John Hancock Travel Insurance Review: Is It Worth the Cost?

With three tiers of coverage and simple add-on options, John Hancock is a solid choice for travel insurance.
Carissa Rawson
By Carissa Rawson 
Updated

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Travel insurance protects you when you’re away from home. Different types of travel insurance provide varying levels of coverage, but can often include emergency medical insurance, trip cancellation protection, rental car insurance and more. 

There are plenty of different companies willing to sell you policies, but which ones are good? Let’s take a look at John Hancock travel insurance, the types of plans it offers and how much it’ll cost you to purchase. 

What does John Hancock travel insurance cover?

John Hancock offers three different plans for travelers depending on their needs: Gold, Silver and Bronze. As you’d expect, the Gold level comes with the most coverage and the highest price, while the Bronze level costs the least. 

Each level offers coverage in the case of trip mishaps, such as cancellations or interruptions, as well as emergency medical card and evacuation. However, the value of these coverages varies from plan to plan.

John Hancock travel insurance cost and inclusions

To do a consistent John Hancock travel insurance review across the three plans, we input a search for a 37-year-old from Colorado traveling to Australia for two weeks on a $4,000 trip. 

Coverage

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Trip cancellation

100%.

100%.

100%.

Trip interruption

150%.

150%.

125%.

Trip delay

$1,000 ($200 daily limit / minimum 3-hour delay required).

$750 ($150 daily limit / minimum 3-hour delay required).

$500 ($150 daily limit / minimum 6-hour delay required).

Missed connection

$1,000.

$750.

$200.

Change fee coverage

$200.

$200.

$200.

Accident & sickness medical expense

$250,000.

$100,000.

$50,000.

Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation

$1 million.

$500,000.

$250,000.

Baggage & personal effects

$2,500.

$1,000.

$750.

Baggage delay

$500 after 12 hours.

$500 after 12 hours.

$250 after 12 hours.

Pre-existing conditions exclusion and waiver

60-day look-back, 14-day waiver (certain conditions apply).

60-day look-back, 14-day waiver (certain conditions apply).

60-day look-back, 14-day waiver (certain conditions apply).

Policy cost

$226.00.

$170.00.

$158.00.

% of trip cost

5.65%.

4.25%.

3.95%.

The Gold plan provides the greatest benefits, including a much higher limit for emergency medical and lost baggage reimbursement. Other than that, however, the Silver level is fairly similar, enjoying the same 150% reimbursement rate for trip interruption and a three-hour window for trip delay to kick in. 

The Bronze level is the least expensive, but it’s not all that far off from the cost of the Silver level. At this rate, you’ll be looking at far less coverage for emergency medical and trip delay, though you’ll still have $200 in coverage for change fees and 100% of costs incurred for trip cancellation.

Additional options and add-ons

John Hancock travel insurance also allows you to add more coverage.

Add-on option

What it is

Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR)

Up to 75% of non-refundable trip cost will be reimbursed. 100% of the non-refundable trip cost and trip duration must be insured. Coverage must be purchased within 14 days of initial trip payment or deposit. Cancellation must be no less than two days prior to scheduled departure date.

Accidental death and dismemberment (Air only)

$300,000 or $500,000 available.

Rental car insurance

$50,000; this benefit is secondary.

There are just three add-ons from which to choose if you’re looking to upgrade your plan. The first is Cancel For Any Reason insurance (CFAR). As it sounds, CFAR allows you to cancel your trip without needing to have a covered reason. 

With John Hancock, you’ll need to pay an additional 50% of your plan cost to get this insurance. There are restrictions: You have to sign up for this within two weeks after buying insurance, and it’ll only cover 75% of your costs.

You can also choose to add accidental death and dismemberment coverage, which is only valid for air travel. Rental car insurance is your final option, but be aware that this policy is secondary, so it'll only pay out after other insurance coverage has been exhausted. 

Nerdy tip: Travel credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card provide complimentary primary rental car insurance as long as you use the card to pay for your rental. 

Finally, when it comes to John Hancock travel medical insurance reviews and John Hancock travel insurance customer reviews, there's good news: Insurance aggregator Squaremouth gives John Hancock a rating of 4.2 out of 5, with over 1,100 reviews since 2012.

What isn’t covered by John Hancock insurance?

Depending on the policy you purchase, certain exclusions may apply. This is true whether you use John Hancock or another travel insurance company. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t expect coverage for things such as intentional acts of harm, high-risk activities and other designated events. 

Note that while some policies will exclude acts of terrorism, John Hancock insurance specifically provides coverage for these. Regardless, check the fine print to ensure you’re getting the coverage you need. 

Which John Hancock plan is right for me?

You'll want to consider several factors as you shop your John Hancock travel insurance options. However, here are some suggestions to point you in a particular direction:

  • If you’re going on a simple return trip: the Bronze plan might be enough.

  • If you’ll be going on multiple and longer trips: Consider the Silver or Gold plans, which offer significantly more health coverage.

  • If you have a premium travel card (e.g., the Chase Sapphire Reserve®): These cards often offer some trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage, so you may not need a plan that offers all the same coverage.

How to choose a John Hancock plan online

If John Hancock travel insurance seems up your alley, it’s pretty easy to purchase a policy online. First, you’ll need to navigate to the John Hancock Insurance Agency website.

From there, you’ll be able to fill out the personal details required to generate a quote.

Who should get a John Hancock travel insurance policy?

Travel insurance can be a good option for those worried about incidents while they’re out of town. Purchasing a policy can provide peace of mind and coverage in the event that your travel plans go awry, whether you’ve simply been delayed or you’re suffering from a medical emergency.

John Hancock’s travel insurance policies are some of the better options out there, allowing you to choose from three different plans to suit your travel needs. 


How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:

Cards for Travel Insurance from our Partners
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-10x

Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Points
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

on Chase's website

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
4.2
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-2x

Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

50,000

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Points
See more cards
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