMG policy depends on the plan. For example, iTravelInsured Travel LX comes with rental car insurance, while the iTravelInsured Travel Lite and iTravelInsured Travel SE plans don't.

Beyond policy-specific differences, you can expect IMG coverage to exclude events like:

• Epidemics.

• Severe storms (after they’ve been named).

• Participation in amateur or professional sporting competitions.

• Activities conducted under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

On a 5-star scale, NerdWallet rated IMG 3.5 stars. Jump to see our methodology.

A sample trip for a 36-year-old traveler from Indiana to Canada for five days found that the cheapest IMG plan cost $183. If you were to spring for the premium plan, which increases coverage limits, expect to pay $252.

When looking across multiple providers, the same sample trip ranges in cost from $10-$202. Note that price isn't the only differentiating factor. Coverage isn't identical across plans; each company offers various levels of scope, limits and exclusions.

How much does IMG travel insurance cost? To get a sense of what you can expect to pay for an IMG travel insurance policy, we generated a sample quote. In this example, a 27-year-old man from Wisconsin was traveling to Vietnam for 11 days.

His total trip cost was $2,200. (For the Patriot International Lite and Patriot International Platinum plans, we selected policy maximums of $100,000 and $2 million, respectively.)

As you can see, the spread of IMG travel insurance cost is pretty significant between the least expensive plan and the most expensive. On the high end, you can expect additional benefits such as rental car insurance.

If you’d like to purchase an IMG travel insurance policy, it’s easy to do so online. To begin, head to IMG’s website, where you’ll be prompted to generate a quote.

The information you’ll need to provide includes:

• Dates of travel.

• Destination.

• Age.

• Gender.

• State of residence.

• Trip cost.

• Country of citizenship.

After you’ve input the information, IMG will present the plans for which you’re eligible. Then, you can select the one that fits what you’re looking for and complete the checkout process online.

Consider comparison shopping

If you're not 100% sold on purchasing a plan from IMG, you can use a travel insurance aggregator to compare policies across multiple companies at once.

IMG has a huge variety of plans for travelers, whether you’re a full-time digital nomad or you’re looking to take your first trip abroad. Picking the plan that suits your needs depends on the type of trip.

Look at coverage details

Some policies provide emergency medical evacuation coverage, while others skip this benefit entirely. This benefit may be more important to you if you travel to a remote location or engage in physical activity such as trekking.

For instance, are you going skiing? Then, you might want to purchase a policy that allows sports activities. Do you have expensive items in your luggage? You may want to opt for a plan with a higher limit for lost items.

Think long-term

If you’re planning on traveling multiple times within the year, compare the cost of purchasing several different single-trip policies to buying a yearlong plan, which may save you money.

Use existing coverage

If you hold a credit card with trip insurance, you may want to skip purchasing insurance.

Many travel credit cards offer travel insurance, though coverage levels vary. To qualify for this complimentary insurance, you’ll need to pay for your trip using your eligible card.

Depending on your card, you may already have trip interruption insurance, baggage delay reimbursement and emergency medical insurance.

» Learn more: How to find the best travel insurance

IMG’s plans offer 24/7 travel assistance, which can help you in many situations. This can include medical issues, lost passports and other problems that crop up during travel.

You can also choose to call IMG:

• IMG plans: 317-655-4500.

• iTravelInsured plans: 317-655-9796.

IMG also offers direct billing with some providers. This allows you to skip paying out of pocket; instead, the facility will bill your insurance directly. Use the company's Provider Search Tool to find eligible in-network care for direct billing.

To file a claim with IMG, your best bet is to submit a claim online. To do so, you’ll need to create an account on IMG’s website.

From there:

• In the MyIMG portal, select “Claims.”

• Select “My Claims” from the drop-down menu.

• Select the applicable policy.

• Select “Submit New Claim.”

• Follow the online prompts.

Is IMG travel insurance good?

Because it offers many plan options to travelers, IMG can ensure that you’re covered in nearly all situations. However, it’s also expensive, which means you’ll want to do the math to ensure a policy makes sense for you.

Before purchasing a plan, check out any credit cards that you have. Many travel credit cards offer complimentary travel insurance to cardholders. This can help you save money while still offering peace of mind.

IMG offers single-trip and long-term travel insurance options. Some plans allow for add-ons like device protection and coverage for adventure sports. However, it's important to note that certain exclusions apply, such as epidemics and severe storms. Before purchasing, consider checking to see if your credit card offers complimentary travel insurance.