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Travelex Travel Insurance: What You Need to Know
Travelex offers travel insurance plans, post-departure coverage and flight insurance policies to its customers.
Elina Geller is a contributing NerdWallet travel writer specializing in airline and hotel loyalty programs and travel insurance. In 2019, Elina founded TheMissMiles, a travel rewards coaching business. Her work has been featured by Forbes and AwardWallet. She is a certified public accountant with degrees from the London School of Economics and Fordham University.
Erica Harrington is a contributing editor at NerdWallet. She has more than 20 years of copy-editing experience. Previously, she served as the copy chief at Forbes Advisor and NerdWallet. In addition to personal finance content, she has edited stories about business, city and state politics, arts and entertainment, and national and international affairs. Erica also has taught English as a second language at corporations in Santiago, Chile. She has produced white papers for the United Nations. She is based in Atlanta.
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Flexible plan lineup with three comprehensive options and multiple add-ons.
Includes a post-departure medical plan (Travel Med Go).
Offers kids-included pricing on the Ultimate plan.
Cons
Lower-tier plans have fewer included benefits than higher-tier options.
Flight-specific plans offer limited coverage compared to comprehensive plans.
Travelex offers a range of travel insurance options, including three comprehensive plans, a post-departure medical plan and flight-specific coverage. Its lineup gives travelers flexibility, with multiple tiers and optional upgrades that allow you to tailor coverage to your trip.
One standout feature is kids-included pricing on its Ultimate plan, which allows one child age 17 or younger to be covered at no additional cost per covered adult, subject to certain conditions.
Travelers who want higher coverage limits and more built-in benefits may prefer the Advantage or Ultimate plans, while those looking for a lower-cost option may find Essential sufficient.
Travelex’s lineup includes three comprehensive plans, along with more limited options for travelers who only need specific types of coverage.
The main comprehensive plans are:
Essential: The entry-level option that covers the basics, including trip cancellation, interruption and emergency medical insurance, at a lower cost.
Advantage: A step up from Essential, with higher coverage limits and additional built-in benefits for travelers who want more protection.
Ultimate: The highest-tier plan, offering the most generous coverage limits for trips up to 180 days and the widest range of optional upgrades.
Travelex also offers more focused plans for specific needs:
Travel Med Go: A post-departure medical plan that focuses on emergency care and travel-related medical expenses, without trip cancellation coverage.
Flight Insure: A limited plan that provides accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage for air travel.
Flight Insure Plus: An upgraded version of Flight Insure with a higher AD&D limit and additional benefits like missed connection coverage, emergency evacuation and more.
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What Travelex insurance covers
Travelex travel insurance coverage varies based on the plan you purchase. Generally speaking, you can expect Travelex plans to include emergency medical coverage, along with benefits such as trip cancellation coverage and baggage insurance.
Emergency medical coverage: Covers expenses related to accidents and illnesses that happen during your travels.
Trip cancellation: Reimburses prepaid, nonrefundable costs if your trip is canceled for a covered reason.
Trip interruption: Refunds unused, prepaid, nonrefundable travel costs, such as hotel nights or excursion, if your trip is unexpectedly cut short.
Trip delay: Reimburses unplanned costs incurred due to a travel delay, such as meals, lodging and toiletries.
Baggage insurance: Reimburses you for lost, stolen or delayed luggage.
Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation: Covers the costs of transporting you to an appropriate medical facility or returning you home during a medical emergency.
In addition to these benefits, Travelex offers optional upgrades that can be added to its plans, including Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR), rental car coverage and more.
Across the lineup, the differences between plans are most noticeable in coverage limits and included benefits. The Essential plan provides lower limits and fewer perks, while the Advantage plan increases reimbursement levels for common disruptions like trip interruption and delays. The Ultimate plan provides the highest limits overall, along with additional features like a pre-existing condition waiver (if purchased within a specified window) and more customization options.
One standout feature is Travelex’s kids-included pricing on its Ultimate plan, which allows one child (17 or younger) to be covered at no additional cost per covered adult, subject to certain conditions.
Travel Med Go is structured differently, focusing on post-departure medical coverage rather than trip protection. Meanwhile, Flight Insure and Flight Insure Plus are more limited, with a primary focus on accidental death and dismemberment coverage and select flight-related benefits.
Add-on options
Travelex allows you to customize your policies in many different ways. While some of these are limited to the Ultimate plan, the Essential and Advantage plans also have customization options available.
Travelex plans have plenty of options for customization, but there are certain situations that won’t be covered by your policy, no matter which plan you purchase.
Known storms (ones that have already been named).
Reasonably foreseeable events.
Acts of war.
Any unlawful acts.
Elective medical procedures.
Travel against the advice of the U.S. Department of State, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization.
How Travelex compares to its competitors
On a five-star scale, NerdWallet rated Travelex four stars. This beats out many competitors, especially when you consider that a Travelex policy is relatively affordable.
Company
Star rating
Basic plan cost
Premium plan cost
Generate a quote
Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection
4.0 NerdWallet rating
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account consumer complaint and customer satisfaction data.
These star ratings are based on a separate analysis of each travel insurance provider’s offerings. For more detailed scoring, see our recommendations for the best travel insurance companies, read each individual provider's NerdWallet review or view our methodology at the end of this article. Pricing is subject to change based on your specific trip details. You can verify the latest price by clicking through to Squaremouth (a NerdWallet partner).
How much is Travelex travel insurance?
How much does Travelex travel insurance cost? A sample one-week trip to Japan costing $2,000, a policy for a 50-year-old traveler from Ohio cost $63 for the Essential plan. The Ultimate plan, which offers the highest coverage limits, was priced at $91.
Which Travelex travel insurance plan is best for me?
The right Travelex plan depends on how much coverage you need and what kind of trip you’re taking. If you’re looking for full trip protection, the three comprehensive plans: Essential, Advantage and Ultimate, offer different levels of coverage.
The Essential plan may be enough for shorter or lower-cost trips, while the Advantage plan increases coverage limits for things like trip interruptions and delays. The Ultimate plan offers the highest limits, along with additional benefits, making it a better fit for longer or more expensive trips. All three plans offer optional upgrades, allowing you to customize your coverage to your specific needs.
If you’ve already started your trip or only need medical coverage, Travel Med Go is designed for post-departure protection and doesn’t include trip cancellation benefits.
For travelers who only want limited coverage related to flying, Flight Insure and Flight Insure Plus focus primarily on accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage, with some additional benefits depending on the plan.
Before choosing a plan, consider how much of your trip cost is nonrefundable, what medical coverage you may need while traveling and whether you want flexibility through optional upgrades like Cancel For Any Reason.
Does Travelex offer 24/7 travel assistance?
Travelex offers 24/7 emergency assistance through its provider, Zurich Travel Assist.
Travelers in the U.S. or Canada can call 800-555-0870, while those outside these regions can call 416-977-1803 collect. Assistance is also available via email at [email protected] or through the Travel On mobile app.
This service can help with a range of travel-related issues, including medical emergencies, coordinating care, replacing lost prescriptions, assisting with travel disruptions and other urgent needs while abroad.
How to file a claim with Travelex travel insurance
You can file a claim online through Travelex’s self-service portal. Be prepared to provide details about your claim, including what happened, when the issue occurred, and any supporting documentation.
You can also file a claim by phone or email, depending on your policy’s underwriter:
If your policy is underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company, call 800-501-4781 or email [email protected].
If your policy is underwritten by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, call 855-205-6054 or email [email protected].
Is Travelex travel insurance worth it?
Travelex stands out for its relatively affordable pricing and flexible plan structure. With three comprehensive plans and a range of optional upgrades, travelers can tailor coverage to fit their specific trip without paying for benefits they don’t need.
Its Ultimate plan also includes features like kids-included pricing, which can add meaningful value for families compared to policies that charge per traveler.
But coverage limits on lower-tier plans may be more limited than some competitors, so travelers planning more expensive or complex trips may want to consider higher-tier options or compare alternatives.
As with any travel insurance purchase, it’s also worth checking what protections your credit card already provides before buying a separate policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Travelex cover flight cancellation? Does Travelex cover flight cancellation?
If your flight is canceled due to a covered reason, your Travelex policy may reimburse you through trip cancellation or trip interruption coverage. Cancellations for non-covered reasons typically aren’t reimbursed unless you’ve added an option like Cancel For Any Reason.
How long does a Travelex refund take? How long does a Travelex refund take?
The time it takes to receive reimbursement depends on your policy and how quickly your claim is processed. Once approved, payments are typically issued within 24 hours to 14 days, depending on the underwriter and whether you choose direct deposit or a paper check.
Is Travelex travel insurance primary or secondary? Is Travelex travel insurance primary or secondary?
Travelex plans generally provide primary coverage, except for the Essential plan, which offers secondary medical coverage unless you’re a Connecticut resident.
Does Travelex cover COVID-19? Does Travelex cover COVID-19?
Yes, Travelex medical insurance covers COVID-19.
Star rating methodology
Travel insurance rating and review methodology Travel insurance rating and review methodology
Travel insurance
NerdWallet's ratings for travel insurance companies take into account the following details about each insurer:
Scope of coverage.
Customizability.
Consumer experience and complaints.
Cost.
The best travel insurers excel in all of these categories. They provide the information people need to make a purchase without any surprises along the way. They offer insurance at a fair price and allow customers to customize plans to meet their coverage preferences. They're also able to keep their customers happy throughout the relationship.
Data collection and review process
NerdWallet collects over a dozen data points for each insurer we analyze from their public-facing websites and third-party analyses. These data points are then compared against one another and against NerdWallet's standards for good travel insurance companies to determine a star rating.
Data is collected on a regular basis and reviewed by our editorial team for consistency and accuracy. Final star ratings are presented on a scale of one to five stars, where a one-star score represents "poor" and a five-star score represents "excellent."
The reviews team
The writers and editors behind NerdWallet's travel insurance reviews are insurance specialists who have had their work featured by or appear in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Chicago-Sun Times, U.S. News & World Report and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet’s strict guidelines for editorial independence.
In addition to travel insurance, the team covers travel rewards programs, airlines and hotels.
Rating specifics
Our star ratings are weighted based on our editorial and professional opinions. We use the following weightings when rating travel insurers:
Scope of coverage (25%).
Customizability (25%).
Consumer experience and complaints (25%).
Cost (25%).
Scope of coverage ratings are based on assessments of a company’s standard protections, including:
Travel medical insurance.
Trip cancellation.
Trip interruption.
Trip delay.
Baggage and personal belongings, lost luggage.
Emergency medical assistance.
Emergency medical evacuation.
Emergency medical repatriation.
Accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
Rental car coverage.
Customizability ratings factor in whether coverage limits are fixed prices or a percentage of the trip cost (the percentage is generally better), whether a policy has customizations available, and the number of bonus features.
24-hour assistance.
Pre-existing medical conditions coverage.
Extreme sport coverage.
CFAR add on availability.
Travel health insurance.
Interruption for Any Reason.
Travel Inconvenience.
Cancel for Work Reasons.
Electronics coverage.
Consumer experience ratings are based on provider reviews on Squaremouth.com. If the company is not in the Squaremouth database, we default to Google reviews.
Affordability ratings are based on the percentage of total trip cost a plan costs a policyholder. Less than 4% is considered excellent, whereas over 9% is considered poor.